A Life, Lived

Lunch at Eataly

One of Toronto's big anticipated events in the 'before times' was the opening of Eataly.

Food fiends who have visited one of Eataly’s 40 other locations worldwide have been counting down the days until the beloved brand arrives in Canada. Eataly Toronto does not disappoint with its three-storey, 50,000-square-foot space dedicated to Italian cuisine. I was one of those fiends having beem to Eataly outposts in Torino, Bologna, Rome, and New York.

In addition to aisles of both local and imported products (+10,000, including close to 100 varieties of extra virgin olive oil from producers that exclusively harvest in Italy), there’s an array of fresh produce, seafood, cheese and meat to shop for. In addition there are multiple restaurants scattered throughout the space.

When Eataly first opened I was super busy at work so my only visits were in between work activities. The restaurants were so busy that it was near impossible to get a table earlier than 9:30 at night.

Then the pandemic happened and everything shut down.

There was a brief period when patios opened up in Toronto and Eataly set up a large outdoor eating area. We secured reservations and headed in to the city. Traffic came to a complete stop - apparently the main highway into the city was closed. Then the rain started. Even if we could get into the city we had no interest in eating lunch in the pouring rain.

We finally made it in for a meal a couple of weeks ago eating at La Pizza & La Pasta which is their pizza and pasta restaurant (duh). Because we had been anticipating this for such a long time I was worried that all of that pent up anticipation would be crushed by a less than stellar meal. Happily this was NOT the case.

Now before I talk about the food some context is needed. At the time of our reservations were had a number of friends visiting Rome. Their social feeds were full of pics of the seasonal foods that they were eating as well as some classic Roman dishes.

For example - in Rome right now artichokes are in season and chefs prepare them in a variety of ways. When I was there in March 2019 one of my favourite ways to eat them was fried - the outer leaves turned crispy by the hot oil and the inner part of the artichoke soft and delicious.

One of the appetizer specials when we were at at La Pizza & La Pasta was fried artichokes which were served with a lemon aioli. Done!

It was challenging deciding on my main course because there were so many wonderfully sounding choices. However, so many of our friends in Rome had been enjoying one of the classic Roman pasta dishes - Cacio e Pepe (pasta served with a cheese sauce and black pepper) that I decided to try that to see if the chefs made it properly. This is a simple dish with no fancy ingredients - pasta, grated cheese, pepper and pasta water. NO butter, garlic, olive oil, cream or any of the other things i have seen North American chef's add.

At Eataly they did it right.

After eating that big bowl of pure comfort I didn't really want dessert however Paul was determined to have some limoncello and tiramisu so I had an espresso (Jerry was driving so no more alcohol for me) and fried sweetened ricotta balls (Castagnole). The espresso was the only disappointment of the entire meal - it wasn't nearly as hot as it should have been (likely the first pull of the day). The castagnole were amazing - light, fluffy and dazzling in their simplicity. The contrast between the fluffy filling and the crisp crust was wonderful.

This was a wonderful meal. We won't be joining all of our friends and travelling to Rome any time soon but our lunch at Eataly was a good culinary substitute!

Travel Tuesdays - Toronto

This one is close to home. on Saturday Paul and I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see the new Andy Warhol exhibit. I'm not a huge fan of modern art but it was great to get out and about again.

Happy Valentine's Day

A Great Night out in Toronto

Paul and I had tickets to see the comedienne Hannah Gadsby last night. We decided to go to our of our favourite restaurants before the show.

Tutti Matti has been a 'go-to' spot for us for more than 15 years although for some reason we've not been in a few years. Restaurants come and go in Toronto but Tutti matti has been going strong for 18 years. The reason for its long-fought success: quality-obsessed chef and owner Alida Solomon has been there since day one. She still takes her staff on trips to Tuscany, seeking inspiration, everything is made in-house, and the menu, which deftly incorporates seasonal produce, smartly leaves room for long-time favourites, like the costine di manzo, a warming plate of short ribs braised in beer, oranges, honey and rosemary, which is served all year round.

