Great Scott!

I was an early show Saturday evening at The Dakota Tavern. Having heard Kelly Prescott in a group sing-a-long at a Jadea Kelly show, I wanted to hear her own music. This Ottawa area native recently moved to Toronto, though in recent weeks she has been doing a cross-country train tour as part of the Canada 150 celebrations.

Over two sets, Prescott charmed me with her music, a throwback to bluegrass and old country. She acknowledged that being country music and all, there was plenty of songs about drinking (Bottle of Wine, I'm Still Drinking). Though Prescott didn't do any about trucks or guns. What made her music interesting were the unusual perspectives like that of the mistress (Leaving Her) and mischievous sense of humour (Heels Over Head). She ended the evening with an acknowledgement of her deep country roots, Prescott comes from a multi-generational family of performers, with a high-octane cover of The Auctioneer.

Himalayan Trek

On a tip that there was an eatery around King and Dufferin that sold Trini doubles, I headed to the area on Saturday for lunch. After walking all the way to Roncesvalles and then doubling back along Queen, I gave up on that quest. Although the stroll was nice, I haven't really spent much time in Parkdale in the last 10 years or so, I was getting famished. With all the Tibetan restaurants in the area, I settled on Tsampa.

Looking over their menu, I opted for the newari set ($8.99), which seems to be their take on a thali platter, and some butter tea ($1.50). It was a good thali, with curry flavoured potatoes and beef. The chickpeas (chana) was whole instead of the usual mush so that added some interesting texture. The most unusual was the beaten rice (poha). But however authentic that may be, and quite aesthetically pleasing to look at, it was like eating uncooked oatmeal flakes. It was more palatable when mixed with a bit of the curry. I think it would go better as a topping or cooked in a soup or stew, as is the case with some other dishes from that region.

Vamp It Down

I had planned on several outdoor shows on Friday including The Balconies at Taste of the Danforth. But a threatening sky, which eventually poured all night, meant that I only went to the early set at Roy Thomson Hall Patio. Tonight's featured singer was Elise LeGrow. With her dark bangs, she looked like a femme fatale from a detective movie. I was expecting throwback, stylized singing and I wasn't disappointed. It reminded me of a tougher, more cynical Tia Brazda, a local jazz singer who also harkened to yesteryear.

 Her set consisted of a number of original numbers and songs from her upcoming album Playing Chess, where she interprets classic music from Chess Records including her take on Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell. She was backed by a tight band with numerous sax and guitar solos. Somewhere between jazz, pop, and R'n'B, LeGrow brought some cool heat to a humid evening.

Wind It Up

On Saturday, I decided not to go to the Caribbean Festival parade because the sky opened up during the morning. But to get some island vibe, I checked out the new Jamaican restaurant at College and Clinton. This location is cursed by numerous attempts over the years. Unfortunately, the spot is across from Café Diplomatico, a mediocre Italian joint blessed with a large patio and long-term name recognition.

Well, having an odd name like AF1 Canteen and an order-at-the-cash fast-food vibe won't help this venture. For lunch, I got the jerk chicken ($7.99), a mac pie ($3.99) and some plantain ($2.99). The main was the best bang for your buck as you get an enormous amount of chicken. In fact, I'd rather trade some of that protein for more sides than just the white bread. The chef wanted to bring "authentic jerk" to the non-Jamaican crowd, as jerk is a BBQ process and not the spice that most people associates with that term.

So it was sweeter and drier than any other jerk in the city. I liked the effort, though it definitely felt "odd" to my taste buds as I'm used to the wetter rub. I would also trade some of that lean breast for some well-marinaded chicken skin. The "pie" was creamy mac and cheese with a hint of coconut cream. The plaintain was sweet and hot. Overall, I liked the spot and will be back to try the jerk salmon, a dish I haven't had in 15 years ever since a quiet Jerk spot at College and Ossington closed. But I don't think Canteen will have much success given the Little Italy dinner crowd usually expects a little more flash and trendiness.

Three's No Charm

They say things come in three, good or bad. So following my bad experience at Southern Accent, my next two restaurant visits were also duds. My Sheppard lunch try-outs continued at Canton Kitchen in a plaza at Pharmacy Rd. Perhaps I had simply chosen a bad dish. But it was hard when there were more than 100 items on the menu. I picked the Beef and Egg Fried Noodle ($8.50). The presentation of this main and the complimentary soup was completely unappetizing. I've had chicken feet at dim sum, but to see a bloated version bobbing in broth was rather off-putting. The noodles were covered with a gloopy mess of egg and beef. It's hard to do Chinese wrong, but this place came close.

A few days later, I stopped for dinner at a new Italian-American eatery at Bloor and Lansdowne called Sugo. It was loud and cheerful, exuding a bit of a Jersey Shore vibe especially from the waitstaff and kitchen crew. I asked for the rigatoni ($9) and a side of meatballs ($7).  The side-dish was actually only 1 meatball, though it was fist-sized and sufficient for most people. The pasta was slathered in rosé sauce, so hot that you might burn your tongue. It was filling, but not much better than a can of sauce and some dried pasta from your supermarket. As it is not any cheaper than the superior Enoteca Sociale, Sugo won't replace Enoteca as my go-to pasta place.