Once a year, we have a dog festival, woofstock -- a bring-your-own-dog dog festival. It always happens on the first weekend of Luminato, my favourite arts festival. Somehow, I always manage to have a Luminato show in the woofstock area, so I get there early and check out the pooches. Man, those dogs can be so much fun... nothing like seeing a chihuahua sniff out a great dane. And they do!!!
After oooing and aaawing over the dogs, I headed to my event, Einstein on the Beach.
It's a 4-hour opera by Robert Wilson and Phillip Glass, and I'm not a big fan of either, but I thought I'd check it out anyway. It was OK. Understand that modern opera is really, really not my thing, so I enjoyed it up to a point -- I like to be pushed out of my comfort zone, and this definitely did it. But the room was freezing, which eventually drove me out. I thought I'd just step out to warm up a bit, but the foyer was even worse, so I left. But before I move on to the rest of my day, let's see what I liked:
The choreography was amazing (Lucinda Childs). Original, witty, and the mid-point ballet was just exhilirating.
The sets were impressive. there was a short lecture before, so we got a glimpse into the minds of the creators, but frankly? I do believe a narrative helps, and there was no narrative to be found here.
the voices and music were typical Glass. I can take an hour or 2, but not 4!!!!
So, I left early and headed across the street to Oliver and Bonacini's Grill Cafe.
Can you say overrated and overpriced? O&B have some of Torontos' best restaurants -- Canoe, Auberge du Pommier, etc. -- but the Grill Cafe sure ain't one of them. I sat on the terrace, which might account for the bad wine list, but the interior space was freezing... what's with the jacked up A/C anyway?
Back to the terrace. Nice space, comfy chairs, lovely waitstaff. Wine list, blah. Cocktails looked pretty good, so I might try one of those if I go back. Food? I had a japanese caesar's salad. It was quite lovely, if a bit pricey at $19. It didn't say organic, so I wasn't really sure what I was paying extra for. A number of other items caught my eye, but the prices kept me away. For an affordable lunch, I would have had to pick pasta or pizza, neither one of which appealed today.
Their secret? Seconds away from the investment banking firms, and a good reputation. Not bad food, but I know they can do better. I'll stick to their Canteen restaurant at TIFF. Better food and better wine choices.
So, that was my day today. How was yours?
After oooing and aaawing over the dogs, I headed to my event, Einstein on the Beach.
It's a 4-hour opera by Robert Wilson and Phillip Glass, and I'm not a big fan of either, but I thought I'd check it out anyway. It was OK. Understand that modern opera is really, really not my thing, so I enjoyed it up to a point -- I like to be pushed out of my comfort zone, and this definitely did it. But the room was freezing, which eventually drove me out. I thought I'd just step out to warm up a bit, but the foyer was even worse, so I left. But before I move on to the rest of my day, let's see what I liked:
The choreography was amazing (Lucinda Childs). Original, witty, and the mid-point ballet was just exhilirating.
The sets were impressive. there was a short lecture before, so we got a glimpse into the minds of the creators, but frankly? I do believe a narrative helps, and there was no narrative to be found here.
the voices and music were typical Glass. I can take an hour or 2, but not 4!!!!
So, I left early and headed across the street to Oliver and Bonacini's Grill Cafe.
Can you say overrated and overpriced? O&B have some of Torontos' best restaurants -- Canoe, Auberge du Pommier, etc. -- but the Grill Cafe sure ain't one of them. I sat on the terrace, which might account for the bad wine list, but the interior space was freezing... what's with the jacked up A/C anyway?
Back to the terrace. Nice space, comfy chairs, lovely waitstaff. Wine list, blah. Cocktails looked pretty good, so I might try one of those if I go back. Food? I had a japanese caesar's salad. It was quite lovely, if a bit pricey at $19. It didn't say organic, so I wasn't really sure what I was paying extra for. A number of other items caught my eye, but the prices kept me away. For an affordable lunch, I would have had to pick pasta or pizza, neither one of which appealed today.
Their secret? Seconds away from the investment banking firms, and a good reputation. Not bad food, but I know they can do better. I'll stick to their Canteen restaurant at TIFF. Better food and better wine choices.
So, that was my day today. How was yours?
