Category: Daily life

“It’s a good job I’m in the Navy and you’re in the Army.”

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

 

This was supposed to have been a very productive weekend for our work. It…was not that, in the end.

Friday after work we managed to get a table at The Wren, one of our very favourite places in Toronto. Cool vibe, stellar food, top notch beer list. We split duck wings for a starter, then Lindsay got a burger and I had one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. We started with the tap list (a Muddy York Haberdasher Hefeweizen and Bellwoods Jelly King for me) then we split bottles of the Bellwoods Weft & Warp 2017, the Bellwoods Dark Sour on Cherries, and a Boon Oude Geuze.

 

 

 

On Saturday the Bellwoods binge continued at La Carnita where we had a stellar brunch: chorizo verde, churro pancakes, and a couple of tacos to go with our bottles of Jutsu.

 

After brunch (and ice cream from Sweet Jesus) Lindsay went to find a quiet place to work; I went in search of a brand new brewery, Saulter Street, just around the corner. They appeared to just be opening for day #2; I took seat at the bar, sampled their Pilsner, and took home a howler (half-growler) for later. Nice little place.

 

After that Lindsay treated me to the deferred portion of my birthday gift: Dunkirk (imdb | rotten tomatoes) at the VIP theatre, followed by dinner at King Taps. I’d tried to get to King Taps before, after work once, but it was rammed. Like, lineup thirty deep out the door rammed. We figured it would be less busy on a Saturday night, but man…that place was like a pre-club hotspot. Weird crowd, most of whom seemed to be drinking cocktails or generic beer, not the absolutely outstanding rotating craft list or deep big-buy bottle list. We had a Duchesse de Bourgogne and a Bellwoods Jelly King and a Bench Simcoe Grove Dry Hopped Sour and a SBDL x Henderson Meyer Lemon Grisette and a Nickel Brook Redshift Cherry Sour and a very exciting bottle: a Cascade Brewing Noyaux sour. The 100 point rating on ratebeer was well-deserved — it was outstanding. Happy belated birthday to me! The beer, and the excellent food, made up for the douche-y vibe. Apparently craft taps are $5 on Sundays, so I think we have our game plan for next time.

 

We ended the night at Chez Nous, with plans for two glasses but only stamina for one. Boo.

Sunday we tried a place that’s pretty new at brunch: Eastbound. It was amazing. Lindsay had house-made sausage with eggs; I had an insane “sandwich” of maple bacon pancakes, eggs, and a piece of spicy fried chicken. Oh, and cheese biscuits with lobster butter. We rolled the fuck home.

20626243_10155363134575673_6905291432536154901_o

In the afternoon we were very generously invited to the beautiful backyard of some of Lindsay’s colleagues; we brought over some Benjamin Bridge rosé and Grange cab franc, and drank a bunch of their wine and enjoyed the weather.

 

We got a little day-drunk, bought some frozen yogurt, ordered pizza, had a tiny nap, and ate pizza while we watched Game Of Thrones.

We’re trying to take it easy this holiday Monday. So far so good, but I have a lot of beer in the fridge right now, so I’m reserving judgment.

Fresh grilled peasant watches

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Our art + good food weekend continued Saturday and Sunday. I’ll cover the art part later; for now there were some new (to me/us) restaurants to cover.

We wanted something simple with a patio Saturday morning, so we tried the lo-fi Opera House Grill for burgers and cheap beer and a plateful of onion rings the size of a turkey platter.

On Sunday we went back to Peasant Table, this time for brunch (I’d been before; Lindsay hadn’t) in a breezy window seat. My peasant breakfast was good, and huge, but Linds’ eggs benny was tops.

After a ton of errands (including ordering a new dining table — finally!) we stopped at the Fresh location on Shaw (my first time; definitely not Lindsay’s) for some big-ass bowls. My buddha bowl was delicious, and so big I couldn’t finish it. Lindsay’s beach bowl was similar. We shared real ginger ale and a green variant of their blue lemonade. (Don’t ask.)

