This buffet is filling…and philanthropic for Second Harvest

Annabelle Goodman –

It has been said that it is better to give than to receive. But attending the spectacular buffet at the Hot House Cafe (35 Church St. at Front St. E.) allows you to enjoy both at the same time.

The Hot House is an enormous restaurant—but it is so well designed that patrons feel as if they are dining in a small, secluded space. Despite its size, it functions well under the leadership of owner Andrew Laffey whose charm makes dining here such a total delight.

The servers are obviously well trained—they all appear to be having a good time and are warm and helpful. The delightful Lance was such fun as well as being a most efficient server. Even the jazz group was fantastic. Everything works together to make it a thoroughly positive experience.

Each Monday morning a truck arrives to pick up the leftover food which is packaged in foil containers and refrigerated. The food is then delivered to several missions in town. What could be better than dining on superb cuisine while Second Harvest benefits?

Second Harvest was established in 1985 by two women who perceived an opportunity to divert potentially wasted food from restaurants and stores as an efficient way to feed the hungry. Since then, more than 80 million pounds of excess food have been delivered.

The Hot House Café is a longtime support of the charity and even won an award for contributing the most food. Considering that 800 to 1000 people dine at the buffet on any given Sunday, that translates into hundreds of pounds of prepared food sent off weekly.

It’s hard to believe there are leftovers: this buffet far exceeded my expectations.

At first I was worried about the large crowd waiting at the door (all with reservations). My granddaughter and I were delighted to see coffee urns just inside the door (along with pieces of coffee cake) to ward off hunger during our short wait.

Once we were seated, we had our first taste of the buffet. The poached salmon was exquisite, moist and flavorful—it was perfect. Over 20 whole poached salmon are served on a Sunday at the buffet.

I also loved the tofu stir fry. Large chunks of firm tofu were combined with noodles and vegetables and spiced to perfection. The quinoa salad made me happy and I also felt virtuous. Hot roast beef was carved to order. Hot and cold platters were numerous, and breads and sweet rolls were in plentiful supply.

Dare I mention the enormous spread of desserts? There was definitely a “Wow!” factor with waffles in the classic Belgian style with lots of choices of fruit sauce to garnish the wondrous flavor. A rich chocolate cake caught my eye (and ended up in my stomach). Cookies, gluten free apple crumble, fresh fruit, and cheese provided a sumptuous conclusion to the feast.

How does the chef ever prepare so much food at one time? The platters were constantly being refilled. We were never rushed. The cappuccino and latte were perfect endings to the meal.

The buffet is $19.95 on Sunday morning and $18.95 on Wednesday evening. For information, call (416) 366-7800 or set your browser to: www.hothousecafe.com.