Theatre: Live Action Shorts @ the TIFF Bell Lightbox

I was never really interested in film until a friend took me to TIFF last summer. We had tickets for a couple of international films, since the major premieres were either American or had weird ticket selling practices. Apparently it's not worth it to attend a North American premiere, because the films come to the theatres shortly after TIFF. The only bonus is to catch a glimpse of the red carpet and maybe see some celebrities... uhh I think it's worth it! I did try to get tickets for a couple of American premieres including one featuring Jennifer Garner, and another with Cory Monteith. hee! Anyway, I failed at both, because the tickets kept going "off-sale" when I was online so I eventually gave up. One of my friends did see James Franco at a film though... fun!

In more recent news, I attended the TIFF Lightbox screening of the Live Action Shorts nominated for Academy Awards. There was an option to see the animated shorts as well, but I wasn't as interested in those. Cartoons make me sleepy.

Well, of course we arrived late (blame the wine!), so didn't get the greatest seats which impacted my ability to read subtitles! Anyway, here's a brief review:

Pentecost (Ireland)

Synopsis

• Damian is forced to serve as an altar boy at an important mass in his local parish, and faces a difficult choice: conform to the status quo, or serve an extended ban from his life's passion - football. 

Rating in a few words

• 4 out of 5 
• Short, clever, hilarious and held my attention. Only somewhat visually appealing. 

Recommendation

• See it. 

Raju (Germany/India)

Synopsis

• A German couple travel to Kolkata to adopt an orphan boy and realize they are involved in child trafficking. 

Rating in a few words

• 3 out of 5 
• Long, serious and slightly shocking. Dull cinematography. I couldn't read the subtitles most of the time. 

Recommendation

• You may not enjoy it, but you should see it. 

The Shore (Ireland)

Synopsis

• A tale about an Irish immigrant who brings his daughter to Ireland to show her his place of birth where he ends up reunited with his former best friend. 

Rating in a few words

• 2 out of 5 
• Seemed funny and had beautiful scenery. Unfortunately it took too long to get going and I fell asleep. I heard is was a good one - I can't say. 

Recommendation

• Check it out at your own risk!

Time Freak (United States)

Synopsis

• A neurotic inventor creates a time machine and gets caught up travelling around yesterday 

Rating in a few words

• 2 out of 5 
• Mostly a reenactment of what a guy did as he repeated the previous days events over and over. Think Groundhog Day. Nothing groundbreaking here, yet mildly amusing. 

Recommendation

• It's short enough to spend time on it.

Tuba Atlantic (Norway)

Synopsis

• An elderly man has a week to live. A young girl keeps him company as he kills seagulls with various whacky inventions and blows on a giant horn. 

Rating in a few words

• 1 out of 5 
• Too long and mostly annoying. The dead seagulls were hilarious at first, however the dreary setting and unattractive actors make for a long look at the 7 stages of grief. 

Recommendation

• I probably missed the whole point of this film, but I hated it so much that I don't care. Skip it. 

Food: Tortilla Flats

Walking along Queen West, there was a delicious deep fried smell in the air... it was Tortilla Flats. Now, before you judge or read any (bad) online reviews, pause for a moment and read on. 

I don't generally guess my way through Toronto restaurants - I like to do some research before settling on a place. I'd never heard of Tortilla Flats before, and I don't remember ever having good tex-mex anywhere in Toronto.

Date visited: February 18th, 2011

There seemed to be a few groups inside, and they told us we could sit anywhere. A server quickly came by and asked us about drinks. He took a while to come back, but when he did, he apologized for the wait. Were we waiting? I didn't really even really think about it, but appreciated the apology anyway.

After a number of questions and requests for recommendations, I had a few thoughts...  I like reinforcement that I've made a good menu selection. I've ordered a lot of disgusting things from restaurants and been disappointed, and I wish someone had been honest enough to tell me I'd made a bad choice! For example, I really wanted the "Kitchen Sink Dip", because it seemed to have everything I could ever want in a tex-mex layered dip - refried beans, guacamole, salsa, chili, cheeses...the guy didn't really offer any feedback.

