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On Saturday, I met up with a friend for brunch. Since restaurants weren't taking reservations, we met at Brunswick and Bloor to maximize our chances of finding a spot on a patio. We settled on the Middle-Eastern café By The Way. Unlike my recent restaurant eats, you had to register your phone and email info for contact tracing purposes.

We were served by a very gregarious server. I'm usually stand-offish about instant chumminess but perhaps the extended isolation has made me more open to friendly interactions. I opted for a Shakshuka entrée ($18) and a strawberry and rhubarb tart ($8). The version of this dish here was heavily tomato-based and came with two poached eggs. Although I enjoyed my brunch, the Shakshuka came in last when ranked against other local ones. The dessert had a nice mix of texture and flavour. A light wrap-up to brunch but not worth the price.

My friend elaborated on their recent epiphany regarding finances. The strategy was propounded by William J. Berstein and Jack Bogle: a slow and steady approach to building a retirement nest-egg via a balanced set of investment buckets and ETFs (Exchange Traded Fund). The authors also had advice about sunk-cost, the long view, financial discipline, etc. It seemed as good an approach as any. But I forgot to ask them how this translated to their plans to "retire" early. Even if they started decades ago (which was unlikely), Berstein's advice only claimed 15 years of retirement funds (the other 10 would come from government aid) for 25 years. Furthermore, this was meant for a retirement at 65. Where would regular income come from? Did they mean to generate it from selling ETF shares instead of re-investing everything?

Cairo On

On Saturday, I went for an early (8:30 am) brunch at Egyptian spot Maha's. Partly because I'm an early riser, but mostly this busy diner has a reputation for long lines. In fact, by 9, the waiting list had stretched to 30 minutes.

The tiny space can seat 23, but only because tables were squeezed into every nook. You accepted the crowding, since it feels like being in the warm sun-room of a well-traveled and charming friend. This familial atmosphere wasn't far from reality as the main workers were the son, daughter, and matriarch of the Maha clan.

I opted for the Shakshuka ($12) and a side order of Foole ($6). The traditional Shakshuka is a concoction of poached eggs and tomatoes, Baha's version was the African style of scrambled eggs with sautéed tomatoes. In any case, it was soft, fragrant and made tasty mouthful with the pita-like balady bread. Possibly the best egg dish in the city. The foole, a soup made from fava beans, tomatoes, and onions, was equally filling and had wonderful subtle flavour. I came the following week-end for the date grilled cheese ($12) which was even better. This date-stuffed sandwich was closer to a sweet French toast than your typical grilled cheese. Every bite was a revelation.

Maha's deserve its loyal, and patient, customers. One caveat, on my second visit, I was treated to a snobby barista scenario. I had never encountered anything like it and had thought that "scolding coffee artiste" only existed in hipster parodies like Portlandia. So maybe stick to tea if your patience for arrogant servers is low.

Si Si

Little Sito is a new dining spot in the Bloor and Ossington area. With its wood panels, indoor plants, and sliding garage door, it resembles other trendy restaurant/bistro in Toronto. But with a focus on Lebanese food, it looks to be different than the rest. Along to Tavoos and other sit-down Middle-East spots, it demonstrates that there's more than shawarma and pita wraps to this region's cuisine.

However, I was here for a Saturday brunch specifically for 1 dish: shakshuka. Unlike the Egyptian variant at Maha's, which is closer to scrambled eggs, the Lebanese version is closer to a stew. So the shallow bowl that greeted me was warm and richly fragrant with tomato, eggplant, and other herbs. The dish was $15 but I added some lamb. You don't get a lot (it's only an extra $2), but the few portions added a nice smoky flavour. Along with some warm pita, a soft poached egg, and sharp feta, this was a tasty entrée for a cool December morning.

Passable

It happened that an ex-coworker lived near my sublet and their partner was not a breakfast person. So on Tuesday, I met up with them for the third time to try out brunch options at Pasaj, a Middle-Eastern brunch spot and bakery on Queen. It always looked full so we got reservations even if early in the week is a safe bet for other restaurants.

