A Lot and Nothing

Work is draining. (Verb use, I know, I know.) I spend about an hour and a half commuting to work in the morning, and the same coming back at night. I got my roommate a job with me, though, so we slog off together in the morning, and sleep on the train on the way back. The TTC is flippy, and Murphy's Law seems to apply whenever I try to leave early. So, no matter how early I leave, the TTC kindly deposits me at work 10-15 minutes late. If it's not signal troubles at Davisville, it's a blinding snowstorm, or some other random back-up on the tracks. Oh, and I absolutely love it when the streetcar randomly diverts many blocks away from my home, and so do all the streetcars thereafter. I especially love it when it happens during the worst snowstorm of the winter, and my toes freeze, and so does the drink in my hand, and then right when I'm near home, a streetcar whooshes by and splatters me with exhaust-drenched slush. But, complaints aside, I've found my way around and am finally earning a steady income, so after I pay off my horrendous credit card bills (I had to buy clothes for work, can't show up in PJs), I'll be able to get out more.

Cooking the way I do - a la My Big Fat Greek Wedding - isn't always feasible when I get home around 7 p.m. every night. I've found a couple of places that are real friendly-like to harried folks like me, who want nothing more than to collapse in a pile of sodium goodness after getting home from a long day at work. Here's what I've been feasting on lately:

I Love Sushi

I already mentioned them, but let me reiterate how much I love them. I ordered delivery a couple weeks back, and not only were they super nice about it (it was a miserable night), they also rushed my order over and included all sorts of free extras. My bills came to just over $30, and it was enough to feed four people, with generous leftovers for two the next day. The delivery guy was very sweet and humble and I had my sushi faster than you can say "itadakimasu." My dreams of sushi home delivery came true! Sweet.

One of A Kind Pasta and Grill
746 Queen Street West
http://www.oneofakindpasta.com/

This one's worth a bit of a story, so pardon the length. I kind of stumbled upon these guys one night while I was blindly searching around in the cold for something to eat around 9:30 at night. I'd passed by on the streetcar before, it's the place with that big garish green lit-up sign that looks like it would be advertising some sort of run-down diner. I thought pasta might be nice, so I popped in. Looks are deceiving - inside is a night, small, intimate, dimly-lit restaurant, the kind that makes you think of a scene where 50s-style mob bosses would probably hold a private meeting with their next hit. Maybe I exaggerate a little, but it is pretty tiny, and the windows and door areas are blocked off with heavy curtains and the lighting seems to be by candle only.

The night I stumbled in there, there was a birthday party for a mid-20-something fellow, with the most eclectic group of friends I've ever seen - the tattooed, the pierced, the gamer geeks, the artsie-fartsies, the total punk, and even a MTF (she was really cute). They took up a table that spanned the length of the restaurant from the front doors to the kitchen, and were incredibly loud. There were three tables left over, all full, so I ordered take-out. There were two waiters; one an old Italian, and the other an Asian fellow whom I assume was the owner. The Italian fellow took my order with all sorts of substitutions, no problems, and proceeded to serve the birthday group. I was surprised that depsite their rowdy drunkeness, the Italian guy stayed totally cool and served them with a smile - I know a lot of people would get irritated (I did, within 15 seconds). When a table in the back cleared I took a seat while I was waiting for my food, he brought me and my roommate glasses of water and invited us to stay. We declined the invite, and he told us to let him know if we needed anything.

I was pretty impressed up to that point, but when I saw the food come out, I was amazed. They served everything on those nice, square white plates I badly want for my own kitchen (I'm sure they have a name), and everything was jazzed up to the max. The dishes weren't overloaded with garnish or anything, but the plates were artfully and tastefully arranged and all the food looked incredible. It smelled great, too. I saw steaks as big as whole chickens and the most mouthwatering salads I've ever seen. The party dug right in as my food arrived, hot and fresh. I was offered a 10% discount with cash, but I've been short financially lately, so I had to take the full price on credit. Two large pasta dishes and garlic bread came out to $25 with tax, and they were on the higher end of pricy for this place. The menu is super-cheap and delectable (check their web site for details), and the food was amazing to boot. I ate it for three days following that night, and every bite was as good as it was initially. My dish came loaded with a variety of fresh vegetables and a great tomato garlic sauce, my roommate got the veggie and seafood dish with big hunks of roast salmon and calamari and shrimp. Incredible. I checked the kitchen before I left (it was pretty open), and there were two Asian chefs in there. Now, if you know me, you know how I rave about Asians always being the best cooks - indeed, the best fajitas I've ever had were made by a Chinese family in a Mexican restaurant in Flushing, NY. But, not like it matters who the chefs are, the irony is there, and the point is I had the best Italian food of my life. Highly recommended.

P.S. I just looked at their web site - "One of a Kind features Chef and owner Raymond To's unique combination of over 30 pasta dishes as well his chef's specials and lunch or dinner entrees. Some are traditional Italian dishes, some with an Asian twist, all of them spectacular." - It's true! And $25 surf n' turf Monday-Thursday.

Java House
537 Queen Street West

I went out to this place last night in search of a warm drink to fuzz away the cold, the snow, and the events of the week. I took my roommate with me and met up with a friend. We were an hour and a half late thanks to Beck Taxi's unique no-show style, despite my repeated calls and an assurance a cab would be there in 10 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, all while I watched empty Beck cabs pass by my lobby's doors. Thanks, guys. (Jerks. Co-Op is so much better. And their drivers don't intentionally ruin people's lives.)

Anyhoo, Java House is a neat, student-friendly kind of place. The atmosphere borders on date-friendly with mood lighting, mixed with a little southwest indie rock bar. The food is cheap and plentiful, perfect if you're short on cash. Friday night's special is two entrees and a pitcher of beer for $21.99. All entrees were priced at $6.99, and included a lot of Asian fusion options. I was happy as pie with my giant plate of rice paper-wrapped spring rolls for $3.25, and my roommate got hummus and pita for $3.25. They have a lot of martini and drink options, and great beer on tap (the highest pint price was $4.05 for imported). It's a cute, cheap, trendy kind of spot for the hip and unemployed 20-somethings. And the food is good. The waitress seemed like she really didn't want to be there, but the service was prompt. Still recommended.

Tonight I'm supposed to head off to some party at Sidecar Restaurant on College, so we'll see how it goes. I have the feeling someone's gonna get a faceful of Blueberry Gin and Tonic.