Tennis, Pickleball, Pizza, Red Wine and friends these are a few of my favourite things. Welcome to my small space on the internet. Come stay a while.
Let's be honest: pickleball can be incredibly frustrating. I’m putting it out there because I know I’m not alone. Anyone who's tried to learn a new skill, whether it's a sport, cooking, or building something, understands that progress isn’t always linear. Some days, it clicks; other days, you just shake your head in disbelief. And yes, there's also a thing called "pickleball politics," which we'll delve into later.
Okay, maybe that’s a bold claim, but hear me out. We recently discovered a new spot on Bloor Street West, just a few blocks from Spadina, and it might just be a contender.
According to BlogTO, this place is part of a chain from out west, and this is their first Toronto location. The photos from the article looked inviting, the reviews were positive, so we decided to check it out on a chilly Friday night—also known as date night :)
One and done and its in the books. I have now officially played my first “outside” pickleball tournament and it was an interesting experience. Lot of great observations from playing it. So…where to begin. When I say first outside event, I mean that its the first event not played at the club where I am a member. One that would involve playing people you have never played again
Yes, I can well imagine that probably no one cares about anyone’s recap. As 2024 came to a close the media, especially old style print would provide all kinds of the “best of” in various categories. The best movies, TV show, theatre, books etc…etc. I wouldn’t look at all of them but when I did I usually would realize that I had actually not seen or read many of the best of the best. The Toronto Star listed the following movies as the best of 2024.
On most lists is the NYC chain Shake Shack. They began with their first permanent location in Madison Square Park in 2004 with the idea of elevating what might be considered a basic American staple - the hamburger.
If you type in a search bar the best lasagna in Toronto you get a list of places and on this list and taking the number 1 spot is Porzia's
So, as you would surmise the bar is now raised pretty high. I wasn’t completely sure where it was? I had been riding my bike to play pickleball this fall and I would often take a detour and ride on Oakwood to look for it and for the life of me, I simply couldn’t find it. Eventually, I did locate it. Its a very, small drive by and miss it type of place.
My list of places included Mayfair, Glendon College,Fairgrounds and a new place called the Jar. I have to be more selective because I don’t have a car for the winter so getting to places that are far away is simply not an option. I thought Mayfair would be a good choice because they have made physical changes to their clubs by replacing tennis courts with new pickleball courts.
When a new restaurant opens in the area I’m almost always very interested in what it is going to be like. And, this one so far has not disappointed. Just around the corner, or what I would suggest a short stumble is a new place called “Stella’s Italian Kitchen.” It’s located at 182 Dupont Street very close to the intersection of Davenport and Dupont.
If you read my previous blog post (which was way too long ago), you would know that I’ve taken up the game of pickleball. Like many things I do, I have probably gone a little bit overboard as I find myself trying to find ways to get exercise post shoulder surgery. I may have said this previously but its a bit of the wild west out there in terms of finding actual places to play.
Yep….I’m now a pickler. I know…I know. Don’t hate me. If you recall and it’s okay if you don’t, I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for a long, long time. I underwent major shoulder surgery last fall and have not hit a tennis ball since then. It’s been a long, painful recovery and I’m still suffering.
If you are a FACEBOOK user you may be aware of a ‘feature” that is available called memories. If you have posted something previously on that day from another year it be available as a “memory” of that time and you can re-share if you like. The picture above was from 4 years ago and it has been that long since I left my previous career. Time flies….
Seriously, who doesn’t like chocolate? This cake is pretty impressive isn’t it?
And no, I didn’t eat the whole thing.
We recently ended up at one of our now go-to joints called J Steak Frites.
I’ve written about it in the past. It has a prix fixe menu with only one thing on the list. All you have to do is select how you want your steak cooked. Not that complicated. Medium rare for me.
What continues to draw me to the streetlife of NYC? I have lost count of the number of times that I’ve been there and each time uncovers a part of the city that I have yet to experience while still managing time to go back to places that I enjoy. The frenzy and movement is always with you when your out on the streets. From the cab window you pass places of interest - restaurants or unusual shops that you know you can’t find back home.
Well, you might wonder where this blog post is going, and frankly, I wouldn’t blame you. Trust me it’s all good. I recently found myself in NYC one weekend when a well known “influencer” was introducing new products for her brand dairy boy.
And you ask why would this be the lead? So, I have made the decision to go ahead and have shoulder surgery on October 4th. As a life long tennis player and active in other sports, I have suffered from the chronic injuries that many tennis players have. The shoulder has been a problem for well over 20 years and my ability to function at a high level (as if I ever did) has been curtailed because of the challenge within the shoulder.
I need a vacation…..yep, don’t we all need one. Now, some might say - “you need a vacation - seriously?” You’ve been on vacation the last 3 years? I guess that is likely true in many ways. I guess what I really want is to possibly lie on a beach for a few days. My tastes in vacations have changed because sitting on a beach for hours on end won’t work for me - one from boredom and two from getting completely fried.
It got me thinking about who makes the best steak/frites in Toronto.
For some those would be considered fighting words while for others it’s simply a great opportunity to clog your arteries with red wine and delicious steak and frites.
As a bit of historical reference my baseline or comparison is the chain of restaurants in Paris called “ Le Relais de l’Entrecote.” A legendary stopping point for both locals and tourists while visiting Paris. I was taken there over 25 years ago by some colleagues at Wilson to the location just off the Champs Élysées. For whatever reason, I still remember the street name - 15 Rue Marbeuf, How could you go wrong - steak and frites. What a simple but wonderful combination.
This headline caught my attention recently. The thesis of the article is centered around a lawsuit that recently concluded in British Columbia. There has been some suggestion that the outcome of the case is alarming for a number of potential reasons. With the increase in remote work and the ability for employers to tracking software its possible we may see more of these types of cases. I would assume that the general expectation of any employer is you put in your 8 hour day (or whatever).
