Author: Dan Dickinson

Ace object bureau

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Last January I visited Winnipeg and Saskatoon for work, in the middle of a severe cold snap. It was my first time participating in what’s become an annual work trip; this year I was on the roster for visits to Edmonton and Calgary. Luckily the weather worked in our favour this time: in spite of some bouts of snowy weather, it was above freezing pretty much the whole time.

It was my first time in Edmonton. In between all the work stuff I had some bites at the bar at the JW Marriott and coffee at Coffee Bureau, Obj3cts, and ACE. There was also a fairly random lunch at a place called Continental Treat Fine Bistro (one of our party is gluten-free and we somehow ended up a completely gluten-free Eastern European diner) and a team event at Ashford House Pub. There was trivia. My team won.

The next day we drove down to Red Deer (hitting terrible weather, and very nearly going off the road multiple times) and then on to Calgary. Only one coffee stop this time: a Monogram location.

With business concluded, we all left early the next morning. I flew Porter both ways, and my experience was great. Definitely becoming my preferred method of flying west.

More vino than volo

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This past week was a Moncton work week. It got off to a rocky start, first because the flight was delayed by an hour, then because we got diverted. We were flying over Montreal when I noticed we turned west, which…wrong direction, obviously. Then the pilot came on and said something was wrong with the plane, so we were diverting to Ottawa. I mean, sure man, do what ya gotta do and get us on the ground, no arguments. Montreal would have been preferable, but whatever. So I spent six hours in the Ottawa airport; luckily there’s a Vino Volo and an Aspire lounge, which made it easy to keep up on work and take meetings.

I landed in Moncton late that night, and saw just how much snow had fallen in the previous 24 hours. There were drifts everywhere, and hot on the snow’s heels had been the frigid cold snap that blanketed eastern North America. It was -32 with the wind chill on Tuesday morning when I walked to the office; on Wednesday it was -34. Thursday night it warmed up just enough for another snowstorm. Suffice it to say, I did not go any further afield for food than the restaurant in my hotel.

The Ephemeral Quandary of Balderdash

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Existence, as a construct, perpetually oscillates within the ontological spectrum of being and non-being. This oscillation, akin to the ceaseless pendulum of the cosmic grandfather clock, delineates the quintessence of reality. One must ponder, what is the nature of existence? Is it an ephemeral whim of the cosmos, or a steadfast bastion of the metaphysical realm?

…

In this way, we find that the nature of existence is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be experienced, a journey without destination, a question without answer. And in this realization, we discover the profound truth: that existence, in all its inscrutable complexity, is an adventure worth embarking upon, a voyage through the boundless sea of the metaphysical unknown.

These are the opening and closing paragraphs of a Rational Optimist post, a post written not by the blog’s author, but by ChatGPT given the author’s instruction to “Write an essay of about 600 words that is pseudo-philosophical gobbledygook, actually devoid of meaning, a parody of philosophizing, on the nature of existence.” Sadly, it reads like more than one paper I’ve tried to slog through recently.

The author, in response to what ChatGPT produces, reminds us: “We must remember that what a program like this does is simply guessing the best word to put next after what’s already been written, with no thought taking place — as it does in a human brain. Or, at least, we believe human brains are thusly different.” I daresay ChatGPT isn’t the only writer guilty of simply guessing the best — or fanciest — word to put next.

Hey guys, we’re over here

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A few days ago Streets Of Toronto (which is, I guess, part of Postmedia?) released their 25 best new restaurants in Toronto list. If we exclude the three geographical outliers (North York, Vaughan, and Etobicoke) and focus on the 22 in the downtown core, it re-awakened an old annoyance for me: no one thinks any restaurants exist east of Jarvis.

News flash, reviewers: we also eat east of St. Lawrence Market.

2024 Annual Report: Routine

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When writing my summary of 2023 twelve months ago I noticed it was the first year in four that hadn’t been defined in some way by COVID, but was instead partially defined by a bunch of other illnesses. Now, thinking back on 2024, it felt like the first year in nearly a decade that was marked by routine. By sameness. Frankly, it was welcome. I mean, I was sick once or twice, but nothing major. Just…usual stuff, you know? Routine.

