Get Lucky?

The boys of Banh Mi Boys now have 2 restaurants serving up-scale Vietnamese subs. With the demise of long-time Vietnamese shop Che Cali, they have decided to expand into Chinatown itself. This could be a good location, right next door to their parents' Nguyen Huong, which already supplies them with all their buns. I visited Lucky Red on Saturday.

Unlike the other recent hipster entry into Chinatown (directly across the street), Lucky Red is a quick take-out place despite the funky uneven wood blocks that make up the walls, the high tables, or red paint job. As such, the people behind the counter looked more like McDonald's employees. But even with a flat grill behind them, likely the bulk of the food preparation is done in the closed-off kitchen.

I ordered a 5-spice pork belly bao ($3.90) and a bulgogi taco ($3.90). Both dishes came stuffed with the pickled carrot and turnip condiment found in Vietnamese subs. The pork belly was rich and tasty. I wasn't as fond of the stringy Korean beef. The bao wrap had a slight sweetness but was a little cakey. To me, a good bao doesn't stick to your teeth. The taco was interesting in that it resembled a fried Indian paratha more than a Mexican taco.

It was an OK lunch but I didn't see many other customers. From the outside, it wasn't clear what sort of food Lucky Red offered. The prices aren't really competitive with its neighbours but it doesn't compensate with boozy drinks and a trendy cachet that are filling up The People's Eatery across the way.

Pie In The Sky

Last time I was at Terrazza, the patio, open deck and booths gave it a comfortable neighbourhood feel. I was on the fence about the food though. Thursday evening, I came by again to try the other major item on the menu: pizza. The atmosphere was definitely neighbourly and bustling, with some waitstaff even sitting down for a quick chat with regulars. I called for a shrimp appetizer ($11) and a piccana ($15).

The shrimp arrived as 4 large and plump specimen. They didn't taste rubbery and had a good crunch. The red sauce was on the thick side. It would have overwhelmed the seafood but went ok with the toasted bread and olives. The pizza came out hot and steaming. Although it was thin-crust, it was the crunchier Romana style. Unfortunately, it was a bit hit and miss. Some slices had crunch, others were soggy. Mostly it lacked that deliciously freshly baked smell of Pizzeria Libretto (Neopolitan) or Los Zingaro (Romana). I gave them points for not toning down the spiciness from the spicy salami, hot sausage, and peppers.

I don't think this pleasant but underwhelming place will be a regular, neighbourhood joint for me. In the previous decade, this would have made a nice, cheaper alternative to the overpriced spots in Little Italy. But now, with both superior pizza and pasta trattorias all over the city, and for around the same prices, the quality of the kitchen here doesn't stand out.

Two Good

Thursday night, at an early show at the Dakota Tavern. Two duos played some great music. First up was singer Miranda Mulholland. She didn't have a full band tonight, but her fiddling and the guitar work of Joe Phillips was sufficient for toe-tapping Shiloh, driving Whipping Boy, and poignant Emmaline. With Phillips switching to the double bass, he added some heavy and catchy bass to a few numbers. Mulholland ended the evening with the stomping Charity's Kiss and a saucy How Many Times ("A lady doesn't drink alone ... so take me home").

Then a stylish Amish man and a well-dressed airline stewardess took the stage. The bearded singer turned out to be Australian folkie Jordie Lane. He played a mean guitar (as well as some great harmonica) and sang in a powerful voice. The songs might have covered well-trod territories of love (I Could Die Looking At You) and break-up (The Winner) but they lacked the mopey navel-gazing of numerous new "folk" bands. The bescarfed lady was Clare Reynolds, who provided wonderful harmony and thumping percussion via an empty guitar case. The duo also had a number of story-telling tunes including a trip through Viet Nam (War Rages On) and a man at the end of his ropes (Dig Straight Through). At the end, Lane invited on stage Mulholland, Phillips, and several local singers including Jadea Kelly and Sarah Burton for some impromptu collaboration. So the night ended with two songs about dangerous women (The Publican's Daughter, Black Diamond) filled with wild fiddling and soaring voices. With talented friends, even a "jam" comes off as a thrilling performance.

Red Bedding

Titus Andronicus was possibly Shakespeare's first tragedy. Given its bloodiness, it has not been a particularly popular play. As I read through it in preparation for Sunday's evening performance at High Park, there were no passages that stood out for me. However, this natural amphitheatre is a great venue for this annual outdoor tradition.

