Things I miss about New York City

1. Free delivery. At any time, day or night, I could get the following delivered to my apartment in NYC: beer, groceries, wine, pizza, hamburgers, Mexican food, Spanish food, fast food, bagels and cream cheese, eggs and bacon, steak, liqour, cigarettes (and I don't even smoke) all for the cost of the order, with little to no delivery charge. What can I get delivered to me in Toronto for that? Pizza. Everything else costs extra or just won't come. The lazy part of me hates that!
2. Celebrity sightings. It's true! Friends and I had a game of who saw the most random celebrity in the strangest spot. I used to bump into or spot famous people all the time and not even be phased. Rode on the subway with childhood idols and TV stars without acknowledging them. In Toronto, people make such a big deal about seeing celebs and are all agog during the film fest. Kind of uncool.
3. A 6 pack of beer for $6. The cost of booze is insane here. You would think this was the country with the long prohibition!
4. Buying beer in the corner store. I'm lucky the beer store is so close to my house, but it would be nice to pop in to any deli and pick up a premium 6 pack (especially one for 6 bucks!)
5. The accents! I love it when someone on TV has a real New York accent, because it's so ballsy, so original, so fun to listen to.
6. The pizza. Of course! It's a cliche because it's true. NY pizza, so thin, so cheesy, and available at all hours. Yum.
7. The bagels! I can't wait to go back in December for a bagel and cream cheese. I'm sure it will seem like such a big meal after so long without. The bagels here can't compare, although I do like Montreal bagels, but that's a different animal entirely.
8. The shopping. Toronto has only 2 department stores (I refuse to count Sears) and only one decent discounter. Saks, Bloomingdales, Century 21, and so much more in NYC. Sigh.
9. No tax on clothes!! OK, you have to go to Jersey for that, but it's still closer than we've got here. Tax free doesn't exist in Ontario.
10. Getting to see good bands that I've heard of on Friday and Saturday nights. Toronto is a good city to hear live music. It's a big enough stop that everyone comes. The problem is, they come on their way from NYC so we get the Monday and Tuesday night shows, after they've played in New York on the weekend. I am getting older, people, and need to go to bed early during the week, but still want to see my bands. This is always a dilemma, because, for me, the weekends were meant for concerts and club shows, not Mondays.

My next post will highlight what I prefer about Toronto, but those are important positives about NYC. Add more in the comments if you'd like

Cafe Taste

Last night we spent some time at Cafe Taste in Parkdale. I had read about it on tasteto and was interested in the wine and cheese bar in our neighborhood.
We liked it immediately upon entry: warm, cozy and relaxed, all the tables looked comfortable. It is a small room, with several tables and a bar area. The menu is a long list of dishes with cheese (YUM!) including salads, cheese plates and cheese fondue. We selected a cabernet franc (Calamus) and a cheese plate and the waiter told us he would choose our cheese based on the wine or wines we ordered.
The wines are ordered in 2 oz samples (for a couple of bucks, a good deal), by the glass, 1/2 liter and bottle. The wine selection included some good Ontario wines, and a few from California, France and the like.
We had a good time. The wine was good, as was the cheese, especially the havarti. We definitely want to go back.

T&T Supermarket

Wow! Just made my first trip to this Asian supermarket on Cherry Street and I was very impressed! First of all, the place is massive and has a huge selection. We admired the sushi and dim sum selections just past the entrance, grabbed a pint of Haagen Dazs for half the price at our normal supermarket, and kept filling the basket. 3 packages of dumplings were $9.99 so we grabbed chicken, shrimp & pork and leek & pork. Good choices! Then we moved on to seafood, which was all very fresh and cheaper than I've seen in a while. Salmon and scallops for dinner sometime this week! Flank steak and other meats were really well price, and we excitedly took 2 flank steaks with us, as we have a difficult time even finding that cut where we live. Another addition to our cart were 12 containers of yogurt for $3.99, milk, Korean kim chee and some fruits and veggies. Can I say Wow again?
We are definitely going back to T&T anytime we're in the area, because the price, selection and quality were very impressive. I really want to go back for lunch and have the dim sum and sushi. Did I mention they were making it fresh? It looked delicious.

