"Butter Tarts"-Toronto Life
Before all else, and pre-empting indignant letters,
we acknowledge that nobody makes butter tarts like the
ones you had at Grandma's cottage on Manitoulin Island.
That said, it's remarkable how many unassuming places
bake their own-and how few do bad ones. Saying as much,
though, reveals our relationship to them: most buttertarts
taste like someone's grandmother made them (and how
could you say anything bad about Granny?). Even so,
some grans have the genius. The stickiest, yummiest
butter tarts ($1.65) come from Hannah's Kitchen (2221
Yonge St., 481-2828). The top third is a chewy caramel
layer that'll loosen dental work. A bare touch of runny
sweetness fills the center, and the base is a buttery
pastry that beats anything else in town. Still not sold?
Two words might help convince some of you: no raisins.
"Apple Pie"-Toronto Life
Sitting on a diner stool, winter creeping in the door,
the world starts to look a little grey. Boulevard of
broken dreams. Then, marketer's dream, the pie. Dead
of winter, and yet there's pie. With fruit. And it's
good. Think not how there came to be fruit-local fruit
at that-in December (in the best scenario, apples are
stored in cold warehouses with low oxygen-three per
cent to nature's twenty-one-to halt the ripening; in
the worst, in cans). Instead, break the flaky crust
or tumble through the crumble and there lies a touch
of Eden, with just a hint of Mom. Alas, much as we like
the image, we've yet to discover magical apple pie in
a diner, so off we trot to Hannah's Kitchen (2221 Yonge
St., 481-2828). Beneath sugar sprinkles on a dark, softly
flaky pastry, apple chunks with a bright, lemony-apple
flavor ($32/pie; $3.50). Try it, we urge a friend.
"Butternut Squash and Broccoli Stew"-Chef's Showcase
(Starweek)
Since 1990 chef Susan Hughes has been tempting Yonge/Eglinton
office workers and moviegoers with soups, hearty pastas
and stews, and homemade desserts including prize-winning
butter tarts. Hannah's Kitchen is a family business
with husband Michael Shields as manager and co-owner.
Hughes trained at George Brown College and worked at
various restaurants including Centro Ristorante. Chef
Felipe Silverio also cooks on the day shift. Olga Kowalczuk
of Toronto writes that she is impressed by their "wonderful
vegetarian dishes," especially this squash stew with
broccoli.
"Egg Sandwich"-Toronto Eats (by Leonard Wise)
 When
I was in high school and later in university, I used
to sit in the cafeteria and watch the other kids open
up their lunch bags. From theirs came great-looking
sandwiches of avocado and tomato on whole wheat bread,
sliced chicken with Dijon mustard on rye, or tuna and
lettuce on an onion bun. Not from mine. For 10 years
my mother gave me two chopped egg sandwiches on Wonder
bread. I never had to guess what was in the bag; I never
even had to look. One whiff of my school locker and
it was obvious. In time I became known as the "chopped
egg kid." I vowed that when I got out of school, I'd
never look at another egg sandwich. So, guess what?
I broke my vow. Recently I renewed my relationship with
chopped egg and mayonnaise on whole wheat bread and
found the best sandwich at Hannah's Kitchen ($3.50)
"Raspberry Muffin"-Toronto Eats (by Leonard Wise)
There was a time when the only decent muffin in town
was the bran muffin at Mars. Well times have changed...I
present to you the raspberry muffin at Hannah's Kitchen
($1.25). If you can find a better muffin, I'll buy you
lunch.
"It's One Great Cafe"-The Toronto Sun, Feb.23, 1994:
Every corner ought to have one. One great all-day cafe,
take-out and restaurant that serves the kind of food
everyone wants to ear. At affordable prices. Yonge and
Eglinton has one, Hannah's Kitchen, open from 7 a.m.
to 10 in the evening, perfect for Canada Square movie
patrons and anyone living in the vicinity. In the a.m.
Hannah's hops as folks kickstart their workday with
great coffee and homemade muffins to go. Again at lunch,
lines form at the counter for Susan Hughes and Michael
Shields' appealing selection of salads, sandwiches (the
eggplant is a personal favorite), soups and pasta specials.
Staffer Chris Nogollos keeps the hungry lines moving
and satisfied. There's one special salad that always
gets raves. It's pasta with chicken, redolent with fresh
basil, with the rich crunch of toasted pine nuts and
a dense tomato-y tang that can come only from slivered
sundried tomatoes. Yes, there is chicken, and the pasta
is radiatore, President's Choice is recommended as it
keeps its firmness and shape. (recipe follows)
"Vegetarian Dining"-Vitality Magazine
Hannah's Kitchen serves extremely fresh and tasty food,
homemade, with two excellent soups daily. Great salads.
The staff tries hard to please and does a good job of
it. Newspapers and magazines are available. Lunch is
cafeteria style and dinner is slightly more formal with
table service.
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