No White and The Huntsman

Red Fish opened near College and Dovercourt but has recently closed. It misjudged the neighbourhood vibe with its clean classic white linen look and relatively pricey fish. Despite the presence of high-end Chiado, this strip runs more to cheap diners and pubs.

Its replacement, the Huntsman Tavern, is taking a stab at the same location. With its homey dark wood (and blonde planks patio), it seems to already be drawing bigger crowds. I dropped by on Sunday to try out their brunch menu. I ordered the ploughman platter ($11) even though this dish is always a misnomer in any resto; no working-class schlub has ever sat down to nibble at such dainty and small fares. But compared to all the fried options, this was the healthy choice.

The side salad ($4) was arugula et al with a tangy dressing. So the green apple and grapes didn't complement the dish, but the cherry tomatoes and pecan did. The platter had a nice though small assortment of flavours that went well together: earthy blue cheese, sweet honey and cherry compote, tart apple. The chorizo was rich and crumbly but I wanted more spicy kick to the sausage.

Sure Eat Ramen

On Saturday, I was strolling down Baldwin looking for the Hong Kong-style crepes. Turns out I was on the wrong street. Instead of eating at Kinton, I decided to try its competitor Ryu's Noodle Bar. The inside of this joint is more utilitarian than Kinton's trendy decor, but it has an outdoor patio. Ryu offers a number of unusual choices including Roast Beef and 2 strictly vegetarian fare.

I opted for the Shio ramen ($9.50) with extra toppings wakame ($1) and tofu ($1). The broth was good, slightly less salty than the other places around town. Depending on the choice of broth, the noodles can be thick or thin. The meat came as 2 slices: one chicken and one pork. Both were average, lacking the rich toothsomeness especially with the pork. Another specialty of Ryu is the dish of oil that you add halfway through your meal. I got the garlic and shallot oil, which gave it the muskiness of fried onions, perhaps a little too much so.

Ryu is a good ramen shop though it won't dethrone its neighbour Kinton. However, if you have vegetarian friends who want to eat ramen (especially hard as all ramen shops use chicken or pork broth) or in the mood for beef, this is the place to try.

Whistle While You Twerk

Craft brewery Steam Whistle hosts a concert series called "Steam Whistle Unsigned" to profile local bands. I went on Friday to its small plant located near the Rogers Centre (Skydome). An old building next to a small park with a heritage, but non-functional train (sitting on a short section of track), the site was picturesque if you ignore the condos, highway, and surface parking that surround it.

The work areas were obviously down and silent for the night, but you could peer through the glass windows at the machinery. I was impressed with the stage, which was better than most local (bar) venues. Not only were there plenty of lighting rig and a video screen backdrop, they had array speakers mounted above, large ones on either side, and even a front speaker up at the front of the stage. Along with the unexpectedly large sound board, this meant that tonight's show was nicely mixed even if the warehouse-like area was not acoustically great.

The opener was Paradise Animals, a new endeavour from Green Go drummer Mark Andrade. This trio, which also had another drummer, played beat-heavy dance-pop. All three musicians swapped places often, moving between synth, drums, guitar and drum machines. They sounded technically good but a little rough in concept. Andrade's laconic voice seemed at odds with the punchy and layered looping music.

Maylee Todd was up next and she delivered her usual high-energy set. Although after one particularly vigorous song, she lamented jokingly while panting that perhaps the crazy antics were getting too hard for "this old goat". Don't worry about it, just look to James Brown and Tina Turner for inspiration. There were some fans up at the front, but it was mostly a new audience. They warmed up to her retro-soul style and powerful voice soon enough. By the time the Soul Train set-up was laid down by Todd on the last number, there were plenty of eager participants.

Manwich

On Friday, I had lunch at the new Brock Sandwich which has opened near Bloor and Lansdowne. It was a tiny spot with the kitchen area taking up most of the space. There was room left for a small table and some stools against a wall. So this was more of a take-out place, though a busy one.

