The man – Zane Caplansky – who made his mark with his house-smoked, hand-cut meat, is warming up to herbivores.
Not that Caplansky’s Delicatessen is getting rid of old favourites. Slow-cooked barbeque beef brisket still graces the menu, as do meaty lunch standards like hot deli sandwiches with smoked turkey and the smoked meat poutine.
But Caplansky himself decided to turn the menu on its head recently, in hopes of attracting meatless fanatics to the door of his College street deli.
New additions to the menu include veggie-loaded ratatouille and rice, Ontario trout (baked or pan-seared, your choice) and dinner-sized Greek salad.
The lunchtime crowd now has the option of an egg salad or a roasted vegetable and goat cheese sandwich.
Caplansky has added a few other items too, keeping with his classic meat theme. A ten-ounce meatloaf is available for dinner and as a sandwich for lunch. The new maple-dipped fried chicken has been a hit, he says, along with the smoked lamb kebob, served with rice and creamy dill sauce.
What else?
"The Leaning Tower of Caplansky has been a good seller," he says. "Like crazy-good."
And what in the world is that?
Three slices of stacked french toast, he says, with layers of cream cheese, blueberry jam and bacon. Topped with maple syrup and fresh fruit, the ambitious breakfast goes for $12.