A friend reached out to see if I wanted to get dinner on Friday. Since I hadn't seen their family since last November, I accepted. I didn't bother suggesting Idriss for Algerian food or the newly revamped Coconut Lagoon for Indian. Though they always offer delicious home-made meals when I visit, having a picky teenager meant that eating out for them was usually a blander affair.
So we ended up at Moxie's close to the Gloucester Centre. This stretch of Ogilvie was all suburban businesses: Chapters, Cineplex Odeon, and various chain restaurants including Montana's and State and Main. They all offer the same ersatz "fine dining" experience with an extensive menu to cover all bases: a downtown restaurant vibe without the commute and plenty of parking. So despite having passed by Moxie's many times, I wasn't surprised when I finally stepped inside for the first time.
There was something for everyone so my friend and his spouse settled on a large plate of nachos and their teenager picked chicken tenders and fries. Since I eat a mostly plant-based diet, I picked a sirloin steak ($37) as I don't cook like that at home. The grilled veggies and the mashed potato sides were all right, but the beef was terrible. It was tough to cut through and tougher to chew. I miss the Argentinian and Portuguese steaks of Toronto even though I was never a big meat-lover.
They were planning a 3-week family vacation in Japan for November. Since they all liked Japanese food it should be a fun trip. I suggested that in addition to ramen and sushi, they should try local dishes that haven't made it to North America like Nagashi Somen. When I mentioned that my financial plan included early retirement in a few years (at least in theory), they told me some acquaintances were also doing that even if they won't receive the maximum amount for their government pension. I opined that, as someone who works in the private sector and has crunched the numbers (or at least watched some videos), any pension was better than none.