I'm happy to report that it is every bit as good as we remembered.

We started off with cocktails:

Paul ordered the buratta for an appetizer. It was served with roasted apples, honey, and spices. The server suggested from baked pizza dough to go with it. I've only had buratta served with a savoury accompaniments and I was curious to see how this combination would work. I should have known that it would be amazing.

For our mains we both decided to have pasta. Paul ordered the pappadelle with a braised brisket sauce. I decided upon  the pinci with a sausage ragu. They were both amazing!

It seems I neglected to get pictures of our dessert. Paul ordered vin santo and cantucci and I had an affogatto. Paul's vin santo was delicious an my affogatto had just enough kick from the espresso to fuel me on the walk to Roy Thomson Hall for the show.

Having seen Gadsby's last show Nannette on Netflix  I did know what to expect -- and nevertheless found her opening "rundown of what to expect" as amusing and hilarious as what was to come (as we by that point were expecting)... Her mixture of monologue, comedy and occasional rant is funny, poignant, mind-poking and original. Say what you want about Gadsby - she'll make you think, even if you don't agree with every particular point she makes or example she cites. (After all, you probably won't be sitting in her audience if you;'re not an open-minded person.) We loved the show, and look forward to seeing it again when it drops on Netflix as well!

Hockey History

So history was made on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Arena. It had nothing to do with me attending a hockey game. I like hockey but would never pay $1,000 for two tickets. . . but if I am given tickets then of course, I am happy to go and be entertained.

The Leafs played dismally.

So badly that someone took off their Leaf jersey and tossed it on the ice in disgust.

Being boo'd at home can't be a good feeling.

The Leafs playing badly isn't historic either.

In the second period the back up goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes was injured and had to be taken from the game - the main goalie having been injured in the first period. What do you do when you have no one left to tend net?

You throw in David Ayers. David is the emergency goalie for the Toronto Marlies (the farm team for the Leafs). When being called to tend net in emergency situations he drives the Zamboni.

He is 42.

He is a cancer survivor.

He had a kidney transplant a few years ago.

In net he had a shaky start but got into the groove winning the game.

This really was amazing to see. With every save he received loud applause and standing ovations. . . even though his success was costing the Leafs a win.

This was a feel good story - the crowd loved and so has the internet. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day

Toronto the Strong?

This has been a pretty challenging week in Toronto. Our office is about 15 km away from where the attack took place. Not close but close enough to make you ponder. When the news first hit I was in a cab on the way to a meeting with school board and government officials. In the uncertainty and confusion that follows such incidents I noticed some things that I hope speak to who we are as Canadians . . .

Our leaders were measured in their responses until facts were known. No one called for the construction of a wall.

Our mainstream media tried hard to share information and not rumours and innuendo.

The word terrorism wasn't used immediately - and there was criticism of this from some who clearly wanted it to be a terrorist act. Edit - well, Fox news did call it a terrorist act by Isis for a bit but they don't count.

The perpetrator was arrested (by an immigrant to Canada) without a shot being fired (even though he ran at the arresting office pretending to be pointing a gun).

Complete strangers stopped and stayed with the injured and deceased so that they would not be alone.

We didn't raise our security level and put in place new walls (although they did add some new barriers around our major commuting hub).

The community generally came together in a supportive way.

here were some unfortunate comments and social media posts by those on the fringes of society which spoke of immigrants, terrorists, and blamed the government for allowing this to happen. Such posts didn't get a lot of traction but the mere fact that they are out the frightens me a bit.

For all intents and purposes Toronto continued on . . . wounded, tired, a bit weary, but unbroken. I wish we lived in a world where crap like this did not happen but we do not. In our modern world no one is immune to such hate but how we respond matters. I hope we continue to learn from our experiences, to not overreact, to try to rise above the noise and to be better people.

Wandering the Distillery District

Paul was off of work last Saturday - a rare thing. There was an art exhibit in Toronto at the Distillery that I wanted to see so we made plans to head in to the city.