For this staging, they have decided to situate the play in Japan, while keeping most the Roman-like costumes. As such, when Saturninus (James Graham) and his brother Bassianus (Alexander Plouffe) entered with their men to vie for succession, they dueled with wooden staffs and kendo blades. Marcus (Jan Alexandra Smith), now a sister to Titus (Sean Dixon), told them to stand down and welcome back her brother from many years of putting down barbarian uprisings.

The whole bloody denouement boiled down to lustful liasons. After the traditional Titus backed Saturninus' claim, the latter reciprocated by proposing marriage to Titus' daughter Laviniana (Chala Hunter). The action implied that her and Bassianus may have already had feelings for each other, which prompted him to steal her away. This angered Saturninus who, quickly and lustfully, turned to the captured queen Tamora (Shauna Black). She was livid at Titus for sacrificing her eldest Alarbus to consecrate the burial of his warrior son. Meanwhile, her illicit lover Aaron (Beau Dixon) encouraged her children Chiron (Gwenlyn Cumyn) and Demetrius (Michael Man) to kill Bassianus and rape Lavinia. This led to an inevitable chain of consequences that included killings, beheadings, severed tongues, chopped-off hands, and "long pig" pies. By the end, the body count would daunt even George R.R. Martin.

I thought too many characters were played as petulant man-children: Saturninus, Chiron, and Demetrius. At the same time, Titus did not come across as an honourable but overly rigid general. He seemed more an old man, constantly bewildered by events. So it became a tragedy by people who just sort of let things get screwed up, instead of deep and abiding enmity. Aaron was a powerful force especially at those who sneered at his "black hue". Marcus as a woman also made her a great presence (which was unfortunately not seen with Tamora), and also made more poignant her interactions with Lavinia after her rape. An interesting production, but not memorable.

Family Meals

Before going to see a play Sunday evening, I stopped off at The Emerson for dinner. Perhaps it was the week-end, but a good number of tables had large extended families. As such, I decided to order the "Sunday roast" ($20) with a side-order of brussel sprouts ($6).

Tonight, the roast was slices of lamb sirloin on a bed of sweet corn and greens. The meat was tender and juicy with just a hint of red. The reduction wasn't too aggressive. It was a nice dish. The brussel sprouts wasn't quite as good. I was imagining Lynn Crawford's butter-drenched version. It turned out to be finely chopped, practically raw roughage. I didn't like it, not even with bits of salty pancetta. A pint of German-style lager Saison ($7) finished off the meal.

No Lamb To The Slaughter

Sunday for lunch, I went to Yam Chops. But although they market themselves as a vegetarian butcher, I did not see slabs of tofu or tempeh (i.e., the equivalent to various cuts of meat). They did have frozen veggie burgers and sausages. Most of the bright space was packaged foods including vegan juices, sodas, ice cream, etc. There was also a good selection of prepared foods including stir-fried beef, tuna, coconut bacon and other animal substitutes. I ordered the chicken parmesan with salad ($10).

I appreciated the creamy dressing instead of the usual acidic vinaigrette, but the kale salad was essentially roughage. A work-out for the jaw for sure, but not much fun. The chicken was much tastier. It had a toothsomeness and weight that made it very meaty with good flavour from the breading and cheese. This was an excellent patty and not a poor compromise. However, compared to the substantial rice bowl at Urban Herbivore for the same price, this wasn't as filling.

Time Of The Season

Back in 1999, Julie Doiron did a one-off collaboration of The Wooden Stars which won a Juno and became a cult classic. On the 15th anniversary of the eponymous recording, they have re-united for a short tour. But during that period, I did not listen to new music. So in a sense, it will be 1999 this Friday for myself at The Horseshoe.

Jose Contreras (By Divine Right) opened the night with a solo set. It was a much quieter performance than with his band, though there was still reverb and other effects on his acoustic guitar. It was also uniformly depressing (At The Slaughterhouse, Happy New Year, Silver Thread) with a few love songs (It Was You). It was the opposite with Evening Hymns. The last time I saw them they played a series of elegiac songs. Some made a return (You and Jake) but material off their just recently completed album were much more upbeat (Evil Forces, House of Mirrors). There were even some jumping around on stage, and plenty of harmony between Jonas Bonnetta and bassist Sylvie Smith. It was a great set from this band.

