San Diss

I haven't gone to Gus Taco since it moved onto Bloor St., though I was a frequent visitor during the pandemic to their Gladstone and Shanly location. From hidden gem to a main thoroughfare, they have expanded their customer base. But with the white-tile counter, narrow bar-top, and high metal stools, it didn't feel inviting. Passing by their old spot, I noticed that it was still selling Mexican food (tortas and breakfast burritos) as San Wich.

They have expanded the counter space with red brick layout that gave a sun-baked vibe. That didn't leave much room except for two park benches to wait for your order. To be fair, this has always been a take-out, except for a few tables on the small patio in the summer. Since I had skipped breakfast on Saturday to clean my kitchen and bathroom, I ordered a larger lunch. At first, I debated if I should get the Milenesa (to compare with Masa's). I settled on an adobo pork torta ($13) and some fries ($7). It was a disappointing lunch.

First, the fries were your average thick-cut pub fries. They were crispier than some places, but overall I would rather have masala fries. When I unwrapped the sandwich, it was already messy. There's a laziness in that kind of attitude (after we wrap it, we don't care if you struggle to eat it), but it did explain the pile of paper napkins in my to-go bag. The messiness reminded of California Sandwiches but was it worth the hassle? No because despite the avocado, the onions, adobo sauce, it was a rather bland affair. Mostly it was the lack of flavour from the pork slices. I was expecting juicy and soft (like pulled pork or filipino adobo chicken) but it was dry. With $26 (tax and tip), I should have gone with my first choice: a full thali platter ($17.99) from Banjara. It's crazy that San Wich was also owned by the Gus Tacos folks because of the quality difference.

Lily of the Valley

It was warm enough Friday night that I could walk to The Baby G, a distance of about 2.5 km from my sublet. The stretch on College between Dovercourt and Havelock were lively with diners at Gonzo Izakaya (Levetto, Hadley's), Giuletta (Bestellen), Lardo (Prairie Boy Bread) but also event spaces like Society Clubhouse where Octopus Garden yoga studio and vegan spot Urban Herbivore used to share space.

Unlike The Monarch show on Thursday, bands took their time to get going not just with their set but also their songs. Catholic Wilt (Jesse James Laderoute) was a duo tonight, trading songs that were slow and atmospheric. I liked Laderoute in his upper register but I was zoning out for the most part. I haven't seen Isla Craig since 2019 (though she was often in the crowd at shows). Her new material since The Becoming still carried that meditative pulse, enlivened by little guitar riffs. She admitted that she has only been playing acoustic guitar as of late, but the crowd was appreciative of her deft playing on her electric.

Anna (Beams, Ace of Wands), through a chance meeting with U.S. producer Kevin S. McMahon, started a collaboration on some of her songs that weren't a fit for the her current bands. Another impetus was her pregnancy. McMahon then brought in a friend, film-maker and musician Daniel Liss and The Cross Sea was formed. The studio recordings were intricate enough that for their album release, they recruited several others to play live. From New York came McMahon, Liss, and Chris Robertson (Elk City). Local musicians were Lee Rose (Ace of Wands' lead singer), Anna's brother Mike, and Heather Mazhar (Beams).

Their set woke me up. As a (currently) one-off, it ranged from sweet folk with banjo, to some multi-vocal pop, to a heavy number like Alien. Some of the lyrics were a bit banal and on the nose but the arrangements were layered and interesting. Given the logistics, I doubt if this "band" would ever tour so it was special to see it live ($20) in Anna's hometown of Toronto.

Stack Overflow

Another snowstorm came through Toronto on Wednesday. But instead of fluffy flakes, it started overnight as freezing rain, then became wet packed snow throughout the day. I did not see my diligent neighbour shovelling the front walks so I decided it was my turn. But my friend's shovel stored in the backyard was frozen to the downspout and encased in ice. Later in the evening, he came around to clear out the snow.

