Friday, August 30, 2013

Dîner en Blanc Toronto

I participate in a lot of Toronto events that give people pause, probably none more so than Dîner en Blanc, an annual al fresco summer dining event, now in its third year. The original Dîner en Blanc was born in Paris over 25 years ago and today Dîner en Blanc events take place in cities all over the world. Basically, guests are assembled in groups around the city, dressed head to toe in white (elegance is encouraged), and bring with them a table, chairs and a multi-course picnic meal (gourmet is encouraged) including table service and white table linens. Once assembled, guests are led by their "table leader" to an undisclosed location and upon arrival, tables and chairs are quickly set-up en masse and the evening begins. Last year Dîner en Blanc took us to historic Fort York, a lovely spot despite the fact that it rained most of the evening and many carefully planned white outfits were hidden by dollar store ponchos. With the forecast calling for sunny and clear skies, this year's event looked like it would win by default.


 

My group met at Trinity Bellwoods Park on West Queen West, which is close to home so it wasn't too difficult to lug our stuff over. My date for the evening was my mother, who was very excited to attend based on my stories from last year (traditionally, couples at Dîner en Blanc are male-female but this preferred pairing is not enforced). Once our table group had all arrived, we were given a token each and we boarded a Queen streetcar* heading east. (*Apologies to everyone riding that streetcar who was delayed by our presence.) As we made our way to our secret location we tried to guess where we'd end up. I'd wager that not a single person attending guessed that we were going to end up in an empty lot at Queen & Dalhousie, just west of Moss Park. I want to say this as diplomatically as possible... the general consensus was disappointment. The hope was that we would end up somewhere more scenic, or a noted Toronto landmark. Maybe next year? No matter. There wasn't time to dwell as it was time to set ourselves up for diner and get on with the evening as planned.



Once everyone is set-up, the evening begins officially by waving our white napkins in the air all together. Then we eat! It's always fun to see what everyone else has in their picnic baskets. Some people went all out, bringing tiered plates of cold seafood, or kebabs, or sushi or BBQ. Bravo to those guys, way to make us all look like slackers! My mum and I decided to opt for simpler fare, bringing a cheese and cracker plate to start (brie appeared to be the preferred cheese of the evening). Our main was a spring salad with brie (yup), dried cranberries, salted pecans and a balsamic fig dressing and chicken potato salad (my mum's secret recipe). I kind of cheated for dessert and brought a baker's dozen of French macarons from Nadège (who can blame me, they're spectacular).



Coming in a close second to the food for best part of the evening, were the outfits. If you think a gathering of people dressed in a single colour sounds boring, you really need to come see for yourself one year. I'm always impressed with the variations on the theme that people come up with for Dîner en Blanc. There was more casual fare (as much as was permitted) and those who went all out glam with gowns and heels and luxe accessories. My mum and I were somewhere in between, both in white dresses, and did not stand out too much from the crowd until we decided to take a stroll with what turned out to be the best choice in accessory for the evening: the parasol. We wandered around lazily spinning our parasols and we were stopped a surprising amount of times to pose for pictures. Who knew? My mum seemed especially tickled by the attention, which allowed for me to push my camera anxiety aside for the evening.



As the sun descended and the sky became dark, we continued to enjoy the sights and the sounds. We tried in vain to finish our dessert (13 macarons is too much for two people, no matter how delicious) and chatted with our neighbours. Soon it was time for the official end to the meal. At 9:30pm exactly everyone lit their sparklers (provided by Dîner en Blanc) and the empty lot's transformation into a place of beauty was complete. Sadly, this moment was somewhat marred for me by being attacked by sparkler debris. I ended up with two small burns on my finger and spent the rest of the evening carrying around a cooler pack for relief. Whoops. Only me guys, only me. After the (no good rotten) sparklers all burned out, the dancing began and lasted into the night. Another fun and lovely Dîner en Blanc experience! If you're interested in attending next year's event, I recommend registering for the wait list ASAP as they are coveted spots.

A special thanks to Dîner en Blanc staff for snapping the great pic of me and my mum: 

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Artscape Street Party: Circus

Last week I responded to a Tweet by Artscape asking "Which circus job would you choose?" and as a result* I won two tickets to the first edition of a series of Artscape street parties at Wychwood Barns, taking place Wednesday, August 28 from 6-10pm ($15/adults, $10/children 7-16, kids 6 & under free). For their first Street Party, Artscape chose a circus theme so it was off to the "circus" we went! (*For those who care to know, I replied that I would choose the job of ringleader, mostly because I've always wanted to wear a tailcoat.)