As the headliner took to the stage, I glanced around at the packed crowd. Though many looked the right age, a good number were probably too young to have seen them the first time round. Doiron joked that tonight was the rehearsal after a 15 year hiatus. The cheers proclaimed that no one minded. Atmospherically, this was a winter album with many songs taking place around the cold season. The protagonists were also in various states of hibernation and frigidity, as Doiron chronicled in sparse phrases sometimes-her, sometimes-him, relationships on the verge of falling apart. Yet there was a good mix of rocking versus introspective numbers. The Wooden Stars provided a complex layer of multiple guitars, organ, bass, and drums. Their experimental roots were evident in the beautiful arrangements. I listened to astonishment a set (and encore) that barely had a single dud. Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars deserve its adored status and tonight, both old and new listeners experienced a wonderful and rare event (even the bar-talkers in the back).

Dynamic Duo

Unlike last year's Case of the Mondays where country/pop singer Emma-Lee hosted various local bands and played themed covers, this year her August residency has the singer previewing new songs. With her is frequent collaborator Karen Kosowski. On Wednesday, I finally made it down to the Cameron House for 2 early sets.

It was a special occasion as several of her family members were there. So Lee sang several songs directed at her baby nephews. She mentioned that she usually writes break-up songs, not love songs. It was true that whether old (Not Coming By) or new (Heartbreak), they don't tend to be happy. There were also a lot of audience participation thanks to catchy choruses.

For the 1st set, none of the new songs really grabbed me. But during the 2nd set, Lee used her new, more potent voice on several good "power ballads" (Little Shoebox, No Photographs, Drifted Away) and a rock number (Saw It Coming). Kosowski added some nice harmony and piano/synth. I especially enjoyed when she sang the low harmony part underneath Lee. The crowd was won over with Emma-Lee's songcraft: the tip pitcher was filled to the top and her albums were flying off the table.

Junction Function

3030 Dundas promises to bring live music out of downtown locations into the quiet Dundas/Keele area. The area is busy enough with its trendy boutiques and restaurants, but perhaps not much nightlife after 10 pm.

I arrived there for a free show hosted by Exclaim! and a local brewery. It was a large space, too large for its anemic sound system. The clientele skewed 30s and older, the younger people obviously only ventured here for their music fix. It had a bit of a meat market vibe, or at least dudes with wandering (and speculative) eyes. Unsteady feet, too; I can't abide anyone who can't hold their liquor before 11 pm.

The sound system was weaker than I imagined, since not only were there no mics for the guitars and bass (they relied on just their amps), and the ones for the drum kit didn't seem to work (or set at such low levels as to be undetectable). Nevertheless, opener Gay got the spirit of their goofy, punk-pop music across: a dash of ironic crooning, some growly yell-sing, and a lot of banging guitar. Language-Arts did benefit with their 3-part harmony and Kristen Cudmore's complex lyrics. Yet Daniel McIntosh's furious drumming lost a good chunk of its power without amplification. But if you were standing at the front you could still feel some of that pace. Cudmore might come across as twee with her baby-ish voice but she had a sailor's mouth. This wasn't the 1st time I've heard some eyebrow-raising jokes from her. In any case, I wasn't feeling the place's vibe and left before seeing the top (or bottom?) piece of her "great sandwich" that was By Divine Right.

Cold Cocked

A number of chefs in Toronto can't help but make and sell food stuff unrelated to their restaurant's main business: the doughnuts and Beast sandwiches at Beast restaurant, freshly baked sourdough bread at super-hot Bar Isabel. As for myself, I've been trying "cold" dishes for the hot weather (not that there has been much heat this summer) such as the watermelon gazpacho at Hello Darling or cold ramen at Ramen Raijin. So on Friday night, when the chef of Hoopgood Foodliner was tweeting photos of himself making fried chicken for tomorrow's cash-only cold fried chicken to-go, I thought: "two great trends that taste great together!"

I went there on Saturday at lunchtime and scored some chicken and slaw ($10). At first, the packing didn't look too appetizing. White Wonder bread lining the bottom of the take-out container? But the chicken pieces were large and the slaw was substantial. It was delicious: still crispy, rich and oily, with a small kick of spice. There was also a hint of sweetness, especially at the crusty ends. The slaw was finely chopped, creamy, and not too acidic. Even the bland bread tasted great as it has soaked up all the juice and grease. This lunch-box special was a wonderful meal.

