Friday, September 28, 2012

All Night Long!


Nuit Blanche is happening this weekend, and you'll need a good meal to keep you going all night long.  So, forget the appetizer and dessert; you get three main courses.  Admittedly, the event is not bike friendly due to the crowds, so the aim of this menu/route is to avoid road closures, and hit restaurants that are open 24 hours.  Park your bike when possible, and enjoy the art by foot, because being reamed from behind by a bike while trying to appreciate art is the worst.

Menu
Suggested route: http://goo.gl/maps/eU5gM

Main 1: 
King Palace (820 Church Street)
An overwhelming selection of Indian and Pakistani dishes. Portion sizes are equally huge.  Just select whatever catches your eye.

Main 2: 
Xe Lua (254 Spadina Avenue, Second Floor)
A personal favourite of mine for Vietnamese cuisine. The BBQ meats on rice are good, the vermicelli is excellent, and you can't go wrong with the basic rice noodle soup, which is huge and value priced.

Main 3: 
The Lakeview (1132-1134 Dundast Street West)
Serving 24 hour breakfast, you can end your night or begin your morning whenever you please. Brunch also served 9 to 5.

The route is one that will allow you to hit the most densely packed exhibition areas of Nuit Blanche, but feel free to take detours to check out exhibitions off the beaten path.  Please note the road closures that I have marked in red on the map; closed to vehicular traffic means closed to bicycles, too.  

Friday, September 14, 2012

Sausage Party


A route for the men while their female friends are doing the September Toronto Girls' Cupcake Ride that will allow them to meet up at the Brick Works for the Red Bull Mini Drome.  While the women start with sweets, the men will enjoy three courses in reverse order.

Menu
Suggested route: http://goo.gl/maps/SfECb

Dessert: Mancakes
For the Love of Cake (171 East Liberty Street, Unit 117)
Cupcakes for men featuring masculine ingredients like beer, whisky, and bacon. However, no one will judge you if you choose the Strawberry Shortcake.

Main: Sausage
WVRST (609 King Street West)
Modelled after a Munich beer hall, WVRST serves manly game meats like wild boar, elk and kangaroo.  The Duck Fat Fries are a must.

Appetizer: Nachos
Hair of the Dog (425 Church Street)
Located in the Toronto capital of manly love, Hair of the Dog purportedly prepares one of the best nachos in the city.

This is mainly a city route with a relaxing ride up the DVP after the final course.  The Mini Drome qualifiers begin at 2:00 pm, main event at 7:30 pm.  See a video of last year's competition here.  I was there and it was riveting. Hope there are more female competitors this year.

Last Toronto Girls' Cupcake Ride of 2012

If you're reading this blog, chances are you enjoy eating and biking. If you're lucky enough to also be female then you will definitely want to check out the last Toronto Girls' Cupcake Ride of 2012 on Saturday, September 22.  This ride will end at the Red Bull Mini Drome, which was pretty exciting when it first came to Toronto in October 2011. Buy extra pastries at the starting point so you have something to munch on as you watch cyclists whips around near-vertical track.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

West to East - Updated!

Like the sun, the usual lingo goes 'East to West', but biking west to east is better if you don't want the sun shining in your eyes.

Menu
Suggested route: http://goo.gl/maps/iCLxI


Appetizer: Soup
Soup 'n Such (2285 Dundas Street West)
Lots of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices, the soups are made fresh on site, daily.  You will want to fill up here if you object to eating meat, or horse, in particular.
Update: The Potato & Bacon (pictured above) and Vegetable Lentil are highly recommended.


Main: Quack 'n' Track
La Palette (492 Queen Street West)
One of the few restaurants in Toronto to regularly serve horse tenderloin.  Combine horse with duck, and you have the best of both land and sky.  Update: they were both excellent.  La Palette also serves bison, musk-ox, and a meat-free entrée called Le Végétarien.  Please note that the dinner menu is available from 4:00 pm onwards.

Dessert: Pie
The Pie Shack (2305 Queen Street East)
There are currently two locations, but the Beaches branch is open later six days a week.  Fresh, fruit pies or savoury pot pies are available to enjoy on-site, in decor that I would term 'post-modern Canadiana', or to take home.
Update: If they suggest ice cream on the side and a spot of tea, don't turn them down.

The route is a basic tour of the lakeshore.  While biking down Roncesvalles Avenue, enjoy the raised bike lanes, but don't forget to stop for passengers boarding and exiting the streetcar.  The route between Harbourfront Centre and Yonge is surprisingly treacherous considering it is the natural route of recreational cyclists following the Waterfront Trail.  Be sure to stop along Woodbine Beach if you need a breather before dessert.
Update: On one of the wettest days in September, we biked through heavy rain, and were rewarded with a rainbow (picture above) followed by a double rainbow (not pictured; we were too overwhelmed).

Photographs by Joe Sinbandhit.