Madras Masalas

I have just had a feast. It couldn’t be better. When grandson Brad and his loving Hillary come from Chicago I want to take them out for dinner. They also wanted to see my son and daughter-in-law living here. All 5 of us love Indian food and this was exceptional.

We each chose one dish and then added one more to make sure there was enough. With rice and Naan we discovered that we had the perfect amount of food. The place was fully occupied by the time we left. Banjara is attached to this restaurant and features northern Indian food. Madras Masala is south Indian cuisine. Every bite was hot and so tasteful.

My absolute favorite dish is Prawn Saag. Prawns are cooked in a creamy tasty thick spinach sauce.($13.99) Hillary’s chose was the Shahi Paneer. Thick cubes of cheese are in a rich thick sauce made from cashews and cream.(8.95) Alu Channa was so flavorful. Chick peas and potatoes are cooked in aromatic spices.($8.99) It was the first time I have enjoyed Cauliflower Florets, deep fried, with aromatic spices. ($8.99) Fantastic! Mango Chicken ($10.99) and Lamb Hyderbad ($10.99) completed our order. Everybody had something special. We all loved the food.

There is a great deal of variety. It is served in a warm atmosphere. Our server had the warmest smile and was so willing to please. The food is exceptional and very economical. It is a great way to have a feast with a group. You get to taste a variety of dishes.

I love being with my family and I really love this tasty food. I will have to find an excuse to come back very soon.

DT Trends/Dessert Trends

My dear friend Marianne has done so many favors for me. I wanted to show my appreciation and invited her as my guest to this favorite spot. She loved it immediately. I find the atmosphere so soothing. When you enter the restaurant you immediately see a large cooler filled with the most exotic pastries. Donald Duong is an Olympic winner for his fine pastries. Two mock wedding cakes are on display at the entrance. Donald is the chef in the evening for dinners from Wednesday to Sunday. His wife is the chef for brunches and lunches.

I love the soft grey and white tones of the building. The pastry display is in the middle and two small rooms are on either side. All the windows were open and it felt as if I was on a terrace. Everything is tastefully done. If you are fortunate the beautiful Jennifer will be serving you. Her radiant smile always lights up the room. The presentation of the food is so artistic and the taste guaranteed to please the palate.

Marianne opted for the Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad. It almost looked too attractive on the plate to start eating. Warm roasted peppers are in a basil sauce. The sweet onions were so perfect. The baby arugula was lightly mixed with a honey balsamic vinaigrette.($9.50) The multigrain bread is homemade.

I actually invented a new salad and loved it. I hope it appears on the menu in the future. Instead of the Crab and Avocado I asked for Shrimp. The shrimp were perfectly grilled. The avocado was served with caramelized onions and placed on fresh greens with balsamic vinaigrette. ($13.50) It was amazing.

We had such fun watching the food being delivered to the other tables. I have dined here often and have always been so pleased.

Mango and Shrimp Salad is a popular lunch dish.($11.00) On a previous visit a friend ordered the Crab Quiche and stated that it was the best she has ever had. I ordered the Smoked Salmon and Rosti potatoes for a brunch dish on a past visit. It was excellent.

The menu is extensive. The food is always plated like a work of art. The food is tasty and the service is delightful.

Make sure you save room for dessert. Today we shared a Lemon Meringue creation. It was on a coconut cookie and had fresh strawberries in a glaze on the side.($8.00)

I just pretended there were no calories. The dessert melted in my mouth.

Thank you Marianne for all your generosity. I hope you enjoyed your lunch as much as I did.

Summer Hours

What a beautiful thought provoking film. It was sensitively handled and left an impact. Helene lives on an estate in rural France. It is a lovely country house and the terrain is wild and colorful. We aren’t quite sure of her relationship to the former owner, a famous painter. He is dead and has left all the magnificent furniture and valuable paintings. The elderly Eloise looks after Helene.

