Eyes Wide Open

The Stephen Bulger Gallery presented 2 retrospectives: George S. Zimbel and Ruth Orkin. Zimbel's photos of children at play, set mostly in New York and Montreal of 50s and 60s, are wonderful snapshots of a bygone area. Not the least of which is a pre helicopter-parenting style, where children are left alone unattended and to their own devices. Orkin's retrospective did not include a cross-section of her work, but mostly the set she took of Ninalee Craig (then a 23-year-old Jinx Allen) in Italy 60 years ago. It was a celebration of the most famous photo from that day, American Girl In Italy.

Looking at the photos, I was struck by how they seemed to "violate" rules about good photography such as "off-centered subjects are more interesting", and "shoot close and closer" (to defend against the typical amateur habit of full-frame tiny people lost in a background of cathedrals and mountains). But poring over the photographs, especially Orkin's contact sheet containing other unused shots, gave me a few pointers about why these photos work, and that there were no rule breaking, only more subtle and interesting options. Of course, that is my egoist conceit. The short answer may very well be: "talent and hard-work".

Walkabout

Maylee Todd

I haven't been to Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market for a while. It seems less crowded than before, but there were still lots of people walking around enjoying the free performances and ethnic food. One of the chilean empanada place opened up its garage lane, revealing a giant Phoenix made from discarded household items: wires, plastic buckets, and so on nestling at the back of the lane. One of the band that created a big draw was a soul/hip-hop outfit called Dead Bent. They all looked about 15.

Coinciding with Pedestrian Sunday, the Kapinasan Filipino-Canadian Cultural Centre presented the Kultura Festival to highlight young, local artists of Filipino descent. One of the big acts was singer Maylee Todd who ditched her retro-soul songs for a couple of chill electronica pieces on the Tenori-on, a synthesized light-box that bleeps and twinkles.

Lindy Hop Dancers

Bohemian Vendor

Performance Art Installation

Just Hanging Out

A Night At The Improv

Somewhere There is a tiny studio on Sterling Road that provides a space for musicians playing improvised music (not in the Jazz sense). Sterling Road is small street between Lansdowne and Dundas St. W. south of Bloor Street. Despite recent condo developments in the area, it still retains an industrial feel because there are still small companies and lofts to be found in a number of dilapidated buildings.

Before attending the performance, I wandered around the run-down neighbourhood. There's quite a contrast between the shiny new buildings and the old cast-offs, still defying gentrification. Centre of Gravity circus school as well as Comic and Gaming Monthly can be found here. Most intriguingly, a place to practice axe throwing?

The evening started with Peggy Lee (cello) and Dylan Van der Schyff (drums) improvising and playing around with their instruments. It was a pleasure to listen to Van der Schuff. His skills as a jazz musician meant that there were percussive rhythms and techniques played that are absent from the indie shows I attend. He was also more successful with his experimentation. For no matter what he did, such as making a drum hum by running a wet finger along its skin, it was still an expression of the innate nature of his instrument.

Lee was less enjoyable. There were moments where her experiments with rhythm, sounds, and harmonics were intriguing. But most of the time, there was little that can be classified as melodic. Seems to be a waste of a good cello.

After a long intermission, Aiden Closs (piano) and Mary Margaret O'Hara (vocals) arrived. She was moving that day and the movers were lengthily delayed. I was hoping for some inspired, if unusual, singing from O'Hara, either singing from her repertoire or covers. No such luck. More caterwauling followed. She had always interjected odd phrasing into her songs. But given free range, it was all horse neighs, screeches, and sound effects. Closs occasionally sustained a thematic series of chord changes that would almost coalesce into a song-like arrangement only to be undone by fingernail-down-blackboard sonic assaults from Lee.

The studio's calendar list several concerts a week in musical improvisation. But unless it's of the Jazz variety (and not so much avant-garde Jazz), I won't be re-visiting this studio. That axe-throwing club, however ...

White Meat and the Other White Meat

African Palace has a good vegetarian Ethiopian platter and an outstanding fish tib. Too bad there is no option to combine the two. In any case, I've ignored the Middle Eastern dishes as an after-thought. Finally the owner convinced me that the dishes are not add-ons and taste subtly different from a shawarma place.

I decided to try the chicken shawarma. First, the portion is large for $10.99. Several warm pita slices are included with a generous helping of rice. The latter was fragrant and moist. The chicken was tender and well-spiced. Not much to be said for the salad but the tart dressing did complement the rice.

