Zoom Zoom

Saturday afternoon, I went down to the Toronto Convention Centre for the autoshow. Taking over both the North and South Halls, it spanned several levels. The luxury showroom was the smallest but it showcased the most expensive models. From limited edition Aston Martin, to showy Lamborghini and Ferrari, and rarefied Bugatti, everyone was snapping away. In the two large showrooms devoted to regular cars, visitors treated them as giant multi-dealer lots: checking out the models and getting quotes. Other activities include signing up for every contest at every booth and receiving freebies. The gifts comprised mostly of branded tote-bags. I did get a bag of President's Choice Decadent chocolate chip cookies by filling out a short questionnaire. Although some manufacturers also showed electric or hybrid models, there was a separate area devoted to these cars. It became a drudgery after a while; I don't know how the salespeople and spokespersons do it.

I stayed longer than expected and didn't get to Grand Electric until after 7 pm. This was a mistake since the wait was 2.5 hours at this hot new restaurant. Heading over to Woodlot didn't help as the wait there was 40 minutes to an hour. That didn't apply if you knew the owner; the couple before me got a table without reservation on a busy night. Eating at Utopia was a poor final option as the quality has diminished considerably. An overly acidic dip followed by bland burger and sad fries. On second thought, Utopia probably hasn't lost their game. But every new bistro out there has upped theirs revealing the food here to be mediocre.