Saturday, October 10, 2026
I know nothing about this amazing photograph, but I wanted to share it.
. . .
Speaking of pictures, this is a literal picture of American jobs.
. . .
The Schneiders hosted the Supper Club tonight with roasted cod as the main course. Culinary contributions were made by America's Favorite Epidemiologist, butternut squash/apple soup, and Legal Eagle Eva, flourless chocolate cake. Bravo all around.
Part of the evening was a discussion of Citizen Kane, chosen in advance. Parallels to current events could not be avoided.
Sunday, October 11, 2026
My brother found this crazy bit of news. The newly elected mayor of a town in Peru is named Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores.
The Upper West Side's Power Couple got up disgustingly early this morning to fly to Toronto. We are not abandoning the good fight for Truth, Beauty and Justice in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, but merely taking a short respite.
We are staying downtown, on a floor devoted to hotel accommodations, in the same high rise where the Frolics live. Irene is a world-renowned sculptor and Bernie is one of Canada's leading authorities on Chinese politics. Not only does the Manulife Centre, 44 Charles Street West, combine residences and transient space, it sits above a multilevel shopping mall containing, among other things, a movie theatre, supermarket, bookstore, clothing stores, cafes and restaurants.
Eataly, an international chain of Italian food halls, has a prominent place in Manulife Centre with a large retail food and wine market and Trattoria Milano, an upscale restaurant. As the four of us experienced it, only the prices were truly upscale, the food better on the menu than on the plate and the service bad.
I had the Taste of Milano dinner for $65 (1 CAD $ = 0.70 USD $): Mondeghili, "Fried Milanese-Style 'Meatballs', Salsa Verde, Spicy Aioli"; Tartare di Manzo, "Raw PEI [Prince Edward Island] Beef Eye Round, ROI [brand] Carte Noire Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt"; Risotto allo Zafferano, "Carnaroli Rice, Saffron, Bone Marrow, Veal Sugo [sauce], Grana Padano DOP [hard cheese with Designated Protection of Origin]"; Cioccolato e Pistacchio, "Dark Chocolate Mousse, Salted Pistachio Gelato, Pistachio Streusel, Raspberries". In all, less than the sum of its parts.
Recognizing the hectic, delayed service, the $60 bottle of Prosecco was left off the check.
Monday, October 12, at noon 2026
"GOP ad buyer mixes up Portlands, spends money meant to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins in Oregon."
. . .
Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and, appropriately, we celebrated by going to a Chinese restaurant. In fact, we had gone to Pearl Yorkville Chinese Cuisine, 730 Yonge Street, on our visit last year. Bernie and Irene both speak Mandarin Chinese and are quite familiar to the host. It's a large place with high ceilings and big windows facing the street. The interior walls are charcoal gray, hung with bright modern art. There was nothing ethnic about the decor.
We ordered several things for all to share: Fried mushrooms with honey sauce ($16); vegetarian dumplings ($14 for 4 pieces); lamb sautéed with Cumin ($40); deep fried filet of sole with sweet & sour sauce ($38); fried rice vermicelli Singapore style ($30); eggplant with spicy garlic sauce ($26). The food was generally well-prepared, the portions large.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
I thought that it would be fun to see the New York Knicks play the Toronto Raptors here tonight. Even though it was an exhibition game, I hoped that Jalen Brunson, KAT and some of the other 2026 NBA champions would play in this affordable venue. It was not to be. The Raptors fielded starters, while the Knicks fielded strangers. I don't think that any Knick stars even crossed the border. The Raptors had a 41-point lead in the first half, which would make for a dull football game. By the way, the Raptors have loudly put the RAP in Raptors.
. . .
Before the game, Bernie and I ate a light, very satisfying, dinner at Viet Hut Express, 35 Charles Street West, a casual joint offering typical Vietnamese food. We both had pho, the national soup. Mine was beef broth, rice noodles, sliced steak, cilantro, white and green onions ($17.50). Bernie had sliced beef shank in beef broth, topped with house-made chili oil and white onion, green onion, and cilantro ($17.50). These large bowls were actually considered small and unnecessarily larger versions were available at $19.99.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
I wandered off on my own for a few hours and had lunch at Da.Si.Mar Shawarma, 673 Yonge Street, on a busy corner in an area full of ethnic restaurants. It's a big space with some random attempts to warm up the decor. You order from the cashier and she directs two guys attending three enormous spits, chicken, lamb, beef.
I had Mix Shawarma Arabic Plate, the three meats wrapped in thin flatbread with hummus, lettuce, tomato, beets, pickles, cucumbers plus a good chopped salad and mildly spiced French fries ($18.99). It was a lot of food, probably enough for two normal human beings. I found Vanilla Coke Zero a little metallic tasting ($2.50). I washed it all down with a can of real Canadian Canada Dry ($2.50).
. . .
It was a stroke of good fortune that Nani's Gelato Charles Street, 6 Charles Street East, was just across the street and I was able to end my lunch hour with a cup of Golden Oreo Strawberry ($7.25). That was a flavor I had never come across before, but I will now have fond memories of (with or without a dangling participle).
. . .
The four of us were joined for dinner by a distinguished couple, Daniel Drache, Professor of Political Science Emeritus, York University, author of Has Populism Won? The War on Liberal Democracy among others, and Marilyn Lambert-Drache, Professor French Language, York University, author of Sur le bout de la langue, among others. Daniel is also a noted gourmand who has navigated many a Chinese menu. Accordingly, we dined at Taste of China Seafood Restaurant, 338 Spadina Avenue, in Toronto's Chinatown, almost unrecognizable with its wide, well-lit streets.
The food, though, was true Chinatown. We had double lobsters with ginger ($65); green bass ($48); crispy fried chicken ($15.95 for a half); mixed vegetable fried rice ($15); stir-fried snow peas ($18.95); eggplant and bean curd in black bean sauce ($16.50). Service was particularly attentive since several people at the table spoke Chinese.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
As we left Toronto, I clarified an important point: Mark Carney, the Prime Minister, is not the guy who appeared on television with Jackie Gleason.
Friday, October 16, 2026
We ended this wonderful week at an increasingly rare event -- a jazz concert. In honor of Miles Davis's 100th birthday, the 92nd Street Y assembled an extremely talented group of musicians to recreate and interpret Kind of Blue, an immortal work released in 1959. Play it here (https://youtu.be/ylXk1LBvIqU?
Nine states have Microsoft as their largest employer, and six have Google...how long before some version of AI supplants it all?
ReplyDelete