Ever since Drift bar removed their pork burger from the menu, I've been missing that great burger. Their newer dishes such as vegetarian quiche and pulled pork sandwich are good but not quite at the same level. So I was happy to see the pork burger returned on the special menu up on the blackboard.

They have upped the price to $11.50 and added a fried egg. Given the very flavourful pork patty and the aged cheddar, that's a bit gilding the lily. It makes for a messy but fun burger. Not sure what they add to the salad but it's one of the better ones. Even the thin slices of carrot seem to taste better than other carrots.

More Nu Music

Tuesday night, I checked out another installment of Nu Music Nites at the Horseshoe. First up at 9 pm was Canon Blue from Nashville. With such an early slot, there were only a handful of people. The "Toronto gap" between stage and front row was almost half the bar. They played standard rock with some dabbling in more experimental arrangement and effects. Their most successful song was the twee-like "Indian Summer".

On at 10 pm was The Box Tiger, or just one tiger? Lead singer and guitarist, Sonia Sturio, did an acoustic set. Compared to her usual hard-rocking personae, this was a much more laid back affair. She sounded like a cross between Feist and "You Oughta Know" Alanis. Check out one of her new songs.

At 11 pm, Sandman Viper Command bounded on stage for their 7" release. Their straight-up rock got their fans singing and dancing along. A little mini mosh pit developed near the front, until a girl got hit in the head with an errant elbow. They even had groupies ... ok, most of the musicians' girlfriends were up front and centre to cheer them on.

The final act was Quiet Cool, a side project of Liam from the Balconies. I couldn't stick around to check it out.

Keep On Trucking

I went to the second Food Truck Eats on Saturday. Unlike the first time, the food trucks were lined up along the main walkway at the Distillery district. The restaurants and caterers had their tables set up in an adjoining area. To benefit Second Harvest, people who wanted to sample the food before the 11 am start had to buy a $10 wristband. This was a good idea except for two problems. First, the "advanced screening" from 10-11 wasn't sufficiently long so people who came at 10:30 or later simply decided to wait until 11. So at most 100-150 people paid. Second, most of the vendors did not enforce the wristband policy and sold their food to everyone. Next time, the organizers should make it an all-day policy and drop the price to $2-3. Since the estimated crowd was 2000-3000, they would have raised more money.
El Gastronomo had the best dishes that I sampled that day. The Bangkok Dangerous Taco ($3.50): beef short ribs, green curry coconut cream, pickled lotus root, and fried shallot was rich and textured. But it doesn't quite beat the tacos I eat at the Mexican places in my neighbourhood. The Corn Star Fritter ($3.50): chili corn fritters, cucumber, thai basil, and hot & sour sauce was deep-fried goodness. This was the best dish overall. The chopped cucumber and basil combination tasted very much like the Vietnamese beef salad (goi bo).

Bangkok Dangerous Taco

Corn Star Fritter

Next up were two good dishes brought down by mediocre, store-bought buns. The Olliffe Grill Vespa Truck served up The 50/50 ($3): a nicely flavoured pork and beef sausage with homemade sauerkraut and mustard. But the bun was strictly wonder bread. Similarly, The Big Grill's sauteed peameal bacon sandwich with caramelized onions ($5) was undone by the bland bun.

The 50/50

Peameal Bacon Sandwich

The pizza slice ($5) from Bonfire Pizza, a pizza oven in a truck, was the greasiest thing outside of Pizza Hut. However, unlike Hut slices, this was much better. However, the flavours never blended: it was a mouthful of chewy arugula, followed by a bite of Fior d'Latte cheese (with Garlic and Red Sauce), and now and then a salty hit of prosciutto. For the price, you'll get more at Pizzaiolo.

I ended my brunch with some chicken and pork skewers from Hawaiian BBQ. I liked the faint sweetness of the sauce, different from typical BBQ sauces. Although there were numerous other tables and trucks, I wasn't too keen to try more. Some I had sampled at the last meet, and some didn't appeal (burgers, chicken wings, poutine). The last Food Truck Eats will take place some time in the fall.

