Cover photo from the Michael's On Simcoe site

Michael’s on Simcoe

Dan Dickinson1 Comment

Yesterday was our 11th anniversary. We spent it watching hockey. That’s how cool my wife is.

After we watched Sweden smoke Denmark (accompanied by two hours of loud, drunk commentary by the world’s most annoying human behind us, who was mercifully tossed from the building before the final period) and Switzerland manhandle the Czechs, with a couple of heavy beers (Black Oak Nutcracker porter and the Muskoka Winter Jacket) at Corks in between games, we got ourselves tucked in for dinner at Michael’s On Simcoe. It’s a steak place we’ve been meaning to try since it opened over a year ago.

When we walked in we noticed most of the activity was in the dining room ahead of us, but they led us into the stark, quiet bar at the front. It seemed like they dropped the tables they expected to be lightweights into the bar area, and but for one table and a single dude at the bar we were alone in the whole section. No matter; the food would be the same.

It turns out our server had been in Nova Scotia last week, just as we were, and also grew up near where Nellie’s family was stationed for years. So that’s why she was so nice.

We started with glasses of Veuve Clicquot and Fleur Du Cap Chardonnay (which took us back to our days in Cape Town) to go with our starters: aragosta gnocchi w/ fresh lobster, spiced tomato, garlic, lobster stock, and fresh basil for Nellie, and tonno crudo (fresh tuna, basil, cucumber, shallot, crisp chick peas, and tomato dressing) for me. For our main we split a 25oz bone-in ribeye, w/ sides of shredded brussels sprouts with apple and bacon, and heirloom tomato & cucumber salad. We paired it with a bottle of 2006 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was rich but not overwhelming in the way that some California cabs are. Strong but subtle, it paired beautifully with the steak. The steak was excellent. Maybe not the best I’ve ever had — it was a little overcooked at the edges — but definitely worthy of a celebration.

We underestimated the size of their desserts and ordered one each: a maple walnut butter tart w/ cinnamon ice cream and poached pear for me, and sticky toffee pudding w/ a caramelized apple for Nellie. My butter tart was more like a butter tray, so I’m glad I ordered a smoky bourbon to counter the overwhelming sweetness. Nellie ordered Amarone with her dessert; we’re not quite sure what she got but it wasn’t Amarone.

We had no complaints about our meal — on the contrary, we quite enjoyed it. But it did nothing to knock Jacobs & Co out of our #1 choice for Toronto steakhouses.

.:.

Cover photo from the Michael’s On Simcoe site

#HereWeGo

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It’s an annual Christmastime tradition to me, watching the World Junior hockey tournament. Since this year’s tournament is being split between Toronto and Montreal we bought four ticket packages — two for us, two for CBJ+M. We won’t see Canada play any preliminary round games, but we’ll see them in the playoffs. Assuming they make the playoffs. *gulp*

We missed the exhibition game against Russia last week while we were in NS, so our tournament started with the official games. We watched Russia barely squeak past Denmark in what turned out to be a very exciting game. Apart from pockets of Russian fans the entirety of the ACC was cheering for the underdog Danes, and with a 2-0 lead they nearly pulled it off. Alas, by the time it got to a shootout the Russian skill took over.

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We had almost two hours to kill before our second game, so we wandered over to Maple Leaf Square. The Real Sports Bar was predictably packed, so we went in search of Corks, a rumoured craft beer bar in the back corner of a Longo’s supermarket…no, seriously. We found it, and chose from a very solid list of local craft beer and wine. I had a Black Oak Nut Brown; Nellie had a Collective Arts Rhyme & Reason pale. Nellie was full from her earlier bucket of Coors Light at the game but I had an additional half pint — alas, the Great Lakes Winter Ale special tap was off, tasting flat & watery. Still, at $6 for a pint of craft and with local wines from Tawse, Fielding, Malivoire, etc. on tap I can see this being a regular hangout during the tournament.

We got back to the ACC in time for game 2, wherein Sweden thumped the Czechs. The Toronto fans were delighted when their prospect, William Nylander, scored a goal. Shortly thereafter a “Go Leafs Go!” chant went up, which was as sad and painful as it sounds. With the game safely in hand we left ahead of the crowd and found some dinner.

We found it in the latest outpost of Pizzeria Libretto, which we’d never visited on Ossington or the Danforth. The lineups at the original when it opened put us off for a long time, but the hype is real: the plain old pepperoni special was a perfect pizza. I can see this place becoming a new favourite. We left for home, full but not too full, and watched Canada destroy Slovakia 8-0.

