Viande

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Last night we had an even better Jacobs & Co experience than back in February — one for the ages. Our grand feast:

Caesar salad
Benjamin Bridge 2011 Brut

14oz Canadian Prime Ribeye (from Hereford in Guelph)
4oz A5 Black Tajima California Cut Striploin (from Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan)
Duck fat french fried potatoes, sauteed rapini, foie gras
Dunn 2007 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Bourbon caramel cheesecake with maple bacon and maple pecans
Grahams 20 year Tawny port

The steak was as good as last time (maybe better), the service was excellent, the cheesecake was killer, and even with corkage fees we paid hundreds less for our meal than last time because we brought our own kickass wine. Seriously, I’ve been hanging on to that Dunn for just such an occasion, and I have several others like it that I wouldn’t open for anything other than Jacobs-quality steak.

A la prochaine, Jacobs.

.:.

Cover photo from the Jacobs & Co. website

Work work work work EAT work work DRINK work work work EAT work work etc.

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In amongst all the work we ploughed through this weekend, we’ve eaten pretty well too. Surprising, right?

Friday we were too tired to do anything but order pizza from Queen Margherita and drink a BUNCH of wine.

 

Saturday we tried to have brunch at White Lily but the line was daunting, so we backtracked to Eastbound. We had Bench sour beer and mussels and fries and an octopus tostada, so not brunch really, but there you go. We swung past Saulter Street Brewing on our way (not really) home.

 

We had dinner plans at Carisma late on Saturday, but first we stopped in at DW Alexander. In all the years I lived in that neighbourhood I’d never managed to get a drink there. Turns out they were opening for the evening just as we walked up, which felt like fate. We enjoyed the music as the place filled up, and drank killer cocktails:

  • Old Fascist: Bulleit bourbon stirred with vecchio amaro del capo, house-made bitters & turbinado sugar
  • The Vixen: Bulleit bourbon, chambord, dry vermouth, vanilla syrup, chocolate bitters
  • Prickly Bush: gin, green chartreuse, lemon, ginger anise syrup, rosemary cucumber syrup
  • The Dutchess: Bombay Sapphire gin shaken with St Germain elder flower liqueur, sauvignon blanc, lemon & vanilla

Then, the main event: a typically amazing dinner at Carisma. We shared the burrata (still the best in the city) and scallops and prosecco. Lindsay had a truffle pasta; I had the half-chicken. We shared a bottle of Morellino which I learned is essentially Sangiovese. We shared cheesecake. SO GOOD.

 

Sunday we were moving a little slow, so we just grabbed brunch from Skin + Bones, and groceries for the week so we could get back to normal. Sheesh.

 

Cover image from the TIFF website

TIFF17

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This past weekend was a très Toronto weekend. First there was a Jays game on Friday (a loss, boo) with Joe, bookended by drinks at the Boxcar Social on Harbourfront and the Boxcar Social on Temperance.

Lindsay got home from a work trip in the wee hours of Saturday, so we slooooowly got up and about and had brunch at Lil’ Baci, followed by our first TIFF screening of the year. It was Louis CK’s stealth movie (he made it outside of the studio system, so no one but the cast and crew knew what it was about) I Love You, Daddy (tiff). It was written like a modern film but shot like a classic (35mm black & white), which made it pretty fun. I don’t want to give away much, but like all LCK work it was funny and insightful and difficult. Outstanding cast, though, and fun Q&A. [UPDATE 10 Nov 2017: this movie takes on a pretty gross veneer in light of recent allegations against Louis C.K.] Afterward we had a slightly disappointing dinner at my old local Mercatto.

Sunday we doubled up, getting in a very long (two movie) line at the Elgin to see The Square (tiff) which had won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. It was funny, sharp, contained not one but two bizarre primate-related scenes, and — best of all — completely took the piss out of marketing pitches. A little too long, but well worth watching. Afterward we rushed (our film started very late) over to the Lightbox and had a deliriously marked-up glass of mediocre wine at O&B Canteen.