One day at the Virgin Music Fest

We went to the Virgin Music Fest yesterday at Toronto Island. The weather was great and it was a good list of performers, but we decided not to go again today because it was difficult and tiring.
When we got to the ferry terminal at the harbor, there were thousands of people in line. So we began the day of frustrating waits. Waiting to get on the ferry, waiting to get off the ferry, waiting for bag check, waiting to get carded at the beer tents, waiting for tickets to buy drinks, waiting to buy the drink. Once we got a drink, we couldn't drink it anywhere near the stage. That is the nature of drinking in Ontario. Bummer.
It was a beautiful day and we caught some really good shows, including M.I.A (which we almost missed because of the painfully long line and wait for the ferry), Mute Math and Bjork.
We wanted to go today to see Stars and Metric, but for 2 sets totaling 2 hours we'd spend double that time in travel and are just too wiped to do it. Would I go next year? I don't think so. It just wasn't worth all the effort. I may change my mind if the line-up is really good though.

Reposado - New bar in the hood

Last night we tried a new bar that just opened the other day in our hood. Reposado is a cool casual bar with friendly staff and a specialty in tequila. For Toronto, the tequila selection is pretty good, and we had a "flight" of three tequilas, a white (not good for sipping, more for shooting), an anejo, and a reposado. The last two were quite sippable and flavorful. We had some beers with the tequila tastes, and chatted with the two bartenders and other patrons. They had a few good beers on tap, including Delirium Tremuns and a wheat beer. I had a Negro Modelo in a bottle to go with the Mexican tequilas.
They are working on their menu, so far they serve some ceviches and gazpacho, but are working on that.
We are happy to have a bar open so nearby with such a great vibe and friendly people, and I am sure we will be back at Reposado soon.

Check your credit card statements

Was on vacation last week, so this refers to something that happened two weeks ago, but I still want to mention it as a warning to people.
I checked my online credit card statement and noticed a transaction from the previous day for a restaurant/bar I had not been to in 5 months. Yet, I was being charged $80+ by them. I immediately called my credit card company and explained the situation. The specialist on the phone was very helpful and told me that yes, the charge was manually keyed in, not swiped. Of course it was as I had my card on me and hadn't been there! The charge was from that Tuesday night, and I only went to the gym, not out for drinks! So, it looks like I used my card at this establishment in February, someone there held onto the info, or got access to the saved files, and re-used my number to collect $80 out of the cash register in July.
Please keep an eye on your credit card statements and call if anything looks suspicious like this. The fact that the number was manually entered and that I called so fast should help clear this off my statement so I shouldn't have to pay for what I did not get. Just a warning!
This happened at Scallywags. To tell the truth, the night I went I was pretty pissed because the bartender was an ASSHOLE. He was rude and disrespectful and knew nothing of service. I haven't been back in 5 months because he was an asshole, and because it's not that good a place and I have no cause to go. Now I have even less reason to return.

Lunch at Bistro 990

I went to lunch today with 2 colleagues to Bistro 990 and had a great meal.
The atmosphere was charming and old world, and the food was delicious. The service was great, which may have been because it wasn't very busy, but we felt well taken care of.
So, what did we eat? Well, lets start with the delicious crusty French bread at the beginning. I could have had more than the 2 pieces they served us but needed to save room for the rest of the meal.
We split the crab cake appetizer and a plate of poutine and both were quite tasty. That poutine was decadent and we finished it off in record time.
We each had different entrees and no one shared because we were all so happy with our choices. One of my tablemates had the nicoise salad and loved it, the other had a delicious looking salmon burger with slaw and frites. I had the moules frites and received a heaping platter with a side plate of fries. The moules had a delicious red sauce with herbs and I was eating the sauce with a spoon it was so tasty.
There are plenty of desserts on the menu, but after all that food I couldn't eat another bite. I can't wait to go back to try some other dishes.

