Hot Pie

Tula Yoga had move its downtown location to Adelaide St. and Peter St and was offering a week of free classes as a promotion. On Tuesday, I went to do a Hot Power Flow Level 1-2 class. I'm not a fan of hot yoga but wanted to see the space. People love free stuff so the class was packed with about 25 practitioners.

After a sweat-drenched class, my conviction about hot yoga was unchanged. Though instructions on alignment were given, people were mostly coping with the heat and perspiration to pay much attention. So there were quite a lot of poor postures over the 75-min class. Worse, the cues for for Virasana (hero pose) was entirely wrong in my opinion (and those of my long-time teachers). The instruction to slide the lower legs away from the thighs so the yogi can sit between his feet puts too much torque on the knees. Combined that with the heat allowing people to lay down right on their back ... ouch. I see a lot of joint and back injuries in the future.

As a reward, I then headed over to Pai, the new Thai restaurant in the expanding empire for the owners of Sukho Thai and Sabai Sabai. It was a busy place this early in its opening. But though there were at least 10 empty seats, and only just over 1 hour until closing time on a rainy night, apparently there was no room. I guess I'll spend my money elsewhere from now on.

I walked up Duncas St for a different kind of pie: meat ones from Kanga (Australian Meat Pie). A chicken one set me back $6.75. Though the crust was tasty, the rest was disappointing: a few bits of carrots and peas, and exactly 1 thumb-sized chicken cube. It was more of a meat tart than pie and didn't make a full meal. Though I might pay that much for an appetizer in a sit-down restaurant, I wouldn't for essentially a take-out place.

Chew Chu

On Sunday, I headed downtown for the 2nd Matsuri Summer Festival which highlighted Japanese culture. Taking place at Yonge-Dundas Square, surrounded by gleaming billboard, the space was packed with festival goers. Some were taking photos with a model formally dressed as a geisha in white make-up, others took pictures of each other since she wasn't the only one in a kimono. At the front, people were watching various Japanese groups doing traditional dances and other activities. The majority were standing in various lines to eat food being cooked by local restaurants including Fin, Hapa, Zakkushi, and Gushu Chicken. There were some 10 such booths and they all did something so simple yet so superior to the chaos and slow pace of the Food Truck festivities I used to go to: have someone walking down the line taking orders.

Though all that food smelled great, I didn't want to wait in the hot sun and eat standing up or squatting over concrete. I walked north through the oasis of the Ryerson quad and plopped myself down at Ramen Raijin, one of two places that offered both pork and chicken broth. But what I was really in the mood for was some cold noodles. So I got the Hiyashi Chuka combo ($12.30).

The first dish was a bowl of warm rice covered with ground chicken and slightly sweet egg. Accompanied by a bowl of cool salad, it was a nice start. The noodles came out with char siu pork, egg strips, and seaweed. It was delicious and well-balanced: cold and toothsome noodles; soft and tasty pork; crunchy cucumber; and earthy flavour from the seaweed. A shallow broth provided some tanginess to the whole dish.

Plink

On Saturday, I headed down to the Harbourfront for their Classical Music Festival. The theme for this year was Strings and Voices. The congestion in that whole area seemed to have gotten worse even after more than a year of major construction. Every roadway and intersection were torn up and blocked off. So I arrrived just as the Jessica Stuart Few Trio started their set.

The band had just finished a cross-country tour and had driven straight from B.C. for this last show in their schedule. It was a special set this afternoon: no electric guitar just kotos (3 of them) and Jessica's mother, ethnomusicologist Wendy Stuart, was joining her for a few songs. Without her electric guitar, the songs (Kid Dream, Winter Warm) revealed their jazzier nature. Some still had that catchy pop sound such as Dontcha and I Want To Ride My Bicycle. It was a perfect day for Jessica because not only did the organizing committee paid to fly her mother in from Vancouver for this rare musical showcase, but it was also her birthday. To that end, mother and daughter played harmonizing kotos on an old song (Climbing The Mountain), a new one (Same Girl), and a special new piece (One Day). This last tune was inspired by trips taken by Jessica with her mother around the world and the advice she has received. The main one being to live to the fullest instead of putting off for "one day", because "one day might come too soon".

