Review: Utopia Cafe

In preparation for the big Rue Morgue Halloween Party this past Saturday, Dave, our out-of-town friends Ken and Yvonne, and I found ourselves in search of some belly-filling, alcohol-soaking-up tasty eats. Having just come from Kensington Market, we were near College Street and a reastaurant I had been wanting to try: Utopia Cafe (586 College St). As we stepped inside, a tiny dining room surrounding an open kitchen welcomed us. Utopia is a warm, cozy space with art lining the walls like a mini-gallery. After a very brief wait our friendly, attentive, hyperactive waiter directed us to a table and brought over menus and a carafe of ice water (I love that).

The menu offers a plentitude of delicious-sounding salads, burritos, sandwiches, and burgers. I was torn between the grilled salmon burrito (with garlic dill mayo!) and the "kissing cousins" burger. I finally decided on the latter (with a veggie patty) because I was craving fries. Dave, and Ken ordered bison burgers, and Yvonne settled on the standard charbroiled beef burger.

Our food didn't take long at all to arrive at our table. My burger was topped with a handful of crumbly goat cheese, some mint mayo, onion, lettuce, and tomato. I spread on a touch of Utopia's house-made jalapeno orange hot sauce and dug in. The (soy-based) veggie patty was nearly indiscernible from beef and the sharp, creamy goat cheese tasted amazing with the subtle mint mayo and spicy kick from the hot sauce. The mountain of fries that came with my burger were obviously cut from real potatoes and had been freshly fried to crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside goodness. I could not have been more pleased. Dave, Ken, and Yvonne also enjoyed their burgers immensely.

When we had finished with our huge entrees, we were all too stuffed for dessert -- our bellies were definitely filled and ready to be assaulted by free beer at the party. At $7 to $9 per delicious plate, these meals were a great value. We will definitely be back to Utopia -- After all, I still have to try that salmon burrito!

9 pretty ponies out of 10