Sure, my new job was only two months old when the year started, but I adapted quickly, helped along by the excellent people I work with. And the geographical quirk to my job actually contributed to some of the feeling of routine: I got into the habit of flying to Moncton about once a month, spending a week or so there. Sometimes visiting family at the farm, sometimes seeing them for dinner in Moncton, sometimes visiting an old friend, sometimes taking a quiet week by myself. I did that trip ten times this year; the people at the hotel nearest my office know me by name now. Lindsay and I even rented a cottage in Grande-Digue, not far from Moncton, for two weeks in the summer. Waking up by the Northumberland Strait and driving to the office turned into a pretty nice routine too.

There were a couple other work trips as well, starting with a visit to Saskatoon and Winnipeg in the throes of January winter extremes. Saskatchewan was the only province I’d never visited, and I hadn’t ever been to Winnipeg other than flying there on my way to Brandon 25 years ago, so it was a bit of a Canadian mini-adventure to boot. Similarly, a company meeting in Charlottetown had me back in PEI for the first time since I was a wee tot, so that was fun. And less distant in memory, but always fun to visit for a night, I squeezed in a dinner and some good coffee in Ottawa before a work conference.

Also: there were some small and medium-sized personal trips, along with one very large one. We’ll start with the small: we drove down to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the weekend to see the solar eclipse. We spent a weekend in Stratford seeing three plays, and another weekend in Kingston. Most significantly we flew to Amsterdam for a Lindsay work thing, then on to Thiruvananthapuram, India for a friend’s wedding. Total trip was 14 days, about four of which were spent on planes. That brings to 23 the total number of countries I’ve visited, not including the 3 (Switzerland, Uganda, UAE) transit countries where I only stopped over and never left the airport. A few months later we tacked extra days onto a work conference to enjoy the Rockies (Lindsay’s first time there) and see friends in Calgary, and in December went to NS to see family and friends.

Despite Toronto becoming an impassible cacophony of traffic and construction, we did get out for a few things: concerts by Mitski, The Rural Alberta Advantage, and Bruce Springsteen. Our second Ibsen play of the year: Rosmersholm at the Crow’s Theatre. Pizzas at Shannon & Warren’s. A visit from Lindsay’s brother Patrick. Tons of great meals at new-to-us Toronto restaurants (Giulietta, Mira Mira, Ricky + Olivia with Laura and James, Paradise Grapevine, Aera with Dan and Abtin, Ladybug with Dan, Rosebud, Toronto Hunt Club with Dan, Maha’s, Belle Isle with Shannon, Lucie, Tiflisi with Kirsten, 20 Victoria) and old favourites (Treadwell, Wynona with Laura, Ardo with Matt, Ascari Enoteca with Kirsten, Lovage, Richmond Station with Laura, Ricky, and Olivia) and probably some others I’ve forgotten about. There were also new finds in other cities: The Windjammer and Notre Dame de Parkton in Moncton; Villa Maya in Thiruvananthapuram; 1888 Chop House in Banff; Bridgette Bar in Calgary; Riviera in Ottawa; The Everly in Kingston; Darya and Au Liban and Matadora and Cafe Chianti in Halifax.

Maybe the biggest event of the year: we adopted a cat from the Humane Society. Her name is Bianca and we love her. She’s scrappy and has boundaries, but not nearly as many as Kramer did. But she’s somehow even fluffier!!

I also tried something else in 2024, something structured. Not resolutions…goals, maybe? I just used a made-up theme (multiples of 3) to prompt some ambition during the year. Here’s each goal, and how I did against it:

  • Pass WSET level 3 wine course
    • Done! Tasting portion passed with merit, theory portion passed with distinction.
  • Read 6 books
    • Done!
  • Of the 11 Michelin starred/recognized restaurants east of Yonge, hit the 6 I haven’t tried
    • Hit Madrina, Maha’s, Tiflisi, and the lone starred restaurant on the list: 20 Victoria
    • Haven’t yet done Wood Owl or Puerto Bravo
  • Make at least one improvement in each of the 9 main zones of the house
    • Made changes / bought needed things for five rooms
    • Didn’t quite get to the kitchen, main bedroom, guest bedroom, or basement. This one requires a lot of coordination with Lindsay, so it was tougher to manage.
  • Lose 12 pounds
    • While I made no real lifestyle changes I was actually doing pretty well on this, losing more than a pound per month…until June, when it (and I) went pear-shaped
    • As of the end of November I’d lost about 5.5 pounds total, half the YTD target, but I don’t expect December to be kind in this regard