Pizza In The Park

Friday Evening, I went to Christie Pits Park for some pizza to benefit the Homegrown National Park initiative. The park's outdoor wood oven was used to bake the pizza. Volunteers were busy rolling out personal pizzas ($5) and grilling corn ($1). The all-cheese pizza with its cheese coming from giant yellow bags of No-Name cheese didn't appeal so I opted for the veggie version which had vegetables provided by Fresh City Farm.

I would have wanted some corn too, but they ran out. In fact, shortly after my purchase, they stopped taking orders all-together. The take-away: come early to reduce your wait time and for more generous toppings. It was obvious they were trying to stretch the remaining ingredients to make them last. I also had to wait about 30 minutes for my pie.

Luckily, I got it just as local band Hands & Teeth started their acoustic set. Though I'd probably get more bang for my buck even at a pizza franchise, I did enjoy biting into fresh, piping hot baked dough. Hands & Teeth has gone to a harder, rock sound, but their multi-part harmonies translated well to just guitar and voice, with some percussion from shaker and tambourine. It was a fun short set, but not as gorgeous as the one they played at now-defunct Of A Kind record/clothing store. But then that show had 4-part harmonies and a foot-pumped mini organ.

Late Night Nosh

Though more restaurants are opened late in Toronto, none are downtown in the area of Yonge-Dundas Square. So after the Dwayne Gretzky concert, I headed to Chinatown, the nearest area guaranteed to have late-night eats (though 11 pm wasn't that late). The new spot People's Eatery, one of two recent efforts to hipsterize the neighbourhood, was hopping. But I settled on Swatow, the mainstay stalwart next door.

The food came out within 5 minutes: snails in black-bean sauce, stir-fried beef, spicy salt-and-pepper shrimp, large fried tofu squares, and sea-food fried rice. As I ate the uniformly delicious dishes, I contemplated the orders. It was true the dishes used essentially the same technique: stir-fry in hot wok and oil; but the speed and variety were astonishing. A typical restaurant wouldn't even have the appetizers on the table yet. Did they simply loaded up the snails in a strainer and cooked them instantaneously in the giant boiling pots? Was there a giant tub of shelled shrimp ready to be battered?

It's no wonder that many chefs have expressed a desire to experience a busy Chinese restaurant's kitchen and also an unwillingness to compete directly with them. Inhaling that fried rice, paradoxically both light and fluffy and greasily good, you forgive all the mediocre Chinese-Canadian joints and their oily efforts.

Unfortunately, Chinese spots don't have very good dessert. So I made my way through the punk kids along College St, the club kids at College and Bathurst (for Ryze and its offshoots), and the hot-mamas tottering on heels in Little Italy for 12:30 am pistachio and chocolate gelato.

Dwayne In The City

Friday night, after some Japanese eats, I headed to Yonge-Dundas Square for the Indie Friday music showcase. Depending on the band, the surrounding billboards and lights can add to their performance. Cover band Dwayne Gretzky played last summer to a full crowd and tonight they've returned for an second engagement.

Watching live music at this location is always an adventure. Tonight, in addition to the usual drunks, there were several old fogies who dig the music. Some of the young'uns danced along with these happening oldsters. Although there were a few moments that went from engaging and fun to over-the-line uncomfortable and creepy.

I missed their last theme show when they concentrated on 90s music. It would have been a nice break from their focus on "classics", which are  enjoyable but sometimes too old for them. But tonight they stuck to mostly 70s and 80s music. With songs from The Band (Ophelia) and Steely Dan (Dirty Work), their first set had more of a country feel than usual. Their second set was more eclectic from Paul Simon, Queen, and Peter Gabriel.

Though the male leads (Tyler and Nick) always gather a crowd of young women, no doubt from their stint with Sweet Thing, Robin Hatch is developing her own set of "groupies". In a black velour top and tight bell-bottom jeans, she won over more fans this evening.