It was a refreshingly brief menu. They picked the eggs benedict while I chose the Menemen (which is the Turkish version of Shakshuka). It was two poached eggs with feta in a tomato and bell pepper sauce. My palate wasn't fine enough to taste the nutmeg or sumac. I've had numerous versions all over town so this was good but not the best. I also enjoyed the simit (Turkish bagel) as they also own Simit and Chai. The salad was pitifully small for an $18 meal.

I relayed to my friend all the little bits of the East-End that I've seen some of which they've known about and others were new to them, too. They were still planning several vacations including an upcoming trip to Poland in June. They were also worried about their grown child who was wrapping up 3rd year studies. Unfortunately, this college junior lacked any work experience and was introverted, too. Yet they refused to let their parent reach out to ex-colleagues to get a foot in the door. I commiserated as one of my cousins was equally stubborn. Well, they ended up having to abandon their dream of med school after several years of failure. A hand-up isn't a hand-out.

Missed Opportunity

Beverly Glenn-Copeland has been on my radar. Similar to the underrated but iconic Mary Margaret O'Hara, I felt that any live performance was likely to be memorable. But Glenn-Copeland doesn't seem to do many shows. The closest I came was back in April of 2018 when she was on a bill with Loom at the Cafe and Jam Factory, a loft space in an old building in East End Toronto. Unfortunately, freezing rain kept me ensconced in my attic apartment.

I was excited to find out Glenn-Copeland was playing in Ottawa on Friday at the Bronson Centre. But despite buying an early ticket ($40), I was defeated by local transit. My bus never came and even if it did, the prospect of waiting for a second transfer in the biting cold was too much. So I turned around and walked home.

I decided to make up for it (as I have not gone anywhere in a month) by trying Haitian breakfast on Saturday. Creole Sensations recently posted in their window that they would now offer morning meals. It reminded me of my friend who always wanted to offer brunch (including her country's version of shakshuka) at her African restaurant. But my breakfast ($18.95) at Sensations was perhaps a little too authentic and unlikely to appeal to mainstream taste.

Given the choice of beef live, codfish, or smoked herring mixed with scrambled eggs, I picked the last option which is likely to be Zè ak Aransò. Now eggs and fish (think lox) isn't an unusual combination but the herring aroma and flavour was quite strong. It reminded me of egusi where a briny taste seemed out-of-place or unexpected in a dish. It's a combination that would require acculturation. The sides was a small salad (lettuce, tomato, and watercress) and a large amount of boiled plantain. The latter doesn't compare to potato for starchy chewiness and lacked its primary draw for me: caramelized sweetness. Given the price, I think there won't be many takers for these dishes.

Bread and Citruses

I've been to dozens of live shows at The Burdock (Brewery) but have never sat down in their main space. It's very popular and packed almost every night. On Saturday, I decided to give brunch a try to coincide with today's release of a limited batch of specialty beer called Sea Barrel 24. According to their promo: "A blend of our choiciest 1-2 year old barrel-aged beer resting on sea buckthorns and orange wine skins with some riesling blended in".

A bottle came in at $15. It was an interesting taste and definitely lean toward tangy. Overall, it was an odd experience for me. One sip made my mouth pucker and I'd think: "too sour". Another sip and it was a nice blend between a stronger beer and a hint of wine.

There was no flip-flopping opinion for the shakshuka ($12). This is almost an umbrella term as restaurants offer different dishes. This one was similar to Little Sito's: tomato and onion based with baked eggs and feta. They sprinkled on a bit of dill, basil, and parsley. The sesame-encrusted bread arrived in a cloth cozy. All the flavour came together to make a nice balance that played off each other.

With tax and tip the meal was $36 which was steep for a light brunch. I don't drink partly because booze really bump up the cost of your going-out experience. Slightly buzzed from drinking on an empty stomach and still peckish, I wandered over to 241 Pizza to get a large veggie slice ($4).

It was just as pleasant sitting on a stone bench, feeling the sun on my face, watching people pass by on a busy Bloor St., and eating cheap but cheesy pizza. That bread was good though; somebody should make sesame pizza crust. Perhaps a middle eastern cross between lahmacun and barbari.