Fior d'Latte, Prosciutto, and Arugula

Chicken and Pork Skewers

Ravenous

I was quite hungry when I stopped by Ravi Soup on Adelaide near Spadina around lunchtime. From the outside, it looked quite small: a few seats by the front window and a purchase counter. But inside, there was a bigger space next to the kitchen dominated by a large wooden communal table, and a good-sized patio with about 10 metal tables. The only downside to the patio: it was enclosed by  adjacent buildings. Their large external AC units spinning away meant that the patio wasn't very quiet.

This restaurant specialized in 2 things: a small selection of soups and wraps (plus 1 stew). I ordered the soup and wrap combo ($10.99). The butternut squash soup was deliciously smooth and creamy, the asian pears added some crunch and sweetness, and there was a hint of spiciness. This was a great soup. The roasted pork shoulder was tender and went well with the wrap. The spinach and other herbs in the wrap didn't do much for me: much too bland. I enjoyed the (mildly) spicy tamarind ketchup but would have preferred a bigger kick of a hot southern BBQ sauce with my pork. All in all, a good place to get a tasty lunch.

Drink of the Gods

I returned to La Bella Managua to have dinner and specifically to try the Cacao Juice (3.75). It came out in a purplish colour with black peppery flakes of cocoa. There was nothing unusual about it; it simply tasted like cold hot chocolate. It was refreshing, and since there may be various types of iced coffees but no iced cocoa drinks, this would make a nice addition to a coffee shop.

The bisteck encebollado ($12.50) was pan-fried beef flank, smothered with onions, and accompanied with tostos (green plaintain) and salad. I enjoyed the onions and beef although the latter was a little too well-done. On the other hand, given the cheap cut, medium-rare may not be doable. The plaintain was deep-fried in batter which made it a little heavier and starchier than the usual plaintain chips. This was a typically heavy and filling South American meal which once again left me too full to try the bunuelos.

New Music?

The Horseshoe Tavern is having cover-free Tuesday nights called Nu Music Nites. Last night, first up on stage is Revelstoke. Similar to Grimes or Alphabot, this one-man show tries to do everything using by recording snippets from his guitar, banjo, harmonica, or voice and looping them to build increasingly layered music. While the former have their feet mostly in electronica, Revelstoke is more of a confessional, "acoustic" songwriter. The first song or two were interesting, but eventually, because of the sampled loops, they all sound like those wistfully melancholic music that cycle forever in the current trend of simple, "arty" video games.

Allie Hughes came on as the main headliner. In addition to her band, she has 2 backup singers. All three singers had on skin-tight clothes that drove up the room's temperature. Having singers meant Allie can indulge in some pseudo group dancing, although more Kate Bush as a Supremes rather than Britney Spears. With a short set, she played her pop-friendliest songs. Receiving big cheers, she decided to do an encore. Thankfully that weird vibe finally showed up. Instead of her usual cover of "Toxic", she did a new song where she simply belted out nonsensical sounds and long runs over a R&B-sounding music. If it's an ironic wink at the over-the-top melismatic tendencies of female pop divas, then it's rather funny.

The 2 pretty back-up singers were actually the leads for the follow-up band, Rouge, a 80s-inspired dance-pop band. Accompanied by a pixie-cut blonde drummer, they would have fit right in 3 decades ago. Their updated synth sounds got the crowd bopping along. Apparently there's a video coming out in a couple of weeks.

The final act was Nash. I couldn't stick around for his act. But from what's available online, he would have made a better opening than Revelstoke.

Knifey-Spoon

I returned to Imone to try the Kal-guk-su (or knife noodle). The menu gave the English description as "fettucini",  an accidentally apt description. The noodle has a dense, slightly viscous texture which resembles pasta more than noodles. It was also cheap, $6 for the bowl plus the kimchi dishes. But aside from a few vegetables and some noodles, it was mostly broth. Apparently anchovy, chicken, or pork only refers to the broth flavour and doesn't include the actual ingredient. Overall, a boring dish to eat.

Holier-Than-Sow

Vegan or vegetarian restaurants have a reputation for healthy food and clean living. The Hogtown Vegan, which recently opened at Bloor and Shaw, aims to "change" that by offering a vegan take on greasy diner food. As such, you'll find dishes including fries, nachoes, wings, mac and cheese, reuben sandwiches, poboy, and biscuit sliders. Desserts were a flourless chocolate torte and a key lime "cheese" cake. All dishes strive to be gluten-free, nut-free, and sugar-free.

