Toronto skyline (east view)

Toronto, I love you.

CONSUMED: 333 Adelaide St East; Moss Park

Aunties and Uncles

My favourite brunch spot of all time is in Toronto at a small diner-like establishment called Aunties and Uncles. Too many good memories with too many good people. I love being hit by the smell of frying bacon and the fogging of my glasses when I walk through the door after a long cold winter trudge. I love their dill potatoes, and I rave about them to anyone that is visiting the city. I love their mismatched tables and chairs. I love their kitschy decor, even though it's surely an affect of the place. And I love how when you sit in certain spots, you can see the streetcar run along College and spy the CN Tower poking above the buildings.

CONSUMED: Aunties and Uncles; 74 Lippincott, Toronto

facade of Lee's Palace

I decided to walk down Bloor because I hadn't been in the city for nearly a year, and something always seems to change between visits. This time around, the Dominion had become a Metro, a brand new coffee shop had sprung up on the corner of Bathurst, and the Blockbuster had transformed into a brand new shiny Sobeys.

But I was happy to see that Lee's Palace was still the same, with its busy facade that always seemed to be on the edge of something lewd if I looked hard enough. Lee's Palace with its incredibly divey second floor where I would dance many a weekend during my university years. Lee's Palace where I almost got in a fight outside with a random (or rather a friend of a friend I had just met that night almost got in a fight and I wasn't sure if I was going to have to get in a fight alongside him). Lee's Palace where I got drunk on my birthday and my friend had to throw my arm over her shoulder and carry me home. So many memories; so glad it's still around to remind me.

CONSUMED: Lee's Palace; 529 Bloor St, The Annex (Toronto)

mustard tasting

EAT MORE MUSTARD. That's what the sticker on their kiosk said. And though I am not a mustard connoisseur, the variety that was presented by Kozlik's Canadian Mustard definitely made me think that I could be. Ranging from sweet to triple-X spicy, you could basically find a mustard for every occasion, depending on whether you were planning to snack on pretzels or use it to baste a roast. I didn't have the energy (or time) to try and choose a mustard on the spot, but the next time I return, I think I may have to become better acquainted with this multifaceted condiment.

CONSUMED: Kozlik's Canadian Mustard; St Lawrence Market, 92 Front St, Toronto

Auberge du Pommier

Good friends of mine got married at this restaurant in North York, Toronto. (What? Get off at York Mills subway station? That's basically out in the boonies!) I really was perplexed as to why the choice of such a "remote" location. But then the food arrived and realised exactly why. Why pay $X a head to have crappy catered fare when you could use the same money and provide heaven on a plate?

The menu highlights: the parmesan wafer that topped the caesar salad, the kobe beef that cut like butter with your fork, the pan-seared scallops that tasted like butter, and then the tarte tatin with the caramelised apples that melted in your mouth. Is it wrong to wish that they would get married all over again?

CONSUMED: Auberge du Pommier; 4150 Yonge Street, North York (Toronto)

Harmony Organic milk

Ever since I starting shopping at the greenmarket here in New York, I've become obsessed with local foods. In particular, I've grown attached to buying milk from the local dairy, Ronnybrook, even though it's not organic. Something about the wistful (but environmental) use of glass bottles, knowing the milkmaid, and buying into the "local is better than organic" mantra.

But Toronto has a one-up on New York: it has Harmony Organic, a dairy farm within 200 miles (beats the Stonyfield coming from Vermont) that is also organic. Good to know for that time when I move back, whenever that will be.

CONSUMED: St Lawrence Market; 92 Front St, Toronto

Crystal Castles :: Crystal Castles

I don't really have enough knowledge about music styles to accurately ascribe a genre or musical qualities to Crystal Castles. All I know is that on their most recent self-titled album, they combine the right amount of 8-bit instrumentals, screeching vocals, and drum machine beats that make me almost (involuntarily) dance on subway platforms.

Sadly I missed these Toronto kids when they recently came through and played at Webster Hall, and I fear they'll be relegated to Terminal 5 the next time they're in town.

CONSUMED: on subway platforms around New York

singing wires

We were standing on the sidewalk of West 4th, trying to figure out what to do next, our stomachs revolting for having been promised fried chicken only to have it frustratingly yanked from our metaphorical grasp. Suddenly from behind, the wires above the street started to thrum and sing, followed promptly by the distinctive crackle of trolley poles. My mind raced in a sharp moment of recognition and confusion, suddenly picturing the red and white of the TTC. A streetcar? In Vancouver?! Listening hard, I was half-expecting the inevitable rattle of the rails that come just before the streetcar passes.

My heart dropped as an electric trolley bus hummed passed us, taking with it with my moment of dislocation. Despite my disappointment, I remained impressed; this was either a grand example of my quixotic sentimentality of all things Toronto, or the brain's remarkable ability to remember life's most random ephemera.

CONSUMED: West 4th, between Maple and Cypress; Vancouver