By Thursday morning, the snow had turned to slush. So it was a trek to get groceries at Dufferin Mall from dodging puddles to squishing through drifts. I didn't want to fight through that muddy mess later on so instead took transit to The Monarch Tavern that night. The 3 bands on the bill played all new music for the show ($20).

I had skipped out on Emily Steinwall at her concert on Geary Ave. Later I listened to her debut album and realized she was the real deal. But if those songs were somewhere between world music and jazz ballads, her new numbers channeled 70s psychedelic rock and Guns N' Roses circa Use Your Illusion with less bombast. To be fair, it has been 2 years since that concert and 5 years since she released Welcome To The Garden. The new songs were twice as long as most pop tunes. But I found them musically interesting and dynamic. The topics were a bit heavy-going with titles like No One Ever Win The War or We Are The Same, an intense piece about unresolved anger for someone who treated you badly but has died. Steinwall had a big voice that she used judiciously. I would love to see her more often than every couple of years.

The second band also didn't do any songs from their album except for I Don't Wanna Get Over You. This was a slight disappointment since Deanna Petcoff's release contained several gems that were either punchy or sweet. But her new material was also quite good ending with a banger tentatively titled I Buy A Fake Houseplant To Keep Me Company. This was my first concert with Petcoff though we have crossed paths briefly through the years.

Stacks only had new music since this band was still working toward their 1st release. I didn't want to stay out late but did hear 2.5 songs from their set. With non-pop scales and ululating tones from Carolina Lopez, they were musically closer to Steinwall. It sounded fresh compared to other new bands that I've heard recently. Overall, though there was a good-sized crowd, this was a great show that deserved a larger audience.

Pho Better Or Pho Horse

Several members of my family were born in the Year of the Horse. But none were close by to celebrate this Lunar New Year. I have attended a few Tet celebrations downtown, but most took place in event centres out by the airport. There was one at Artscape on Monday, but I wasn't sure about it because I had never heard of the promoter. It wasn't the usual set-up by the community newspaper with local sponsors.

So I decided to go to Pho Linh for a bowl of pho instead. Prices have increased since back in the day and my order of a large was $16. Overall, the portion was good, broth was fragrant, and there was plenty of beef and sides like basil and bean sprouts. My only nitpick was that the noodles were a tad too soft. But compared to cheaper options like a Szechuan noodle bowl, it was pricey at $20 (tax + tip). Linh should put back on the menu a small at a good value like, say, $12. They wouldn't necessarily lose money either since folks like myself might get a $4 spring roll or fresh roll (which used to be 2 for $3) as appetizer. Because I wasn't going to get one and push my lunch over $25.

I have been going to this OG restaurant at College and Dufferin for decades. With these (formerly) regular haunts, you have been there enough to remember the staff, but not so often that the passage of time was smoothed over. In other words, I was shocked to see some people passing into "respected elder" (or at least uncle and auntie) status. It was similar to seeing myself in a full-length mirror and asking: when did I get old?

Could Have Been

I was up early on Sunday as I did not go out for St. Valentine's. There was a post-punk dance party with Doghouse Rose, Gaijin Smash, and Mad Ones at The Bovine Sex Club, a venue that I have been to only once in all my time in Toronto. But doors weren't even until 9 pm; I wouldn't last through such late hours.

I took my clothes to the laundromat. True to their sign, they were opened at 6 am. A little bit later, a lady lugged in several bags of laundry, enough for the enormous Dexter washer. I found out she drove in from Oakville which seemed a tad far for a shabby business. But the clothes actually came from her parents who lived nearby on Westmoreland. Her mom was in the hospital for the past 3 weeks due to a stroke. She also suffered from dementia since 2024. This could complicate recovery since they might not be able to follow rehab instructions. I wished her better news for the rest of the year.

Though I had no Cupid-inspired plans, I did experienced a dream of romantic bliss. This seemed like a portent to go to a particular East-end yoga class for the last time. Why? Because I held a pseudo-limerence for the instructor. Pseudo since I was really pining for an alternate timeline where, in my younger days, I had found someone who was also kind and gentle. Limerence because I actually knew nothing about them: most yoga instructors project equanimity and patience in class. The session was full of deep twists and stretches; my thighs were shaking at some points. I only wished we attempted some arm balances as these deeper poses are a good preparation for them.