Today we’ll head back to the ACC to see whether Denmark can make a game of it with Sweden, and to see Switzerland make their debut.

Cover photo by Adriana Lukas, used under Creative Commons license

“I’m a soldier, man. I like guns.”

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And so, the great ‘sprint to watch the highest-rated films of 2014 because we’ve been slack all year’ begins. We started last night with two fairly quirky ones:

We could see why The Guest (imdb | rotten tomatoes) played in the Midnight Madness program at this year’s TIFF: it’s got that mixture of violence, dark humour, and weirdness. I’m not sure that Nellie knows what happened in the movie though; she was too lost in Dan Stevens’ eyes.

Speaking of dark humour, The Skeleton Twins (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was about as dark as it gets, but it also featured two actors so used to playing off one another — Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig — that the funny stuff felt natural. Well, mostly; I can only imagine that the Starship scene happened once or twice during SNL rehearsals.

.:.

Cover photo by Adriana Lukas, used under Creative Commons license

Cover photo by ByronV2, used under Creative Commons license

I cannot stuff any more food in my face

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As is usually the case when we spend Christmas in Toronto, Nellie has prepared a Christmas feast. Or a series of feasts, as it were.

Christmas Eve

  • soppressata, prosciutto, cheese, and baguette w/ a Blue Mountain Gamay Noir 2013
  • scallops, shrimp, calamari, and red peppers w/ a Five Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2012
  • Green & Black’s sea salt dark chocolate w/ La Face Cachée de la Pomme Neige Première ice cider

Christmas morning

  • bacon and biscuits w/ Hinterland 2013 Whitecap mimosas

Christmas lunch

  • more of the soppressata, prosciutto, cheese, and sourdough bread w/ a Hidden Bench 2009 Tête de Cuvée Chardonnay

Christmas dinner

  • Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, turnip, carrots w/ a Le Clos Jordanne 2010 Claystone Terrace Pinot Noir

.:.

Cover photo by ByronV2, used under Creative Commons license

Hello, new phone

Dan Dickinson1 Comment

Three years ago I bought my first (!) real smartphone after living with Blackberries for a long time.

I loved my Galaxy Nexus and it served me well for a very long time. Through a combination of stubbornness and my perceived lack of compelling alternative I didn’t bother upgrading. For the last several months, though, my phone has gotten old and worn out, and unable to keep up with the demands of today’s apps and content. Nellie implored me to get a new phone and stop yelling at this one.

I resisted though, holding out for the Nexus 6. I waited patiently (but not really) for the late 2014 release date, then waited while it made its way to Canada. It had the speed, power, camera, and battery life that I craved, but I was always concerned about the size of the phone. A 6-inch screen would make it nearly the size of my Nexus 7 tablet (which I still quite like), not to mention heavy and awkward. I played around with iPhone 6 Pluses and, when I could finally get my hands on one, Nexus 6s. It was as I feared — too big, too heavy, too hard to use with one hand. Maybe I could have gotten used to it, but I didn’t want to chance it.

I ended up picking up a Nexus 5 before Google decommissions them, and frankly it still feels amazing to me. It’s everything I wanted from my old phone but in more or less the same form factor. It was also about $500 cheaper than the Nexus 6, so even if a new device comes out next year I won’t mind paying for it.

Galaxy Nexus, I know I’ve been angry at you this year, but you did yeoman’s work for more than anyone could have expected. You’ve earned a place in the device hall of fame.*

Anyway, out with the old and in with the new and all that. So, without further ado, here is the new(ish) hotness:

nexus5

* my junk drawer

Cover photo by Scott Nelson, used under Creative Commons license

Early Christmastime

Dan Dickinson1 Comment

We did Christmas a bit differently this year: in order to be back in NS at the same time as a brother and his family we flew out last week — the week before Christmas — to see everyone. Nellie flew the day before I did to see her mother; I joined them Monday and drove to the farm Tuesday. I played with a baby, rough-housed with my favourite dogs, watched my niece’s basketball game (in my first return to my old high school, 21 years after graduation…I nearly broke out into hives), played many games of crib and one of trivial pursuit (brother #2 and his other daughter with a stunning come-from-behind win), ate dad’s ice cream and mom’s pie and drank my brother’s beer, and generally relaxed like it was my job.

We opened a few gifts at my parents’ place, but one very special surprise: a quilt for each of my brothers and I (and our dad) at the request of my grandmother years ago before she died. It took our mother quite a while to find someone who could make the exact pattern she requested (the Boston Common) but the wait paid off: they’re beauties, and now we have quilts from my mother, Nellie’s aunt, and both of my grandmothers.