Steamed Hams

After several days of vegetarian meals, I decided to grab a burger for dinner on Friday. I'm kind of over these gourmet burger spots (Burger Priest et al). But I remembered there was a burger joint that opened at College and Dufferin. It was the 1st non-Vietnamese (or Portuguese) spot on that block before hipster-friendly Me and Mine and well-reviewed Persian Tavoos. Unfortunately, it never got the traffic of those other two.

It could be the utilitarian menu (burgers and breakfast) or set-up (flat grill and condiment station up front). The head-scratching name Tat Burger didn't help. It is obviously owned by recent immigrants; children can be heard in the kitchen. The selection was cheap. My super-burger combo ($9.25) was one of the priciest item on the menu. Unlike the sad battered fish (for fish and chips) sitting under the heat lamp, the burger patties were grilled to order. I opted for only some basic toppings because one, I wanted to taste the flavour and two, the burger was already enormous.

These were probably not free-range organic beef for that price, but they sure made it up in volume. I could barely get mouth around the two stacked patties and buns. They had good flavour and a nice grilled taste. Toronto food bylaws probably scared them into making it very well-done, but the meat was still rich and not dried out. The fries were run-of-the-mill diner offerings: a bit greasy, a bit soft.

Eastern Promises

Most live venues are in the West end of Toronto. So the initiative Feast In The East is a monthly attempt to organize more musical events on the East side of town. Although there is some debate whether East end means east of the Don Valley or east of Yonge St. Thursday night, I went to the 40th shindig.

Tonight, it took place upstairs at the Cafe and Jam Factory, above the Merchants of Green Coffee. This building was located at the end of Davies St. (otherwise known as the entrance onto the north DVP off Queen St. E). It was a large high-ceiling space, with digital art, eclectic furniture, all very boho. But the evening was better in concept than execution. Starting with the taco dinner that came with the ticket. I don't think I've ever had vegetarian tacos. The ingredients sounded good: guacamole, salsa, and numerous other toppings. But it was all bland with minimal profile. It tasted freshly made but not much else.

The bands were defeated by the acoustics: echoing and muddied. They should have set up studio style (per my Cold Speck set) instead of the standard stage set-up. The large speakers did not help. It didn't particularly hurt one-man guitarist Black Walls. But his loops of slow, undulating guitar and voice samples could be experienced as an instrumental sound scape. Tasseomancy didn't fare as well. Their lyrics were muffled and lost though some of their folkoric refrain ("Come my darling, it's getting late and I'm cold") did come through. Even their drummer's usually exciting and complex drumming was subdued. I didn't think things would improve for Wyrd Vision and Fiver and made my exit around 11:30.

Sound Of Summer

Wednesday night, I stopped at The Horseshoe for current indie darling Alvvays for the 1st of two sold-out shows. Taylor Knox was up first. Similar to last time, this trio just gave off the vibe of a bunch of dudes enjoying themselves (That's What You Do, Fire). They had a really heavy bass/drum sound that was good to bop to. Up next was The Taste who claimed to channel a 70s sound. Certainly, with the hair and skinny physiques, these guys had the look down. It wasn't the weirder 70s but more like The Doors: a foundation of feel-good 50s rock (Everything Changed Last Night) with a swirl (sometimes literally from the organ-y synth) of psychedelic chords (The City). Some of the lyrics channeled a bit of prog rock woo-woo. But it was all fun.

Molly Rankin of Alvvays remarked that her first show in Toronto had 9 people in the audience. Only a few months ago at a free show for Long Winter, there were maybe 30 people waiting to see them. But by luck or serendipity, they seemed to be on the verge of major success. I enjoyed their set of jangly pop songs, but am admittedly stumped with their sudden rise. Their songs were interesting, but not more so than numerous local bands on the scene. But the capacity crowd loved songs like Party Police, Adult Diversion, and their potential break-out Archie, Marry Me. The audience definitely skewed early 20s and I suspect Alvvays' music evoked that summer feeling for kids who aren't into the latest Top 40 song of summer: beat up cars, jean shorts, cottages.