I’m not sure I’ll try to do this every year, but it was actually fairly helpful in 2024. It gave me some structured things to aim at, to make progress on. Structure, routine…not something I always want in my life, but this year I was alright with it.

.:.

Annual reports from past years:

.:.

Header photo generated with AI

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

The best of everything from 2024

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Again, this year, I’m choosing to list my favourite things I consumed this year, not necessarily what was released in 2024. As noted last year, I almost never drink beer anymore, so that’s gone from the list. And as noted every year, lists are alphabetical unless otherwise specified.

My favourite albums

I am beyond behind in listening to new music this year — I still have albums by Big Brave, Dehd, Amen Dunes (both of them), Pearl Jam, Robber Robber, The Softies, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Julie, Alan Sparhawk, The Smile (the second one), High Vis, Soccer Mommy, Mount Eerie, Father John Misty, Ekko Astral, Nap Eyes, Kendrick Lamar, Kim Deal, and King Hannah to get through — while many others failed to wow me as I’d hoped. So, as of now, only four of major note.

No Title As Of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

With a title destined to perpetually exclaim how much worse things have gotten in Gaza with every day that passes, this album is classic GY!BE: lush, brooding, powerful.

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

Not as strong as Father Of The Bride, but not many of their albums are. “Prep-School Gangsters” ended up on my best songs of the year list, but “Mary Boone” is the one that lingers in my head long after I stop listening.

Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee

For a band that was never that far from country, this now-ubiquitous alt-country trend probably came naturally. I didn’t fall in love with MJ Lenderman the way everyone else seemed to, but his collab track was my favourite song on this. A solid, catchy collection…almost in spite of that, IMHO.

No Name by Jack White

The world’s a better place any time Jack White makes a back-to-bluesier-roots album.

.:.

My favourite songs

See caveat above.

  1. Being Dead . “Goodnight”
  2. Cloud Nothings . “The Golden Halo”
  3. The Dandy Warhols . “Teutonic Wine”
  4. Dummy . “Soonish…”
  5. Future . “Lil Demon”
  6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor . “Raindrops Cast In Lead”
  7. Horsegirl . “2468”
  8. Hurray For The Riff Raff . “Ogallala”
  9. Iron & Wine . “All In Good Time (feat. Fiona Apple)”
  10. Jack White . “It”S Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)”
  11. Joshua Idehen . “Mum Does The Washing”
  12. Kim Gordon . “The Believers”
  13. King Hannah . “Davey Says”
  14. Les Savy Fav . “Guzzle Blood”
  15. Mannequin Pussy . “I Don’t Know You”
  16. Nap Eyes . “Passageway”
  17. Sleater-Kinney . “Don’t Feel Right”
  18. The Smile . “Read The Room”
  19. Vampire Weekend . “Prep-School Gangsters”
  20. Waxahatchee . “Right Back To It (feat. MJ Lenderman)”

.:.

My favourite movies

I watched just 18 movies this year, only 6 of which actually came out in 2024, and only three of those made this top ten list.

American Fiction (2023)

Treatise on race & literature. Excellent.

Anatomy Of A Fall (2023)

Treatise on relationships and law. Excellent.

Blackberry (2023)

Treatise on innovation and ego. Excellent.

Blackkklansman (2018)

Treatise on racism and power structures. Excellent.

Dune 2

Treatise on politics and zealotism and Zendaya. Excellent.

El Camino (2019)

Treatise on trauma and flashbacks. Excellent.

Society Of The Snow

Treatise on tragedy and survival instinct. Excellent.

Somm IV: Cup Of Salvation (2023)

Treatise on wine and tradition. Excellent.

