This blog is slowly becoming food-centric. Before watching The Hunger Games with Alexandra and Nicole, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the pop-up restaurant, Come and Get It!, since it's been getting rave reviews and they could pack up and go at any time.
In a shocking turn of events, I went with the Chipotle Beef Short Rib sandwich instead of the Hawaiian Pork Belly. We all know how much I love pork but I don't regret the decision at all; the beef short ribs were delicious. You know it's good when you save some for the last bite of your meal.
Braised beef short rib with chipotle aioli,
ancho chili bbq sauce, crispy onions and
a sweet and sour coleslaw on a milk bun
I shared half of my sandwich with Alexandra and had half of her Special of the Day sandwich: duck confit with maple poached pear, pommery, and frisee. I'm so glad we shared because both sandwiches were equally good. It was nice to have something slightly spicy and something sweet. The sandwiches tasted a tad greasy but the coleslaw and frisee helped cut down some of the oily taste in my mouth.
Nicole's Pork Belly Poutine - Yum!
I love that the retro-hipster decorated Come and Get It! has a simple 4-item menu with 3 options each: sandwich, salad, or poutine. I get the feeling that they make everything with a lot of love.
I've been wanting to try Goody's Diner for a while now and with a rare Tuesday off, I dragged my parents to come with me. It's a small space in an industrial area but there are some cute knick knacks that give it a diner feel.
I wasn't feeling particularly hungry but there was no way I was going to Goody's Diner and not ordering one of their off-menu specialty hamburgers. There's a few pictures of their specialty hamburgers hidden on a wall but I already knew what I wanted (even though it wasn't advertised anywhere) - the Figgy Piggy. Big thanks to the chef for making it for me!
Figgy Piggy ($12) up front. Goody's Burger ($9) behind.
Layers of the Figgy Piggy
It. Was. Glorious. It was way too big to fit in my mouth but I made it work. The Figgy Piggy had a layer of pulled pork, grilled apples, peameal bacon, cheddar cheese, zucchini-corn relish, and your usual burger toppings. The fig BBQ sauce was just the right amount of sweetness and the apples added a really nice crunch and tartness. The beef was also really juicy and flavourful. I can't say enough good things about it!
Mom went with the Goody's Burger and Dad went for the Steak Sandwich. They both seemed really satisfied with their choices and were amazed that it only cost $9 each. The sides they came with were huge! I'm not a big fan of sweet potato fries but they are delicious at Goody's Diner and I kept stealing some from my mom. If you still haven't gotten the point of this post - I left very satisfied :)
That same night, my dad and I had box seats for the Leafs vs Hurricanes game thanks to TD Waterhouse. We were both still full from lunch but I can't turn down free food and drinks, especially when there's Smirnoff Mojitos! The Leafs played terribly and lost 3-0 but it was still a fun night with the pops.
Dad and I at the Leafs game
Scarf = totally necessary. It's chilly in there!
View from the box, munching on popcorn
Making Mom jealous with our
Caramel Almond Crunch Haagen Dazs
For weeks I've been helping plan the JUNOS Live Music Labs - liaising with the marketing team, ordering catering, organizing parking, planning logistics, the list goes on. The big weekend finally came last week and for the most part, everything worked out well. The crowd wasn't as big as we were hoping but what can you do?
Carly Rae Jepsen and JRDN composed a song on the spot with suggestions from the audience. The verses may not have made the most sense (since the ideas were from the crowd) but I have to admit, the chorus Carly Rae came up with is really catchy. "Kiss me, if you want too. I've got butterflies-eyes-close my eyes, I'm flying."
Carly Rae is so energetic and adorable and I loved that she was really into the whole process. JRDN is surprisingly cute in person! They both seemed genuinely nice and were down for pictures and autographs with their fans. I have a newfound respect for the two of them.
Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida also came on Saturday to talk about their songwriting process and they brought their 3 sons with them (so cute!). It was interesting to me to see how different Chantal and Raine's personalities are from each other. The highlight of my day, hands down, was hearing Raine Maida singing "Innocent" with just his acoustic guitar. That man's voice is hauntingly beautiful.
Kardinal Offishall came on Sunday. The audience was the smallest out of the four Live Music Labs but Kardi was really humble and kept thanking the crowd for coming. He's also got some pretty funny stories and a great laugh.
Down With Webster came in the afternoon and the minute I first saw them, I couldn't help but smile. I don't know what it is about them that makes me act like a teenager. I met them briefly in the Green Room and was my usual quiet dork self. It's kind of funny that as I shook their hands, they each introduced themselves to me. I'm well aware of who they are but it's nice that they're polite and still down-to-earth guys. As I took a picture with them (which I'm still waiting to get from the OSC host!), Tyler was next to me and his phone was making noises - he was playing Draw Something and across the screen were stick-figures and the word "whores", haha. I wonder what the word was.
Pat & Cam may have become my new favourites...
Look what I saw parked next to my car ;)
Going on at the same time was a JUNO Children's Concert with 2 groups: The Bee's Knees and the Monkey Bunch. I pretty much organized the entire event by myself and I'm really proud of how well it went. The little kids seemed to have a great time dancing along to the music. I missed the second half of Down With Webster's Live Music Lab since I had to help with the Children's Concert load-out but they were so appreciative that I didn't mind. I even got hugs and bananas from the Monkey Bunch!
It was a tiring weekend and the Science Centre is a really awkward venue to load-in band equipment (especially at 8am when I'm not even functioning yet!). I definitely got a mini-workout running up and down 5 floors. It was really cool to see all these artists but honestly, I'm glad that's all over and done with. Once I got home, I spent the rest of the day lying on the couch in front of the TV. That's my paradise, haha.
I can't be late, even if I try. Since my co-op started, I've had a steady routine. Alarm goes off at 7am, I stumble out of bed at 7:15, do my thing and get dressed, grab my lunch from the fridge, and I'm out the door and on the bus by 7:45. I'm a low maintenance girl - as long as there's cream on my face and clothes on my body, I'm good to go.
This past week has been March Break so from 2-5pm, I've been on the floor handing out guide maps, offering suggestions, and answering any questions from the massive amounts of people visiting the Science Centre. (I also got yelled at for doing my job!...but that's a whole other story). Things have been really quiet for me in the office though so my mornings have been spent reading the news, working on crosswords, and researching places to go for my NYC trip (and minimizing windows whenever someone walks by). My supervisor has been away for family medical reasons or Canada Sings rehearsals so I figured there's no harm in getting to work later today. Lots of people arrive at 10am so why do I keep getting to the office at 8:45?
So my alarm once again went off at 7am today and I took my time waking up and getting ready. By 7:42, I was all ready to go. Damn my efficiency! I checked NextBus (one of the best websites ever created!) and saw that the bus was coming in 3 minutes. It's like I've been wired to follow routine because something inside me made me think, "I can't miss that bus!" and I powered my way to the bus stop and made it just in time.
Now I'm sitting at my desk with nothing to do, reading the news, enjoying a cup of coffee and waiting for 2pm to come around. Last day of March Break! Woohoo! It'll be nice having the Science Centre not filled with 8000+ people but it has been great taking the bus in the morning without high school kids around.
One of the best things about Tumblr is finding stuff that I never otherwise would have known about like the fact that Hunter Parrish released an EP! I knew he could sing but I never thought that I would love his original music so much. It's pretty much all I've been listening to (and singing along to) all weekend.
I've never been a religious person and I have no interest in seeing "John the Baptist gather a diverse band of youthful disciples to follow and learn from the teachings of Jesus" but I may have to watch Godspell just to see Hunter Parrish perform as Jesus on Broadway. And it'll make up for the time that I missed him on Spring Awakening, *knock on wood*.