 

For those who have never been to Wychwood Barns before, you can brush up on its history HERE, courtesy of the Wychwood Barns Community Association (WBCA). Personally, I wasn't aware of its existence until I visited it last year as part of Doors Open. What was once a TTC streetcar repair house (built in 1913 -- centennial celebrations will take place this September), the Artscape Wychwood Barns are now "a community cultural hub where a dynamic mix of arts, culture, food security, urban agriculture, environmental and other community activities and initiatives come together". All of this was on display in full force for the first Artscape Street Party. In keeping with the circus theme, there were the regular circus features: face painting, balloon animals, carnival games, music and (most importantly) food!

 

There weren't too many food vendors present for the event, which meant that we were able to sample something from everyone. Two food trucks were parked outside the barns and, in typical food truck fashion, were the most popular food attraction with busy queues throughout the evening. At Gourmet B1tches, we tried the grilled cheese sandwich with guac and it was delicious, with a really nice spicy kick. Over at Gourmet Gringos we split an order of tacos, chicken for me and pork for my husband. SO. GOOD. Cilantro everywhere. Also present at the circus were local neighbourhood restaurant The Crest and popular Roncesvalles "urban barbeque" restaurant Barque Smokehouse

 

Whenever corn on the cob is being served up I can't resist, so we grabbed a cob from The Crest (whose vendors were all wearing top hats, a nice touch). This might be the first summer event I've attended where corn on the cob was being boiled (as opposed to grilled) and it was criminally juicy and sweet. Barque Smokehouse was fully into the circus theme for their menu, offering a Duck Confit Taco topped with (brace yourselves) spiced house-made kettle corn (!), an orange soda reduction (!!) and shaved salty white chocolate (!!!). How can you pass up something like that? It was fantastic! Though these four spots were the only "official" food vendors, one of the best surprises of the evening was that circus treats were included with the price of admission. Words cannot explain how excited I was to learn that I had FREE popcorn, cotton candy and sno-cones coming my way. BTW, cotton candy & pink lemonade go really well together.

 

The Street Party was a very family-friendly event and there were many circus themed acts happening throughout the evening to keep kids entertained. Inside the barns (the "Big Top") there were acrobatic acts high above our heads, and outside there were jugglers, stilt walkers and in the sand pit there was an impressive fire dancing routine. Children were mesmerized by all the performances, which was no small feat considering how much free sugar was available!

 

Alongside the circus acts there were many other activities which were more indicative of what normally takes place at the Artscape Wychwood Barns. Artists painted live for an audience inside the barns and outside a model posed for a free life-drawing demonstration as a band played upbeat folk-roots music for the enthusiastic crowds. After we filled our stomachs we took a walk around the grounds and out back children played on the playground and waterpark area. We also stopped to look at the various gardens growing outside, each with a geographical theme. Throughout the year the Artscape Wychwood Barns are open to the public Monday-Sunday from 9am-5pm, with a popular Farmer's Market courtesy of The Stop Community Food Centre (whose Green Barn is on site) taking place Saturdays from 8am-12pm. Once a month it hosts the Barns Art Market (the next one will take place Saturday, September 28 from 9am-2pm), which is a great time to visit. Or you can wait for the next Artscape Street Party, which is sure to be another amazing evening.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

CraveTO

CraveTO is the newest Toronto festival that promises to combine and showcase "local street food, craft beer and DJ music culture". And how! It's inaugural edition took place in May of this year at the Evergreen Brickworks and despite the unseasonably cool weather it was a fantastic event. Unfortunately my blog was a mere idea at the time so it went undocumented but when I heard that CraveTwO was happening I made sure to grab tickets.


For their second time out, CraveTO would be a two-part (separately ticketed) event at a new venue located in Honest Ed Alley. The first half, CraveTO Day, taking place between 12:30-5pm, and the second half CraveTO Night running from 7-11pm. Partly due to the timing and partly due to the vendor selection, I decided CraveTO Day was the place to be. We arrived hungry early and found ourselves first in line. The event began right on time and we took a walk around to scope out the vendors before we started eating. Let's let the pictures do the talking:

Mushroom, three cheese & spinach for me and bison short rib for my date courtesy of (personal favorite) HOT BUNZZ.
"Smutty Taquitos" from ESE. Apparently corn smut is actually an edible fungus (who knew?) but it was cheesy, covered in mole and DELICIOUS.