I got a crispy buttermilk chicken sandwich ($9) and a side order of Yukon fries ($3.50). The main was a large portion of chicken in a burger-style bun. In a way, it was too big because the bulk of the patty simply tasted like unseasoned white chicken breast. It was tastier on the surface with crispy and crunchy flavouring. The charred onions gave it a nice aromatic touch but the home-made piri piri sauce had no bite. The fries were likely hand-cut and came golden and toothsome. The coating of paprika reminded me of Indian-style (masala) fries but honestly, it didn't add much except to give you red fingers.

For whatever reason, it was a very "manly" place. Outside of 2 women who came with a baby, it was guys who dropped in, about 15-20 or so while I was there. Possibly the large portion and convenient form factor appealed to men on their lunch break.

Top Of The Pops

On Thursday, the Great Hall hosted Diana's debut album release. I first learned about this band as they were starting to get online buzz (snagging a 21-city tour with Tegan and Sara) from drummer Kieran Adams, who was moon-lighting as a barista at my local coffee shop The Common. The lead singer was Carmen Elle, whom I've also seen in Army Girls and Donlands & Mortimer. Yet I kept missing the few local shows they were doing. If they do blow up big (Carmen Elle has done a couple of glamour "dreamy female singers" fashion profiles), this was my chance to see them in a smallish space.

Opener Empress Of also uses a lot of synth and drum machines, but they were more dance music. Many of the songs had propulsive beats with heavy bass and running riffs. The singer, Lorely Rodriguez, often looped or overlaid effects over her vocals, adding a bit of experimental elements to their music. Although she was quite animated while singing, her stage banter was fragmentary and diffident.

Stage confidence is not some that Carmen Elle lacks, probably due to her long-time experience (at the ripe old age of 24). In fact, the 4-member band were all indie veterans and played their new dreamy synth-pop with assurance. On several numbers, keyboardist/saxophonist Joseph Shabason, guitarist Paul Mathew and Adams exploded into manic passages. Carmen Elle's natural dancing and clear high voice complemented and sold the earnest pop lyrics. In interviews, she forswore her guitar-playing a la Army Girls for this project. But during the set, she will usually pick up her guitar for phrase or two.

It was a good-sized crowd of about 300. I wasn't sure about the ratio of fans (there were group sing-alongs and even girls-on-boyfriend's-shoulders for Born Again) versus curiosity seekers (Diana got a front-page profile in alt-mag Now Toronto). But their slow-burn synth sound on Perpertual Surrender and a cover of Roxy Music's More Than This went over great. Though more layered and experimental on the album, the logistics of a live show meant stripping away some of that effects. This made their music even more immediately accessible including last song New House, which attained a Lana Del Rey's Video Game insta-hit feel, with its minor-chord refrain of "Am I wasting my love on you?"

Girls' Best Friend

I headed down to the Horseshoe Tavern Saturday night for some country music. First up was Old Salts, whose outfits complete with fedoras or newsboy cap were so Lumineers or Mumford & Sons old-timey it made my teeth hurt. Did I mention there were rough-hewn acoustic guitars and a banjo?

In any case, their music was not surprisingly in the same vein: long stories with sing-along choruses, a gruff vocal, and furious banjo solos. Their music mined a currently crowded field but was enjoyable. I liked the overlay of higher, drawn-out harmonies over the roughened main vocal.

It was the official album release for the all-female country band Ladies of the Canyon. I caught them a few times at their Dakota residency, and was excited about their set. Boldly, it consisted of every song from the new Diamond Heart though there were requests for some old favourites during the crowd's call for an encore. But with mostly excellent tunes, showcasing all new material didn't hurt them. Maia Davis started the first couple of songs (She Crossed The River, Black Water, You and all your famous friends.) They matched her muscular, riffy, blues-rock guitar playing and got the crowd immediately into it. Main vocals for the middle set was mostly Jasmine Bleile, on softer country like Dear John and Let's Take The Night. Anna Ruddick sometimes moved to the front on funky bass lines. She got that bass face down cold. All the ladies sang vocals including drummer Tara Martin. Their harmonies were gorgeous, grabbing your attention when they cold opened their set with She Crossed The River; and at the end, for a stripped down acoustic encore of People Of The Sun, which had hints of Native American tribal chants and rhythm.

