Off By 1

An estimated 18000 people (including myself) came out Friday night for the free Aretha Franklin concert at Pecaut Square. This event was part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. Unfortunately, only a tiny fraction could fit into the tent where the concert was actually taking place. The majority were sitting outside, facing the larger outdoor stage, and fenced off from the tent. Until the concert started, most of them were unaware that Ms. Franklin would not be singing from there. A second set of fencing blocked off even more people. This seemed to me to be against the communal spirit of a free event, especially considering that special VIP passes got queue jumpers inside. The NxNE and Luminato free concerts were better managed.

Having missed the Deli Meat show-down at Wychwood Barn last week, I decided to get a smoked meat sandwich for lunch at Caplansky's, one of the contestants of the competition. If it matters, Goldin's won this year and is available at Free Times Cafe just down the street. I haven't been to Caplansky's since it moved out of the Monarch Tavern into its own space. The meat was delicious but the bread was surprisingly bland white bread, even after a liberal topping of house mustard. The service was excellent and attentive. Too bad as a single diner I was seated next to the waitresses' station, which was a very high traffic area. This reminded me of a restaurant in Dijon that seated me next to the entrance behind a giant wine vat.

At 5:30 pm, I went to Khao San Road for dinner. By 6, the place was packed. The garlic shrimp (Goong Taud Samoon Prai) appetizer was lightly fried and crispy. Instead of the whole shrimp approach from the pre-opening dinner, the shrimp is sliced open into a disc. The Gaeng Massaman curry was not quite as good, sweeter than expected for a tamarind curry. Though I asked for spicy, it lacked any heat. I asked the waitress about this, and discovered there were 2 other (hidden) ratings: "Thai spicy" and "Extreme Thai spicy". That maybe so, but I think my order was simply screwed up.

There were no free outdoor screens for the International Indian Film Award (IIFA) at the Rogers Centre, as promised. There were lots of security though: Rogers Centre security, IIFA security, miscellaneous security, and cops. There were also lots of fencing, sometimes 3 or 4 levels of it. They didn't seem to serve any actual security purposes, as most ended or are reduced to a single barrier a little ways off. But where the "action" occurred such as the green carpet where the Bollywood stars got out of their limo, they did separate the VIP ticket holders from the rest of the rabble. This seemed odd PR-wise (as well as for the celebs' ego), as you would think a 4-5 deep row of screaming fans would show better on TV than a single row of well-wishers.

Two If By Sea

Aravind on the Danforth between Pape and Chester is a more upscale Indian restaurant specializing in Keralan food. This means primarily seafood bounties. The first I heard of Kerala is from a performance by dance troupe Daksha Sheth. The restaurant has a small front patio, 4 tiny tables, a larger backyard patio, and a long dining area.

I thought the cumin-infused water was a mis-step. The first few sips were interesting, but then it simply tasted like wet papadam. The complimentary snacks were better. The crisps made from lentil, flour, and spices had a nice crunch and texture. Although I wouldn't recommend more than a few bites. They start to resemble left-over pakora bits after a while. The casava chips, like most non-potato fried snacks, were simply too hard and lacked the starchiness. The calamari appetizer ($9) was toothsome, but I couldn't identify anything particular South Asian about it.

The 2 mains were the standout. The Avial ($16) was a vegetarian plate of assorted curried vegetables, paneer, some pickled condiments and paratha. The bread was less greasy than usual. In fact, the entire dish was lighter fare than your typical Indian restaurant. It was flavourful and nicely balanced. The Dungeness Crab Byriani ($22) was outstanding. Large chunks of crab in tasty rice with a fresh lightly spiced vegetable side. The crab legs was a bonus, although I felt it was too much work getting to the meat through the chitin. The only downer was two large slices of picked lemon rinds. They were too strong and overpowering, best eaten as tiny nibbles.

Don't Stop Believing

I got a Facebook notification Thursday afternoon that Retrocity is having a free concert that night at the Drake Underground. Well, I know what my plans are. I was hoping that because of the venue's small size, it will have more of a club feel. The last time at Lula Lounge, with its large space and casual diners, the concert felt like a dated Vegas lounge act.

Too bad the Drake had set up the area with lounging areas and most people keep their butts planted firmly in their seats. However, I was able to scoot up to the front. And although the crowd was sparse, they were more enthusiastic and engaged. This made the concert much more enjoyable.