Back in the West-end, I was so famished from class that I ate almost all of the vegetarian plate ($14.99) from Laziza. I also spent the afternoon in a restful half-doze. But Sundays were made for idle laziness. I was still too full of lunch to attempt more than a handful of nut mix with some leftover rice for dinner.

Gallivanting

On Saturday, I walked to get my slice of Toronto-style pizza. The complete circuit was a little over 7 km but more enjoyable than a similar stroll in Ottawa. On the way, I stopped off at Barbershop Patisserie. When Jill Barber started this business during the pandemic, it was only opened for 3 days. So I was glad to see that they were now a 7-day shop. However, the new Three Dots Coffee Lab (once a medical clinic) a few doors down could be cutting into their coffee sales. Dots looked quite busy but their "experimental coffee" might only appeal to a niche audience. I glimpsed Ms. Barber rolling out pastries in the back but she didn't man the counter any more. Prices have increased with the apple chausson now going for $5.35 and the brownie was $4.25. But the wonderful flavour and quality remained. Still, I wondered what was the "too much" limit was for the average consumer? One of the pricier croissant variety was over $7.

I also dropped by the library at Shaw. But when I noticed this edition of the Globe and Mail had a giant crossword, usually only found in their Christmas paper, I bought my own copy. The number of businesses on College changing hands continued, though most were restaurants. The Royal cinema venue was hosting a touring burlesque show called The Empire Strips Back. I know Toronto have several fan-cons a year, but this didn't seem mainstream enough to have a month-long run.

Despite being past lunch-time, Fresca had lines of people waiting for their slices while I was there. So much so that an entire Margherita pizza was divvied up right out of the oven and I needed to wait for the next one. I used the time to talk to both owners. Officially, they had given the store over to their daughter. But they still came in to help. The young men I saw during previous visits were not the "next generation" as I had hoped; they were nephews from Vietnam on tourist visas. After making extra money for six months, they would head back home. What about "Toronto pizza" in Vietnam? That wasn't possible because importing ingredients like cheese were too expensive and the customer base could only exist in large cities like Saigon. It also turned out the old owner of Cici's used to drop by for a chat and a slice.

On the way back along Bloor, a number of men passed by carrying large bouquet of flowers. February 14th on a Saturday: all venues in Toronto (bars, clubs, restaurants) should be hopping tonight. Perhaps even the 2nd location of Taqueria Vegena at Bloor and Dovercourt. I passed by there twice during my loop and the place was packed. Given that their tacos were normally around $25, snagging an opening day $10 deal was too good for people to pass up.

Senior Moments

It wasn't every second Friday off at my new company but rather the second Fridays of each month that was paid time off. My boss was pushing for us to work because of deadlines. But I guess there were no takers while I was travelling because when I arrived home on Thursday, Friday's meeting was canceled. Nevertheless, I did some follow-up emails in the morning.

At lunch, I headed to Boku, a Japanese eatery with some pan-Asian dishes, at Yonge and Wellesley. I usually meet my ex-coworkers at North York Centre because one of them comes from Markham. But this time, they were willing to head downtown on the subway. Their gait was improved from last time though they still suffered from back pain and sciatica. I haven't seen the other one in over 2 years. In that time, their mother's dementia has progressed to the point where they needed to be in a facility with a "memory floor". This for-profit private care was over $8,000 a month which luckily was covered by her late husband's pension and investments. I opined that I would prefer that even "tiered services" should be government run, even if that ran counter to the idea of "equal access to social services". Because the alternative was the current situation where a life-time of savings was being funneled to corporations.

Since they had "retired early", one from a recent lay-off in September and the other after quitting in 2021, our talk revolved around the golden years. The latter didn't join us last December because they had surgery for a detached retina. There were actually several other treatments before the operation. This was a final resort since there were unavoidable consequences from the procedure. In fact, they will need cataract surgery within a year. But right now, they were healthy and planning a car trip around Iceland, a safari in Botswana, and a tour of the Central Asian "5 stans" for some Silk Road history and Soviet vibes.