In The Key of D

With rain coming down non-stop, I skipped most of the Bloor Folk Festival taking place at Christie Pits Park. However, with Saturday night clearing up, I made it to see Julie Doiron, the last act of day 2. With her 7-week-old sleeping in the audience, she played a 40-min set with a borrowed band, 2 members of Jen Grant's troupe who was scheduled to play a little later at Lee's Palace.

Doiron played a lot of early material because as she kept pointing out, she thought she was done with playing music for at least a few years. Her catalogue was varied: most had a folksy feel whether sweet or bitter but Doiron could also turn on the guitar growl and feedback. It was inadvertently poignant on "The Gambler" with lyrics "He may be a drinker, he don't need no one" when a drunk stood swaying near the stage. Though he was sometimes too enthusiastic in his cheers, this was preferable to the bearded jerk who jabbered incessantly at top volume about the lame band he played in, his life, or his (no doubt long-suffering) friends.

Foul Is Fair

After lunch on Saturday, I mosied over to The Wychwood Barn for the Toronto Mini Maker Faire. I was hoping to see some cool projects as I have always been a bit clumsy with my hands. But it was a disappointing experience and didn't justify the $12.50 ticket.

I supposed I should have expected a more commercial atmosphere instead of the DIY aesthetic promoted in the pages of Make. Whether small or large, it was mostly companies selling their product or services. One of the larger booths had sponsor Autodesk demonstrating a 3D modelling software running on an iPad. A few had boards or accelerometers hooked up haphazardly to some underwhelming demo. But the bulk of the booths had some variation of a 3D printer set-up. After the 6th or perhaps 10th such, I had enough of another bunny or geometric model done up in cheap extruded plastic. There might be a challenge in building one (though the main mechanism would have to be purchased), but once available, I don't see the skill in loading a model to print out.

There were a few more ambitious projects. Tellingly, they were non-functional: more sculptural art than working machines (not that there's anything wrong with that). There were a few interesting leads, such as the Tool Library which promises members access to wide variety of tools. The small kids had fun at the Toy Hack, although it mostly consisted of tearing apart donated toys and putting together a Franken-toy from the pieces.

In Stock

On a rainy Saturday morning, I dropped by The Stockyards on St. Clair for some grub. This small and narrow eatery, known for their BBQ and smokehouse offerings, is always busy. Despite a constant drizzle that lasted all day, there was a queue (I walked by 3 hours later). I got the Saturday brunch option of Biscuits with Sausage Gravy ($11).

Upon arrival, the plate didn't look that appetizing: a sea of whitish gravy wherein floated brown chunks of meat. But it was good and filling with the housemade buttermilk biscuit (buried underneath all that sauce). The scrambled eggs were softer and creamier than typical offerings, closer to the French ideal. I would have preferred my biscuits on the side. With them soaking it the gravy, it was difficult to distinguish their own flavouring. Overall, a nice meal at a busy, convivial spot.

Two If By Sea

Near College and Dufferin sits 3 Vietnamese restaurants. I sometimes go to the least busy of them, Pho Canh Buom. It had a nautical theme with blue paint and naval decorations: sailboats, etc. It specialized in dishes from the central and northern regions such as Mi Quang and Bun Cha Hanoi. Unfortunately, it suffered from menu-itis and listed pages of "typical Vietnamese fare". But its pho was the worst of the three and being the default option for diners, that resulted in few repeat customers.

With new restaurants settling into the gentrifying area, Me & Mine has taken over the spot, headed up by the chefs at Zocalo. The polyester-covered booths are gone, replaced with Scandinavian-ish wooden chairs and tables. The walls are unadorned, except for an abstract blue and green piece. I dropped by Thursday to try their short menu of light dishes.

 The daily cup of soup ($4) was spinach and leek. The pureed spinach was pleasant but could have had a thicker consistency. I've been making leek soup this week but this version lacked its distinctive flavour. More leek, please! The torched cured trout ($15) was an odd dish. I didn't detect much torching and the soft, chewy texture was rather unpleasant. It tasted better with a liberal dosing of the yoghurt cheese. The grilled cucumber was good but the scallions, which were almost raw, didn't have the fragrant scent of cooked onions. The salted chocolate truffle tart ($7) had a good balance between the gooey filling and crumbly crust. A lighter touch on the salt would leave a nicer after-taste.
Overall, given the wallet-friendly prices and casual atmosphere, this place is a good fit. But I'll have to try another dish or two because there was no outstanding choice this first time around.