This show had an extra special moment. Under the pretense of having won a raffle, Nick called up a couple. The prize was actually a diamond ring as the bearded dude knelt down to propose. After a triumphant "She said yes!" from Tyler, the couple danced to Robin's cover of Be My Baby. An old gentleman was particularly taken with the scene and had to wipe away his tears several times.

Around The Way

Friday night, I went to Teppan Kenta, another one of the growing list of izakaya joints in the city. This Japanese eatery was hidden around the back of a condo on Wellesley so it might be hard to find the first time. Look down the side street for the Spanish restaurant Segovia or the back entrance to Northbound Leather and make a left.

Inside was your typical dark-wood décor and wooden communal tables. However, the bulk of seats was around the teppanaki/food bar. I was there for their take on the okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake). While the chef was preparing my dish on the flat grill, I tried the kurage ($3) appetizer. The marinated jelly fish had a good crunch and a small spicy kick. The cold dish was refreshing on this hot evening.

The Okonomiyaki DX ($15) was Hiroshima style, making it different from the usual recipe. Instead of batter, layers of cabbage, noodle, and other veggies were fried, then sandwiched and mixed with beaten eggs. The squid and shrimp were cooked separately and added on top with a generous amount of bonito. There was more sauce than usual but it wasn't overwhelming. It was a tasty pile, the crunchy seafood went well with the fried mix. However, I thought that the fatty richness of the pork slices were better. So the all-pork Okonomiyaki would be a better choice.

Fleet Street

On Thursday, I headed to the east end to Little Trinity Church on King St. near the Distillery District. Inside, a wedding was taking place. But out on the lawn, a small stage was set up to entertain any passerbys or locals. Cait Gallagher was a young teen who did covers on her guitar. Sean Donald used his banjo skills to finger-pick his way through a set of folk/Americana songs.

Headliner Queen Of The Fleet was an all-female band who often sang in 4-part harmony. Accompanied by a thumping floor tom, guitar and bass, there was a timeless quality to their music. From Fever Dream (caused by a bout of sickness), Mountain Man (an old Betty Boop cartoon), or Wiccan Harvest Song (to welcome the return of Autumn), these were songs to sing around a campfire. I was taken with the bass harmony, there was a masculine timbre to what was distinctly a female voice that every now and then, made me doubt my ears. Even their final song, a Coldplay cover called Green Eyes took on an earthy quality.

I Say Yes

In the working-class neighbour at Lansdowne, there is a cluster of shops just north at Wallace. Some gentrification has taken place, and trendier businesses have moved in. One such place is a little diner called Hello Darling. I stopped by on Sunday to check them out.

Inside was bright and cheerful, with open counters and kitchen. There was a small menu written on the chalkboard. I opted for a cup of watermelon gazpacho ($3) and a California club ($12). The soup was excellent, cool and fragrant with dill. The feta added a touch of richness and a bit of spiciness gave it a small kick. The club was also delicious. The chicken breast was perhaps too lean to have much flavour but the bacon and avocado made up for it for saltiness and fattiness. There was some tanginess with the aioli. Both dishes were nicely presented. This was a pleasant eatery with a nice vibe and a small but varied selection: eggs benny, tacos, sandwiches as well as tea and smoothies. 

Melted Clock

On Saturday, I went to see a performance at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Playwright David Ives (Venus In Fur) wrote All in the Timing, 9 absurdist playlets/scenes. This production (Miller's Son & From the Oven Productions) used 5 and over the course of an hour, delighted the audience with their pace, humour, and word-play.

In Words, Words, Words, 3 chimpanzees were locked in a cage until by random chance, they typed out Hamlet. These erudite primates discussed the many absurdities of their situation including how they would even know their task was done. Then we found ourselves with Leon Trotsky (The Variations on the Death on Trotsky) as he found out he would die/was dead this day from an entry in Encyclopedia Britannica. Multiple segments had him questioning the "truth" of his situation, each one ending with Trotsky keeling over dead as he finally realized he had an axe in his skull. We were then in the office of the inventor of Unamundo (The Universal Language), an invented language full of non-sense syllables and bad puns. Finally we were in a diner for The Philadelphia and Sure Thing. In the former, characters had personal situations that were named after cities. If you were stuck in a "Philadelphia", you never get what you asked for; meanwhile, it was all sunny skies and optimism in "Los Angeles". In the latter, as two strangers tested each other out romantically, each can ring a bell to "roll back time" and reset the last sentence or two in their conversation, if the information was deemed offensive, rude, or unwelcomed (community college vs Harvard).