Our final film of TIFF — seven short films, really, part of the Wavelengths program — was Figures In A Landscape (tiff). I’d never ventured into Wavelengths before, but hey…when dating an art curator, right? It was a mixed bag, some really interesting (Mr. Yellow Sweatshirt, (100ft), Rose Gold), some meh (Yeti, Heart Of A Mountain), one beautiful (Flores) and one just fucking weird one involving giant cartoon fruit gamboling through the Vietnam war (Division Movement to Vungtau), but I guess that’s always going to be the case with the festival’s showcase for the avant-garde.

After we tried going to King Taps but it was rammed, as was Carisma. We ended up trying Ardo for the first time (in this incarnation; I visited Toba several times) and sheeeeiiiiit was it a good call. We shared a damn fine burrata and had a salsiccia pasta (me) and funghi pasta (her) and cannoli and a lovely bottle of 2013 Nebbiolo Passeggiando from Langhe. Top meal all around, and actually cheaper than the subpar dinner at Marcatto the night before. I can’t wait to go back.

.:.

Cover image from the TIFF website

Grey Lake Wren Speed Hotel

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I need a salad or something, ’cause…Jesus. What a week of food & drink.

Wednesday we tried the new local hotspot, the rooftop at the Broadview Hotel. The view was great, the ambiance was douchy, the burgers were fine, the wine was pretty good, and the bill was…a lot. I’ll go back when the buzz has worn off and just have a drink.

The next night I met up with T-Bone for our month-late co-birthday celebration. We tried Grey Gardens for the first time. Stellar wine list, pretty good food, nice vibe. Again, super-expensive for what we got. Getting there and back made me remember why I hate/avoid Kensington Market though. Sweet Cab Franc with dinner though.

Friday Lindsay and I popped in to The Wren after work to demolish their bottle list. We had so many great beers — the Indie Alehouse Dead Spadina Monkey, the Bellwoods Motley Cru, Bellwoods Grandma’s Boy, and Bellwoods Weft & Warp — and filled ourselves with fried buffalo cauliflower and burgers. I love that place so much.

Saturday we met up with CBGB who were in town visiting, and decided to finally try Lake Inez. It was so, so worth the wait. They also have a top-notch bottle list (we had Bellwoods Jutsu on tap, then split bottles of Rodenbach 2014 and the Nickel Brook Proud As Funk) and the food was outstanding:

  • Japanese deviled eggs (kewpie mayo & yuzu kosho, topped w/ arare cracker, roe & nori)
  • Filipino bbq pork skewer (soy & 7-up glazed pork shoulder, slow-cooked and grilled over japanese charcoal w/ a spiced vinegar sauce)
  • summer corn fritter (seasoned with shichimi togarashi and burnt citrus mayo)
  • heirloom tomato & watermelon XO salad (sun dried tomato dressing, crispy lotus root, and xo sauce made w/ dried scallops & shrimp, chinese sausage, and shaoxing wine)
  • spicy charred broccoli (flavoured w/ chili jam, oyster sauce, lime, and crispy anchovies)
  • market fish Kinilaw (filipino-style ceviche w/ coconut vinegar, lime, serrano, avocado, cilantro & cassava chips)
  • salmon ‘Sinigang’ (pan seared bc salmon, coconut polenta, vegetable fricassee, tamarind/miso sauce, chimichurri)

Good value for money too — we were all surprised when the bill came, and in a good way.

After dinner we all went around the corner to Godspeed Brewery and met up with M+LK for some of their beer. I’m still not 100% in love with it, but the new Dai Dai was pretty good, and I liked the stout better on draft than when I had it in the can. They had Norm Hardie Cab Franc on tap too, so…win. It was a really fun night. Gerrard & Coxwell: who knew?

.:.

Cover photo from the Wren website

PM10

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Last Saturday Pearl Morissette hosted a 10th anniversary party for some of their wine club members. It was a perfect day, maybe the best Saturday we’ve had this summer. They poured tons of wine (and Burdock beer), auctioned special bottles & events, fed us delicious food, and let us hang out and meet one another.