Helene’s three children come to visit. Her daughter, Adreienne lives in the United States. She is a designer. One son works in Peking and the other is an economist living in France. They seem to be a caring family fond of one another.

Helene must have had a premonition because she discusses her belongings with her children. She tells them how she wants things distributed.

Soon after she dies and the children come together for the funeral. They discuss the house and the valuable articles inside. They have no need for the lovely house or the artifacts. They had obviously meant a lot to Helene and I found it very understandable but sad that after her death everything was sold.

It does make you think about the value of material things and certainly the emotional value. Poor Eloise is left an expensive vase that probably had no meaning for her.

The daughter visits the museum where some of the splendid furniture is on display. It was emotional and I almost felt as if the furniture was abandoned and sent to a place where it doesn’t really belong. At the same time I realized that now many other people could appreciate this fine furniture.

The grandchildren come to the house for a final party before it is turned over to the new owners. A large crowd of young folk arrive on scooters and cars for the final party. They drink beer and dance. They have skateboards and swim in the pond. Nobody was disrespectful but it was so out of character to see all these young adults ‘whooping it up’ in this stately country house. It was such a contrast from the way Helene lived in the house. I couldn’t help but wonder what she would have thought of all that was happening in her quiet house.

The cinematography is beautiful. The film moves at a slow pace in keeping with the story. All the actors performed well. This is an excellent film well worth seeing. When French is spoken the sub titles are displayed. The relatives living in the States speak English.

Departures

This is one of the best films I have ever seen. No wonder it won the Oscar this year for best foreign film. Congratulations to Japan for this outstanding sensitive creative piece of art.

Daigo is a gentle beautiful young man. He is happily married to his lovely Mika. Daigo plays the cello but is just not good enough to stay with the symphony. We are treated to one performance of the symphony with a fabulous chorus. It was wonderful. Daigo loses his job and is at loose ends.

He is hired to work with a caring man who prepares the dead bodies for cremation. There is a ritual to be followed. One moment you are laughing and the next moment the kleenex are needed. Both Daigo and his boss are so sensitive and gentle with the departed. It is really beautiful to watch them in action. I could almost feel the tender touch as they prepare the body. The family sits and watches as the preparations go on. A cover is placed on top of the body as the men gently wash the body under the cover. Makeup is softly applied.

Daigo is shunned by friends for doing this work. Even his wife cannot accept this job and leaves him. When she discovers she is pregnant she comes back home.

When the lady at the bathhouse dies Daigo is called. Mika goes with him. She sees how tender and caring he is with the body and she sheds a tear.

Daigo is called to say goodbye to his father. His father had run off with a younger woman and Daigo hadn’t seen him in 30 years. He tends to the body and is able to say good bye in a ritual way.

The cinematography is magnificent. The symbolic white birds are so beautiful to watch. The muted scenes in the winter and the blossoms in summer are exquisite. Daigo’s serene face and gently hands are inspirational.

I actually have a new understanding of the gentleness of death. I learned a lot about the tradition. This film indeed deserves to be called the best of the year.

Wanda's Waffles

Don’t plan to come here for that big event. Don’t even think about sitting around for a relaxing lunch. This delightful spot has room for two people to stand inside. There is no seating space. There is no parking. There is often a line up outside. It is a few doors north of Dundas on Yonge St.

If you have ever been to Belgium you will probably have tasted those wonderful waffles. Nobody can make a waffle like in Belgium. They melt in your mouth. You can purchase them on the street everywhere. This is second best.

It was a beautiful day and I took my waffle to Dundas Square and sat outdoors enjoying every bite.

The Waffles are baked in front of you and are served hot. You can order sauces or whipped cream. Fresh fruit is also available.

Imagine a lunch for $2.99. That is what I paid for a single waffle. Wanda’s Original Waffle with whipped cream and strawberries is $5.99

Toasted Gourmet Sandwiches are also available. Tuna Melt with Lemon Capers is $5.99 Veggie Panini is filled with chickpea hummus and assorted vegetables.($5.99)

I call this a fun place. No where to sit. Nowhere to eat. Drive by and have a feast in the car or go to the Dundas Square. You’ll find a way. Just go and have a tasting treat.