The other was warming up to the idea of spending every 6 months in China. Living expenses were cheaper there and there were plentiful locations to visit in that vast country including the ice city of Harbin. I revealed that I was also pondering early retirement in a few years. The problem was that my nest-egg was sufficient for myself but not if my mom develop major health issues down the road. In such a scenario, early retirement means that I would be too long out of the job market to return to work.

We shared Edamame ($6.99), Takoyaki ($9), a plate of Calamari and Coconut Shrimp ($18), and a bowl of Gyu Don ($18). The first two were average but the latter were tasty with large portions. Their ramen looked good though on the expensive side because of ingredients like duck. Hard to say when we will meet again but I might join the travel aficionado for a yoga class in the East End before my sublet expire.

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

I returned to Ottawa for six days to visit my mom. The downside was paying $70/day for an unused sublet. The upside was not spending money so in that sense, I will have a higher daily budget since rent was a fixed cost. Last Saturday was blisteringly cold in Toronto and even more so in Ottawa. The walk to the subway was short and reasonably pleasant. The final 1.6 km segment in Ottawa was less so for several reasons: the connecting bus was too long to wait so I also walked and the sidewalk was haphazardly plowed. You'd be out of luck if you had any mobility issues in Ottawa.

Perhaps because of that, I did not venture out during the week to see friends. All my meals were home-cooked but my favourite were the sticky rice breakfasts. My mom bought some tropical fruits but were a bust: too green or sour because they were out of season. Without daily activities (and blogging about it), I spent more time scrolling social media posts.

Since my trip to Ottawa was sparse (a callback to the early days with Rider Express), I was surprised that the Thursday return to Toronto was full. The driver also forgot to turn on the wifi and onboard electrical outlet so I only got a few hours of work in. Fat Bastard, my usual take-out store at the Kingston rest stop, overcharged my $9.99 burrito by $2. The good news was a traffic-free ride that came into The Big Smoke half an hour early. My walk through Union Station to the subway passes by a kiosk that usually offered small samples from some brand: coffee, granola bars, etc. People always line up for the free stuff but this time, the line snaked 200-people long through the concourse. What could be the giveaway this time? It was free bread. A literal breadline in Toronto.

After dropping off my stuff, I went to Dufferin Mall to stock up on about $45 of groceries. But dinner was once again the chicken combination box ($10) from South Pacific. Peeking through the kitchen window, I saw the elderly lady from a few weeks ago. So perhaps she wasn't the OG owner from the 70s but she seemed to know her stuff. The fried rice had a deeper, smokier wok hei flavour and the lemon chicken sauce was less mouth-puckering than last time.

The Office

On Thursday, I was busy with work most of the day. My team had ambitious goals for the quarter, but as usual we were strapped for time. But it wasn't my call to make regarding our roadmap. In theory, my position at the new company did give me that leeway but I felt it was a case of "job inflation". I wasn't unqualified but I didn't really have the corporate track record to exert any authority. In the evening, to get out of the house for a bit, I went to Szechuan Noodle Bowl for their 3rd-most popular dish: braised beef noodle. For the first time, I wasn't served by the foreign student graduate. It was a tasty bowl for dinner but it was confirmation for me that their spice level was not excessive. The only negative: only a few morsels of the advertised bamboo shoot.

Snow came again overnight but I was heading into the office on Friday. Our old CEO had missed the Christmas lunch and wanted a re-do. People actually came for work this time and the floor was busy and buzzing. But even discounting the various chats I had with folks I haven't seen in years, I didn't get as much done as at home. All that face-time didn't translate to productivity so I'm skeptical of the back-to-work mandates given by the various branches of government and the large companies.