Lady Sings The Bruise

Tuesday evening, I attended a taping of Cold Speck for CBC First Play Live, where a small audience can hear bands play new releases. The set was also recorded for Youtube. I was expecting a seated theatre or at least a small stage set-up. It turned out to be a "studio" setting with the musicians in a circle facing each other and the audience surrounding them, crammed into in any available free space. There were no loud amps or speakers, just the monitors used by the band plus a few extra ones for the crowd. This, combined with the massive sound board and excellent mic set-up, meant this set had the best sound I've ever heard. And one of the most intimate too.

I was also lucky enough to be behind singer Al Spx and benefited from her vocals feed. So I finally was able to appreciate the ominous portents in her lyrics, though I had heard Cold Specks several times before. It was ostensibly all about the new songs from upcoming album Neuroplasticity (Bodies At Bay, Absisto), but there were also 4 from her debut including Hector and Blank Maps. During a pause for instrument tuning, she launched into I Want It That Way (Backstreet Boys) and tried to get a sing-a-long ("Come on, you know the words.") Afterwards, she grinned and quipped: "OK. Back to being a moody bitch." Jokes aside, this encapsulated her music. Old or new, her songs were usually dark and grim, with only a glimmer of hope. What else can you say about new number Old Knives, which was about "decapitating your lover in [their] sleep"? But the live playing also added a lot of muscularity; you couldn't quite head-bang, but it was close.

One advantage for fans (or drawback as an older couple wanting to leave found out) of a filmed set was that you get to redo any "bad" takes. Because of some mic troubles, at the end of their set, Cold Specks re-recorded 3 songs. Luckily, they were rocking.

John Do

Sunday evening, I headed off to Artscape Youngplace to see Recurring John, a song cycle written and orchestrated by lawyer-turned-composer Kevin Wong. Perhaps not coincidentally, Wong's first musical work is about a lawyer named John who felt unsatisfied with his life. We never hear from John himself, but aspects of his life are revealed through other people including his mother (Alexis Gordon), teacher (Natasha Buckeridge), and co-worker (Kevin Dennis).

But John's life was a bit cliché: raised by a loving mom but emotionally distant dad, hid his sexuality in grade school, worked in a lucrative but unfulfilling corporate law firm, and reared his own children in an unhappy marriage. As such, the songs directly about him: the various interludes, his gay lover (Christopher Tsijuichi), and his daughter (Jennifer Walls) were banal. General topics such as a mother's hope (Gordon), what makes a man (Buckeridge), cut-throat competition (Dennis), life (Arlene Duncan as a homeless park dweller), and second chances (ex-wife Paula Wolfson) were more interesting.

Musically, the 6-member orchestra and the singers were top-notched: strong and emotive. But like many new musicals, its pastiche style meant pleasing and recognizable musical genres but left no memorable signature. Also, the tendency to give almost every number that big finish so the singer can really belt it out got a bit tiresome (though the audience loved it all). So though they all had the chops, I enjoyed the quiet, light alto of Alexis Gordon. But each singer had their moment: Buckeridge's naughty Mary Poppins, Dennis channeling Patrick Bateman, Tsijuichi's and Wall's quiet despair, Duncan as wise Guinan, and Wolfson getting her groove back. A good debut for Wong; his second career is off to a nice start.

Yabba Baba Good

The dinner I had at District Oven was very good, but I did not get any fresh pita. So for my brunch on Sunday, I made sure to double up on dishes that came with oven-baked goods: baba ghanoush ($7) and manakeesh ($8). The eggplant dip came with a piping hot pita, fresh and puffed up from the oven. It was delicious to taste the transitions of the pita. In the beginning, it was soft and fragrant. As it cooled, the bread became chewy. There was more than enough of the rich dip to spread liberally with every bite. I thought it was a tad acidic on its own, but was perfect with the bread.

The pizza-like manakeesh didn't quite hit the same spot, though it was very good. The flatbread base was nice but my chosen topping of labaneh (strained yogurt) and zatar (herb spread) took some getting used too. The combination was a bit odd for my palate. Perhaps just the zatar or alternatively, the akkawi cheese, would be a better choice. With tax included in the price, this was a cheap brunch given the superior quality, and more interesting than other spots.

