Pick Nick

With patios now allowed to open in Toronto, I headed to Madras Masala on Saturday. First, with its small outdoor space, there probably won't be more than 1-2 tables available so I should be safe. Second, I have been craving dosas, a dish that doesn't do well as take-out. But alas both Madras and its sister restaurant Banjara were only open for pick-up.

So I headed south to Little Italy where The Fish Store did have its tiny patio open. I ate a halibut sandwich while watching other restaurants. It was a bit strange to see waitstaff in mask bringing beer to patrons. But not as disconcerting as a server with full face shield bringing out entrées at Free Times café. I had walk over to the area to get some pizza from Fresca. While there, I caught up with the co-proprietor.  She stayed home for safety reasons over the last two months while her husband kept the business running.

On Sunday, I returned to Bloor St. to check out the store with the generic "Vegan Donuts" signage I saw on my way to Madras. They were actually Machino Donuts. Looking over their selection through the window display, I settled on the simple cinnamon sugar donut ($3). I found a spot at Christie Pits to eat my falafel shawarma and donut. With its hilly amphitheatre setting, this park is great for sledding in winter and outdoor music and movie shows in summer. Otherwise, I don't actually enjoy being here to sit and lounge about.

The donut was good: soft, chewy, flavourful without being oily. This could be a good sign that their more extravagant options won't be a mess.

The Walking To Pelham One Two Three Steps

Before I forget to visit the Dupont and Symington area again, I decided on Friday to give it another look but coming from the East side via The Toronto Rail Path. This paved trail, running alongside the train tracks, will eventually be extended farther north and south. Currently, it runs parallel to Dundas St. W starting from Sterling Rd and finishing at Cariboo Ave.

This was my first time on this path and it was a pleasant walking experience. With the mid-morning sun at an angle, the trees along both sides of the trail gave cooling shade. There was a good number of walkers and cyclists especially south of Bloor St. Along with the greenery, I got a glimpsed of the various neighbourhoods next to the trail. The view tended to be the back of old brick buildings and factories since being next to the tracks wasn't desirable back then. Nowadays, a good number of them have been converted to fancy lofts or workspace. Exits off the Rail Path usually spilled onto one end of a cul-de-sac but there were some prominent destinations including The Drake Commissary, MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art), and the Wallace Pedestrian Bridge.

I was surprised there was direct access to the UP Express and Go train platforms at Bloor St. If I lived in that area and worked downtown, this would be a good alternative to the subway. It was an anti-climatic exit at Cariboo with its auto body shops and sheet metal businesses. The end to the trail was marked with a metal "hashtag", the remnants of two rail tracks crossing (hence, The Junction) that have been moved here.

Making my way down Osler to Dupont, I found the small and aptly named TuckShop Kitchen around the corner at Edwin. I opted for the Sweet Mama's Chicken Sandwich ($11.95) and had lunch just up the same street at Carlton Park. It resembled more burger than sandwich with the sesame buns stuffed with ingredients. There was plenty of texture from the apple and cabbage slaw, kale, and onion. But overall it was a bit bland despite the smoked butternut squash "bacon" and honey garlic aioli.

I think TuckShop should take a page from Gus Taco (now a regular haunt) with its excellent torta. Toasted portuguese bread (which could be sourced from Caldense Bakery nearby on Symington) would add flavour and make for easier bites. I would also add a hint of heat to the sauce.

I continued south to the Wallace-Emerson neighbourhood along Edwin and found some interesting buildings such as the George Chuvalo Community Centre, Soho VFX, Casper Café and several retail businesses. This whole area of Toronto seemed to be something of a hidden gem.

Too Big For Your Bridges

On my Friday morning run, I changed my route to Lansdowne and Dupont. I haven't been in this area in years and noticed that numerous condos have gone up. So I returned on Saturday to walk around a bit before getting some lunch.

I liked the 5-story condos that were there since at least the mid-aughts (time travel courtesy of Google Streetview and not my failing memory). They felt more human-scaled with their lower height and brick and mortar solidity. The Fuse condos, in development around 2009 and finally built in 2016, were the ubiquitous glass and tiny balconies design that have sprung up everywhere. There were large chains such as Shoppers and Food Basics but a street-level neighbourhood didn't take shape until I passed the bridge just west of Lansdowne.

Bounded on 3 sides by rail, the aforementioned Lansdowne bridge, another one east of Dundas St. West, and a line just south of Geary, this area felt self-contained. There were a few long-time spots including some local bars. But the area has gentrified over the years, though not with total success as evidenced by empty storefronts. There were of course your hair salons, yoga studio, and trendy furniture and décor places. But usually it's the restaurants and cafés that are the markers. So here we had the one that started it all (Farmhouse Tavern), mid-range Italian (Lucia, Defina), quirky casual (Love Chix), and "international cuisine" (Piri Piri Grillhouse, Cocina de Dona Julia). A little strip mall housed additional restaurants (Thai Lime, Koji Sushi).

I stopped off at Koji and chose the Sushi Deluxe ($19). While waiting for my order, I wandered up Perth and found the quiet Symington Playground, a park that boasted a pair of tennis courts. I spent 15 minutes there as the thwack of balls echoed in the distance and a man nearby debated on his phone the philosophical consequences of God, free will, and human purpose.

After I picked up my lunch, I decided to head back east toward Lansdowne. I turned on Campbell where the foundation of a new condo was being dug out. It's not quite a glass monstrosity from the artist's sketch, though the jumbled blocks approach doesn't quite feel copacetic with the neighbours. I discovered Campbell Park and had my sushi meal under a shady tree.

