Week 21: More Food Exploration & Toronto's Cavalcade of Lights

Food:  A Grilled Cheese Sandwich and a Chinese Rice Dessert

This weekend I set out to try some new food and check out an annual downtown event.  For lunch on Saturday, I decided to try something that caught my eye on the Food Network's TV show "You Gotta Eat Here" called The Grilled Cheese.  The Grilled Cheese is located in Toronto's Kensington Market.  Just so you get a fair picture of what Kensington Market is like, it's kinda like the place where all the flower children of the 60's hang out.  I don't mean people in their 60's, but people who like to live the way it was in the 60's.  Anyway, the restaurant is pretty small with a few tables outside to sit at and a few more inside.  At first we had to share a picnic style table with a family of 4, but we were fortunate enough to get our own table shortly thereafter.  Because it was so busy and only 3 people were working, we had to clean our own table.  The pictures below will show the outside facade of the restaurant, their menu, and the sandwich I ordered (The Beast).  I'll admit that it was a busy Saturday afternoon and they did warn you before ordering that it was a 25 minute wait.  However, that 25 minutes turned into what felt like 45 minutes, and in my opinion no sandwich is worth waiting that long.  My coffee was cold by the time the food arrived and I was very annoyed.  Also, at one point a worker left to get supplies which left the woman on cash (who handles the money) to sometimes plate and serve the food.  Do you want the person handling money touching your food???  How was the sandwich?  It was fine; I'd rather have Quiznos.  Needless to say, I definitely will not be eating there again.  I should create a show called "You Gotta Avoid Eating Here". 

This is the sandwich I shared:  The Beast.

Later in the day, I walked over to Spadina (Chinatown) and decided to try a Chinese dessert called peanut sticky rice.  I just love the name of the bakery, "Ding Dong Pastries".  The dessert looks like a small snowball made of white rice with tiny coconut sprinkles on top.  Inside the rice ball is chopped up peanuts, sugar, and more coconut.  It was quite yummy.  The rice part has a very subtle taste, but the sugary peanuts and coconut flavour inside the centre is the best part. 

Cavalcade of Lights:  Live Entertainment & Christmas Lights

After killing some time at the Eaton Centre it was finally time for the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square. 

"The 46th annual Cavalcade of Lights presented by Great Gulf kicks off the holiday season at Nathan Phillips Square on Saturday, November 17 at 7 pm. The public are invite to enjoy the first lighting of the Cavalcade of Lights display, live musical performances, spectacular fireworks, an outdoor DJ dance party presented by Timothy's World Coffee and a chance to get a photo taken with the Grey Cup."  www.toronto.ca/special_events/pdf/col12_backgrounder_oct23.pdf

The artists lined up to entertain the public included:  Dragonette, Suzie McNeil, Alyssa Reid, Sean Jones, Justin Abedin, and Circus Orange.  I admit I only stayed for about a half an hour, but that was more than enough for me because I was bored out of my mind.  In that 30 minutes I saw Justin Abedin, Sean Jones, Alyssa Reid, and the lighting of the cavalcade of lights display which was a disappointing lighting of a Christmas tree.  You can see what I saw by watching my videos and picture.  This was a free event so I guess I got my money's worth.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Scrooge.  I just have high expectations, I guess.  Anyway, I believe that that was my first and last Cavalcade of Lights.  Bah, humbug!