Tasty: Kitchen Sink Dip & Tortilla Chips

But when I asked for an entree suggestion because I was torn between Flautas and the Enchilada, he said the Flautas were horrible and to not order them! Okay...perfect. The enchilada was very fresh tasting and had acceptable chicken chunks. No objectionable chicken bits here... I could have done without the side of yellow rice though. I meant to omit that, but forgot. It wasn't bad, there was just too much food.

I also enjoyed a good margarita with crushed ice - not too sweet/sour and just the right amount of tequila. I wish it had been Margarita Thursday.

So, I must say the prices were reasonable, and the service was great. Again, I will say that most of the time I'm unimpressed with restaurant service in the city, and don't usually expect anything. When the experience is good, I'm pleasantly surprised and offer a good tip.

The food, tasty beverage and relaxed atmosphere all contributed to a lovely adventure in food...I would definitely return to this place, despite what you may read on Urban Spoon. It had a lot of bad reviews, but I'd give it another go. Until my next visit is a total bust, I stand by my recommendation!

Final thought: Eat there!

Recipe: Apple Pie

I like pie. People like pies. Especially apple pies.

I was pretty nervous about making my own pie crust at home for the first time. I was super paranoid about "tough" pastry, so I was really careful to not overwork it.

Ingredients

Pastry

Flour

Butter or shortening

Salt 

Brown Sugar

Water

Filling

Apples

Lemon

Sugar

Spices 

Butter

Corn Starch

General Method (Pie Crust - top and bottom) 

• Mix fat and flour
• Mix salt and sugar in water
• Combine and knead until dough comes together
• Allow dough to rest and divide
• Roll out bottom crust, fit into pie plate and egg wash 

General Method (Pie Filling)

• Core and peel apples 
• Coat with sugar, starch, spices and lemon
• Cover filling with top crust and cut a hole to release steam
• Water wash and sprinkle with sugar (or cinnamon sugar!)

Adapted from some other recipe

Comments:

• I prefer using butter over shortening in my dough, because it's generally more flavourful and not gross!
• I was worried about the crust thickness - too thick and it won't cook; too thin and it will rip apart during assembly. I didn't really have either of these problems
• Ideally, I would have liked to use Spartan apples, but couldn't find any. I used a combination of granny smith and honey crisp...
• Use modified corn starch (Clear Jel), not corn starch! They are not created equal. I ended up with a significant amount of liquid in the pie from the apples which didn't thicken adequately with regular corn starch. This changes the consistency of the bottom crust, which should be crisp and only slightly wet on the inside of the pie. 

Overall Recommendation:

• It was easier than I thought
• Try it! Next time I'll try strawberry and rhubarb... well, when it's summer and rhubarb is around again.

Longo's! What happened?

Take the Longo way home.

Usually I’m a huge supporter of Longo’s, the grocery chain that (usually) never fails to deliver the best produce and a wonderful shopping experience.

This weekend, I had one of my most disappointing experiences in a grocery store since I saw a mouse at the Metro. As a side note, that Metro has since been demolished in favour of a large Tridel Condo and a Whole Foods. Upgrade! Anyway, although Longo's is sometimes known for its astronomical pricing, their quality is exceptional. Guaranteed satisfaction…tasty stuff. Or so I thought.

I visited the Woodbridge Longo’s at Langstaff and Weston and was horrified at what I saw:

• Bruised apples
• Mushy peppers
• Funny looking broccoli
• Tired looking fruit / veggie trays
• Dry raspberries… and it just goes on…

I wish I’d taken photos of what I’d seen! I was so let down, that I even gave up on the idea of checking out the pastries in the bakery. I’d bet that those would have been gross too. Maybe that store doesn’t do very well, because the product appears to have been sitting out for ages and going bad. I don’t care – I just know that I would never go back. That location is ruining the Longo’s name!

In the end I didn’t do any of my main shopping there and am opting to order via Grocery Gateway instead (still Longo’s, but delivered to my door with a 100% satisfaction guarantee). If you want to go to a store, the following locations are definitely worth checking out:

• Oakville
• York Mills
• Market @ Yonge & Bloor

Go there! :)