We slept in a big, weird B&B. The owner brought us late-night pizza and we had an awkward breakfast conversation with the other couple staying there. We stopped for lunch at Redstone and I ate a pork chop the size of a small dog. We got food from Littlefoot Farm and cooed at their baby goats.

It was a pretty special event. It made all the brutal traffic on the way down here, and the way back, worth it. Thanks P-M.

 

 

 

 

A book is not fast enough

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I recently finished reading Naomi Klein’s new book No Is Not Enough (site | amazon | globe and mail | guardian), which she rushed out in response to Trump’s insanity. The funny thing is how hilariously out of date it already is. It came out in early June, and even forgetting about the lead time required to write, edit, print, and distribute the book, that release date predates a bunch of failed healthcare reform attempts, the Jeff Comey hearings, emails showing Trump’s son met with Russian officials ahead of the election, the Anthony Scaramucci saga, a Twitter escalation with a now-nuclear North Korea, Trump barring transgender individuals from service in the military (without telling the military), the firing of White House chief of staff Reince Preibus, and a refusal to condemn neo-Nazi rallies in Virginia. It’s been two months and she could probably write a second volume.

I fear the physical publishing business simply won’t be able to keep up with the sheer volume of the man’s idiocy. Best of luck to all the authors + editors out there.

Chardonnay League

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Last week we finally got around to visiting Skin + Bones wine bar — absolutely one of my favourite local places — for one of their wine league nights. They pick a varietal, line up wineries who make that wine, and run a tournament. Each week customers try a glass from three different wineries and pick their favourite; the winner of each week ends up in the finals. So far I’ve seen them run Sparkling league and Riesling league; we signed up for the second round of Chardonnay league.

We tried three: Nicholas Pearce, Closson Chase, and Domaine Queylus. The Queylus was my favourite; the Closson Chase was Lindsay’s. In the end the Closson Chase won and moved on to the finals. We stuck around and had dinner there too, wondering when we could come back.

.:.

Cover photo from the Skin + Bones site

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

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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.

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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.

Granted, I might need to buy something with colour in it

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Slowly but surely, I am building an art collection worthy of hanging in this loft.

The first one I bought was from Krystina Stamatopolous:

Then, in Rwanda, I bought this one:

IMG_20160827_103152

Finally, my absolute favourite, by Daniel Hutchinson:

Then, at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition we bought a bunch of prints for a print wall, but I also bought this beautiful, delicate thing by Olga Klosowski:

The centerpiece of that print wall, by the way, will be this poster from Willi’s Wine Bar in Paris. Whew, colour!

1997_herxeimer_willis__93389.1425403163.1280.1280

.:.

Cover photo is another piece we bought at the Outdoor Art Exhibit, by Daniela Rojze

The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything

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Today was my birthday. My 42nd birthday, as it happens. It was a crazy weekend, though my birthday had little to do with that.

First up was a visit by brother #2 on Thursday. We met after work at the Keg near his hotel, and ate some piles of meat. After that Lindsay and I retired to Chez Nous where Laura poured us some off-menu treats.

On Friday, we were off to nearby Project Gallery Studios for an opening, after which we hung out with a couple of the artists and their friends at Aft until the wee hours.

Saturday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed, loaded up on breakfast and snacks at Bonjour Brioche, then drove north to the Hockley Valley Resort for a wedding. We got there in enough time to eat lunch at the wine bar and change for the wedding. The meal was excellent, and very long, and then the party started. We lasted until about midnight, then retired to our room.

When we arrived I discovered a surprise: Lindsay had gifts and balloons(!) waiting for me: a Secrid wallet, October by China Miéville, and a promise to go see Dunkirk next weekend. Whatta girl.

After some much-needed breakfast this morning we stopped at Adamo Estate winery (which is owned by the same people as the resort) to pick up a few wines we’d tried at the resort, then enjoyed the pretty ride home. The rest of Sunday was relaxing, eating, and watching GoT.