No Joke

Saturday night I was at the Tranzac for an early show. Though they all presented themselves goofily, the musicians tonight wrote some good songs. First up was Henry Adam Svec who described himself as a "folklore archivist". To that end, he presented lost songs written by CFL players called the CFL Sessions with such titles as On Discipline, Horseman, and Life Is Like Canadian Football. Well, these poignant songs from fictional players had better lyrics than most "real" ones that I hear. Then Svec gave us new folk tunes composed by an artificially intelligent program called Livingston. Again, despite titles like S/He's Is Like The Angry Birds and Take It Easy But Take It To The Limit, they were wonderful ditties. The only knock against his set was his guest who could sing some nice harmony but played some lazy piano.

Laura Barrett is a bit of an acquired taste. Her songs: quirky topics, not much rhyme, and with odd arrangement, can be a bit hard to digest. But whether it was a song from local movie Porch Stories or a musical that may never be written (No Further), I found them charming. Barrett has added an autoharp to her repertoire of kalimba and piano, but she hasn't reach Basia Bulat-level of virtuosity yet.

Before the headliner came on, the CEO of "Blimp Rock Enterprises" gave us a PowerPoint spiel ("PowerPoint before profit"). Apparently, he wants to host the first music festival in a blimp (flying over Lake Ontario). To raise the $1M, the corporation has taken initiatives such as investing in "vintage" office supplies like fax machines and Rolodex (people love vintage stuff). As such, Blimp Rock is a band made up of the "marketing" team (members of Forest City Lovers, Rouge) to bring media attention to this endeavour, as well as to raise much needed fund. Their songs included Blimp Rock Live, Lake Ontario Lifeguards, and Band Break-up. The tunes, despite their tongue-in-cheekness, were fun and danceable. Some (The Love That Treats You Right, Monogamy Blues) were genuine pop gems. A night of not-so-serious music was actually a night of great music.

A la recherche du temps perdu

Saturday morning, I took advantage of the free yoga class offered by Union Yoga for their grand opening. Like all free events, the studio was packed mat to mat. One of the yogini was a woman who I practiced with back in 2003. I felt a sense of dislocation seeing her again after so long. She was still beautiful and girlishly slim, but the passage of 10 years was apparent in the tracery of lines around her eyes. No longer boho girl, but becoming une femme d'une certaine age. It made me wonder about what additional marks I have gained, unnoticed by the flow of daily life.

Afterwards, I had lunch with my friend at Imonay where a filling bowl of pork bone soup and a spread of 10 kimchi dishes will only set you back $8. But here too time marched on. For in our conversation, it was clear that care-free youth has slipped away. I wasn't fully aware how difficult life has become. At a loss for words, I could only offer emotional support. It was a sharp contrast to the bright, sunny weather. But then I have made a count of the summer days, and there are many less than you would guess.

Cuckoo For Cooking

I enjoyed my brunch at Wind Up Bird. On Thursday, I went for dinner to check out their summer menu. These were divided into categories but all were tapas-style (small plates). So it can be hard to avoid a higher-than-expected bill. I ordered 3 dishes: a small bowl of seasonal greens ($5), a sausage hot pot ($9), and beef tenderloin ($15). I was informed by the waitstaff that being tapas, the dishes would come out as they were ready and not in some particular order.

The greens were fresh and tangy from the vinaigrette. But I'm a bit mystified with these acidic-based salads in North American cuisine. Why not try savoury or other taste profile? In any case, some nuts would have added a nice variety to this dish. For both the skillet and hot pot items, the meat was the highlight. The beef was tender and moist, the pancetta was rich and fatty, and the sausage was the stand-out: earthy, fragrant, with just a hint of spiciness. I wasn't as enamoured with the vegetables. They were good but barely cooked. That was fine for the asparagus but I wanted more flavour and less crunch from the carrots, cabbages, and celery.

This place does dinner as well as brunch. But it doesn't seem to have the traction of other restaurants in the neighbourhood. It was true that the evening service had just started but even by the time I left, there were only a handful of patrons here.

Small Digs

After a quiet long week-end, I thought to continue the mood with some intimate music. The Garrison wouldn't be my first choice for that but 2 artists likely to provide that experience were playing there Monday night. I was right, it wasn't the right venue especially with such a small crowd; the Dakota down the street would have been better. At my first encounter with local singer Stacey, she reminded me of Lana Del Rey. With her moody songs, even ones about happy love affairs, her set was soft and low-key. Perhaps a little too much so. Despite her classical training, her arrangements were primarily solid chords with single bass notes, which made for monotonous pop songs. Even a mash-up of Build Me Up Buttercup/Satisfaction was mournful.