Back at the mother-in-law’s place we did another early gift opening, and wound up with some terrific local Benjamin Bridge sparkling, and a very cool graphic novel and print from one of Nellie’s cousins. The next day we flew home to Toronto whilst sat next to a screaming toddler. We dropped our bags, grabbed a late lunch at Triple A, and decompressed for the last few hours of our vacation.

Merry early Christmas, everyone.

.:.

Cover photo by Scott Nelson, used under Creative Commons license

Cover photo by Damian Entwistle, used under Creative Commons license

Selma

Dan Dickinson1 Comment

Last Wednesday, after meeting a buddy for drinks at Weslodge, I saw an advanced screening of Ava DuVernay’s movie Selma (imdb | rotten tomatoes). It’s not being released to theatres until January, but TIFF arranged a one-time preview with the director and lead actor in attendance for a Q&A.

Centered around the marches from Selma to Montgomery during the Civil Rights movement, the film switches the main focus of the original screenplay from Lyndon Johnson to Martin Luther King and the movement’s other leaders. David Oyelowo, playing Dr. King, did a tremendous job, though something in his physicality could never quite convince me he was King…I had to keep reminding myself who he was playing. He and DuVernay did focus much more on the quiet, personal moments of King — moments of doubt in a jail cell or a car, moments of strain with his wife, moments of compassion in a hospital, moments of levity in a friend’s kitchen — rather than constant speeches and fire, and that added something which I felt like I’d not seen before. Somehow, DuVernay pointed out, nearly 50 years after the event no feature film has ever been made about Selma with Dr. King at its centre.

Many of the questions from the audience related to the timing of the film, timing which DuVernay couldn’t have planned. The murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson and police violence in the film sat heavy in a room full of people inundated with images of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and DuVernay did point out that she felt the US has reached a point of racial unrest and reaction she hadn’t seen in her lifetime, even pointing out that the name ‘Ferguson’ is now a symbol and rallying cry in much the same way that Selma has become. In a less urgent (but no less insidious) development, the purpose of the Selma marches — the Voting Rights Act — is being systematically dismantled through voter ID laws and district gerrymandering.

There’s no doubt this is an important movie, and will be considered more important because of the macro environment surrounding its release. But it’s also a very good movie, with tremendous performances, and worth seeing on its own merits.

.:.

Cover photo by Damian Entwistle, used under Creative Commons license

All they needed was a retired shooting guard

Dan Dickinson1 Comment

Another pretty good weekend: the Murphy girls were once again in town. But first I got to see the Raptors game Friday night which, despite the loss to Cleveland, was a pretty momentous game marking the anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death. Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Dikembe Mutombo, and Tracy McGrady were all there.

On Saturday I ran some errands and hit the last couple of days of the Union Station Holiday Market. That night, after the Murphy girls got home we drank some Blue Mountain sparkling and a bottle of Gueuze Tilquin, hit Beerbistro and Triple A and then came home to knock off a few special bottles. This morning we loaded up on breakfast at the Jason George before the ladies left; since then it’s just been a Game Of Thrones marathon. Not a bad weekend.

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Ottaweekend

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FRIDAY

It’s a universal truism that the Friday afternoon you’re hoping to wrap up early so you can catch a flight is the crazy-busiest stretch of the week. And so it was with us last Friday as we closed everything off as best we could, rushed home, grabbed our bags, and took off to catch a flight.

Even with bad ferry luck we had enough time to enjoy the Porter lounge, and an hour after boarding our flight we landed in Ottawa. We checked in at the Westin downtown and went out in search of food.

After walking through a very raucous Byward Market (a pub crawl of frozen Carlton students was the prime culprit) we tucked in at Vineyards Wine Bar. It was okay, but I can’t understand the long list of Wine Spectator awards. The wine list looked fairly pedestrian. The beer selection was pretty decent though, so we began heading in that direction after our charcuterie board let us down. After a while we were joined by Toronto friends JP+Sue, also in town, for one or two more. I ended up having a Unibroue Raftman, a Saison Dupont, and a Unibroue Maudite.

When Vineyards shut down around midnight we decided to have one more somewhere else. JP suggested Brothers Beer Bistro just down the street, a place high on my must-try list, so off we went. Cool spot. We closed it down around 2:15; I drank and Aventinus and the Mill Street Cobblestone stout from Nellie’s beer flight.

We got off the hotel elevator on the top floor and walked through a crowd of fancily-dressed people spilling out of the big suite across the lobby from our room. Nellie was hungry again so she perused the room service menu while I ran to the bathroom. Just then someone knocked on our door, and for some reason Nellie opened it. A couple stood there. The conversation went something like this:

Couple: “Uh, this isn’t suite 2318.”