For lunch, we went to an Italian restaurant called Remezzo at Sheppard and Warden. I knew of it from my previous visits to that plaza for noodles (Eight Noodles) and sushi (Mika Sushi). Similar to Mangal Kebab House, Remezzo tried to evoke Old World charm in a suburban milieu with its murals and wooden furniture. Since it has been around for decades, it was a bit dated and ersatz.

I found out in the new year that HR was strict with the holiday reimbursement. It wasn't 3 days of travel but only before and after the Holiday meal. My trip was early by 1 day so I had to pay out of pocket for that night's stay. There were also no compensation for some of my meals since they were cash-only and had no receipts. To "get some of my money back", I ordered a minestrone soup ($7.95) and rainbow trout on pilaf rice ($24.99). The former was mostly tomato broth and not very tasty veggies or pasta. The latter was better with a firm fish and rice.

There were more office gossip. Maybe I had forgotten the announcement, but the CEO had moved to our Swiss office 3 years back. The other founder, who came to meet his ex co-workers, took the buyout package and had retired. Both were in their 70s and were happy with their choices. However, given his many meetings including a recent trip to Davos, it seemed a matter of keeping a "power broker" lifestyle rather than money that motivated my old boss. His son, who was the nepo-baby at work, had a major career shift: he was now a pilot for Porter Air. He achieved this in just 1 year from pilot school to employment. How did he get the required 1500 hours of flight-time experience? He bought a Cessna plane. When it comes to the "nepo-baby" discourse in popular culture, it was never about talent or drive. On a grimmer note, the CEO and my current boss had a falling out around the time of the acquisition. Details were not forthcoming, but this boded ill since they were still heavily invested in our product.

I was heading back to Ottawa to visit my mom on Saturday so I called it an early night. I spent some time looking for sublets or permanent rentals with my budget in mind. I knew I was looking at smaller bachelor or studio apartments, but it was depressing that a $1700 cap yielded only basement units. Or I could pay around $1300 to share with 2-4 roommates. This prospect did not appeal now that I have re-discovered the joy of single living.

Human Resources

I was back at The Tranzac on Thursday for another monthly session with The Holy Oak Family Singers. It wasn't as packed as "Toronto Plays Toronto" because of the bland theme title of "Team Building". Johnny Spence explained how this all fit in. Back in 2010, Spence along with Carmen Elle and Stephen Foster attended an open mic night at this venue. Unfortunately, their professional musician chops got a few side-eye from the other folks there who were amateurs. So they started Team Building (a corporate-speak jargon to deter non-musicians) night at The Holy Oak. So although it was never part of the Family Singers tradition, tonight was a full circle moment.

Both sets comprised of new songs (some were only finished a few hours beforehand) that were being work-shopped or never had been played live. Later on, Ivy Mairi ("artist wrangler") revealed the dirty secret of the Family Singers: they didn't usually rehearse or only in the car. So those musical improv skills came in handy to turn songs into performances. There was an eclectic mix of folk jazz, ambient experimental, americana, spoken word (a revision of Rilke's poetry) and other genres. It was a similar line-up as last time but Kieran Adams was behind the drums. A guitarist named Rudy, just moved here from NY, made his Toronto debut after meeting Josh Shabason. The evening ended with the 3 strongest performances of the night: Caitlin Woelfle-Obrien's emotionality on a "you cheated" song, the pure tone of Felicity Williams on I Am The Arrow (written for a song-of-the-month challenge issued by Robin Dann), and Alex Lukashevsky (along with Adams, Shabason) on a driving number with a jaunty riff.

All You Need is Grill

For my birthday, I decided to split my usual celebratory dinner (aka Groundhog Day) into two outings. Sunday was a visit to Taverniti North to reflect my first dinners at Black Skirt. On Monday, I made my way to the food court at College Park for BHK Roll. The last time I was there, I was disappointed with my meal. But luckily, chef Saha was in the kitchen tonight instead of subordinates.