Everything Old Is New Again

Before I checked out the Vivian Maier exhibit at the Stephen Bulger gallery on a beautiful Saturday, I was looking for a place to have brunch. I stepped inside the nearby Frankie's for some nosh. At first, I was confused as the name was quite familiar. In fact, Frankie's has been servicing Queen St. West residents for 35 years. But it turns out it was part of the TV show Restaurant Makeover recently.

So the booths, shiny bar top, and shelving were new and clean. But a scan around revealed the bones of the old place. The most obvious was the view of the kitchen. I suppose Canadian TV budgets don't include renovations of areas that are not usually visible. In fact, they don't seem to have enough for a thorough job either: the old dusty cash register remained; there are gaps between the joints of the new bar setup; ceiling tiles were painted but not replaced so you could still see the cracked ones. In any case, how is the food?

Despite coming on new dishes, the Big breakfast ($8.95) was an old-school offering: bacons, sausages, toast, home fries, and pancakes. Which is to say, they were as reasonably tasty as found in any diner in the city. Any fancy or updated touches were absent.

But one good thing about the new Frankie's, there's lots of young faces. Amid the cragged features of regulars, there was a sea of twenty-something coming in for some eats. I guess a bit of paint and some new furniture can bring in a different clientele. That should keep the place going into the future, but I wonder how his next-door neighbour (Tom's Family Restaurant), with their still faded facade, feel about the changing fortunes.

Dr Dolittle

I headed over to Silver Dollar on Friday to check out a few local bands. I arrived just as Major Tune Up was winding down. Composed of members of We're Marching On, it was trance-y indie rock with repeating guitar, bass, and effects loops and pedals. It wasn't very interesting music.

At first blush, Kristen Cudmore of Language-Arts should be playing twee music. With a high-pitch girlish voice and tendency to speak in non sequiturs or at least out-of-left field topics, you might think "where's the ukulele to complete this picture?" Tonight was perhaps even more than usual. First, she was previewing her 2014 album: with a Unicorn on the cover! Then somehow it became a reference to the latest dance meme "What sound does a fox make?" But we didn't end up making fox noises. Instead she tried to get the audience to make raccoon noises (in honour of Racoon  Wedding's LP release) which, apparently for Cudmore, was a sort of Pokemon cat purr.

But her music wasn't Zooey Deschanel's 500 Days of Summer pixie. It did contain some light pop elements with plucked chords and synth. But mostly it was catchy and muscular thanks to the drummer and bassist (a new replacement who started just 3 practices ago). They laid down a complex groove of snappy snares, jazzy bass lines, and syncopated crescendos. Cudmore also cranked her guitar on a couple of tunes, delivering some sonic waves. She is too twee to probably ever head-banged or raise the devil's horns, but her music does rock.

Back To Basics?

On Tuesday night, I went to Sivananda yoga on Harbord St. for the first time. In contrast to the mainstream practice at Dufferin Grove, this is traditional yoga. The Toronto studio was established in the 70s before the current popularity of yoga. So we're talking old-school: altars, prayers, chants, and acolytes preparing vegetarian dishes for the post-practice meal.

I was surprised at the class, which was supposedly open to all levels. Those most were accessible to everyone, some such as headstand and locusts are usually only found in more advanced classes elsewhere. Cues were given for each transition but there were very few alignment instructions. Similar to Bikram, the class has a set sequence with only minor variation.This gave the practitioners ease with postures (e.g., headstand) that in other studios would only be attempted by a few.

However, given some errors in postures including boat and forward bend, the general level of proficiency wasn't at "David Yee" advanced. There were also some obvious beginners. As such, and with the potential for serious injury from long-term but incorrect practice of asanas including headstand and plow,  I was a little concerned with the dearth of instructions. This is probably a great place to practice if you were advanced. And not necessarily the "put your foot behind your head" kind, but more knowing about good alignment principles, and approaching the mat with a clear heart and ego-less mind. Or as a modern ad says: "Know your limit, stay within it".