Sushi on the Move

Toko Sushi Bar is on Yonge Street just north of Wellesley. My co-worker and I were walking back to our Bloor Street office and looking for somewhere new to eat when we spied Toko. It was only 11:45am but we were ready for lunch. They were open and waiting for customers, so we grabbed two seats at the bar and began to take serve ourselves from the rotating sushi bar.
I used to go to places like this in NYC, and my friend was excited to try it, because it reminded her of NYC as well, and we weren't disappointed. The food was fresh and delicious. Some of the food you have to special order, as it needs to be made fresh, but those were delivered very quickly. Some favorites? The gyoza was crispy and delicious. I also liked the spicy tuna roll, which had a lot of spice to it and was quite fresh.
It really is fun to eat and watch all the food choices roll by. I don't know why it is, but it appeals to the senses to see all of the foods you could possibly eat, even if it's something you don't normally like. There were lots of different kinds of rolls, sushi pieces, and vegetables, including seaweed, salad and edamame. If you don't see what you like, it is quick and easy to order off the menu.
The food was good, the atmosphere fun, and the service polite and prompt. No complaints. We both left full for about $13 each.

Dinner at Coca

Coca is located on Queen West, #783, and we have walked by many times and wanted to try it, mainly because it is a tapas bar and restaurant, and I love tapas.
Finally on Wednesday night we were free and in the mood, so off to Coca we went. I have heard it is hard to get a table there, and when we arrived at 7:40 on Wednesday, that was still the case. Fortunately there were plenty of seats at the bar, we were warmly greeted, and away we went! The waitress informed of us the Summerlicious menu, which was a salad, an appetizer, a coca, an entree, something else, and dessert for (we thought she said) $35. Seemed like a lot of food for the two of us, so we ordered one Summerlicious only, and a couple of a la carte items, like the olive plate and one entree.
The food was divine. I mean it. I liked everything a lot. Highlights included the aforementioned olive plate, which at $5, was more than enough. It was a long slim plate filled with all differently filled or flavored green olives. My favorites included the almond stuffed olives, the spicy chile olives and the sardine stuffed olives. I would go back just for some olives and wine.
We also tried cigarellos of fig and roquefort, which was a long thin crust with the two ingredients stuffed inside. Nice complementing flavours, although the crust was a little too crisp and burnt for my liking.
The coca we had wasn't really a coca (which they define as a flatbread pizza) so I was a little disappointed and want to return to try a really coca, as that is their specialty and namesake, but what we got was so good I can't complain. The duck, cherry and roquefort empanada tasted delicious, and was a great combination of flavours. It wasn't a big plate, but we were still getting full.
We had an arugula and manchego salad, which tasted great, with crispy arugula and I always love manchego, a dry Spanish cheese made with sheep's milk.
The gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) was the highlight of the meal. The shrimps were tender and juicy and dripped with olive oil and garlic. My mouth is watering thinking of them again. How fresh and tasty and juicy those shrimp were! We were oohing and aahing as we devoured them!
The other entree we got was a steak dish and the steak was tender and tasty with chili flavour and sided with a pepper stuffed with potato. The pepper wasn't super flavourful as I would have expected, but still tasted fine.
We finished with a shared dessert, from the Summerlicious menu, of sweet churros.
Our big surprise was the bill for Summerlicious was only $25, what a deal!! Summerlicious is over, but I'll keep going back to Coca!