The Substance

Treatise on sexism and greed. Disgusting, but excellent.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Treatise on vampires and belonging. Excellent.

.:.

My favourite TV shows

As in previous years, most of my eyeball time is reserved for TV. As best I can recall we watched 44 new seasons of TV this year, and are in various stages of watching several others (Blue Eyed Samurai S01, X-Men ‘97 S01, The Penguin S01, Peaky Blinders S06, Lessons In Chemistry S01, You’re The Worst S02, What We Do In The Shadows S01, Say Nothing, Abbott Elementary S04, and Hell’s Kitchen S23) to say nothing of all the shows we re-watched or haven’t even gotten to yet. Anyway, here were my ten favourites.

Abbott Elementary (S03)

Wholesome but edgy. Broad but clever. It’s like they take all the best aspects of classic single-camera sitcoms and build on them into something that feels familiar, but still new.

Black Earth Rising (S01)

I had no idea what this was about. Between the title and Michaela Cole’s huge eyes, I actually thought it was about an alien invasion. That it was about the Rwandan genocide threw me for a loop.

The Diplomat (S02)

Rather silly but oh-so-stylish. The second season, like the first, was a ton of fun to watch…and that was before Allison Janney showed up.

Drops of God (S01)

A French & Japanese story about broken familial relationships, wrapped in a story designed to satisfy the biggest of wine nerds. I heard there’s going to be a second season; I’m not sure I even want it, but I’ll watch it.

Fargo (S05)

A perpetual favourite, especially because it shifts so coolly each season. Juno Temple was excellent in season 5; Jennifer Jason Leigh was a revelation.

House Of The Dragon (S02)

Anything GoT-related will likely end up on this list. Season 2 provided even more character development, but also finally gave us some epic dragon battles!

Patriot (S01)

I started catching up with this entry on some “The best shows you probably haven’t watched” list, and it’s a nice, absurdist twist on the usual spy thrillers. The folks songs kill me.

Severance (S01)

I wish we hadn’t waited so long to watch this, because it was excellent. The only upside is that we finished just a few months before season 2 begins in January.

The Bear (all)

After sleeping on this for a while, I binged all seasons 1 & 2 in the weeks leading up to season 3. I know everyone goes on about “Fishes” but “Forks” is my all-time fav episode thus far.

Veep (all)

I’d started watching this a couple of times but only committed this year, and then we killed the whole six-season run in just a few weeks. So profanely funny, and frankly kinda sad at the end.

.:.

My favourite books

I read just two books in all of 2023, so in 2024 I gave myself an objective to read six. I finished the afternoon of Dec 31st. These were my five favourites.

33 1/3: Sleater-Kinney’s Dig Me Out by Jovana Babovic

From a series of deep dives into seminal albums, this one focuses on one of my all-time favourites. I bought it in ebook format years ago and finally got around to reading it on Dec 28th, finishing it just before going out for new year’s eve.

Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A through-line from the Fanon book we recently read together. Not just the title, but the philosopher’s gift of delivering damning social critique in the most heartbreakingly poetic manner possible. To wit: “Damn it all. Prince Jones was dead. And hell upon those who tells us to be twice as good and shoot us no matter. Hell for ancestral fear that put black parents under terror. And hell upon those who shatter the holy vessel.”

Doctors And Distillers by Camper English

The history of booze as medicine, and oftentimes quackery: what’s not to like?

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

I’m glad I read this before seeing part II of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, because I think — with the luxury of knowing where book two would go — he could help shape Paul’s evolution into a more natural arc.

But What If We’re Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman

But seriously, what if we are?

.:.

My favourite (new) podcasts

Setting aside constant favourites like 99% Invisible, Hard Fork, Q, Serial, Smartless, Somm TV, This American Life, Way Down In The Hole, We’re Here To Help, You Are Good, and You’re Wrong About, these are the new-to-me podcasts I got into this year. They are the only things that keep me sane on the long drives to/from Oakville, and the only-slightly-longer flights to/from Moncton.

Against The Rules

I’m cheating a bit here as I’ve barely even started the new season (about fans and the rise of sports gambling) yet, but I can guarantee it’ll be one of the best things I listen to all year.

