The happy highways where I went
The Colonnade in Toronto was an innovative piece of archiecture when it first opened in the 60s. It was also on the walking route from my highschool to home so I spent a lot of time in its little shops, discovering a brave new world. The stretch of Bloor St it sits on is now a wall of condos and is also the beginning of Mink Mile. Tiffany, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Dior, and on and on. Fifth Avenue wannabe. Even in the oughties there were smaller stores there, but not any more. And all are equally gone from inside the Colonnade itself- the Paper Place, the Florentine Shop, the little theatre, even the Japan Society from later years. In the ground floor store that was once an upscale chocolatier is now a boutique that sells cashmere clothing. I might even think of buying some of their pieces but I'm sure they cost in the hundreds, and no one who sweats as I do should wear cashmere.
But it was to an upscale Lebanese restaurant in the Colonnade that petronia took me to dinner this evening. Reviews said the service was slow and it certainly was: our meal lasted three hours. Slow dining may be well enough for Europeans but Toronto bustles. Still it was amazingly good, especially the shish kebab (when it arrived, after two requests). I'm not much of a meat eater these days but the beef and lamb and chicken were all tender and filling. Lived up to the prices. We sat at the outdoor balcony overlooking the muted hum of Bloor St, the evening was unwontedly mild, and they had heat lamps as well. Much more congenial than the inside which was packed, musty (a neat trick with the amount of floor space), and LOUD, with the din of conversation vying with the music volume turned up to maximum. Out on the balcony one could even converse easily and converse is what we did. Haven't done that since last March ie the last time petronia was here. The days when I had a social life now seem as long ago as the days when I used to buy things at the little shops in the Colonnade.
But it was to an upscale Lebanese restaurant in the Colonnade that petronia took me to dinner this evening. Reviews said the service was slow and it certainly was: our meal lasted three hours. Slow dining may be well enough for Europeans but Toronto bustles. Still it was amazingly good, especially the shish kebab (when it arrived, after two requests). I'm not much of a meat eater these days but the beef and lamb and chicken were all tender and filling. Lived up to the prices. We sat at the outdoor balcony overlooking the muted hum of Bloor St, the evening was unwontedly mild, and they had heat lamps as well. Much more congenial than the inside which was packed, musty (a neat trick with the amount of floor space), and LOUD, with the din of conversation vying with the music volume turned up to maximum. Out on the balcony one could even converse easily and converse is what we did. Haven't done that since last March ie the last time petronia was here. The days when I had a social life now seem as long ago as the days when I used to buy things at the little shops in the Colonnade.