Toronto

Toronto to start 2014’s travels

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Kicking off my 2014 travels is a trip to Toronto for the better part  of next week.  It’s another mixed work and vacation trip: a couple of days with my sister (her wine club and a new Spanish restaurant will occupy much of our time together) will be followed up by a few days on course at U of T.  I’ll be taking in a slice of Canadiana one evening as I see my first Leafs game, which is a bit of an embarrassment given how much time I’ve spent in Toronto over the years.

No matter how many times I get back to Toronto, there’s always something new to discover.  On this trip, I think I’ll be spending a bit of time wandering around in search of public art yet undiscovered by me and a journey to a couple of neighbourhoods I’ve yet to visit.  That being said, if the polar vortex still has its grip on Hogtown, I may just elect to find a cozy coffee shop or bar to while away the hours with a good book.   There’s something liberating about a couple of vacation days in a place that feels so much like home and a place you know you’ll keep making return visits to.   With crossed fingers that Mother Nature allows my travel plans to proceed as planned, here’s looking forward to Toronto and the start of a great year of travel!

The first rule of wine club

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Ok, so it’s not that drastic.  I can speak of Wine Club.

No summary of my recent trip to Toronto would be complete without at least a mention of the time I spent with my sister at her wine club and cellar.   Shortly after arriving in town on Thursday, we made our way to the club nestled away on a side street in downtown for a light lunch and a beautiful bottle of Ontario red.  My sister isn’t a big red drinker, but had stashed a few bottles away for when someone like me comes along with her.  The Thirty Bench Cab Sauvignon was lovely – nice cherry and vanilla flavours – it went really well the chorizo and a few other items making up a light lunch:

Perfect lunch for a Thursday

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Ruby Watchco

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Trying to pick a restaurant in Toronto for each visit is overwhelming.  Which cuisine?  What neighbourhood?  Something new or something loved from a previous trip?  About three weeks before my last visit and I hadn’t picked anything despite reminders from my sister that time was running out to get a reservation for a Saturday night at anywhere popular.  A reminder text popped in from her as I was watching “Pitchin’ In” on Food Network and somewhere in the back of my head I remembered Chef Lynn Crawford had a newish place.  A quick look online and Ruby Watchco was my choice for this trip.

It was superb.  The grapefruit and blood orange tequila cocktail was so good I didn’t get to snap a picture of it.  I could have eaten a bucket of the clili roasted eggplant salad .  The ribeye melted in my mouth.  The sherry vinegar roasted mushrooms (a side with the steak) would make an incredible football day snack (I’m picturing them in a funnel cone with a spear to poke them with, but I digress).  The blueberry and lemon curd parfait was the perfect blend of tart and sweet.

Course 1: Chili roasted eggplant salad with honey mustard goat cheese dressing
Course 2: Slow roasted ribeye with onion jam and horseradish cream
Course 3: Artisinal cheese w/ cherries and almonds
Course 4: Maple blueberry parfait with lemon curd
Me with a glass of Chianti

The restaurant itself was beautiful inside.  Homey with a modern feel.  The staff was super friendly.  For an evening, I wished I lived in Riverside so this could be my neighbourhood place.  I think the picture of me above speaks for itself in that regard.

Toronto’s Signature Sandwich

/ Greg / 3 Comments

I’ve written about delicious sandwiches before (Philadephia’s cheesesteak, the Primanti Bros sandwich from Pittsburgh, the glorious hotdogs in Reykjavik) so I know what I’m talking about when it comes to a meal served on bread. Toronto’s peameal sandwich is right up there with the tastiest sandwiches I’ve tried.

Whenever I’m in Toronto on a Saturday morning, I’m making a beeline to the St. Lawrence Market.  Before the main course, there’s plenty of sights and tastes to take in.  For the carnivore, there are cases upon cases of cuts of meat like this:

Mmmmm.... meat Continue reading →

Public art in the Distillery District

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On my recent trips, I’ve taken a shine to seeking out public art installations.  On a quiet Sunday morning walk with my sister down to the Distillery District in search of an excellent coffee at Balzac’s, we came across a few interesting works.

This one, “Still Dancing” by Dennis Oppenheim, was right outside the coffee shop in the main square of the district and is a pretty clear nod to the brewing/distilling history of this area.  This installation is quite large with the top of the copper apparatus reaching almost 40 feet tall.

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Revisiting familiar places

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My next two trips are return visits in many ways.  Next week I’m heading to Toronto to visit my sister.  It’s a place I’ve visited almost an uncountable number of times; a place I’ve lived and worked in.  Next month, I’m heading to Quebec City.  Although not recently, it’s another place I’ve spent some time in owing to family friends, a relatively manageable 11 hour drive and my earlier-life passion for my beloved, but now extinct, Nordiques.

What to do when heading back to places this familiar?  For both it’ll be a mix of revisiting old favourites and finding a couple of new experiences.  In Toronto, I’m excited by the new: dinner reservations at Ruby Watchco, in what seems like a city with no end to dining choices.  I’ll also be tempted back to some old favourites – peameal sandwiches at the St Lawrence Market, a beer or two at the Rebel House, and perhaps some El Salvadorian food at Tacos El Asador.   In Quebec City, wandering around the old town and sitting down to a heart stopping poutine at Chez Ashton will bring back memories from many years ago.  For the new?  A host of restaurants and bars that my palette didn’t appreciate all those years ago.

My lists are made (but, as always, somewhat fluid) and my walking shoes are ready.  Here’s to the familiar and to a taste of the new.

A last note on Toronto

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The trip to Toronto with my Dad was a blast.   Reconnecting over baseball, beer and a selection of artery clogging foods is a pretty great way to spend a few days.  Before going on an afternoon brewery tour, we walked through the locomotives and rail cars in the Roundhouse Park in downtown Toronto.  My Dad is a walking encyclopedia of North American rail history.  Looking back over the pictures from the trip, this one below is one of my favourites – I got an action shot of Dad sharing some of his knowledge with me on one of the locomotives in the park:

Toronto eating with Dad

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Through a combination of my sister living there for close to 15 years, an extended work stint in 2007 and numerous business related travels to the city, Toronto doesn’t feel like a vacation destination  – and that’s not a bad thing.   With Dad and I both having some favourite haunts in the city, we hit a couple of them over our three day vacation.

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