Matt Talks Wine & Stuff with Interesting People Podcast

An Ontario-based radio guy who interviews mostly local people about wine. So it’s pretty Inside Baseball about Canadian wine, but so am I.

Slow Burn: The Rise Of Fox News

As always, the deep dive into a meaningful political event — in this, the rise of garbage news as a political lever.

The Rest Is History

I don’t listen to all of these, but when they do a miniseries that I’m into (the run-up to WWI; the sinking of the Titanic; the start of the French Revolution, etc.) I love it.

TLDR

A money-related podcast produced by Wealthsimple — brief, to the point, often insightful, and usually at least a little bit funny.

.:.

My favourite meals

In chronological order.

Giulietta, Toronto

A walk-in at a Michelin-noted restaurant is a bold move in Toronto these days, but we pulled it off. Excellent food, great service, and a bottle of Godello that made the night.

Ricky + Olivia, Toronto

Our first time trying new neighbourhood darling Ricky + Olivia (fun fact: Lindsay has known Olivia for years, and we connected with them a couple times when they were running pop-ups at our friend Laura’s wine bar, Chez Nous) was with our friend James and the afore-mentioned Laura, who’d been there before. The space was gorgeous. The wine, all local for us, was terrific. And the food was incredible. We were about one bite into the steak tartare (which is dressed like a Big Mac) when we ordered a second. If I didn’t have a loose rule about including restaurants on this list twice, our New Year’s Eve meal might’ve shown up as well.

Aera, Toronto

Another dinner out with friends & former colleagues Dan B & Abtin, high above The Well, featured excellent steaks, jaw-dropping views of the city, and a bottle of Queylus from Dan’s cellar.

Villa Maya, Thiruvananthapuram

By far the nicest meal we had on the first leg of our India trip, this place was freaking stunning inside, and the food — mutton, prawn, fish curry, pork ularthu, paneer, etc. — blew us away. Extravagant by Kerala standards; exceptional value by Toronto standards.

1888 Chop House, Banff

A pricey dinner (it’s the steak house at the Banff Springs Hotel, so you do the math) featuring multiple Wagyu steaks and a bottle of Andrew Will bordeaux blend, like the stellar one I had at Barberian’s a couple years ago.

Notre Dame de Parkton, Moncton

An entry unlike the others on this list, NDP is a low-key Moncton takeout spot with exceptional sandwiches. The smoked meat sandwich I had was the best I’ve ever had in a place not named Schwartz’s.

Lucie, Toronto

We spent Lindsay’s birthday dinner at this new French place on Yonge. It had ups and downs, but the inventiveness of the food and the quality of the wine list lands it here.

Richmond Station, Toronto

Ricky, Olivia, and Laura appear twice on this list: this time out, we had dinner at perennial favourite Richmond Station, trying half the menu and loving all of it. I recommend eating with top-notch chefs, especially when they’re as sweet and knowledgeable as R+O.

The Everly, Kingston

We were kind of shocked at how much we enjoyed our meals in Kingston, though this one probably stood above the rest even if they were out of half the things we ordered.

20 Victoria, Toronto

Lots of Michelin-starred restaurants in Toronto don’t live up to the hype, but this one did. Delicious food, inventive wine pairings, stellar service, cozy vibe. One of the best meals we’ve had in ages.

.:.

My favourite wines

I try to only list bottles I had for the first time, but there are a couple of repeats on here. This is also, in a nod to Rick Van Sickle’s annual list, becoming more of a “most thrilling” list vs. the ten most technically ideal wines I tried. Listed chronologically in the order I drank them.

Inniskillin/Jaffelin 1995 Alliance Pinot Noir

From my cellar. I won this in a charity auction, and was happy to contribute the money regardless of the state of the wine, but it was actually fantastic.

Clonakilla 2013 Shiraz Viognier

From my cellar. I don’t often love a straight Aussie Shiraz; maybe it just always needs Viognier to round it out? Or maybe it was the years of aging. Either way, this bottle was wonderful.