With the restaurant packed on Saturday because of the street festival, I returned to a smaller crowd on Sunday. The restaurant is a medium-size room with chocolate-coloured padded seats and dark wood tables. However, the walls were a bright teal that can be distracting. Tattoed hipsters abound.

I ordered the burger ($11) but opted for the sauteed collard greens because I was trying to eat healthy. The collard greens came out lightly oiled and tossed with garlic. It was fresh and retained just a hint of bitterness. This was a nice side. The burger was substantial and the soy patty had a good mouth-feel, but it would have been better if the fried onions were part of the patty mix. The only negative was the extra sourness. I couldn't tell if it came from the pickles or the vegan cheddar. The latter, according to the waitress, is composed of tapioca and coconut milk, as well as other ingredients. It didn't taste much like cheese though.

It wasn't a bad lunch but next time I'll stick with the fries because otherwise, it wasn't quite a substantial enough meal. More photos can be found at this blogto post.

From The Top-rope!

Saturday afternoon was a nice day to eat some Indian food at Madras Masala, sample some ice cream at Bakerbots Baking, check out the vendors at the Bloor Street Festival ... and watch some pro wrestling! Fight Brand, a local organization, had set up a wrestling ring so that baby-faces and heels can duke it out. Some fights were better than others, the best ones included high-flying moves such as double drop kicks, pile drivers, and elbows from the top rope. One thing is for sure, even for "family-oriented" wrestling, pro wrestling isn't the most enlightened act when it comes to non-racist, non-sexist activities. And I guess some parents will have to explain to their kids why running around and yelling: "Check out my package!" is not polite.

We Come In Peace

Tuesday night, a horde of Simpsons fans descended on the Gladstone Hotel for the 1 year anniversary of Classic Simpsons Trivia Night. The main area, Melody Bar, as well as the Art Bar and the Ballroom were full. In addition to 3 rounds of Simpsons Trivia, there were 3 user-voted Simpsons episodes shown on the big screen.

This was a good night to attend my first ever Simpsons Trivia. The first 2 rounds were comprised of 20 questions each: 10 general Simpsons question, and 10 themed ones. The last round is a 10 questions lightning round. Episodes being shown included Bart vs. Australia, Homer Goes To College, and Last Exit To Springfield.

I found the questions ranged from fairly easy: Ralph Wiggum's name for the school admin is SuperNintendo Chalmers; to difficult: Everyone knows the Simpsons live at Evergreen Terrace, but not many knew that their neighbourhood is Pressboard Estates; to WTF: The Larry Davis Experience is the band that plays at most Simpsons' celebrations.

I left after round 2 because the mania was getting weird. I love the Simpsons but the over-the-top guffaws and the group recitation of almost every line of dialogue got tiresome. It's ironic that in the college episode there were 3 nerds who prided themselves on their obscure knowledge of Star Trek and Monty Python skits. But I don't think they would have felt at home here either ... because we were not among our kind! These were geeks, not nerds. I leave it to the reader to articulate the difference.

Shake That Booty

On Saturday, the Lower Ossington Theatre had another Music Series offering: Lioness and Bonjay. Both bands were firmly in the beat-heavy, dance genre and fronted by assertive black singers. Lioness came on stage dressed in costumes: the drummer and bassist wore skull masks, and the singer (Vanessa Fischer) wore a cowl. She eventually ditched the monk outfit to reveal a flesh-coloured leotard. With the bassist playing mostly chords, it was up to the drummer to supply the driving rhythm. The singer had a good voice, but with the added metallic effects, and minimal vocal dynamics (loud and louder), Lioness reminded me of a female version of Nine-Inch Nails. For me, their style palled quickly after a few songs.

In contrast, Bonjay's songs were enjoyable through her entire set. Originally a 2-piece band comprising of synth-man Ian Swain and singer Alanna Stuart, they have added a drummer for that extra oomph. Though based in dancehall and R&B especially the songs from their EP Broughtupsy, their music encompassed electronica, dance, and other genres. Bonjay got the crowd bumping and slithering the whole night. The new songs with the drummer were particularly energetic; at the end of the night, more than one person were disappointed that the new disc, currently being recorded in Germany, was not available yet.

That's Kosher

Free Times Cafe is a restaurant near College and Spadina known for its Jewish Sunday brunches. It also serves Goldin's Montreal Smoked Meat, which bested Caplansky in a smoked meat challenge a few weeks back. Since I had a good but not stellar sandwich at Caplansky's, I decided to try the competitor.