An arepa from MANGO PINTON stuffed with chicken and avocado. If you've never tried an arepa, put it on your "To Do" list immediately.
Japanese chicken karaage from GUSHI, served piping hot and on a stick (the keys to really great street food).
Is there anything more delightful than really good cannoli? TERRA NERA does 'em right with chocolate shavings at one end and crushed pistachio at the other.
This was mad dessert science at its best. Mini marshmallows frozen in liquid nitrogen by the coolest (ha!) vendors of the event (see pic below) ICE VOLCANO.
That was all my stomach could fit but also in attendance were Kanto by Tita Flips and food truck offerings from Buster's Sea Cove, Pancho's and Pretty Sweet (all of whom I've sampled at other events, all of which are yummy). For fans of day drinking there were a host of craft brewers (Kensington, Hogtown, Left Field, Nickel Brook and Tequila Tromba) to choose from. The combination of beautiful weather, awesome food'n'drink and upbeat tunes made for a great afternoon courtesy of CraveTO. No word yet on future events but keep your ears open because the third one will surely be another hit. See you there!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Choir! Choir! Choir!

Every* Tuesday** night in Toronto at No One Writes To The Colonel, I sing in a choir. Choir! Choir! Choir! to be precise. There are many things that make C!C!C! (led by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman) a special kind of choir, most important is that anyone can join, which qualifies it as a Toronto activity (hence the blog post). If you're interested in joining, the first thing you should do is join the Facebook group, which is where weekly invites are sent out letting members know what songs we'll be singing (our unofficial motto: Listen to the fucking songs!). After that it's as easy as showing up, paying $5 for your lyrics, and singing your heart out.

(*not every week, sometimes various gets in the way, **there is a Wednesday edition at the Monarch Tavern as well)  

This week marks my two-year anniversary as a member of Choir! Choir! Choir! and in honor of the occasion I wanted to put together a list of my favorite C!C!C! moments. Please note, this is a personal list and I am in no way acting as spokesperson for the entire group. Here goes!

MY TOP TEN CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR! MOMENTS

10 - Every time C!C!C! makes you feel like you're part of a small community...

We are a large group and many of us live in the same approximate area of downtown Toronto. As a result, I run into a C!C!C! member pretty much every time I leave my apartment. I don't know everyone by name (and vice versa) but there's always a brief moment of recognition, be it a smile, a nod or a wave, that connects you to one another. It's like living in a small town (probably... I have no real life experience to back this up) and it's a really nice feeling.

9 - Our video of 'Last Christmas'...

We record our songs every week and they are usually accompanied by a video. Our video for 'Last Christmas' is the first time one of our videos had legs and was posted by C!C!C! members over and over again because it's such a lovely visual representation of what can happen at choir. You can feel the love in this one. It's also a personal favorite because I think this was the first time that C!C!C! transformed a song I didn't like into one that I love.

8 - Performing on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight ...

A small group of C!C!C!ers were invited to be a part of GST's Christmas special, which involved performing a few songs and a few bumper spots for the show as well. It's always very cool when a C!C!C! performance can be accessed by your family after the fact. (I didn't wear a santa hat. I'm a lousy sport, what can I say?)



7 - Taking my mum to C!C!C! to sing The Bangles...

When I was growing up my mum was in a chorus and on occasion she would bring me with her and I would sit in the wings and learn the parts and wish I was 30 years older so I could join. When I joined C!C!C! I wanted to share it with her and thought that she would enjoy our Bangles/Cure night so I brought her along. We only sang 'Manic Monday' that one time, and it isn't my favorite C!C!C! recording but knowing that my mum and I are singing on it together makes it a special one for me.

6 - Performing at The ALL CAPS! Island Festival ...

