Ignorance Is Strength

Thursday night, I attended my first paid online concert in a couple of months. Tamara Lindeman's (The Weather Station) new album Ignorance has received rave reviews since its release. With live concerts still far in the future, she has gathered a who's who of Toronto indie scene (Ben Whiteley, Christine Bougie, Johnny Spence) for a show at Revolution Recording.

There was some question mark in my mind on whether it was live or pre-recorded. I was leaning toward the latter for a few reasons: the quick transitions between songs, the refusal of the hosting platform (Noon Chorus) to confirm or deny it when a viewer asked, and coincidentally, I saw one of the drummers (Kieran Adams) chilling out at a porch hang on Grace St that same day.

Over the next hour, the audience was treated to a 10-piece band all dressed in black suits, dramatically lit by pulsing fluorescent lights, playing great music perfectly mixed from the sound board. I actually prefer this "studio broadcast" compared to a live venue. Lindeman's lyrical prowess is top-notch, but her delicate vocals would be swamped by most sound set-ups. With her voice front and centred, it was clear on songs like Atlantic, I Tried To Tell You, and Separated why critics are loving this new album. Her disco-ball jacket made an appearance on Robber, a scathing commentary about late-stage capitalism and our complicity. The only disappointment was that back-up vocalists Felicity Williams only joined on the final two numbers: Heart and Subdivisions. The blending of their voices was sublime.

It would have been nice for Lindeman to talk a little bit about her motivations and go into some details about her new music. Unfortunately, there's usually not much banter with these online shows. But it also made for a lean concert that finished in plenty of time for old fogies to get to bed.

The Beat Goes Nom Nom Nom

I returned on Friday to Caravan Cafe despite the service screw-up to try their other hosted pop-up venture: Afrobeat Kitchen. It turns out that the chef Victor Uguweke offered dishes from his native Nigeria as well as other African countries. However, they were not strictly traditional but contained modern twists due to his experience working kitchens around the world. So the Senegalese entrée I ordered ($16) went by the interesting name of Miso Mafe Stew.

It's rare to be blown away by a first taste but this was wonderful food. I had to slow myself down to savour this vegan dish. The miso and peanut-based sauce was rich and aromatic. Young jackfruit and chickpeas gave texture and chew. Finally, the bursts of flavour from the herbs and roasted eggplant completed this fragrant entrée. The accompanying coconut rice was equally tasty and quite different from Thai coconut rice while still retaining that tropical scent. I'm drooling thinking about whether or not his other dishes are just as well-made and definitely planning to return often.

Play Time

With work still at 80% due to tight finances, I usually spend my furloughed Fridays walking around outside especially on a sunny (if cold) day like today. There were a good number of pedestrians joining me on the sidewalk in Little Portugal along Dundas St. W.

After I rounded the corner at Lansdowne and headed East along College St., I passed by a smattering of businesses, nestled amid mostly residential (and run-down) homes without much curb appeal. Whether it was a local store or a slightly more gentrified business, these have always been touch-and-go except for the laundromat. Defloured, a gluten-free bakery that hung in there for about 5 years, has given way to Tapioca Local Kitchen.

If this seemed like an odd name, it was due to their specialty: Brazilian tapioca crepes. I wasn't in the mood for crepes but they also had a number of other baked goods including tamales and empanadas. I settled on a veggie and cheese empanada for $5.25 and found a low ledge outside of St. Helens Elementary to taste-test. Meanwhile, score of kids played inside the school grounds during their afternoon recess.

It turned out to be tasty snack. The crust was closer to a Jamaican patty with its buttery and crumbly texture than the typical chewy empanada. The inside was a nice mix of quinoa, cheese, and assorted veggie chunks. Overall, I was impressed with its quality and will return to try that crepe. The owner, like those of Defloured, also made his name at various farmer's market. Given that this neighbourhood was still predominantly Portuguese, he should advertise more clearly the Brazilian/South American roots of his food. Otherwise, he won't get local buy-in. This is not a destination neighbourhood with many outside visitors.

Chai Côté

Back in the aughts, the stretch of Bloor between Dufferin and Lansdowne was more working-class. There was a Vietnamese Karaoke called Lang Man, its' next door neighbour was a Croatian Credit Union, across the street sat Portuguese BBQ spot Churrasqueira Aveirense, and next to Sweet Pete's bike shop was pho diner My Duyen and then Pho Jade. With gentrification, the karaoke bar became the popular hipster hangout 3-Speed and the BBQ joint transformed into the even more popular concert venue/microbrewery Burdock. Pho Jade was shuttered for a few years until it recently became a ghost kitchen during the pandemic, hosting close to 10 "restaurants".

The Credit Union turned into the quirky Intergalactic Travel Authority: part coffee house, part children's playground/charity. ITA lasted a good while and remained a coffee shop as Charlie's Friend Art Café. This was a short-lived venture due to a late-stage career change from a desk jockey. I think he underestimated this area's readiness for subtle Italian coffee. For all its' changes, Bloordale is still not yet a supercharged trendy neighbourhood. Great news for folks like me, perhaps not so much for some business ventures.

Mr. Milenkovic's renovation revealed exposed brick which was a definite upgrade (retrograde?) from bland white walls. New owner Caravan Café And Tea House inherited that homey touch. As a non-coffee drinker, I never visited ITA, nor Charlie's and probably not Caravan either except that I heard they were hosting ghost/pop-up kitchens.

So I went on Sunday evening, looked over Hotay's menu of mac and cheese offerings and settled on the "baseline" 4-cheese main. How does it compare to Bobbie Sue's? The latter just beat Hotay's for toothsomeness but the contender had the better cheese crust. You can actually taste the individual cheeses. As for portion size, I'm not sure. Although I ordered a regular ($8), I was charged $11.30 which would be a large ($10 + tax). So was I given a large size portion instead? If so, it's not very big. If it was the regular, then it's a good deal for a sub-10-dollars meal (when they don't overcharge you).

Given the screw-up, I would not normally return to a business. But the person who actually handed me my order seemed like a nice chap. He had his own ghost kitchen here as a personal venture. So I'll return to give him a chance.