Nellie: ” Nope, it’s not. 2318 is over there.” *points*

Couple: “Got it! Hey, we’re having a party over there if you guys want to come over for a drink.”

Nellie: “Oh, no thanks. It’s late. We’re just going to eat something and go to bed.”

Couple: “Are you sure? We’re very open-minded.”

Nellie: “Uh…okay. Nope, we’re good, thanks.”

Couple: “Okay, well, if you change your mind just come on over. We’re very open-minded.”

Nellie: “OK, g’nite!” *closes door, sets night lock*

A few minutes later some room service chicken wings showed up. We scarfed them down and tried not to think too hard about what had just happened. A little after 3am we crashed out.

SATURDAY

We’d had to keep the previous evening’s events quiet on social in order to fulfill a big part of our reason to be in Ottawa: to surprise our friend CB on her birthday weekend. GB had arranged for us to surprise her by meeting them for brunch at the Baker Street Cafe in Westboro. We got out of the cab and crossed the street right in front of her, but she didn’t notice us. We got in line right behind her, and waited for about 20 seconds before she noticed us and freaked out. Mission accomplished!

We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table, but it was worth it. The food was great — especially the sausage I had with my French toast — and there was so much that we left almost an entire breakfast behind. Incroyable. We finished there, did a quick stop at MEC with them, went back to their house for a little bit, and then went back downtown to our hotel.

Nellie was determined to have a nap, but first we went for a stroll around Parliament Hill. The food and fresh air put Nellie down pretty quickly, but I’d had an espresso during our walk so I stayed awake and read in the other room.

A quick word on this Westin: it’s an old hotel which has received a face lift in some spots, like the lobby, but still shows its age in others, like the windows or TVs. Not that we were watching much TV, but the one in the living room didn’t work for most of the weekend. There was also problems with the elevators like long waits and slow rides down at busy times like breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

And so, because we were caught off guard by the wonky elevators, we were (nearly) the last ones to arrive to CB’s birthday dinner at Restaurant 18. About 30 people were assembled to celebrate with her, most of whom we didn’t know, but we made fast friends. Especially once the meal was done and we begin swapping seats.

Speaking of the meal it was fantastic. The beet salad was great, my lamb was some of the best I’ve ever eaten, and the chocolate marquis dessert was perfect. I think GB catered to Nellie and I when picking the wine: an all-Ontario lineup of Redstone Chardonnay and Organized Crime meritage.

With the meal over we decided to relocate. Our first potential stop failed the douchebag test before ever set foot in the door. The second place failed it only after we stepped inside and were told we’d have to do bottle service. Fuck that. JP and I made an executive call and walked down the street to someplace we thought could work: Brothers Beer Bistro. They put together a table for 10 and we drank many, many good beers. Myself, I had the Trois Mousquetaires Gose, a Rodenbach Grand Cru, a St. Bernardus Wit, and a Nickel Brook Cuvee Reserve. By the end of the evening it was once again JP, Sue, Nellie and I who closed the joint down.

We went home and supercrashed, again around 3am. No awkward inquiries from neighbors this night. None that we heard, anyway.

SUNDAY

I managed to get about six hours of sleep. Unfortunately Westin blinds down close completely so by 9am the room was pretty bright and I was fully up. I let Nellie sleep and walked down Elgin to check out The Ministry Of Coffee. I had an amazing cortado and a nutella croissant there before walking home. It was a nice little stroll along the canal on what was turning out to be a mild fall morning.

I got back in time to roust Nellie from bed. We had brunch plans with our friends Mark+Sandra, Dino+Kerry, and their kids. Dino had made brunch plans at…wait for it…Brothers Beer Bistro. So we walked in for the third time in about 36 hours. At this point we were basically employees.

Brunch was excellent. I had fluffy pancakes covered in fruit and crème fraîche, and pork belly bacon. Nellie had a cheese and egg and peameal beacon monstrosity alongside a pound of fries. And a Caesar. The kids gamely assembled suitable meals out of this weird collection of food and quietly read or played games. Next time we have brunch with four kids I’m requesting those ones.

We said our goodbyes, walked back to the hotel to pack up, and got confused by our own timing and got to the airport a little earlier than we meant to, but it worked out — YOW is actually a quiet, relaxing airport.

It’s hard to believe we were only in town for about 43 hours. It felt like we did a lot. And by “did” I mean “ate and drank and laughed”. Must make plans to come back when it’s warm; we have more place to try, and I miss Ottawa when it’s green.

Happy birthday CB!!