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.