We also tried Ruby Watchco. I’d been there years ago, shortly after it opened, but hadn’t been back since. We walked in without a reservation and lucked into a killer corner booth in the back. Everyone gets the same menu, but we did take one of the up-sells:

  • HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD (with New Farms greens, feta, frisse, radishes, tomato caper remoulade)
    • 2015 Roussanne/ Marsanne ‘Cuvee Tradition’ Mas Carlot, Costieres de Nimes
  • FRIED CHICKEN TACOS (with mojo de ajo slaw, chipotle mayo, lime)
    • 2015 Prosecco DOC, Canti, Veneto
  • GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH PARSLEY CHIMICHURRI (with Top Tomato Farm broccoli + tomato salsa, chorizo mac n’ cheese, green bean & bean sprout stir fry, and also some unexpected ratatouille they happened to have lying around)
    • 2015 ‘Reserve’ Baco Noir, Henry of Pelham, Short Hills Bench
  • ARTISANAL CHEESE (with sweet & sour eggplant, honey & pistachios)
    • 2015 Syrah, Chateau Maris, AOC Minervois
  • STRAWBERRY LEMON POUND CAKE FOOL (with sweet vanilla custard & cream)
    • 2016 Pinot Gris, Organized Crime Winery, Beamsville Bench
Cover photo by Patrick Gage, used under Creative Commons license

My stomach, liver, and social anxiety would like a break please

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

That weekend was a lot.

Thursday we left work, went to Wvrst, hit the Descorchados South American wine tasting event, and grabbed dinner at Byblos.

Friday, after a long day of meetings, was drinks with a friend of Lindsay’s at Boxcar, then REDS, then dinner at Libretto.

Saturday we met said friend (and two of her friends) at Bonjour Brioche for brunch, then wandered around Leslieville for a bit before heading out to a talk at a contemporary art gallery. After that we hiked back across town for a quick bite at Duke’s Refresher before attending the 2017 instance of the Session craft beer festival. Here’s what I drank:

  1. Muskoka “Hazed & Confused” IPA
  2. Nickel Brook “Raspberry Uber” Berliner Weisse
  3. Stack “Expansion” Sour IPA
  4. Barnstormer “Wind-Shear” Watermelon Summer Ale
  5. 3 Brasseurs “Sanssouci” Berliner Weiss W/ Strawberry & Hibiscus
  6. Sawdust City “I Swear Sugarpants, It Was Your Idea” Brown Ale
  7. Big Rock “Withorse” Witbier
  8. St-Ambroise Baltic Porter
  9. Sawdust City “Olde BA Johnston’s Finest” Malt Liquor
  10. Whitewater “Midnight” Oatmeal Milk Stout

For the second year in a row, 3 Brasseurs surprised me and probably won the day. After the fest we met up with friends at Barrio Cerveceria on their enormous patio.

Sunday we met brother #1 for breakfast at Over Easy during a stopover on his way to a work thing. We kind of assumed we’d have some time to relax after that, but the friend-in-town had some more time free so Lindsay spent time with her roasting to death in a park while I cleaned up a bit, then we met at Sweet Jesus for decadent soft-serve and went back to Barrio for patio drinks. To end the weekend Lindsay made a delicious cheese + spinach pasta with chorizo sausage for dinner, and then we died.

.:.

Cover photo by Patrick Gage, used under Creative Commons license

Cover photo by Murray Williams, used under Creative Commons license

Food poisoning

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Well, that was not my favourite week. First, the back injury. Then Chris Cornell died. Then, around 4 on Friday, I started feeling nauseous. Then really nauseous. By the time I got home I knew something was wrong. Shortly after that I threw up. A lot. An hour later I threw up again. A LOT. I haven’t thrown up that much since I was a kid, probably. Like, it came out of my nose.

Anyway, it’s been a shaky weekend. I spent nearly all of Saturday in bed. I tried to get back to life on Sunday, but by mid-afternoon suffered a setback and was shaking uncontrollably on the couch. Anyway, that passed, and I started eating solid food again, and got a full night’s sleep. Today I’m feeling a little better, but still not 100%. Took a lot out of me, this bug.

.:.