This was an interesting performance because of the journey it involved. We had to water taxi over to the Toronto Islands and trek out to Artscape Gibraltar Point to perform our set. We were supposed to be outdoors but the weather was lousy so we proceeded to perform inside in the hottest room ever. At the time, our rendition of the Yazoo song 'Only You' involved a lone voice singing the final "... only you." and you didn't know who would be it until it happened. Near the end of the song Nobu's eyes locked with mine and I knew what was coming. My first and only C!C!C! tiny solo. I nearly vomited.

5 - Singing 'Across The Universe' for a dear friend...

I would be remiss to write about C!C!C! without mentioning the myriad friendships that have formed as a result of weekly rehearsals. These are quality people and we all have something in common so it's only natural that many of us have become actual real life friend friends. Recently, one of our most beloved long-time members Aurina had to move back home to India (hopefully temporarily) and to help send her off we sang two Beatles songs for her last C!C!C! evening. Much like 'Last Christmas', the amount of love on display in the video for 'Across The Universe' is ridiculous. Doesn't hurt that the song turned out beautifully too.

4 - Performing at the Toronto Botanical Gardens...

This was our longest performance to date. I think we sang a dozen songs? It was a lot. And it was lovely. We were outdoors in a beautiful location (lookit that picture by Joe Fuda... like a freakin' painting!) and we had a large audience that was there to see us specifically. The performance was followed by an audience Q&A and I think it's the first time I heard the unabridged version of how C!C!C! came to be (it's a long story, ask D&N later). 

3 - Performing at Lee's Palace...

This was an earlier gig and it was scantly attended in comparison to our performance at the Botanical Gardens but it was still awesome. We were on stage at Lee's Palace! How cool is that?!? For anyone who grew up seeing countless concerts at Lee's, it was pretty fucking cool. Who knew that rock star fantasies could be fulfilled as a member of a choir?


2 - Performing with PATTI SMITH at the AGO...

Speaking of rock star fantasies... Patti Smith. PATTI SMITH. I can't even. I mean, look at the expression of pure worshipping bliss on my face in that picture! This happened at Patti Smith's First Thursday concert at the AGO and it was largely unplanned. Short version: Patti saw a video of us singing one of her songs earlier that evening and invited us to be her back-up choir during her second performance and it was amazing. Even if I told the long version I couldn't do justice how awesome it was. This is something I will remember for the rest of my life and I have C!C!C! to thank. 

1 - David Bowie night (a.k.a. my first time at C!C!C!)...

It's pretty hard to top singing with Patti Smith but I still maintain that my first night at C!C!C! was my favorite night ever. I first saw C!C!C! by accident as I walked home one night. They were rehearsing for one of their first high profile gigs and I just happened to see them at Bosley Real Estate on Queen. Someone opened the door to leave and I heard just a few seconds of joyous voices singing and thought "oh I gotta get in on this nonsense!" and I sleuthed them out online that night. My first C!C!C! rehearsal was David Bowie night (perfect) and 'Modern Love' was the song we ended the evening with. I remember leaving in a daze and texting my husband that it felt like church (which to me meant a euphoric feeling). I've been hooked ever since.

There are countless honorable mentions... the 159 Manning BBQ, performing at the Bloor Cinema & Roy Thomson Hall (!!!) for TIFF, impromptu performances on the streets of Little Italy, Soupstock and many spontaneous "after choir" sessions when lingering members still want to sing even though mostly everyone else has gone home. It would be difficult to overemphasize the effect C!C!C! has had on my life and the lives of its other members. It really is something special. As a born cynic I hate admitting this but it's true. When you're singing with C!C!C! you feel like you're part of an indescribable magic vibe. It's powerful shit.

You should try singing with us sometime! Maybe it won't affect you in the same way, and that's cool. But be warned: if you suddenly are overcome with the feeling that an itch you didn't know you had is being scratched... you may never want the music to stop!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

SummerWorks - Music Series & Musical Works in Concert

This week I'll be guest blogging for SummerWorks, covering their Music Series and Musical Works in Concert.

Check out my write-up of A History of Summer HERE.

Check out my write-up of Out Of The Woods with Justin Rutledge HERE.

Check out my write-up of Miss Shakespeare HERE.

Check out my write-up of Paradises Lost HERE.

Check out my write-up of Snowblink's Original Touch HERE.

Check out my write-up of Young Drones Starring The Bicycles HERE.

Check out my write-up of The Wooden Sky Travelling Adventure Show HERE.

Check out my write-up of Maylee Todd's Musical Planetarium HERE.