Lunch at Houston's

Went to Houston's for lunch today and really enjoyed it. It is not a budget restaurant by any means, as most mains are over $20, but if you have the money and are in the neighborhood, I recommend it.
Where is Houston's? Yonge Street, just north of Front.
What kind of food? The specialties are steaks and ribs, and that was what we had. I had the Half rack of ribs with 3 shrimp and the ribs were tender, slipping off the bone, and delicious. One of my lunch guests had the same, and ate every bite, another had filet mignon and shrimp, and ate every bite, and the 4th had a chicken sandwich which she also enjoyed.
We started the lunch with a shared appetizer plate of wings, mozzarella sticks and potato skins. Acceptable, nothing out of the ordinary, but ok. The best part was definitely the mains. For dessert we split the key lime pie, which was definitely lime-y, and the brownie with vanilla ice cream. Yum!
As I mentioned, not a cheap lunch (approx $50 pp), but good ribs!

Farmer's Market

We biked over to the Farmer's Market in Liberty Village this morning. This is a new market with only farmers selling products from their farms, so you know it's fresh! Today we bought some sweet and juicy raspberries (delicious for breakfast this AM!), corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. It is so close and convenient and fresh. I am looking forward to peaches in August, apples in October and everything in between! Today is a beautiful day so more exploring Toronto planned ahead!

Fringing

Went to a fringe play last night and one today. Two very different shows, both enjoyable. I love the Toronto Fringe Festival because I go so things I would never normally see and as it is only $10 a ticket, I always find it worthwhile.
The play last night was Ubu Roi and was an avant garde play with 4 cast members in a small space where most of the audience sat on the floor. The play was written over a hundred years ago about the corruption of governments who are constantly at war for more power *sounds familiar* and it was funny and violent and absurd and really interesting.
Today we saw a more Canadian historical play called Dickens of The Mounted, a supposedly true story about Charles Dickens' son Frank, who came to Canada and worked as a Mountie. Also funny, and a one-man show, which was impressive. The actor was good at accents and I would have liked if he had played more roles, as most of the show he was just talking to us.
Fringe ends tomorrow. Wish I'd seen more plays! We did try to go see The Gladstone Variations but it was sold out. Apparently its so popular they are extending the run, so may check it out next week.

White Stripes in Toronto

Went to the Molson Amphitheatre for The White Stripes show on Thursday night. Great night to see a show, and what a great show! The Amphitheatre itself didn't impress me (was my first time there), as it took forever to get in and out of that place, but the beer was cold and The White Stripes were fantastic! I love that there are only two of them yet they make so much noise and rock so hard. The new stuff was good, including "Icky Thump," but I loved when they sang "You're Pretty Good Looking" and "We Are Gonna Be Friends." I was on my feet or jumping up and down the whole time. Jack and Meg played some great blues and rock. So glad I went!
It was pretty hectic down at the lakeshore on Thursday night, with this show, the Under 18 soccer match with massive Portugal support, and the setup for the Indy this weekend, but it was definitely a show worth seeing.

Ribfest

Since Brian likes ribs so much, we had to go to Ribfest, and today was our last chance! It was a hot sunny day, and since we were driving to Centennial Park, we brought our golf clubs to drive some balls before we ate. The driving range was busy, but at least it was easy to find, unlike rib fest! We drove around for 15 minutes looking for the event, and there were signs everywhere, but no directions. Unfortunately the driving in circles made me feel sick, on top of the heat, so I needed a break before we got to the festival.
The festival was big! I was surprised at how much ground it took up, and how many people were there! Our first stop, after walking through the clothing and other blah vendors, was the beer tent. Unfortunately, they were out of any decent beer besides Coors Light, which is not even a beer in my estimation, but it beats Coke with ribs! That was a disappointment, but we each got one and then waited in line for ribs. We just got a half order from Camp 41, but were very impressed by how tender the meat was. Wow. I wish I had felt better and had more of an appetite, because it would have been fun to try more. Next year, I guess!