Retrocity has moved away from its set list from its debut CD or older songs. Only the insipid (because I've heard it too many times) Broken Wings made the cut, although covers such as Bohemian Rhapsody or Kiss On My List are missed. The running joke of the night was that because a fan kept yelling out for the (admittedly excellent) Africa cover, every song sung was actually a "special arrangement" of Africa. They did some obscure 80s songs, Queen (Loverboy), The Police (Message In a Bottle, Don't Stand So Close To Me, etc.), and Michael Jackson. Two highlights of show were Wham's Everything She Wants and Phil Collins' (and Phil Bailey's) Easy Lover. The first for the incredibly deep baritone on the "Won't you tell me", "All to give you money" lines, which got disbelieving murmurs every time. The second for its joyous tempo and Suba's sassy lead. The evening ended with a great medley of 80s rap/dance songs including Let Your Backbone Slide, Pump Up The Volume, Push It, and Everybody Dance Now.

Given how much I enjoyed this show, I'm reconsidering their July 28th show at Lula Lounge. Apparently, the Swingle Singers will be in the audience. Does that mean that Retrocity will add even more pizzazz to their show or will there be "special guest appearances"?

Three Dog Nights

For North By North East (NXNE) festival, I spent 3 late nights catching some of the music acts around the city. Thursday night, I was at Duffy's Tavern, a local dive located on Bloor between Lansdowne and Dufferin. It wasn't an official NXNE venue but Maylee Todd, a soul singer I really enjoy, was raising money for a European tour. Tonka and Puma (2 members of Hooded Fang) opened the evening up with some ragged punk. Blake Howard (the beatific drummer), Spooky Ruben, Laura Barrett, and Henri Faberge each did one number. 80s-inspired synth-pop band Triple Gangers got the crowd moving with some dancey beats. They had some great tunes including an ode to "horny flowers" with the refrain "Shout out to my crocuses". Maylee came on at 1 am, an hour later than promised. But all is forgiven as she gave a high-energy 45 min set including a new number "Did Everything That I Could". You can view the entire set on YouTube.

Friday night was not as much fun. I had planned on going to see Olenka and The Autumn Lovers (12 am) at the Gladstone and Sheezer (2 am) at Sneaky Dee's. Knowing how busy it was going to be, my plan was to go early to Sneaky to pay for cover, get a stamp, and head over to the Gladstone. Well, the 2.30 am bedtime the night before + going to work the next day meant that I was a bit groggy Friday. I fell asleep after dinner and woke up at 12. Too late for Olenka, I decided to try my luck with Sheezer. I knew I should have headed home after seeing the line at Sneaky's, and not even counting those with priority passes. I foolishly waited from 12:40 to 2. I finally admitted defeat and walked home through the detritus of the College Street Festival. But it was an instructive evening on the thoughtlessness of people. There was the guy whose buddy left him waiting in line for an hour while he went ahead inside with his pass; the bros who only cared about getting in before the 4 am last call, getting line-ies (i.e., sneaking beer out of other bars), "creeping" on chicks, and calling anybody who dresses differently "douchebags" and "dykes"; the drunken 20-somethings hooting and hollering as they stagger down College St; and lastly, the driver waiting at an intersection in my neighbourhood who, having finished his McDonald's drink, decided to simply drop it out the car window.

Saturday was a big improvement. I stumbled upon a blistering 50-minute set by The Balconies at 1 pm. Long and McQuade had hired them as entertainment for their customer appreciation day. Despite playing on the sidewalk for passerbys in the sweltering heat, they put on a great show. From 2:30 to 4:30 pm, a couple of bands played acoustic sets as part of the NXNE picnic at Trinity Bellwoods Park. Highlights for me included a couple of fun songs by pop band Sweet Thing (last seen as Dwayne Gretzky) and also Allie Hughes. She was upstaged in her set by a small boy dancing to her numbers. For the evening, I went to Horseshoe Tavern to see 3 acts starting at 9 pm. Teenage Kicks was a loud, typical rock band. Fun live but not my kind of music. Next was one of my favourite local bands: Hooded Fang. They played mostly new stuff, with a harder edge, off their upcoming Tosta Mista CD. Two CDs in 2 years! I was able to score a free Tosta Mista teaser CD at the end of the show. Finally Jenn Grant came on with her mix of pop songs, some of which had a bit of a hip-hop/dance feel. The whole night was being streamed on CBC Radio/Sirius so a number of CBC radio personalities hosted the evening. The late nights were getting to me so I headed home before Dinosaur Bones and One Hundred Dollars came on stage.

Neeeerds!

