It's a gorgeous day out there in London, Ontario. Supposed to be even nicer tomorrow. ¶ Where we live there are some very cool independent small businesses. There are quite a few Greek-Canadian diners in the neighborhood and my new favourite is a place called High Lunch (533 Dundas Street). A 1950s or 60s-era 7-up sign welcomes you, and inside there is a mix of film posters and family pictures. It has an open kitchen smack dab in the middle of the place and there are stools that pepper the perimeter. I had the equivalent of a Quarter-pounder with cheese, except here it was made by the proprietor herself, and it was delicious. An old boy, likely her father, hangs out at the diner, helping here and there, and his presence is very familiar to me. I don't go every day, but when I do go, I feel very good. ¶ Down the street is the home to the Evil Dead Society, a comic-book and toy store called Worlds Away. I picked up a comic called Damned #1 (of 5). It's illustrated and lettered by Brian Hurtt. It's written by Cullen Bunn. I'm savouring it, reading just a few panels at a time, but so far, it's excellent.

Labels: Londontown, Restaurants

¶ 11:27 AM

Some time ago Pauline suggested to me the idea of having a "big batch night". This meant, essentially, that we'd cook a stew or soup, eat, and then freeze or refrigerate the remainder. I somehow heard "chili" in my brain when she said "big batch" and I immediately agreed that it was a good idea. We decided on Monday nights. This quickly evolved into a sort of date night which we took full advantage of. On a good night we'd turn Monday evening into a Friday nite. That was rare, but it did happen. ¶ As people moved apartments and constants turned into legacies, our date night somehow became redundant, unecessary. But this was just an illusion. Tonight it was revived, and it was a treat to be grateful for! ¶ The odds were against us. Herself was still suffering from heat stroke (see yesterday's post), and the restaurant we finally decided on was completely unknown to us. But the gamble seemed to be self-guaranteeing, and I left the house with some optimism. It wasn't a complete leap: Toronto Life gave it a rave review, and the language surrounding the review made the place out to be an institution so I had history by my side. The cab ride itself was uneventful, but our driver turned out to be a philosopher. He didn't say much, but he did wonder about the root of evil in man, and he asked us about it in plain language. Strangely, I ignored him. ¶ Joso's (202 Davenport Rd., 416-925-1903) is in fact a famous Toronto seafood and fish restaurant, but neither Pauline nor I had ever heard of it. It was, naturally, the best fish I've had in the city. But it was much more than that. Our waitress was a complete pro, the restaurant itself was charmingly decorated with erotic art, surrealism, and fish paintings, and the atmosphere was ideal. We ordered the octopus, a mixed green salad, and the Arctic char. The octopus was an order of heavenly grilled protein, the salad was a tasty delight, and the char was a feast. I devoured much of the fish, but it was a big fish. Pauline had her fair share as well, but this char could have easily fed a family of four. The Gavi washed it all down and we were out of there just as the dinner rush was in full swing. We walked all the way to the Cloak for an after-dinner pint. It was a great night, and even though Pauline was not totally herself, I think she felt better than she had all day. ¶ We're moving our big batch night to Sundays in the fall. I had the idea of doing a roast every fourth Sunday (as a monthly alternative to stews or soup). Keen on the roast idea.

Labels: Cooking, Restaurants, Toronto, Wine

¶ 10:59 PM

We checked out the Toronto Free Gallery last night where Rannie Turingan has a window installation showcasing portraits he shot in Toronto parks (it's part of what they call the 24 hour gallery which means that the window display is lit up through the night so you can always check it out). I illustrated the map in Adobe Illustrator. Most people are probably familiar with my digital brushwork but less advertised on Siteway is my love of information graphics (although you can get a feel for my design sense from Siteway's design). Using the pen tool in Illustrator I imagine myself a vector surgeon. Slicing and dicing and painting and curving. ¶ Afterwards we jumped in a cab and had our last pre-wedding dating anniversary dinner at one of Toronto's best French restaurants, Gamelle (468 College St). Our waiter, who served us when we went for the first time for Valentine's 2004, made us feel totally at home and we had a great back-and-forth going. The best commercial transactions are like this. For the curious: we shared snails and frog's legs to start, Pauline had the venison special and I had the steak. After my cognac and PLN's creme brulee we leisurly walked down side streets towards the new bar on Ossington, Sparrow. We each had a crisp pint of Stella Artois to wash down the night. ¶ Worked on my direct mail campaign this morning. Fifty postcards went out on Monday, and fifty more out today. It's actually quite fun to be involved in EVERY element of a marketing campaign.

Labels: Freelancing, Restaurants

¶ 1:15 PM

What have I done? It's too late for that. What have I become? Truth is: nothing yet. ¶ These are the lyrics from a Snow Patrol song entitled Chocolate which is one of those songs that simply is 2004 to me. It's also one of those songs that has a title that seems to have nothing to do with the lyrics. Is there a name for this sort of thing? ¶ A few of us, including the one and only Rado, went to see them at Lee's in April. For me it was a sober evening because I was following doctor's orders regarding alcohol consumption with antibiotics. When Chocolate came on I understood that the film idea I had been mulling over in my mind, a treatise on guilt, had to be made. With a little help it now seems more likely.¶ Lady luck has, for the moment, returned. We had probably the best Japanese food I've ever eaten last night at Fune. Deliciously touristy without the traps and service as if it were ripped out of airline magazine copy. ¶ Today is a big day. This morning I woke up and immediately went out on to the patio to spray paint would-be blood onto my print. Later I'm picking up my custom-built frame from the Victor Gallery for the Square Foot show. Then later still I have a lesson with Jason Bourne on the life of an internation spy, followed by a night of spirited drinks to be followed by a day of Siteway work.

Labels: Lyric, Restaurants, Siteway

¶ 11:12 AM