Bike Tour of Wine Country

Yesterday we drove to Vineland, Ontario, parked our car at a winery and spent the afternoon touring wine country on our bikes. It could not have been a better day for it, with the sun shining and a cool breeze the entire day. This is a great way to spend the day, as most of the wineries won't charge for the tastings, and the scenery along the Niagara escarpment is so beautiful.
The first stop on our wine tour was Tawse Winery, where everything looks new. They have a technique of wine-making using gravity instead of pumps, so the building is quite tall, with different levels of tanks. We tried some of the excellent chardonnay, and hopped back on our bikes for a bit of an uphill climb. The weather was so perfect, even the hills couldn't ruin the pleasurable experience.
Our next stop was over the hill and a left turn into Vineland Estates. There was a wedding happening there and no wonder! There are several buildings, all which look like churches of different sizes. The land is gorgeous, and we tried some delicious reisling there. I also tried a Rose, but the Reisling was king. They have a restaurant there too, so that would be a nice spot to visit for a meal.
After a nice ride through beautiful country, we came upon Ball's Falls, a waterfall near the Bruce Trail. This waterfall is not doing too well as there hasn't been much rain in the region lately, but the spot was lovely. There was another wedding at the church nearby, a park, and the Bruce Trail all in that area. These are some of the many reasons to visit that area without even drinking wine (Although I wouldn't miss that part ever!)
The nearest winery was called Calamus, and while it was the smallest tasting room we'd been to, the wines were among our favorites. We met the winemaker and one of the owners, and learned they have been open less than a year. I was quite impressed by the quality of the wine, and can only imagine it will get better.
A short ride from Calamus is Flat Rock Winery. This beautiful building sits on stilts and had a fleet of young people working in the tasting room/shop. It all looked brand new, and the wine (chardonnay and reisling is what we tried) was very good.
After all the cycling and wine tasting, hunger called. We rode into the town of Jordan, which is so picturesque it would fit into wine country in California, only 1/4 the price! We made a great choice for lunch, Zooma Zooma, had a beer each, a cheese plate and a sandwich for $30, and it was all delicious and served on a nice patio.
Refueled, we were ready to go. We have been to Jordan before so didn't go into Cave Springs Winery, but I recommend the chardonnay and reisling and it is a pretty spot with an inn and well-reviewed restaurant so will go there another time.
Our next stop was Creekside, which looked beautiful and had a nice deck restaurant, but the wines we tasted were bland and boring. This is what I used to think of Ontario wines, but the other places we visited certainly changed my mind! We then visited a local cheese shop and tasted their cheese, which was yummy but a little pricey for us.
After a shortcut that had us walking our bikes alongside some train tracks, we were back in Vineland. We stopped at another pretty winery called Willow Heights. The tastings were good there, and I was dreading the final hill before the car, and didn't want to leave!
We had parked our car at Lakeview Cellars Winery so made that our last tasting stop, and it was a good one. We enjoyed a blanc de blanc sparkling wine, a reisling, and the "out of the box" chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. These were all tasty and among the lowest priced wines we had tried all day. As we were off our bikes and had the car, we were able to make some bargain purchases. This place also had a cute patio where we can go back and have some tapas with the wine.
We were tired from all the biking, but it was a great day and we would definitely do it again. We were really surprised by how many of the wines we liked. We visited 7 wineries on our bikes, all in Vineland and Jordan, and from the maps and guides we had, we know we could have visited more than double that amount! A plan for another weekend, perhaps.

SICKO

I saw Michael Moore's Sicko on Wednesday night. Wow. Go see it. If you are American, hopefully it will light a fire under you and everyone else to freaking change the way our health care system cheats citizens. The film is interesting, thought-provoking, funny but also depressing. GO SEE IT!

2 years later

It has been a long time! I am going to make an effort to post more about Toronto and my life here.

Much has changed - I have been working full time for over 2 years, we bought a house - go to www.sharwood.ca for that blog!

I really like Toronto a lot, and am going to use this space to post on places I like, and things to do in TO.

Coming up: Michael Moore's Sicko, our bike tour of the wine country in Ontario, and the Fringe Festival (next week, I plan to check it out).