Saturday night at the Comedy Bar was the inaugural show for Nerdy Little Secret, a stand-up comedy show that supposed will cover all topics nerdy. It was a hit-and-miss affair with only the final head-liner, Fraser Young, being truly outstanding. Gavin Stephens made an amiable host and a deft improviser, able to riff on the audience's participation and reactions. The first two opening acts had too little material to work with. Blair Streeter's claim to nerd-dom was pointing out the ragging he got having a "girl's name", especially that of a rich spoiled brat from "Facts of Life". The 80s reference went over the heads of the mostly 20-something crowd. Deborah Etta Robinson's schtick is that she's "obviously cool" but her stories show otherwise. Not much laughter for either one.

A comedy singing duo, Nerds With Guitar, did better with songs about the various video-game or movie heroes and villains. Nerdy for sure. However, their song about "Date Rape" was a downer. The topic didn't fit with the evening's theme and was a bit uncomfortable, even if it had a Deliverance-like twist ending. The first headliner, Nile Sequin, also riffed on nerdy things like video games and comic books. He also covered more general topics like Stephen Harper and hipsters. He was batting about .500.

But the last act saved the night. Fraser Young's jokes consistently generated uproarious laughter. He understood the nerd condition and it's not video games, comic books, and such. Some nerds like video games but not all; some like Halo while others prefer old school Pacman. Not all nerds like comic books or sci-fi movies. The essence of the nerd is that his head is filled with all these "facts" gleaned from books, school, hobbies, etc. From them, he creates a set of rules by which things "ought to be" if people were more "logical" and "reasonable". And it's a continuing source of frustration that the real world is not like that.

In real-life, this world-view makes a nerd whiny, pedantic, bull-headed, anti-social and often irritating to other people (I should know). Fraser Young makes these complaints funny. He gets people to laugh at the idiocy of a person not knowing how to make change for $7.90 from a $10, the "scientific nonsense" of a drink labeled 0-Calorie Energy Boost, and the illogical vagueness in the steps of a how-to guide to a first kiss.

Speaking of kissing, I question the nerd credentials of these performers. They all mention having girlfriends/boyfriends/spouses. Nerds are supposed to be social misfits, gosh darn it. In fact, I stood next to the girlfriend of one of the Nerds With Guitar. She was a pretty red-head who, at 6 feet and heels, not only towered over me (not hard to do) but was several inches taller than him too. How did that pairing happen? Hmm, maybe the secret is to be funny. After all, Woody Allen didn't get Diane Keaton by being tall and handsome.

Where's The Beef?

I was excited to see a twitter post about 7 local chefs banding together to create a 7 course meal with wine pairings at Cowbell this past Monday. This was the 4th such endeavour and this time around, it's all about beef dishes. The $145 price (plus tax and tip) gave me a big pause. I decided to pass on a rather expensive meal. Monday night, the 7 courses with description and photos were posted on twitter: 1st course, 2nd course, 3rd course, 4th course, 5th course, 6th course, 7th course.

They all looked rather disappointing especially for that price. Maybe I've been watching too much Top Chef Canada but I don't think they would pass muster in competition. Certainly, they don't seem to compare to the dinner I had at Susur when he had his farewell, best-of-Susur, month a few years. However, inspired by the menu's theme, on Wednesday I decided to go for a Vietnamese specialty of "Bo Bay Mon". That's also 7 beef courses, but it would be a lot cheaper. It's not available at every Vietnamese restaurants, so check ahead.

Mam nem

I ended up at Kim Bo at the corner of Bathurst and Dundas. I've known of this place for years now, but the wood-paneled pub-like exterior never encouraged me to enter. But I've heard from various friends that Bo Bay Mon was its specialty.

Vinegar Fondue

Not surprisingly, Bo Bay Mon $25 (or as I like to think of it: Beef 7 Ways) was the first item on their menu. They also have other less common Vietnamese dishes as well as the ubiquitous pho. Instead of nuoc mam (fish sauce), I opted for mam nem. This dipping sauce, although it is also made from fermented anchovies, has a much thicker consistency and stronger taste, though not as strong as shrimp paste. It is mixed with pineapple to juice to give it a tangy flavour. Also, the first 4 dishes are meant to be wrapped in rice paper with mint, basil, and other greens.

Bo Nhung Dam

First up was Bo Nhung Dam (beef fondue). The beef came in raw slices with a little fondue pot. The liquid is a mixture of vinegar (dam), chili oil, etc. It was a tasty start to the meal.

Bo La Lot, Bo Mo Chai, Bo Sa Te

The next 3 dishes came out together: Bo La Lot (beef wrapped in betel leaf), Bo Mo Chai (BBQ beef), and Bo Sa Te (grilled satay beef). The flavour of the betel leaf would be nicely stronger if it was grilled longer. The BBQ beef was average, I prefer mine a little sweeter. The onions added a nice crunch to the satay beef.

