Wren, Set, Pour, Hoffman

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Earlier this week we did a thing. And then I did two things.

Tuesday

We went for an early dinner at The Wren (pro tip: if you don’t get there by 5:15pm, you won’t get a table, even on a Tuesday), ate delicious food — a fried chicken sando and their take on a crunchwrap supreme — and some killer beer.

After dinner, we subway-ed down the Danforth and walked to the Comedy Bar to see Jacqueline Novak. We saw her on her Fall On Your Knees tour four years ago, but tonight was a different show type. She was doing three nights at this venue; we were clearly catching her on night one, as she tried stuff out, looked stuff up on a laptop at the edge of the stage, refamiliarized herself with standup timing, etc. Still very funny, I thought, and a good venue apart from the air conditioning condensation that kept dripping on me.

Wednesday

I was invited to a wine tasting — the first tasting for Common Ground Wines, a new wine import agency co-founded by a friend of mine. Well, a friend who hasn’t really spoken to me in ten years, it should be said. I was glad she invited me, even if it was hard to shake off the weirdness. Anyway, Laura came with me, and we eventually found the venue inside a pen store. Another long-ago friend who was helping pour made sure our glasses stayed full, but we didn’t get to try most of the portfolio. Still, a few from Savoie enchanted me, so I’ll probably buy some.

I left there and took a streetcar over to Blue Jays Way, where I had a chance to watch a Jays game. I was hoping and they wouldn’t get blown out for a third straight night, and they didn’t — but they still lost thanks to Jeff Hoffman. Gone is the magic of last November.

Campeones

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World Cup 2026 is over. Argentina ran out of miracles, and were dominated by Spain in the final.

It seems like forever ago that Canada went out, but getting to the round of 16 was a huge step forward for them. It followed a number of firsts: their first result at a World Cup coming on home soil, their first win, their first advancement out of the group stage (albeit in a field of 48, not 32) and then Stephen Eustáquio’s goal late against South Africa to put them into the round of 16.

Toronto, having hosted its lone playoff match more than two weeks ago, has gone quiet again. In retrospect, I’m disappointed in myself. I turned into the kind of jaded Torontonian that avoids downtown because of the traffic and busyness, and didn’t try to really experience any part of it other than watch it on TV. if I’ve reached the point where I try to avoid the busy parts of the city because they’ve gotten busy, maybe I’ve lost the plot a bit.

Flaky layered pastry

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Brother #2 and the S-I-L have been visiting since last Wednesday, when they landed late at night after numerous delays.

Thursday, after reintroducing themselves to Bianca, they drove out to Guelph. Once they got back and the rain stopped, we grilled up some chicken from Butchers of Distinction and drank an exceptional Chard.

Friday they drove out to Ajax for breakfast with their kiddo. When they got back and I’d wrapped up my work day we walked down the street to Reid’s for some cocktails and bites and to watch the World Cup match. Then we walked up to Gerrard for dinner at East End Vine where we had crudo, mushroom toast w/ quail eggs, crispy brussels, chorizo sausages & bell peppers, and apple/fennel/radicchio salad, and maybe something else. We had plenty of fun wine too, including a glass of Bellone, an Italian white that was new to me.

On Saturday three of us went to Maha’s for brunch. The S-I-L was excited because, since their last visit, Maha’s has introduced a Feteer Meshaltet to their menu, and she hasn’t had one since they left Cairo seven years ago. When we got home we ventured out to two parks near us which we’d never visited: Leslie Lookout Park, which took about 45 seconds, and Biidaasige Park, which was way bigger than we expected. We walked around the trails there and got decent sunburns. Once home we found some more caffeine around the corner at Maha’s Cafe, watched England-Norway, and ate pulled pork tacos & drank Pinot before they drove to Ajax to collect the kiddo. Upon returning home they joined us for the second half (and extra time) of Argentina-Switzerland, before we all crashed.

On Sunday we all got up, went to Avling for brunch, and then chilled for a while. Once the brother and S-I-L got home from returning the kiddo to Ajax, we picked up Revolver pizza, watched last week’s House Of The Dragon, and went to bed early.

This morning, between meetings, I drove them to the airport, and wished them a much smoother flight home than the one that brought them here. The house feels quiet now, and Bianca seems a little confused.

Until next year, guys.