Koji is described online as a high-end sushi in a casual setting but I wouldn't go that far. Yet the combination of dynamite roll and assorted sushi had good rice and nice flavour. This was decent food for the area and I certainly prefer it to the sushi options in my neighbourhood.

Cleans Late For Aloo

I spent 2 hours on Friday and almost 4 hours on Saturday cleaning dirty blinds and windows. So I decided afterward that if I get my own place, I don't want blinds, sliding windows, paneled doors, wainscoting, door frames and any other home features that create bumpy surfaces and little crannies where dirt can accumulate.

Surprised that a whole morning had gone by with 1 pm approaching, I checked out South Indian Dosa Mahal in their new location. I only went to this Indian spot near Bloor and Lansdowne a handful of times a decade ago. I preferred being a regular at Banjara and Madras Masala near Christie Pits. But Mahal was beloved in the neighbourhood. When they attempted to re-open more than a year after a fire in the adjacent building, the landlord asked for months of back rent. The landlord was likely aiming for more gentrification money. There was protest in the area to save the restaurant.

Increasing real estate prices make many areas of Toronto less affordable: boutiques and restaurants have blended all neighbourhoods into a common look and feel. This area is also losing this war. But trendy combatants haven't won all the battles. Mahal's new spot at the intersection used to house Dolly's (funky filipino), Bloordale Pantry (retro 50s diner), and Whippoorwill. They all started strong but couldn't sustain the fickle crowd. Neighbours Through Being Cool and The Emerson have also vanished.

It was a tiny space crammed full of small tables and a bar top. Mahal has turned most it into the kitchen. Add to that the large food display counter and there wasn't space for more than 2 tables when things return to normal. Have they decided to do mostly take-out? They do have other choices because who would order dosas (indian crepes) to go?

So I opted for the vegan box ($7.99) and spicy masala fries ($4.99). When I unpacked my lunch at Dufferin Grove, it was 2 large servings. The box was biryani rice, bhaingan barta (eggplant curry), aloo dhal (lentil/potato), and a mock-meat tofu curry. It was fragrant and delicious though next time I'll pick plain rice. The entrée was rich enough already. The lightly coated fries were a guilty pleasure of crispy, oily, mildly hot starch. I don't know why this addictive take on french fries never went mainstream or even being available at other Indian diners. I've only seen it offered once elsewhere, a defunct spot in the food court at Square One in Mississauga. When I briefly lived in those suburbs in the late 90s, that was my go-to fast-food choice. There was food for 3 meals so I packed up the rest for later.

Ate and Ate Mine With About 19 Options

At the start of my morning run on Tuesday, I fell down, twisting my foot and scraping my hand. I continued the run with a slight ache in my thigh. When I arrived home, I initially felt lucky: no sprained ankle, some lost skin but no bloody scratches. However that ache grew throughout the day until I could barely climb the stairs. I have been musing in recent posts about pains from aging. Yet incapacitating injuries are another danger. My landlord died last year after breaking his second hip. He barely recovered from breaking his first from the year before. One came about while getting mail and the other occurred at the kitchen table.

By Wednesday, the muscle ache and spasm, though still present, had stabilized in my left thigh but a twinge was creeping into my right ankle. I felt optimistically well enough to go outside for some sun. So I hobbled all the way to Little Italy to check out another eatery that opened just before the pandemic. Ballaro, an Italian spot, sat next to Rudy Burger. During the current lockdown, they were offering take-out friendly food like burgers and 19 types of lasagna under the moniker Mission Lasagna, complete with insignia-style logo. Each option was named after a woman and ranged from $11 (Caterina) to $18 (Angelina). I chose the 4-cheese Sasha ($16) and made my way to Fred Hamilton Park.

This was a decadent, rich and gooey concoction of mozzarella, parmiggiano, provalone, and gorgonzola. Slightly charred around the edges, it was a nice salty crust. The bechamel sauce upped the creaminess. Luckily, the noodles wasn't over-cooked and provided a firm base. Much better than my last order. The downside was that this small entrée, about the size of your palm, won't satisfy your hunger. You'll need to shell out more for a complete meal or bring extra food. But Ballaro does offer cheaper choices so it could still work for those on a budget.

Putting on the Ritz

I have enjoyed various events at the re-opened Paradise Theatre but I have yet to try its fancy Italian restaurant. I was going to check out Osteria Rialto on Groundhog Day but discovered that Chef Saha was still in business. Though it would be nice that my first experience here included soaking in its 30s retro decor, I decided that I would support it during the pandemic shut-down by ordering pick-up. So on Friday, I ordered some focaccia ($7) and a plate of rigatoni, asparagus al limone ($18).

It was good that all takeout containers were paper-based but the over-sized bag could have held another 5. The bread appetizer was a huge portion. It was soft and chewy, with a good crust, and nicely salted. But it was also oozing oil which seemed overkill as the order came with high quality Alhema olive oil for dipping. I disliked it causing greasy fingers and being too rich for cleaning up the pasta sauce. It was weirdly too much of a good thing.

As for that pasta, it was delicious. Freshly made and perfectly al dente, it was tossed in creamy butter and carried a hint of citrus. The green chili sauce wasn't overpowering. The asparagus was likewise blanched with care: cooked but still crisp. In fact, someone made the effort of putting some of it inside the pasta. One green piece peeking out from a rigatoni could be luck but not a handful of them. This was an excellent entrée compared to the unexpected disappointment of Mediterrania and the mystifyingly popular Sugo. I look forward to the re-opening of this restaurant.