Cover photo by Murray Williams, used under Creative Commons license

Cover photo by Trina Brandon, used under Creative Commons license

NeoFood

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

God, I love this neighbourhood. In the time since getting back from Lisbon, in the few minutes spent not working or unpacking, we’ve consumed a number of top-notch meals at new places:

  • Bonjour Brioche: we’ve been here twice, actually. It’s such a packed brunch place, but so good. And the baked goods? Yeesh.
  • Aft: I’ll always love Triple A, but this place is pretty cool too. We got a platter with brisket and ribs and pulled pork and fries and cole slaw and ate it for a couple more days.
  • BQM: we’d been to the one on Ossington, but BQM seems to have taken over the old Burger Shoppe on Queen East. Not the best burgers — I’m spoiled working so close to Holy Chuck — but pretty solid.
  • Skin+Bones: wow, did I love this place. Excellent wine (good Ontario selection too), delicious food, cool ambiance. I’m going to live here.
  • Ascari Enoteca: I’d heard the wine selection here was stellar, so I was a little disappointed in the bottle we got (which needed another ten years of aging) but that was the only disappointment. This has already become our classic Italian option in the ‘hood.
  • Prohibition: we needed brunch and nothing was open, so this — probably our fourth or fifth choice — was our fallback. We both got the gigantic breakfast burger. It was good, but it was too much, and with the weird bro-y ambiance I’m starting to dislike that place.
  • Mean Bao: daaaaaaaaaaaaamn, this place was tasty. Great little bao variety…pulled pork, curry chicken, pork belly, and jerk chicken, all delicious.
  • Eastbound Brewing Co: a brand new place, eventually planning to serve their own beer but for now serving guest taps, this place was even better than I’d hoped. Our octopus starter was excellent, and my short rib main (and Lindsay’s gnudi) were excellent. As soon as they open their bottle shop, this will become a regular stop.

.:.

Cover photo by Trina Brandon, used under Creative Commons license

Cover photo from Goodhood

Shake By The Riverside

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Welp, I’m exhausted.

Wednesday was the big move. Between the movers showing up late and the new building being a slight pain to move into, things ran long and I had to help a lot more than I should have for that cost, but whatever. All my stuff arrived, more or less intact. The problem is that it’s still sitting on my floor.

See, Lindsay arrived that night so I didn’t have much chance to do much, just unpack the essentials (fresh sheets for bed; Champagne; chargers), eat some Korean fried chicken from Kaboom, and pick her up at the train station.

Thursday I worked a full day and then met brother #1 for tacos at La Carnita before showing him the new digs.

Friday we worked from home as a Bell tech was coming by and I had some condo/lawyer related errands to run. We had coffee and pastries at Boxcar Social, then after the Bell guy left we took a break from work to grab a killer lunch at White Lily Diner. I had the pastrami sandwich; Lindsay had the smoked fish (tuna, trout) platter, and both were fantastic. My friend Jeff even strolled in as we were finishing up. Great meal. We hit Sugarloaf bakery on the way home for coffee and some delicious-ass treats.

After we finished work for the day we shut everything down and went our for a nice quiet dinner: first a glass of wine at the new all-Ontario wine bar, Chez Nous (me: Cab Franc; she: Meritage, both from Ravine) before trying out Peasant Table. I’d been here before, but only for brunch. The food was a mix of hits and misses, but the decor and feel of the place was just…weird. Given all the other great local options I’m not sure we’ll his this one again for dinner, but brunch is probably worth another try.

Today we were up early, so I grabbed coffee and breakfast from Dark Horse before we packed. We filled up big time at L’il Baci before grabbing more coffee from Sugarloaf to get us over the hump and into a cab. Now we’re off to Lisbon — more on that soon.

By the way, the title is from this song which has been stuck in my head since Thursday:

 

Cover photo by Paul Downey, used under Creative Commons license

Leaving St. Lawrence Market

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Almost ten years to the day after moving into this condo building, I’m moving out. I have a new place a few minutes east of here, in a cool new neighbourhood. I’m (almost) all packed and ready to go.

I’ve lived in two different units in this building, but I was one of the original occupants and this place definitely feels like home. Ten years is far longer than I’ve spent in any other building, apart from the family farm as a child.

But it’s time. Time for a different (smaller!) place, time to explore a new neighbourhood, and most of all: time for a change. Like our grandfather always said, a change is as good as a rest…and believe me, I could use the rest. It’s been a pretty ridiculous and stressful April.

