Apr. 13, 2005 - Issue #495: The Mystery of Irma Vep
Democracy and a Free Press
Downtown bistro promotes life, liberty and the pursuit of egg creams
Even though framed newspapers decorate its walls, the Free Press Bistro’s name is a clever play on words, emphasizing the fact they’re a purveyor of fine pressed sandwiches, more commonly known by their Italian name, panini. Of course, it’s much more than just a sandwich shop, and it certainly looks the part. The décor is classy, with plenty of earthy browns and always-chic black. The location is great for the downtown business set, being just south of Jasper Ave, a block away from the popular warehouse district.
As the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived, we got a choice table by the window, which included great views of exotic 104 Street, complete with men on benches taking swigs from bottles in brown paper bags. Spiffy.
We were about to order our drinks when something on the menu instantly caught my interest. There, listed in the drinks section of our menu (made to look like a page from a newspaper), was something called an “Egg Cream” ($4). Puzzled, I asked our server for details. She cheerfully explained that the Egg Cream was, in fact, quite a difficult drink to pin down, and described it as a combination of cream, club soda and Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup, which they import specially from Brooklyn, New York. “So, what about the egg?” I asked her. “The name suggests that an egg might be involved.” She shrugged, smiled, and said that no, to her knowledge, there was no egg. According to her, the drink is a local favourite in Brooklyn. Huh. Go figure. I ordered one, while my wife opted for a less adventurous, but possibly still popular in Brooklyn, glass of orange juice ($2.50).
While there are other, non-pressed items on the menu, both my wife and I figured that we might as well go for the house specialty, each picking a pressed sandwich of our own. I went for the Philly Press ($9.95), a pressed version of the well-known Philly cheesesteak sandwich, featuring everything you’d expect: strips of steak, sautéed onions and red peppers, and melted mozza and Swiss cheeses. My wife picked the Free Press Club ($10.95), a combination of a grilled chicken breast, bacon, tomatoes and Swiss cheese, with lemon dill aioli to tie the whole thing together. Each sandwich normally comes with a side of fries, which is what I decided to stick with. My wife, on the other hand, wanted something a bit healthier, opting instead for the side Caesar salad, which was only $1.50 extra.
After ordering, it didn’t take long for our drinks to arrive, followed shortly by our sandwiches. By this point, the man on the bench with the bottle had moved on to other things, leaving us to concentrate wholeheartedly on our meal.
First, the drinks. While my wife’s orange juice was, well, orange juice, my Egg Cream was, in a word, unique. It was lighter than a milkshake and tasted almost like a creamy chocolate soft drink. Our server was right: it was just like drinking a chocolate ice cream float, but with the ice cream already melted into the drink. The first few pulls through the straw were very sweet (even for my wife, who loves sweet drinks), but the sweetness gradually subsided as the chocolate syrup settled out and was sucked up. I’m not sure if I’d exactly go out of my way to get an Egg Cream again, but I’ll probably order another when I next pay a visit.
My sandwich was excellent, with expertly grilled fresh bread (ciabatta, of course), a mix of sautéed onions and red peppers, well-melted cheese and lean, tender strips of steak. My fries were the thin, shoestring kind, and were good despite the abundance of grease. This may sound strange, but they instantly reminded me of my favourite roadside fry stand in Winnipeg, in the parking lot across from the train station. It’s funny how certain tastes and smells, however mundane, can trigger distant memories.
My wife’s sandwich was also good, with equally delicious bread, tender chicken and lots of creamy aioli. She seemed to like her Caesar salad, though I saw her snatch a couple of my fries. In return, I pilfered one of her croutons, after which we both agreed to a truce. After swapping bites of each other’s sandwiches, we were both happy with what we’d ordered. We finished off the rest of our sandwiches, downed the last of our drinks and happily went on our way after paying the reasonable bill.
For just under $31, we’d had a lovely lunch for two, with a view of the interesting street scenes outside. We left both happy and well-fed, ready to face the second half of the day. And that’s what a good lunch is all about, right? V
Free Press Bistro
#80, 10014-104 St • 497-7784
More info about Free Press Bistro →
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