In The Afternoon With Cecilia

Before heading down to see the Cecilia String Quartet on Sunday, I stopped by Madras Masala for some dosas. Given the similarity in description, it's hard to remember which dosa option I have previously ordered though I've been here many times. But I'm certain I've never had the chili cheese masala dosa because it was like eating addictive junk food (in a good way). No doubt it's an "authentic" dish but the combination of gooey, melted cheddar, spicy chili flakes, and crunchy dosa shell was like eating the greasiest, lip-smacking yummiest guilty pleasure potato chips ever.

Afterwards, I headed down to the Music Garden. This small park nestled along the boardwalk near Spadina Ave and Queen's Quay often host musical acts. Today, the Toronto quartet was performing Haydn's String Quartet In D Major (wryly acknowledged by the MC as incorrectly listed as a "Sun" quartet in the program guide) and Ravel's String Quartet in F Major. It was a bit cool in the shade, and one violinist did jumping jacks before the show to warm up.

With only a passing familiarity with classical music, I wish they did more than simply list the movements in the pieces. In any case, the two compositions had easily distinguishable styles. The Haydn piece sounded "old-fashioned" with runs and ornamentation. The Ravel quartet had a "modern" sound with its rhythmic pizzicatos and repeating phrases with a "film-score" feel. I chuckled to myself about the supposed gypsy-like feel in the Haydn, a little bit like how European ballroom tango drains most vitality from Argentine tango.

The performers physically interacted with the music in different ways. Min-Jeong Koh (violin) and Rachel Desoer (cello) were on the whole composed and contained. Caitlin Boyle (viola) and Sarah Nematallah (violin) had animated gestures: shoulders sliding, eyebrows wiggling, smiles and grimaces.

Adieu (Bizou Bizou)

Friday night at The Great Hall, local indie band Ohbijou  played their last show before going on "indefinite hiatus". Though they never found wider recognition, the band had enough fans and friends to sell out the 500-capacity venue. It was an early start too, as they wanted to do two sets.

So Casey and Jennifer Mecija and the rest of the 7-piece band took to the stage at 9:30 and started with Niagara off their latest album Metal Meets. This was a piece illustrative of their style: lushly layered, sometimes elegiac, with short fragmentary lyrics. Being well-connected in the Toronto indie community, including their Friends In Bellwoods charity collaborations, a parade of members from other bands came on to sing with Ohbijou during their two sets: Gentleman Reg, Evening Hymns, Rural Alberta Advantage, Wooden Sky, Snowblink, The Acorn, Diamond Rings, Kat Burns (Kashka, Forest City Lovers),  and Lisa Bozikovic.

These same friends also had the middle set, to individually cover Ohbijou tunes, while the band cheered from the side balcony. Most took the acoustic guitar route, a natural fit to the music while others went a bit more experimental. James Bunton, Ohbijou's drummer, took the opportunity before each performance to talk about how the connection was initially made between the band and the current guest artists.

By the tail end of the 3rd set, only about 100 or so die-hard fans were left. But Casey did have a couple of anthemic songs up her sleeve: pulsing drums, guitar feedback, chants and choruses. They were happy to sing along, and to emphatically demand an encore. After the final 2 songs, accompanied by all the performers, it was time for bows and hugs.

Born A Poet

On my way to a show at The Music Gallery, I stopped by Manpuku for some Japanese udon. Unlike the typical leisurely week-end lunch, Friday night found the place packed with students from the nearby OCAD University. It has been a couple of decades since I started my first year, so it was with bemusement that I watched them. It must have been early onset dementia, because I thought I saw some old faces in that crowd.

Tonight promised pop music that was different from the mainstream or even the typical indie fare. The performers delivered interesting songs, filled with wonderful harmonies. I have only seen Alex Lukashevsky doing Motown covers with The Big Sound. His trio (with Felicity Williams, Daniela Gesundheit) don't play that sort of rhythmic pop, though their cover of Leadbelly's Take This Hammer had toes tapping. They sang almost choral or classical melodic lines over Alex's skittish guitar in odd time signatures. Best was when they didn't even bother with lyrics and it became pure vocalizing: both silly and enchanting.

