This New Apartment

On Thursday, I watched a Facebook live stream of a Horseshoe Tavern show. The last such event I saw was Command Sisters. Tonight, indie/folk duo Moscow Apartment presented a different vibe. These two teenagers, celebrating that they were now both 18 and high-school grads, were more concerned about body image (Annie), toxic attitudes (Awful People, New Girl) and nature vs profit (Meredith Palmer). On the latter, this was a passionate project for them such that Brighid Fry is an organizer of Canadian chapters of Music Declares Emergency and Climate Live. But they were also young women who sometimes butt heads (Halfway) and into astrology and sun signs (The Tower).

They accidentally revealed during banter that the show was filmed in March so tonight wasn't strictly a live set. A little disappointing but their natural affect lent spontaneity and cheer to the evening. It wasn't their first time at The Horseshoe having played on a bill with indie bands and opening for Odds. I haven't heard them used backing tracks before tonight. It made for a fuller sound but didn't really compare with a full band. It's strange to think that despite their age they were already music veterans: doing tours, playing festivals, and recording in Nashville.

The Road Got Taken

Since I've been working from home during the pandemic, I always include a break in my work-day by getting take-out and eating it at a park. With value-for-dollar and location as the main criteria, I usually default to a handful of businesses and even the same dishes. But this week, I decided to visit the same stores but choose a different item. How adventurous!

So instead of a slice from 241 Pizza, the veggie lunch from Pam's Roti, vegetable bibimbap from Roll and Bowl, and the vegan meal from Dosa Mahal, I opted for a panzerotti, some doubles, veggie rolls combo, and some curry with naan. They were all pleasant surprises: at $7, the panzerotti was quite large and cheesy; I've had better doubles but these had good chew and were cheap ($2.25); the sushi combo was all right but they screwed up the jap chae noodles; finally, I wanted thicker curries but these still made excellent sauce dips for the fresh naan.

On Friday, I went completely off-script and got oysters. Island Oysters had just opened up in the location of Mediterranea. In that tiny space, I can't see them ever offering any indoor dining even after lock-down. In any case, there was a take-out window and a large chalk billboard. With only 4 options, 3 of them oysters, I chose the Shucker's Dozen ($25). After the shucker got shucking, she presented me with a round tray with 3 Kusshi, 3 Fanny Bay, and 6 Raspberry Point oysters. There was also a variety of different sauces.

It felt like a decadent lunch to have at the park. But I haven't had oysters in about a decade so why not splurge a little. My palate wasn't refined enough to detect the notes of popcorn, honeydew, or cucumber as spelled out on the paper tags. But these oysters were definitely fresh and tasty. The 90-cents rye roll from nearby Nova Era Bakery rounded out the meal (I'm hoi polloi). It was a very good lunch and that made all the difference.

There Once Was A Man

On Sunday night, Art of Time Ensemble was streaming a show it originally recorded in 2018 called A Singer Must Die. It was a tribute show to Leonard Cohen by this pop-classical outfit with guest singers including Steven Page, Sarah Harmer, and Sarah Slean. Cohen isn't my favourite singer-songwriter but I thought it might be worth checking out for (another) stay-at-home evening.

I spent most of show with it playing in the background as I finished a crossword. Simply put: I've always thought Cohen (and Dylan) wrote doggerel with leaden rhythm and dull rhymes. On the music side, the songs lacked great melodies or inspiration. And nothing played tonight changed my mind though I have enjoyed Art of Time in the past.

The ensemble did all the heavy lifting. The songs were re-arranged as numbers from klezmer to tango jazz to blues and other genres. There were interesting counter-plays between instruments. But you knew none of this originated from the source material. The singers also poured their emotions into their performance though there was something about Page's vocal timbre that didn't mesh with this content. Mostly though, in my opinion, Cohen's lyrics are good for about 1 verse and a chorus. But of course they're never that short and then you can't help but notice how insipid they are.

So there were occasional 60-second spans where I focused on the performance (after watching attentively for the first 10 minutes) before it was relegated once again to easy-listening muzak. The crossword was fun though.

Avenue Cute

I returned to Geary to try to get some empanadas at Gaucho Pies but I was stymied by the long line-up again. Either it's busier on the week-end or the word has gotten out about their variety of flavour. Instead of wandering aimlessly around this time, I decided to just check out another local shop.

I stepped into Geary Market and chose a burger and fries combo ($11) from Burger Avenue. I wasn't sure if they were the same people or simply shared a kitchen. While waiting for my order, I browsed the selection at this small grocery store. There was a number of prepared meals (lasagna, pizza, etc.) from the kitchen and cheese, snacks, and other staples from boutique distributors. This store was at a higher price-point and had fancier options than a NoFrills or even a Loblaws. So despite the modest homes in the neighbourhood, Geary was no longer very industrial.

I took my lunch to Bartlett Park across the street. It was a passable meal but nothing particularly exciting. The fries was the best part: golden and crispy. But compared to the fragrant spiciness of masala fries from Dosa Mahal or the texture of Harlem Bodega, this was just a good try. The vegan burger was mostly disappointing. The toppings were fresh especially the crunchy pickle, but the patty was soft and bland. Other places seemed to have gotten the knack of meat substitute so this was no excuse. Even a nice crunch from deep-fried falafels would be better.

The nice sunny weather was replaced by dark, stormy clouds. Instead of continuing my walk, I headed on home. But I did stop to admire a flowering tree. Most trees were in glorious bloom for Spring, even this wild one, wedged between a wooden fence and the sidewalk, that found purchase in this small patch of dirt.