All the scenes had a love of words and rapid-fire dialogue. They were all quite funny, better than most sketch shows I've seen. The audience was particularly taken with The Philadelphia though Trotsky came a close second. The actors were in fine form with Nicholas Porteous excelling as Trotsky, fluent Unamundo speaker, and overly sunny "Los Angeleno".

Stand Tall

The last of the Live at Massey Hall concert took place Thursday night. I was excited to see Basia Bulat, one of my favourite artist, in this great venue. I was particularly looking forward to her new songs, which weren't quite given their due at the cozy but sonically challenged Polish Combatants Hall for her CD release show. First up was Dan Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers). He was the only one of all the performers in this series to perform solo. For the die-hard fans, with a set list that spanned back 20 years, it was heaven. For the casual listener, it got to be a slog. Props to him for some of the biting, darkly comic lyrics, but a thumbs down for the pedestrian strumming and arrangements.

Basia Bulat can hold an audience just by her lonesome. Well, alone except for her beautiful voice and collection of instruments from charango and guitar, to auto-harp and hammered dulcimer. But City With No Rivers started reverberating through the venue with her full band, it was going to be a special night. Although in interviews she hinted that she will do several new songs, there was only 1 new tune and a Neil Young cover. Otherwise, she took us through her 3 albums from fast-paced and upbeat (Gold Rush, I Was A Daughter), to sad and melancholy (Little Waltz, Paris Or Amsterdam). Though her music might be described as twee or folky, especially the early songs, when played live they were complex and expansive. Bulat herself, though, was the word personified with her laugh and banter. The second-most adorable moment might have been when she plopped herself in the front row on Never Let Me Go, because the most adorable came right after when she realized she might not be able to get back up on stage and, with a determined look, successfully scootch-hopped back up.

Of course, with every great song, there was another that was not played. If only the folks at Massey Hall took Bulat up on her vow to "never leave this stage." I also missed the wonderful violin of Holly Coish, though she was there doing backup vocals and ukelele. The evening ended with Bulat squeezing in 1 last encore before the curfew. She stepped to the front of the stage and let her unamplified voice soared to the rafters for It Can't Be You. After a well-deserved 2nd standing ovation, it was hugs and cheers for the diminutive singer at stage right.

Friends And Lovers

In an old post, I linked to a fake band name generator that would randomly pick 3 words. The joke being that so many bands have 3 name monikers. Tonight at Massey Hall, both bands had a mouthful of syllables. First up was Rural Alberta Advantage. This trio straddled the line between folk-pop and songs with a slight country bent, due to singer's Nils Edenloff Alberta background. What made their distinctive sound was the furious, muscular drumming of Paul Banwatt. This mixture of confessional, often melancholic lyrics, and hard percussion was interesting but grew tiresome since it was omnipresent on practically every song. It was a relief to hear some numbers with a quieter and sparser arrangement. Amy Cole backed the tunes with airy harmony, bass, and synth.

After the break, Great Lake Swimmers took to the stage. This venerable folk band was joined tonight by a string quartet. This added even more lushness to an already rich palette. Eventually, I was pining for some of that RAA muscularity to inject propulsion to a series of mellow, mid-tempo songs. The harmony between Tony Dekker and fiddler Miranda Mulholland was beautiful, but her playing felt under-used and constrained. On tunes where she was able to break out some runs, especially as an interplay with Erik Arnesen's banjo or guitar, the music soared. After a Neil Young cover (Long May You Run), they unplugged their instruments and played acoustically around a single mic (Still). This great number played up both their warm folk roots and its toe-tapping ability. I wanted to hear more songs like that from their set.