My experience with the chef went back several decades. But specifically as a birthday dinner, I did go to his last "fancy" restaurant called Spice Indian Bistro. Tonight's order didn't hit the pocketbooks as much but it was just as delicious. The chicken changezi ($21) was enough for 2 meals. The rice was moist and fragrant, the sauce had a hint of sweetness and spice, and the chicken was tender yet retained a good chew. Based on its red coat, I wondered if the pieces were cooked in a tandoor. I had chosen the to-go option instead of eating in the food court. But the meal was still warm when I got back home in part due to a speedy TTC subway and bus. In fact, it was so tasty I wanted to add BHK to my weekly rotation despite its $20+ mains (though the chicken biryani dish was only $14).

Pasta La Vista

The 1st day of February was warmer than most days last month. I started Sunday by paying rent and covering expenses in Ottawa. That ate up most of my budget so it was a bit demoralizing. Also a downer was the state of my investment after the recent stock market bloodbath. Lunch was a pesto sandwich made from my fridge ingredients and a fresh bun ($0.70) from Progress Bakery (or rather Mel's). The afternoon offered a free show at Walter Hall from the University of Toronto New Music Festival. But it combined my two least favourite genres: improv music and Jazz.

In other years, I celebrated my birthday with an indulgent meal. At first, I wanted to go to Zia's Place, a restaurant co-owned by Jess Maiorano who started Pasta Forever. Its Southern Italian menu would be a callback to the first such dinners at Black Skirt. But with my budget in mind, I decided this year to split it into 2 modest outings. The Sunday dinner was at the last remaining neighbourhood spot I haven't visited: Taverniti North.

The inside had exposed brick on one wall and wooden slats and fake grape leaves on the other. A few booths shared space with small tables and two larger round family tables at the back. Its' menu was similar to the short-lived Tav's (which has been merged into the original Taverniti). I chose the bread ($5) and a Pappardelle Bolognese ($25). The verdict: it was better than Sugo but didn't compare to Enoteca Sociale. True, my first visits to Enoteca weren't home-runs but they were making an effort.

The toasted bread was crumbly, bakery-bought (I sure hope they didn't have their own baker), and forgettable with run-of-the-mill balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You got complementary fresh, chewy slices with quality oil at Enoteca. The pasta was better: al dente with a rich sauce though I would like the pappardelle to have a slightly thicker mouth-feel. Still, I would come back for more carb-loading at this spot if the mains were $5 cheaper.

Cash Apt

Did I stayed within my budget for the month of January? At the end of Saturday, I had $32 left. Actually, I would have been over without the extra $210 as my rent was prorated for the 3 days before I moved in. Early in the morning, I went to Billy's Souvlaki Place at Bloor and Dovercourt for another nostalgia hit. To be fair, it wasn't really a regular haunt; I usually went to this old-school diner for breakfast before trips back to Ottawa. But we still went back more than 15 years and many may not know its full name was Akbar Billy Mohsen Souvlaki Place.

It was the same line cook as before. He must be in his 80s by now. As there was no waitstaff at 9 am, he took my order: your typical 2 eggs (over-easy) with sausage, home fries, and toast. It was still cheap at $8.99 compared to nearby places, and I didn't really expect the $4.25 price from 2010. Still, that was higher than inflation and came in at $12.15 with tax and tip. Nostalgia factor aside, given the same ingredients, you got a more flavourful breakfast wrap at Uncle Sid's for $9.

Then I walked to College and Shaw to photocopy my Saturday crossword from the library. Then it was across the street to the local Metro grocery chain. This will be my last time there. I never really shopped here when I lived in the neighbourhood because prices were always higher than No Frills. But to charge me full price ($4.29) for bread that was 1 day from the Best Before date (I only checked when I got home), that was a no-no in my book.

Both lunch and dinner were at home. I had 2 choices of evening entertainment: doom metal and post-punk (Tiajuana Taxi, She Wears Black, Luster Dust) at The Baby G or a trio of folk songwriters (Jessica Moore, Jessie Dara, and Beatrice May) at the Tranzac. But the combination of sub -20 degrees weather and some intestinal tenderness convinced me to stay inside and complete my crossword puzzles.