This month’s Vinyl Me Please selection is a legendary remastered version of Big Bill Bronzy folk songs from the Smithsonian Folkways label. This is a timeless pressing of a historical classic.
There was also a beautiful print by McKenzie Nelson and an extra 7″ from the HBO series Vinyl. Can’t wait to see what is in store next month!
If you’ve got a hunger for game, Antler Kitchen & Bar is a must try. The restaurant prides itself on fresh regional ingredients and wild foods. The restaurant is run by Chef Michael Hunter, who is known for hunting his own food.
I ordered the Spice Ash Crusted Rack of Deer on top of a braised shoulder and parsnip purée. The meat was so tender and melted in my mouth. The purées had a silk texture that made me want to lick the plate.
My cousin who was with me ordered the night’s special, a duo of duck: braised and seared. There was also kale and squash I believe. I stole some bites and it was all very delicious.
To drink I sipped on the Blood Fashioned. I have a new habit of trying every place’s take on the Old Fashioned lately. This one had Blood Orange, Appleton’s Rum, Bitters and Demerara Sugar. It went down easier than most old fashioned but with a decent amount of alcohol!
We definitely couldn’t leave without trying dessert and they had some weird things like “Foraged Cedar Infused Ice”, which we didn’t order. Mostly because paying for wood-tasting ice seemed silly. Instead I went for the White Spruce Scented Ricotta Cheesecake. It was very light and heavenly and did have a hint of forest wood, but it went strangely well with the wild berrie preserve and hazelnut crust. Maybe next time I will go for that ice!
We also had the beautiful Caramel Crab Apple Tart with a smoked cheddar cheese crumble and vanilla ice cream. There was so many flavours in each bite.
A reservation is recommended if you go to the Antler (we did have one) as it filled up even on a weeknight. I’m not surprised though, we loved everything about our meal!
I’m still catching up on editing concert photos from this weekend’s Wavelength Festival. Catch my photos and reviews of night 2 here!
We love tacos and at our local grocery store they sell fresh corn tortillas shelves that aren’t the generic Dempster kind. There are so many in a package for like $2 that sometimes they would expire before we finished them. So what do I do with the older tortillas? Make them into chips of course. It’s super easy!
First you cut them into triangle pieces (or I suppose any shape you wish). Then you rub them with a tiny bit of olive oil. Oil isn’t totally necessary but I find it tastes better and won’t stick to the pan. Then you stick them in the oven for approximately 15 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit. Voila! Easy tortilla chips for eating salsa or fancy cheese.
It is below -25 this weekend so I have to dress warmly but layered so I can adjust inside sold-out concerts. I really liked my outfit and make up yesterday so I took some selfies and made myself into a gif! Never be afraid to celebrate when you feel beautiful.
I’m having a super busy weekend at Wavelength Music’s 16th birthday festival. Last night I saw Foxtrott, Calvin Love, Keita Juma, Blunt Chunks and Organ Mood at The Garrison. Read my review and see more photos over on Ride the Tempo!
I recently finished The Opposite of Loneliness, a collection of essays and stories from a budding writer who died of a tragic car crash after graduation.
There are profound essays from Keegan herself as a student of Yale, critical and hopeful that all her fellow students pursue things that ring true to themselves instead of taking the easier paths. There are also many short stories through the eyes of different people, an exterminator, a strange old lady who takes off her clothes, teens in love or indifferent of love.
There’s one common theme in all these stories is that the characters themselves experience loneliness in their own way. An emptiness that never quite seems to fulfill. In this way the book is kind of depressing, but I enjoyed Keegan’s easy to digest style of writing that never comes off as pretentious or older than she seems. She writes in the voices and visions of each of her characters in a way that puts the reader in their shoes.
It’s a shame that we will never truly know what the things Keegan could have wrote as she grew older. It will be a literary world we’ll never know.
Kwan is a beautiful modern Dim Sum and Chinese restaurant at Yonge and St. Clair. We went for the Dim Sum which consisted of traditional dishes that were often presented beautifully. They most typical items from shrimp dumplings, siu mai’s and chicken feet. I didn’t take a picture of everything because I thought it would be annoying to get the table of 10 to stop eating. Hah!
The taro pudding for example was presented as small individual little bites instead of the regular fend for yourself squares.
These deep-fried squid were presented in a bowl that you could eat. In case you were wondering, the bowl tasted like shrimp chips.
These adorable bunnies were filled with cream custard.
We also got some adorable bees with almonds.
We had a pleasant experience at Kwan and were super full and didn’t spend as much as we expected considering how well presented and smaller portion the dishes were. For those looking for a clean, yet still authentic (in terms of taste) experience, Kwan is a splendid spot. Plus you can instagram their desserts!
Nash and I don’t really believe in Valentine’s Day. It’s usually so commercial and stressful for couples to try and plan some perfect romantic date. Those should come occasionally in surprises throughout the year instead of one day. However, I did participate in Galentine’s Day which was a fantastic way for girl friends to gather together for a night of laughter and positivity!
We gathered around a spread of food and goodies. Not pictured was a delicious soup and splendid vegetarian lasagna. There was also a Mexican Chocolate Pie. My friends are awesome cooks.
Afterwards we gathered around and gave each other candies and fun little gifts.
Everybody’s things were so cute!
I actually had no idea what I was supposed to bring to Galentine’s as I’ve never been to one so I hand painted these punny cards which were a hit.
My Galentine’s haul is enough chocolate for the week!
Also this cute little horse eraser guy.
Galentine’s owns Valentine’s Day hands down!
Tiana Feng 