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Black & Blue, Knicks & Spurs, hot & hotter

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Earlier this week I had a work dinner at Black & Blue steakhouse. Lindsay and I had visited the Vancouver location seven years ago* and quite liked it, but I’d heard mixed things about the new-ish Toronto outpost. Here’s what I ate:

  • Appetizers
    • Beef Carpaccio w/ horseradish crema, pickled shimeji mushrooms, crispy shallot, fried capers, shaved parmigiano reggiano
    • Crispy Calamari w/ humboldt squid, lemon, italian parsley, charred jalapeño aioli
    • Sashimi Omakase w/ two each of king salmon, bluefin tuna, hamachi, scallop, and sea bream
  • Mains
    • 10oz Australian Wagyu Rib-Eye
    • Crispy Brussels Sprouts w/ lemon, capers, parmesan, chilies
    • Wagyu rice

* It recently occurred to me that perhaps the two best Wagyu experiences I’ve ever had — that one at Black & Blue Vancouver, and one more recently in Victoria — were on the east coast. I am slowly forming a theory that the Wagyu is amazing when it arrives in BC and becomes slightly less magical as it makes its journey east to Toronto. Still amazing…but just marginally less amazing.

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Because it came amidst the NHL playoffs andthe opening round of the World Cup, I didn’t make note here of the NBA finals. While I have been a Raptors fan since moving here the year after their inaugural season, the two teams I identified with in the 90s were the Knicks and the Spurs. The Spurs had a team personality that I liked, a hall of fame coach, great bigs like David Robinson and Tim Duncan, and they ultimately became one of the more successful franchises of the past few decades. The Knicks had been more of an underdog story, not having won a title since before I was born, in large part because they kept running into the Bulls, or later the Rockets. But I loved players like Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley and John Starks and Anthony Mason, and the NY grit they brought. So it was great to see them play in the finals, and even better to see the Knicks win their first title since 1973.

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The past week has been insufferably hot, not just in Toronto but all across North America (and Europe, apparently). I woke up feeling like the heat had finally broken; that it already felt like 27 degrees with the humidex at 9am shows just how hot it was earlier in the week. It was so hot that we couldn’t really even go to the top floor of our (flat roof) house. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Gäster

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Right after I got back from Halifax we had some special house guests: Tess & Aravind (och barnet) visiting from Sweden, by way of Halifax.

We hosted them here for four nights, and it was great fun. We caught up and cooed at the baby. We got coffee and bought gifts. We ate dinner in our backyard and at a few restaurants (Avling, White Lily). We watched the World Cup and had a picnic in Riverdale East Park. The visiting baby delighted in Bianca; the visiting adults did not care for her. The baby also took bites out of some cork coasters and gnawed marks into our coffee table. It was good for our souls to have them here, and we’re hoping to see them again when we visit in July.

A (work) week in Halifax

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This past week I was in Halifax for two different work purposes. Just one day out the five I was there was kind of damp, otherwise it was a gorgeous week.

Sunday: Vino Volo, an easy flight sitting next to someone I knew, a long commute into downtown Halifax because one of the bridges was shut down, the Prince George Hotel (my home for the next five nights), Stillwell (where 2 beers and a large Japanese fries was $21 and I was asking myself why I don’t live there) and then, much later, Rosie’s Burgers.

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Monday: classic Halifax weather (fog like a blanket), day one of a conference, lots of trips to the Weird Harbour on Barrington, then EDNA for dinner:

  • Aperitif
    • glass of muscat/grenache gris orange wine
  • Appetizer
    • beet salad: pickled and roasted beets, whipped ricotta, hazelnut, mint, radish, cucumber,
      maple-balsamic reduction
      • glass of pinot noir
  • Main
    • pork collar w/ carrots and apple and dill
      • glass of grenache/syrah
  • Dessert
    • chocolate coconut mousse w/ hazelnut praline, strawberry coulis, chantilly cream
      • glass of sauterne

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Tuesday: gorgeous weather, day two of the conference, more Weird Harbour, Gahan House with a big crew, and a sunset sail around the harbour on the Tall Ship Silva.

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Wednesday: the other Weird Harbour, a walk down Spring Garden and back through the Public Gardens, a full day of meetings, dinner at Salt + Ash, wine at Peacock (they let me pick the wine, so Slovenian Cabernet Sauvignon it was!) and more perfect weather.