Singer Holly Fullbrook (of New Zealand trio Tiny Ruins) also write predominantly quiet songs but there were several points of interests. First, her own classical training informed her guitar work full of shimmering lines, vibrato, and non-dominant chords. Second, her songs with their imagery covered topics from her childhood in Bristol, UK (The Ballad of the Hanging Parcel) to old Glasgow (Jamie Blue) and making do (Straw Into Gold). It was a charming set which did not benefit from the cavernous room. It was to their credit that they made it feel warm and cozy. Tiny Ruins ended their set with the genuinely rocking She'll Be Coming Round. Since there was "no curfew", and a few insistent fans, Fullbrook came back for an encore with a mythic Priest With Balloons.

Being and Nothingness

Though Toronto is usually a bustling urban centre, it can also seem quite empty relatively speaking. Even during this Caribbean Festival week-end, parts of the city felt unusually quiet. On Saturday, I did my shopping through a subdued Chinatown, likely caused by the combination of the holiday week-end and the street closure of Spadina. Even the crowd in Kensington Market was sparse. I did discover that the alley next to the small Latin marketplace now hosted several small outdoor food vendors selling fresh juice, Japanese octopus balls, tacos and ceviches. Then it was off to Dufferin Park to check out the latest addition, a reflexology path embedded with different sized stones. It was psychologically interesting to see who finished walking the path and who stepped off at the sharper rocks.

Sunday was equally low-key. After yoga, I had a light lunch at small coffee shop on trendy Ossington. But talking to a few folks reminded me that some lives were full of people behaving badly. The nice thing about misanthropy is the minimal daily interaction: less exposure to assholes, and less submitting other people to your own douchbaggery. A matinée showing of Terry Gilliam's Zero Theorem only confirmed that hell is other people.

The streets remained empty on the Civic Monday holiday. Making purchases at an empty Dufferin Mall was heaven: no line-ups, no crowds, and lots of selection. I spent lunch at Madras Masala, making my way through a giant "gunpowder dosa". After eating such a large serving, a pleasant afternoon nap finished off a drowsy afternoon.  

La Dolce Villa

The Spadina end of Harbord St. has numerous well-reviewed restaurants from Splendido to Yasu. The Ossington section, not so much. But camouflaged by trees and vines, a little Italian restaurant called Terrazza has been operating there for several years. Thursday evening, after listening to Belle Starr, I headed over to check out this hidden gem. The inside resembled some English parlour with dark wood tables, a fire place, and plushy sofa seats. The main draw was the small "terrace", slightly above the street at about head level, but covered with plants and grape vines.

My appetizer of mussels in tomato sauce ($11) came out in a steaming bowl. It was a large portion with close to 30 mussels. The marine flavour of these shellfish balanced nicely with the tangy sauce. I was feeling already full once I cleaned out the dish. The chicken penne ($16) wasn't quite as good. The pasta was al dente but the chicken was bland. It would have been better grilled or tossed with some herbs.The creamy goat-cheese sauce was a little too heavy, especially in combination with the amount of food. The entrée was acceptable, but there wasn't an inspired touch that woke up the senses. The pleasant airy space, laid-back atmosphere, and generous portion, they make this restaurant a good neighbourhood spot but not a destination experience.

Belle of the Hall

Roy Thompson Hall has been offering live music at its "patio", an open space next to an underground reflecting pool. On Thursday, I left work early to check out Belle Starr, a female trio doing their own take on well-known country and folk songs. All three took turn singing lead, but it was their warm 3-part harmony that stood out in their set. They could also all play a mean fiddle, as heard on a Don Messer number. But they excelled in other talents too. Miranda Mulholland spun out fiddle solos, Kendal Carson supplied guitar accompaniment, and Stephanie Cadman pounded and tapped complex rhythm with her East Coast tap-dancing.

They covered the gamut from Hank Williams (Tougher Than The Rest) and Dolly Parton (Jolene), to Waylon Jennings (Freedom To Stay) and The Marvelettes (Please Mr. Postman). Curious passer-bys and busy business folks stopped to peered down and listened. Some found their way to the underground entrance. Amid the urban landscape, Belle Starr gave us a bit of country.