Bo Luc Lac, Cha Bo Dum

Next came Bo Luc Lac (shaky beef!). No, it wasn't made from mad cows. The "shaky" is the process of sauteeing the beef cubes. It's supposed to be quite spicy, so I was disappointed with the mildness here. The 6th dish has always been my least favourite: Cha Bo Dum (steamed beef ball). This giant meatball, mixed with vermicelli and mushrooms, was typically bland.

Chao Bo

Finally, a bowl of Chao Bo (beef congee) finished off the meal.

Did Kim Bo lived up to my friends' recommendation? Not really. It wasn't a bad meal but the quality was average. Your calling card dish has to be more than run-of-the-mill. On the other hand, I only paid about 1/6th what the other meal would have cost.

Zadie's Shoes To Place In the 6th

Before heading off to Factory Theatre on Bathurst to see Zadie's Shoes on Saturday, I dropped by Porcetta and Co. to grab a bite to eat. This tiny place on Dundas near Bathurst serves only 1 kind of food: a pork sandwich. I had never been there before, but was tempted by that day's tweeted special: the lobster po boy. But they were out of it by the time I dropped by.

The pork sandwich was all right, but I expected more fatty juiciness given the pork cuts; some of the slices were white with fat. The crunchy pork skin was a nice touch. But the store is a little stingy with the toppings: only the hot sauce and mustard were free. That might have explained why my sandwich with mushrooms tasted a bit bland. Also, stick to the dijon mustard, the grainy mustard added nothing to the meal.

Zadie's Shoes is a funny drama about Benjamin (Joe Cobden), an inveterate gambler who finally hit bottom, owing $7000 to a bookie. He steals his girlfriend Ruth's (Patricia Fagan) money to make that one big bet to win it all back. That money was set aside by her for an alternative cancer treatment program in Mexico. Benjamin's sorry state of affairs has him scheming with a fellow addict named Bear (William MacDonald). As a lapsed Jew, he also returns to his synagogue for some solace. There he finds unsolicited advice, and a horse racing tip, from gregarious Eli (Harry Nelken), an old Jewish man given to nosy questions, funny quips, and Yiddish quotes. Meanwhile, Ruth has familiar, and familial, conflict with her sisters: New Age Lily (Shannon Perreault) and control-freak Beth (Lisa Ryder - Beka Valentine from Andromeda). Rounding out the cast is Beth's horn-dog husband Sean (Geoffrey Pounset).

The large Jewish audience loved Eli with his stories and advice, all given in that recognizable Yiddish-influenced English. Bear also got a lot of love for his filthy language and blunt talk; the man is incapable of refraining from dropping 4-letter bombs every other word. But I thought that Benjamin and Ruth were thin characterization: gambling addict and worried patient. Why are they together? Why should we care about their problems? The flaky sister versus the uptight one was also a cliché. So it was a funny play but does not have much emotional impact.

I think a better story would have concentrated on Benjamin, the hapless underachiever, Eli and Bear. Who should Benjamin listen to: the elder scholar with his learned wisdom or the realist who learned his lessons from the school of hard knocks.

Holding Out For A Hero

Starting back in February, there was a series of concert to promote some local bands. There was some cross-promotion with a comic book release in May at the Great Hall. I had gone to the first one and decided to go the final one on Saturday. The cover charge came with a "limited edition no. 1 issue" of "Band of Heroes". I was disappointed that it was still shots of play-doh figurines instead of the comic-book art of the original poster. The story was an incoherent mish-mash involving the bands Lovely Killbots, Bella Clava, The Wilderness, and The Ruby Spirit. I think (and hope) it was just a fun personal project.

First up was Alphabot! I saw this one-man band a few months back. He still retained his manic energy even if the early crowd was possibly even sparser than his night at the Garrison. But then, the crowd never materialized for this show. Lovely Killbots was the official first act on the bill. For me, it was an ironic gig for them. On the one hand, the sound-mix was much better than their CD release party at Sneaky Dee's on May 7. On the other hand, there wasn't nearly as many people to enjoy their danceable electronica.

When The Wilderness came on, some of their fans crowded close to the stage. For the first couple of numbers, they distributed balloons so people can blow them out and throw them around. For the second song, they also had a stage hand flip posters with hand-written lyrics a la Bob Dylan. Despite their high energy, I didn't find myself engaged by their music.

With my energy ebbing, I didn't stay Bella Clava or The Ruby Spirit. Next time I'll try to catch these female-fronted bands.