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Thursday: day two of meetings, still more Weird Harbour, another gorgeous day, and after the meetings wrapped a colleague and I walked to brother #1’s house for a bbq and the Canada/Qatar match with brother #2.

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Friday: hotel breakfast, one last Weird Harbour visit (along with what I think was the Spanish SailGP team), airport, terrible pizza, and an easy flight home.

The Montrachet of Italy

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Last night we had dinner at Carisma, using a gift card that had given to us as a Christmas gift. We arrived to find it nearly empty — I guess everyone was avoiding downtown because of the World Cup?

Anyway, here’s what we had:

  • Cocktails
    • Negroni
    • glass of Falanghina
  • Appetizers (shared)
    • Warm wild mushroom salad w/ organic greens, warm goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette
    • Scallops w/ more wild mushrooms
  • Pasta & mains (shared)
    • Spaghettini w/ black tiger shrimp, brandy tomato cream
    • Mediterranean sea bass w/lemon, extra virgin olive oil
      • bottle of 2020 Chardonnay Umbria Cervaro della Sala Antinori
  • Dessert
    • Molten chocolate cake
      • glasses of 2015 Recioto Della Valpolicella Domini Veneti

Normally dessert would be a compromise on something not quite so chocolate-y, but I got to choose because Lindsay accidentally fired sauce all over my shirt when she dismantled a shrimp.

I’m the captain now

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I returned home yesterday from my latest trip to Moncton, the first in a while.

Monday I had a coffee meeting at Epoch Chemistry. That evening, my mom & dad, brother #2, and the S-I-L came over for dinner at The Gahan House.

Tuesday I did a full day in the office, before a bunch of us drove over to Shediac for dinner at Captain Dan’s. It was too chilly to sit outside and fully enjoy the shore setting, but a beer, a chicken sandwich, and good company went a long way.

Wednesday we spent the afternoon outside making beds for kids, so felt like we earned beers on the patio at Monk 10, followed by a big team dinner at The Bunker and a nightcap at St. James Gate.

Thursday was another full day of work events, so I was too introvert-tired to do much other than crash in my room with takeout, especially since I had to be up at 4am to catch a flight.

So: nothing groundbreaking in terms of restaurants, but it sure is a lot more fun being there for patio weather.

The end of Hacks & Habs

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This weekend marked the end of two unexpected successes.

Thursday marked the final episode of Hacks (imdb). We only started watching it a couple months ago, but quickly burned through all 46 episodes, and caught up just before the series finale. We’d heard it was good, but couldn’t have known just how good it turned out to be. It was definitely our favourite thing that we were watching. At some point during our watch I pointed out how many parallels there are to BoJack Horseman, so it’s no wonder we liked it.

Last night the Habs were smoked by the Carolina Hurricanes, who look poised to win their first cup in twenty years. As severe as their beating in this series was, the season as a whole has to be considered a huge win. They’re the youngest team in the league, and they made the Eastern Conference Final. No one gave them a chance to beat Tampa in the first round, and they did. Few people thought they’d beat Buffalo in the second round, and they did. Their core is young, their talent pipeline is strong, their contracts are well-managed, and both their organization and their coaching staff are excellent. They learned from their first-found playoff exit last year; they’ll learn from this too. Their season ended less than 24 hours ago, but I’m already excited for next year.

For now, though: let’s go Blue Jays.

Kourts help rid the airwaves of krap

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There are very few songs, or pieces of music, that I find myself utterly unable to listen to because they’re so bad. Sure, I’m judgy about music in general, but there are a select few ditties that anger me. “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys, for example.

Another is an ad that occasionally plays while I’m watching SportsCentre in the morning, relaxing with my coffee, trying to center myself before the day begins: the ad for Kars 4 Kids. The instant I hear the first note, I dive across the couch to grab the remote and hit the mute button, often making a guttural sound to block out the janky little earworm before it can take hold.

Last week I read that, following a California court decision to ban the ad for false advertising. (“A strategy of deception” was the judge’s exact phrasing.) The CBC has since removed the ads from circulation; I can only hope all other channels follow. Not just for using deceptive practices, but because it’s one of the most loathsome jingles ever foisted upon the public.

Why yes, I do feel strongly about this.