AroarA is the married duo of Ariel Engle and Andrew Whiteman (Broken Social Scene). They have set to music words, phrases, and fragments from In The Pines, a book by poet Alice Notley in their debut album of the same name. This gave their pop unusual and evocative content. More pop musicians should consider mining poetry's rich vein, a common occurrence in other musical traditions. But the music was also sonically varied and layered. It was more muscular than when I saw them open for Martha Wainwright (or on their album.) The songs got even bigger and more powerful when they were joined at the end by Leslie Feist and Daniela. A great night of compositional music.

Loop De Loop

I went down to The Horseshoe on Tuesday for some Nu Music. There were four bands on the bill, two with buzz (Fevers, The Beaches), though I only stayed for two of them. I saw Adaline a few weeks back, singing duets with Caleb from Field Study. Turns out her own material is very different.

Surrounded by analog vintage synths and stations, her music was slow-burn emotional electronica on numbers like That's What You Do Best, Keep Me High, and Say Goodbye (I Won't Even). In contrast to her high sad voice, the beat was often accompanied by buzzy, rumbling bass that shook the speakers. I was instantly hooked.

 The Ottawa band Fevers have been getting press in the local alt weeklies for their blend of pop and electronica, a genre that bands like Austra are finding great success. They are currently touring to promote their debut album. Though Colin MacDougall sang a tune or two, Sarah Bradley was the front woman. She stayed mostly soft and quiet though did soar now and then. Fevers seemed more comfortable with these slow melancholic tunes whereas the more upbeat numbers didn't stand out from other acts.

In Their Multitude

On the occasion of the creation of Unifor, Canada's largest trade union, they hosted a Labour Day concert on at City Hall. I headed down there on Sunday to check out the live entertainment. Arriving at the tail end of the set by Les Colocs, I was treated to the spectacle of francophones singing along with gusto. A band from the 90s, and reunited in 2009, they are that unique mixture of Quebec music that combines rock, foot-stomping rural folk, and working-class sensibilities (often revelling in slangs and colloquialisms).

The next band also mined working-class roots but in English. Blackie and The Rodeo King have also been around a long time. Their music straddled blues, rock, and rockabilly. Their own songs were good though a little long on the jams, but the covers were better: Patience of a Working Man (Willie P. Bennett), Down By The Henry Moore (Murray McLauchlan). The only downer was one of the singers, frustrated that his mic was cutting out, swore at the techs and threw down the mic stand. Ironic since he later spoke about always "leaving the house with love in your heart". It made him looked like a joke to the young crowd who were there for the next act. Overheard at the end, "Hey, remember that Sammy Hagar wannabe?" Ouch.

When Stars took to the stage as the last act, the crowd was solidly teenagers and twenty-somethings. I doubt many of them have given much thought to unions and wages. So it was with puzzlement that they clapped along as their band opened with a rousing rendition of There Is Power in a Union. But for the rest of set, they got earnest, anthemic music fronted by nebbish Torquil Campbell and sparkly rock-star Amy Millan. It was good music, with a lot of angst (perfect for emotional teens as soft rain came down). It didn't make a strong impression on me except for Dead Hearts, which was a powerful number.

Burger Time

I dropped by newly opened joint, Carla's Gourmet Burgers, on Saturday. It's trying to invoke a "hip family" vibe with classic photos on the wood walls, and dark tables that you can draw on with the supplied chalk. I ordered the bacon and cheese burger ($8.95) along with some fries ($2.95) and a Stewart's root beer ($2.75). It took a while for the food to arrive since it looks like they don't start cooking till you order.

The burger patty was enormous. With the extra toppings I added including tomatoes, hot peppers, and hot radish, it took two bites to go through the burger top to bottom. This was a delicious dish, the thick-cut bacon was a nice touch. The fries look like the sort of pre-cut package a restaurant can order in 10 kg bags. But when done in fresh and hot oil, they arrived in a large pile: hot, golden, and crispy. Trendier restaurants with hand-made but anemic taters could learn a lesson.

This is a great addition to the Bloor and Dufferin area. However, given the higher price, and that it is surrounded by an old age home, a high school, and various cheap pizza take-outs, Carla's may have a hard time attracting walk-by traffic.