Ogg Like Fire

On a sunny Saturday, I headed to a backyard BBQ. It was the first of this summer for me as it has been a cool one. The smell of charcoal was filling up the space. Whether it was the smoky flavour or the enjoyment of someone else doing the cooking, but I over-indulged. 2 sausages, 2 burgers, duck skewers, grilled corn and vegetables, and several helping of quinoa salad later, I was ready for a long nap. So I made my farewell before the World Cup quarterfinals came on the air, and waddled home.

Check Please

For a post-Canada Day meal, I went to 168 Sushi. The location on Merivale Road was, in all respect, just a little better than the St. Laurent location. The place felt airier, the servers were more responsive, and the quality of food was tastier. Also for the first time, I was at a restaurant where the customer ordered all dishes via touch-pads. This was perfect for an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet where there are multiple rounds of order. Instead of waiting for servers to come by to pick up your new choices, you can start selecting new dishes when you please. With tax and tip, each portion worked out to $34, which isn't quite the deal it seems, though the convenience can't be beat.

Wyrd Sisters

For the closing ceremony of World Pride, there was a notable line-up of musicians playing at Yonge-Dundas. The square itself was packed with thousands of people, overflowing into the adjacent streets. I had arrived after a sudden downpour just in time to see a rainbow shone over the concrete buildings, to the delight of everyone. Singers from a local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch finished up a medley from their show and a couple of grinder girls gyrated in the overhead catwalk. But everyone was there for head-liner Tegan and Sara.

After 15 years in the business, these twin sisters have a devoted following among women and queers. But their pop crossover album Heartthrob released last year brought them a lot of new mainstream fans and success. It was a surprise who the "new" fans were at the show. One older gentleman, who looked more the type to tell the kids to get off his lawn, was singing lustily to new songs such as Closer and Shock To Your System. Due to a short set, they stuck mainly to the current tunes with only a 3-song "retrospective" (Back In Your Head, The Con, and Monday, Monday, Monday) for the long-time indie fans. Without a fuller concert to anchor the slicker tunes with their quieter, more emotional (and older) repertoire, it had a "top 40" concert feel, perhaps befitting the lights and billboards.

The sisters connected to their fans in their typical, off-the-cuff banter. Sara threatened to quit music and open a fast-food joint in the Urban Eatery located in the shopping mall across the street if people forget the lyrics to their older tunes. Tegan descended to the metal barriers several times and remarked with a laugh: "I love being gay. I hope it doesn't wear off." Both highlighted the strides but also the obstacles that still confront the queer community. Sara was so touched by the reception she said she would love "to have sex with everyone ... consensual and with protection of course." Though any eager groupies may have had to hold off when she finished her thought with a "just kidding ... I'm frigid." But the memory of the twins engaging in a series of adorkable dance moves while waiting for a "PA reset" may make a good substitute.

Don't Fence Me In

After a rich Cuban dinner, I figured to do some dancing Saturday night with a free show at Yonge-Dundas Square. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the crowd was rather light. But the conditions weren't too inviting. To satisfy their sponsor Molson, the Pride organizers had erected opaque metal barriers around the entire square to turn it into a large beer garden. Though you could get in after a line-up, the set-up did not encourage curious passer-bys to enter. Without a head-liner, a lot of casual visitors grew bored with the DJ and left.

Eventually at 10:20 pm, 15 minutes later than the announced start time, dance-pop band Austra took to the stage. Lead singer Katie Stelmanis reminded me of another folkie-turned-electronica Kat Burns (Kashka): same light voice, cutely awkward stage dancing, and penchant for surprisingly deep lyrics for the genre. But Austra's songs were much more steeped in the thumping beats of dance. Which unfortunately for tonight was under-served by the sound system. The set-up was beefier than last night's smaller stage for Carole Pope and Parachute Club. Yet the latter delivered satisfyingly robust volume with clarity, and the former was anemic and muddy. Dance music without booty-shaking sound (and muffled lyrics) is not very interesting. So it was the slower songs including a cover of Nothing Compares 2 U that shone.