Bistro Tournesal

I remember well when this bistro first opened. Yves and Martha moved from a restaurant on Prince Arthur. I used to frequent this little French bistro for a long time. I haven’t been back for many years. I was astonished to see how attractive the Bistro is. The ambiance, posters and music take you immediately to France. I noticed on the card that Mel Bryan, Philip Lewicki and Craig Lockhart are the proprietors. I want to congratulate them on a fine establishment.

My family and I were out for a little dinner before going to the theatre. What a grand surprise to find such elegance and fine dining. The menu was a prix fixe at $28.00 for 2 courses. There were many choices. The service was warm and attentive. We admired the plating of every dish presented. The food was served hot and was absolutely delicious.

Kathy started with the Tornesol Green Salad. It was served with sunflower seeds and strawberries in strawberry black pepper vinaigrette. I was delighted with the Frisee Salad served with Danish Blue Cheese, croutons and roasted nut dressing. Ray and Alex thoroughly enjoyed the Mussels steamed in white wine with sweet red onion, roasted garlic and fresh tomato. A special Crepe Du Jour was very tempting. Another time I will opt for the Duo of Smoked Salmon and Smoked Trout served with cabbage chiffonade, sour cream and pumpernickel.

Alex enjoyed the Traditional Beef Bourginon served over a bed of pasta.(add $3.00) Ray and I thought the Cedar Roasted Salmon with citrus vinaigrette was superb. Each portion of salmon was actually served on a mini cedar plank. The vegetables were perfectly cooked. The presentation was so tantalizing and all the food was hot as it should be. Kathy enjoyed the Rare-roasted Duck Breast served with wild blueberry demi-glace. We could have chosen many other options. Last evening many guests seemed to be enjoying the Bouillabaisse with sea scallops, mussels, salmon shrimp and fresh tomato.(add $3.00)

The dessert list left us making tough choices. The Lemon Curd Tart was the choice. The flavor burst in my mouth. The pastry was delicate and flaky. The blueberry preserve was artistically placed on the plate. We all demolished this treat in no time.

I would say this meal was exceptional. Obviously it was wonderful to be with the family. What an evening! We then went on to enjoy a production at the Tarragon Theatre. We noticed that most of the patrons at the restaurant had also made the dinner and theatre a full evening.

I will be back for more of this delicious food.

The Hangover

This film doesn’t deserve more than a second of my time. That second is one bold word,” NO.” I was in Chicago visiting my family. My daughter-in-law has recently had surgery and I went there to be of help. I am ashamed that I even suggested a movie to her at this time. My grandson is very important to me. He suggested the film and said it would be a favor to him if I went to a movie that I really didn’t want to see. What would you do? Of course I went. We all went.

The film is coarse, degrading and in bad taste. A young man is about to be married and sets out for a bachelor weekend before the wedding. The theme is a common one and could have been a delightful film. Not with these characters.

Four buddies set out in the fancy car of the future father-in-law.

The day of the wedding arrives and the groom is missing. The film tells the story of the antics and nonsense of these three zany characters.

They get beaten up. They have accidents in the car. They even find a tiger in the washroom of their motel. Only these nuts could have such an experience. They drink too much and one character discovers in the morning that he has married a stripper and given her his grandmother’s ring from the holocaust. (Not funny)

The characters end up one night in jail. The police bring in students from a class to show them the jail. The police get great thrills in letting the students taser the men. (Also not funny)

The only humorous part was during the credits. Photos supposedly taken on the weekend are shown. They are gross but I did manage a smile or two. Maybe the smile was because the movie was over. Of course it ends on a positive note but I am not spoiling anything because you are not going to waste your money on this film.

At least we had enjoyed a fabulous meal before the film.