The Farm 2017 Pinot Noir Mason Vineyard

From my cellar. Maybe the last year of Mason grapes for The Farm, this bottle was — as I said at the time — outrageously good. So glad I have another left in the cellar.

Sula 2023 Chenin Blanc

From the pool bar at the Uday Suites, Thiruvananthapuram, India. Prior going to India I didn’t even know they made wine there. The whole time in Kerala, it’s all I drank. This Sula Chenin served at our friends’ first wedding ceremony was my favourite of what I tried.

Le Vieux Pin 2014 Equinoxe Syrah

From my cellar. We had Laura over one night for a side by side Syrah tasting between this 2014 BC beauty and a 2014 Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels from NZ. Laura favoured the latter; I, the former. I quit the LVP wine club when I knew their forest fire wines were coming, but I’m glad I have several vintages of their reds left to enjoy.

Avondale Sky 2013 Blanc de Noir Brut

From my cellar. Drunk right after I found out I had passed the WSET level 3 wine course. It was stunning on its own, but made all the better by the relief and happiness of the moment.

Andrew Will 2007 “Sorella” Bordeaux blend

From 1888 Chophouse in the Banff Springs Hotel. A rare bargain on the wine list of a steakhouse, I capitalized on the recommendation from a Barberian’s sommelier two years earlier to snag this prize to go with our steaks.

Chateau de Javernand 2022 “Climax” Chiroubles

Drank in our friend Kirsten’s Calgary condo. Purchased at Vine Styles, a fantastic wine store in Calgary, because of the staff’s raves. We paired this Cru Beaujolais with fancy PB&J sandwiches purchased next door, and it was somehow goddamned amazing.

Five Rows 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon

From my cellar. I stopped buying Five Rows’ cab sauv after this vintage. After drinking this one, I regretted that decision. At least I still have one left in the cellar.

Thirty Bench 2015 “Small Lot” Cabernet Franc

From my cellar. One of the wines that made me fall in love with Ontario reds, and with wines in general. Maybe the best vintage of it too. Brightness and power all in one.

.:.

My favourite moments of the year

Listed chronologically.

  1. We finally, finally finished the first “season” of Pandemic: Legacy, after 3.5 years.
  2. Finally visiting Saskatchewan, the only province I’d never been to.
  3. Meeting Polly, my brother’s new dog (and later meeting Yuki too!)
  4. Yelling along to “The Dethbridge In Lethbridge” at the Rural Alberta Advantage concert with Shannon & Warren.
  5. Hanging out with Adam, my oldest friend, for the first time in many years.
  6. Full! Solar! Eclipse!
  7. Catsitting Cosmo.
  8. Enjoying a rooftop party on a beautiful spring day in Moncton.
  9. Waking up next to the ocean in Grande-Digue.
  10. After one bad Air Canada employee made us sad, another one saved the day.
  11. Sitting on our Amsterdam hotel room balcony, drinking a coffee, eating a pastry, enjoying the breeze.
  12. The Etihad first class lounge, possibly the swankiest place I have ever been or ever will be.
  13. Seeing our friend get married in India.
  14. Catsitting Pluto.
  15. Having brunch with my friend Jenna, who I hadn’t seen in years.
  16. Finding out I passed the WSET level 3 wine course.
  17. Standing atop the rockpile at Moraine Lake.
  18. Trying Château d’Yquem for the first time.
  19. A quiet walk in Crothers Woods.
  20. Bringing home our newly adopted cat Bianca.

.:.

[Cover photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]

Xmas 2024

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Thu Dec 19

Wrapped up work at noon and hurriedly packed / prepped the house for departure. Flew to Halifax, picked up a rental car, and drove to Bedford to stay one night at Lindsay’s mom’s.

Fri Dec 20 – Sun Dec 22

Woke up and drove to the farm ahead of the coming storm. We got there for the first of a few big turkey dinners at brother #2’s house. The next few days were about hunkering down through a snowstorm, playing crib & crokinole, seeing people off (niece #1) and welcoming arrivals (brother #2 et al), eating lots and lots, playing with dogs, and generally relaxing.