I ordered the sandwich combo ($11.95) and a glass of fresh lemonade ($4.95). The drink was rather pricey for essentially water and lots of ice. The split pea and vegetable soup was not a good combination. Instead of a dense and filling pea soup, it was watery broth with vegetables, and a layer of peas at the bottom. The deli sandwich, however, was outstanding. Rich fatty meat that fell apart when you bite into it, mildly striated with fat, and soft and moist. This was a deserving winner. The only negative is that, like Caplansky's, the "spicy" house-made mustard is not very spicy at all.

Since the volume at Free Times was smaller than Caplansky's, the service was also excellent: attentive but not intrusive.

Summer Sounds

Steven McKay (c) CBC Radio 3

Friday was the start of Summerworks Music Series at the Lower Ossington Theatre near Queen and Ossington. The tiered seating was separated from the low stage by several metres of empty floor, as if the typically reserved Toronto crowd needed any more reason to hang back. Finally, some people decided to sit cross-legged closer to the stage. A slightly more intimate set-up, and appropriate for the laid-back opening act.

First up was Steven McKay, drummer for Bruce Peninsula, straight from his cousin's wedding. For his solo effort, he played a skillful guitar with a 3-piece band comprising of an upright bassist and another guitarist. In between shaggy-dog banter, he sang witty pop songs with a slight jazz feel. Refreshingly free of love songs, except for a waiting-at-the-train-station song, he sang about snotty French Immersion students, old decaying buildings, and inveterate liars. A fair number of them were tinged with regret and introspection, seems like Steven has reached that age where he might not think of himself as old, but realizes that his high school days were a decade or two behind him. This melancholy might have been lost on the young crowd, a great number of whom may not yet be of legal drinking age.

Hooded Fang (c) CBC Radio 3

If Steven's act was low-key, then the headlining act was over-the-top energetic. Hooded Fang saw their 2010 debut long-listed for the Polaris prize. Less than a year later, they have just released their 2nd effort: Tosta Mista, a lo-fi record that's perfect for the summer. Their music has changed from a glockenspiel, horns and twee-cute image to a rougher, edgier sound. The horns and glock are still there, but in service to a go-go ESP; an Iggy Pop-ish Jubb; and a 50s sock-hop Den of Love. Whether it's "old" or "new" material, every song is danceable. That finally got the crowd to stand up, pack closer to the stage and boogie down.

The excellent set got the satisfied audience to clamor for an encore. It sounded like Hooded Fang may be changing their sound again because they played a brand-new song that was full of anthemic guitar hooks and thumping bass. It was a fun show for a muggy night.

(c) CBC Radio 3

(c) CBC Radio 3

Roti-n

Appearances can be deceiving

Pam's Roti Shop (Caribbean Kitchen) was a tiny spot, currently part of the expanded Nazareth, at the corner of Bloor and Dovercourt. The owner moved a few years back to Bloor and Dufferin for a while. The business disappeared for about a year and a half but has recently resurfaced at Bloor and Ossington.

I had always preferred Vena's Roti because the chicken in Pam's roti were fried, adding another level of grease to an already heavy dish. Also, she served a very dry roti with not much sauce. So I tend to pass on Pam's various incarnations. But two weeks ago, NOW Weekly ranked the best roti shops in Toronto. Vena landed in the bottom half while Pam's took the 2nd and 1st spot for the Chicken and Veggie Roti.

Surprised, I decided to give the new Pam's a shot on Thursday. The new place is brighter and more spacious than her Dovercourt digs. There were more customers too; they probably had all seen the story. I ordered the veggie roti ($9.60 with tax) with my choice of ingredients being chickpeas, okra, and spinach. As a take-out order, I wasn't given the complimentary salad.

Just as bad as it looks

The roti had a nice weight as I carried it home. It was a guyanese-style roti, with a layer of grounded chickpeas between 2 layers of dough. It looked a lot better than it tasted. This kind of roti lacks the toasty chewiness of the more popular roti, but it usually makes up for it with the earthy chickpea mix. But the light dusting that was present did not provide that texture.

There was no sauce at all. I'm not sure you can call that a roti, maybe a soggy burrito or shawarma. My fault for choosing okra and spinach, two ingredients with similar texture, but nevertheless, each bite was a chore: no chew, no texture, no flavour combination. I have no idea what the staff at NOW was smoking but this was terrible food.