Of course when we got there that exhibit was not open yet. This meant we had time to wander a bit and do some shopping.

The distillery, with it's mix of art, modern architecture, set among a Victorian factory and storage facility is one of my favourite places in TO.

After shopping for a few hours we decided to get some lunch in the Mill Street Brew Pub.

Blueberry wheat beer

Appetizers - carnitas and tater tots.

French Dip with horseradish mayo

After lunch we went to the exhibit. Son of the Shaman, an exhibition of over 50 works, showcases the passing of innate artistic abilities between Norval Morrisseau and his son, Christian Morrisseau, one of Canada's most highly celebrated Indigenous father-son art practitioners. 

The paintings ranged in size - the ones above would fill a giant room and were on sale for as much as $ 135,000! It was a fabulous exhibit spread among three separate galleries.

After a few hours we headed back to Burlington and a much needed nap!

The Kindness of Strangers

The other day I took mom, Paul, and Rose into the city for an evening out. We started off at the office - they wanted a tour and they received the full hour-long version. Easy to do when the office is closed and there are no distractions.

We had a good dinner at il Fornello (although I wasn't able to eat most of mine thanks to the lasting effects of this damn flu).

Then we saw the musical Come From Away - an improbable musical about the days after 9-11. Imagine - a musical about 9-11. The very thought is almost a repugnant insult.

Except this story is not really a tale of mayhem and death rather it latches onto the better sides of the human psyche . . . hope, helpfulness, and looking out for one another.

The show tells the tale of how the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed almost 7,000 grounded travelers and the crews from 38 planes which were redirected to the town airport in the hours after the 9-11 terrorist attacks after the US closed its airspace. I had read rave reviews of the show as it was developed over the past few years - first as a part of the Sheridan College theatre incubation project and then as it was refined in studio in La Jolla, Seattle, and Washington DC. The Toronto show is the last stop before the play opens on Broadway.

The underlying theme to the play is the extraordinary efforts ordinary people can take when they see a need and the lasting impacts of these efforts. In the scary and uncertain times following 9-11 the citizens of Gander and the surrounding towns welcomed the stranded passengers from those 38 grounded planes and transformed them.  The true Canadian spirit - optimistic helpers who get things done against seemingly insurmountable odds - was the central theme to this play. It is a role we find joy in and play on the world stage.

Lately this is something I have reflected upon a fair bit.

Service to others.

It is a significant part of my familial DNA. Always in the background, quiet . . . but ever present. We do not run for office - that would be too much, but we do join in if necessary or even work independently to try and get things done. This service can present itself in odd ways at times. It has been the source of laughter, stress, and considerable comfort over the years.

I find as I grow older (something I plan on writing about in the future as I have been reflecting a lot on age for some weird reason) it is people being kind to one another in unplanned and unexpected ways that elicits a strong emotional response in me. When I read a new story about a stranger helping out a stranded family when they were in desperate need I can be moved to tears.

This is one of the key trickles of glue which holds us together as a global tribe. It is one of the things we will need to nurture, celebrate, and encourage over the coming years as the world seems to be moving down a dark and mean path.

Now back to that play . . .

The show was fabulous. One of the best theatre productions I have ever seen . . . and I have seen many. I would say 'go and see it' but the reality is it closes in a week and if you did not buy tickets back in October you are SOL.

If you're able I'd suggest go to Broadway and see it.

Now that brings up an interesting thought - how will a play which is as sweet as Canadian Grade A Maple Syrup play in New York? It has been suggested that Broadway might be a bit to cynical for this tale of infinite goodness. Then again, given the mood growing in the US right now it could be just the thing to remind New Yorkers of their shining moments of togetherness where their collective good made a difference when faced with great evil.

Toronto Zoo Panda Plays with a Snowman

On Tuesday the zookeepers at the Toronto zoo build a snowman for one of their resident pandas.

The video of the aftermath almost broke the internet today.

Watch and I dare you not to smile . . .