Mon Dec 23 – Thu Dec 26

Once again threading the needle on a snowstorm, we drove back to Bedford for a few days there. We loaded up on wine and then were greeted at Lindsay’s mom’s with her brothers and a pork supper. Over Christmas Eve + Christmas Day + Boxing Day we ate another turkey dinner (and attendant leftovers), played Balderdash and Taboo, watched Four Christmases and Die Hard, petted animals, drank eggnog, snacked endlessly. On Boxing day there were excursions; I hitched a ride with brother #1 to Truro for the traditional Dickinson family Boxing Day reunion.

Fri Dec 27

We drove the ~30 minutes to Halifax for a few days at The Muir. That night we had a mini-Trivandrum reunion, meeting Tess + Aravind & Tom + Kealin for dinner at Darya, right next door to the hotel. Our meal — bread, olives, hummus, labneh, halloumi fries, chicken shawarma, spanakopita pie, lemon-roasted cauliflower, lamb kebab, and a bottle of Ixsir Grande Réserve Rosé. The food was excellent, the service fast. Excellent meal all around. Afterward Tom + Keal joined us upstairs at BKS for a cocktail. I had the Ode to the Mont Blanc, which included a little jar of Pop Rocks to have with the cocktail. I guess 107 years can’t be considered too soon.

Sat Dec 28

After the enjoying the heck out of all the space in that King bed, I got up early and had breakfast downstairs at Drift while Lindsay slept in. We eventually organized ourselves enough to walk down the street to Au Liban (for some reason, our second Lebanese meal in 18 hours) where we met Tess & Aravind, as well as Patrick, and had a big old feast: entirely too much labneh, several shakshoukas, beef shawarma, tawok, and halloumi. Afterward we walked back to the Muir where I crashed on the couch and watched the Canadiens game before Lindsay and Patrick joined me for a bit of a hang. We drank the bottle of Lightfoot & Wolfville Lindsay’s mom had given me for Christmas.

Somehow, after a few hours of relaxing, we found room for another dinner out: we wanted to try Matadora, the new tapas place on the waterfront. It was…meh. The croquetas de jamón, fennel & orange salad, and gambas al ajillo were mediocre at best. Lindsay thought the yema de huevo was good; I liked the smoked mackerel. Our ribeye was fine, nothing special. Honestly, the best part of the meal was the 2017 Gran Reserva Rioja poured into some beautiful wine glasses. Other than that, nothing to write home about.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEJT0O8sI-s/

Sun Dec 29

Finally, a day of complete relaxation: we had a BIG lie-in, and ordered room service, and lazed about. We didn’t do anything of note until heading to brother #1’s house for coffee. We left there, got back to the hotel to get cleaned up, and then went to meet some of Lindsay’s family at Cafe Chianti for dinner. It’s existed seemingly forever, but recently moved down to the waterfront. It was as advertised: a solid, if unremarkable, Italian meal. Good to catch up with everyone. We walked home along the waterfront on a (relatively) warm and foggy Halifax evening.

A nice, food and family and friends-filled visit. But now? Time to head home. We miss Bianca!

Mon Dec 30

We got up, checked out, ate a late breakfast / early lunch at the venerable Bluenose II, drove back to Bedford to re-pack…and found out our flight had been delayed by 25 minutes. Then another 25 minutes. Then another 15 minutes. Then another 10 minutes. Then another hour. We were just about ready to give up and re-book, but the only flight out the next day was already full, so we drove to the airport (slowly; the weather was horrible) and hoped for the best. Luckily, we made it, landing about two hours later than expected, and got home to find our cuddly girl waiting.

Tue Dec 31

A lazy, lazy, lazy day. I did nothing but unpack and watch sports until we went out to dinner at Ricky + Olivia. We had cocktails, leeks + latkes, squash + ice cream, wontons, brisket + duck hearts, and a bottle of Trail 2021 Pinot Noir. From there we went to Chez Nous to ring in the new year. We were so exhausted we basically made it to 12:07 and then walked home. Bye, 2024.

Strategy?

Dan Dickinson1 Comment

I’m sure lots of other people are thinking this too, or have maybe said it already on news shows I haven’t watched. I’m writing it down just so I can look back on it in six months and see how right, or wrong, or cynical (or all of the above) I am.

