he neo affluence of West Queen West is finally extending its reach past the Dufferin underpass. A surge of new business has brought a new touch of vibrancy.

Café Taste owner, Jeremy Day, has spent the last 15 years in the hospitality industry, which includes management with SIRCORP and Holiday Inn and certification with the Wine Institute of Ontario. With Taste, Day plans on sharing his knowledge of coffee and fine wine. “I’ve been building my concept for years and I thought Parkdale is the perfect place for it,” explains Day, “there are a lot of people moving into the area and I’m filling a niche.”

Take note of Café Taste’s slogan on the window: Coffee. Done. Seriously. Day is indeed serious about what he does and is hoping his vision will click with his new clientele. “My passions are coffee, wine and environment sustainability,” says Day, “My motto of ‘Coffee done seriously’ means you can’t get drip-coffee here. The best possible way of having our coffee, which is organic, fair trade and bird friendly, is with a French press service. It’s a labour intensive process. You have to hand wash all the presses and it takes four minutes to make your coffee.”

Wood is the prevailing theme of this café, which includes dark hardwood floors, the banquet against the walls, chairs, the hand built tables and even the main counter. A few pieces of artwork adorn the walls and the musical selections range from classical to Beck. The room is sparse and there is an ample amount of sunlight coming through the windows. Ensconced by the bustling sights and sounds of Queen Street, Taste does a great job of blending into the neighbourhood.

Taste serves brunch and, during the week, it offers up about five different dishes for lunch. Items like the gourmet egg salad in a whole wheat wrap ($6.52) are on tap, as is a slice of herb-crusted goat cheese baked atop of organic greens with avocado ($8.27) and the three-cheese grilled sandwich on artisan harvest loaf ($8.27).