In between packing and work and whatever else, I’ve been saying goodbye to my favourite things about the neighbourhood. The parks, the weird little alleys. The market, obviously, though I’ll be back in upcoming weekends. Fahrenheit, where I learned to love coffee. Triple A, still my favourite bbq in the city — thankfully, there’s another one near my new place. C’est What, one of my original craft beer experiences and source of so much comfort food. Batch, which took over a seemingly-cursed location but looks healthy. XO Bisous, my every-morning stop and home to the best pastries and nicest ladies ever.

Now, I’ll move to a neighbourhood with its own excellent restaurants and brewpubs and cafes and stuff. I can’t wait. I loved St. Lawrence Market, but I think I’ve done all it has to offer. It’s time for some change. It’s time for a new home.

I sure will miss this view though:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ltdan/4760700793/sizes/l/

.:.

Cover photo by Paul Downey, used under Creative Commons license

Cover photo from the Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg site

Until the fall, Montréal

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Once more, and probably for the final time this spring, I spent the weekend in Montreal.

Thursday

Work. Flight. Pizza. The usual.

Friday

I spent the morning in our Montreal office after picking up a capp and croissant from the nearby Café Myriade.

 

After that I made a quick stop at Le Creuset, then had a burger at La Belle Et La Boeuf and grabbed a shit-ton of sweets at Cocobun before heading home. Then it was back downtown for a talk, followed by a snowy cab up to Maison Publique where we had a typically excellent meal:

  • tomato, mozzarella, pepperoni
    • with Closson Chase Chardonnay and a cocktail
  • fresh scallop crudo, smoked celery, squid ink + onion sauce
    • with Tawse sparkling Riesling
  • cappellacci pasta with veal
  • herbed roasted bass
    • w/ Sperling Pinot Noir
  • pôt de crème, pear ice cream

It was all good, but the scallop dish was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.

Saturday

A day of complete relaxation: we slept in, relaxed, laid about, watched Arrested Development, and ate leftover pizza and cocobun treats. Really, we had no plans until dinner at Le Filet. And, holy shit: what a dinner. The food was stellar, and the wine (a bit of a splurge) was transcendent.

  • oysters: 2 plain, 2 jalapeño & maple crisp, 2 baked in miso gratin
  • hamachi w/ sesame, sumac
    • with Francis Boulard brut rose Champagne
  • tataki of Wagyu w/ eggplant, miso
  • maple-glazed smoked duck w/ topinambour, chestnuts, Cremona mostard
  • cavatelli w/ foie gras, veal cheek
    • with Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Pinot Noir
  • maple syrup square w/ whipped cream, pecans
    • vin Santo
    • cognac

Sunday

Like the last Sunday I spent there, we had brunch in Mile End and grabbed beers after.

Brunch was at Nouveau Palais, a diner reformed into…well, a slightly more fancy diner. The brunch was outstanding though — Lindsay had eggs benny and I had the smoked meat hash with fried eggs. There were some service hiccups because they were so busy, but overall it was very solid indeed. Relatively cheap too.

After that we happened upon SW Welch and bought some used books, bought some coffee at galactic hipster nexus Le Cagibi, and walked to Vice et Versa, which we’d tried and failed to hit on a previous visit. It was terrific: Lindsay had a Bière de Coin d’Rue, I had a Dunham LaPatt robust porter, and we split a bottle of Dunham Oro Zurr (Batch 1 – Mosiac).

 

We left there and made delicious nachos at home before my flight. Au revoir Montreal! See you in…the summer, maybe?

.:.

Cover photo from the Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg site

 

Cover photo by Dick Jensen, used under Creative Commons license

Lily Peasant Butcher Ball

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

I met my friend Sue for brunch yesterday. Luckily the middle ground for us is my new neighbourhood, so I had an opportunity to check out some new places before I move.

We wanted to try the White Lily Diner for brunch, but there was a 40-minute wait. Instead we went to Peasant Table, which was actually fantastic. I had the Farmers Breakfast: scrambled eggs, lamb sausage, grilled pork belly, roasted tomato, smashed potatoes.

As we walked back to our streetcar stop we popped into Butchers of Distinction, which looked very good indeed. After saying goodbye I dropped into The Cannonball, a coffee/beer joint just west of Broadview. Cozy little place. I believe I’ll spend some time there.

.:.

Cover photo by Dick Jensen, used under Creative Commons license