Canadian Finance Minister and deputy PM Chrystia Freeland resigned suddenly yesterday, hours before a fall economic update. She uncharacteristically issued a public distancing of herself from PM Justin Trudeau. This has kicked off a whirlwind of analysis about how Trudeau will handle this crisis.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think it’s a crisis. Or, not a real one, anyway. I think it’s a planned crisis.

Months ago members of the Liberal caucus were asking Trudeau to step down as PM, a Biden-lite if you will. Then, suddenly, that noise seemed to fade. I suspect that Trudeau convinced a few core members of his cabinet to execute a plan. I posit that everyone in the Liberal leadership, including Trudeau, acknowledged he had to resign — he knows full well that national sentiment has largely turned against him. (To wit: you can go to any small town in Canada and see at least one pickup with a “Fuck Trudeau” sign hand-painted in its back window.) The Conservatives have also made attacking and mocking him personally a key plank of their platform, so I think the Liberals have a plan: to sacrifice Trudeau.

I believe the plan was to have Freeland create a mini-crisis (resigning hours before an economic announcement amidst Trump-induced trade panic) and publicly distance herself from Trudeau. If Trudeau steps down in the coming weeks or months, this positions Freeland as a mildly anti-Trudeau liberal when she (presumably) becomes the party leader and runs against PP. In the meantime, this mini-crisis presents the opportunity to move quickly and against convention, and $5 says Mark Carney finds himself parachuted into the Finance Minister role through some byelection or another. I guess they’d need another seat to suddenly open up but where would they get one of those OH WAIT.

So in this imagined scenario spilling from my ill-informed brain, the finance minister becomes someone even fiscal conservatives can get behind, and the Liberal party leader with name recognition and a history of standing up to Trump can campaign against the Conservatives — who have spent years campaigning by essentially calling Trudeau a poopyhead — with a plausible case that she doesn’t like Trudeau either.

Maybe I’m giving the Liberals too much credit for strategy, and the PM too much credit for selflessness. I’m probably wrong. But this is just what immediately popped into my head yesterday when I saw Freeland’s flex.

Twenty, One

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Last night we finally made it to Restaurant 20 Victoria, the only downtown Michelin-starred restaurant east of Yonge. It was an outstanding meal: the food which was excellent from start to end, the wine pairings which were consistently intriguing, the service which was timely but never obtrusive, and even the atmosphere which was busy and buzzy but intimate and not too loud.

  • Crab & citrus salad (Yves Dupont Bugey ‘Originelle’ Brut, Savoie, France*)
  • Mackerel on toast & cabbage (António Madeira Branco, Dao, Portugal)
  • Scallop & potato in chicken broth (Plume Savagnin, Jura, France)
  • Sweetbread & currant, with milk bun (Domaine Paul Ginglinger Muscat, Alsace, France)
  • Lamb & squash (Vino Gross Furmint, Gorca, Slovenia)
  • Cheese, lavash & apricot (Tissot Macvin Blanc, Jura, France)
  • Desserts:
    • Almond cake w/ sour cherry (Laurent Cazottes Guines & Guins Wild Cherry Liqueur)
    • Sunchoke & apple ladyfinger-ish (Finca San Blas Vino Dulce)

Every course was excellent, and if you had told me that the wine pairing for lamb would be a dry Slovenian furmint, I never would have believed you, but it worked somehow (probably the clam sauce). If I had to pick favourites, I guess it would be the crab & citrus salad, and the lamb, but there were no weak points.

Another point in their favour: we left feeling full, but not too full. Unlike some other Michelin joints I didn’t need a slice of pizza on the way home, but nor was I in pain. That’s a wonderful balance.

All in all, one of the best meals we’ve had out in quite a while.

Varutharachathu

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Just back from a week out east. A few days at the farm (where I got to meet brother #2’s newest dog, Yuki…timid chap), then back to Moncton for the work week. A company party, a few team meals. Three different seasons, seemingly: snowbanks –> rainy & warm –> freezing cold. Only one new restaurant excursion, a newish south Indian place called Darbar which satisfied my chicken 65 and parotta cravings.