CAPLANSKY'S

I've been trying to wirte a post about a deli we visited in Toronto.

It doesn't sound like a tough thing to do but everything seems to come out as pretentious twaddle.

I tried to describe where it is, 'imagine a Toronto side street, an unassuming building with a side door leading up to a dive bar' - twaddle.

I tried to describe the circumstances leading up to our visit, 'Sarah told us about a place that she and Rob had been planning to visit, a place famous for serving smoked meat sandwiches in an unpromising setting' - twaddle.

I gave up.

I'll just have to cut to the chase.

Caplansky's. Sit down, order, choose lean, medium, or fatty meat. Sarah and I say lean and are promptly told that a little bit of fat is a very good thing so we change our minds. Sarah orders coleslaw which I normally don't like but instead of being gloopy and mayo bound it is a tangy vinegary slaw which I taste, I order myself a plate. A bowl of cabbage borscht for Chris and sandwiches for all of us. A little bit of fat is a very good thing indeed...

JUST A FEW PHOTOS...

of a happy Toronto Sunday








I only wish I had taken a photo of us eating a hot dog from Leonard Cohen's favourite hot dog stand after seeing the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox (not actually wearing their red socks, very disappointing) at the Skydome on Saturday (I know it's called the Rogers Centre now but it is wrong. Skydome is clearly a superior name conjuring up an image of the Jetsons whizzing up from the Skydome and around the CN Tower in their flying car before heading home to their robot made dinner. Rogers Centre conjures up absolutely nothing, dull, dull, dull).

TORONTO

We've been trying to plan a trip to Toronto for a few years now. I shared a flat with Sarah while we were on the same postgraduate course and she and Rob have been to visit us in both Edinburgh and London. We've shared our top food and shopping haunts with them and were ready to hear their top Toronto tips.

Ossington is an area firmly on the up and we spent the Friday morning nosing around the independent shops before jumping onto a streetcar to head west for lunch.



I had never heard of Jamie Kennedy but as we walked into Gilead Cafe and saw the lines of pickle jars on shelves lining the walls I knew I would like it.



Smoked arctic char, potato salad and some lightly pickled vegetables for Chris.



A cheeseburger with pickles, lettuce, and sauces on the side to add as I pleased for me.



Both dishes were more than enough to merit fond lasting memories of Gilead but I will really remember the cafe for this.



This is poutine with shredded short ribs. This is Jamie Kennedy's famous fries, topped with melting cheese curds, deeply meaty gravy, and shredded beef. My mouth is watering as I remember the taste even though I ate it over a month ago.

We shared this bowl between four but next time I'm getting one just for me.

BOSTON, PART TWO

In my first Boston post I very briefly mentioned a meatloaf sandwich from a Watertown diner.

Last night I got my first blog request from Chris. 'When you've written about Providence can you add an edit to your Boston post for the sandwiches?' How could I say no?

It was very wet when we left Providence and arrived back in Boston for our last day and night. I believe it is still that way now. We went to see the Shepard Fairey exhibition at the ICA before driving back to the house to put on more rain appropriate footwear and heading for the diner that Renee had been suggesting ever since we arrived.



I followed Renee's lead by ordering a Monte Cristo, that's a cheese and ham sandwich on challah bread, dipped in egg and fried to make it a french toast sandwich, and sweet potato fries (which I really didn't need but really needed to try).



Chris went for the meatloaf sandwich smothered in gravy and a side of spinach.



My sandwich was good but I think would need to be reserved for serious hunger / hangovers. If we went again I would go for the meatloaf. I can almost taste it now.

PROVIDENCE

I can't help but love the names of towns and cities in New England. Portsmouth, Chester, Plymouth, Boston, Cambridge. All named after places left behind. All (with the possible exception of Cambridge and then only because of Harvard) nothing like those namesakes.

And then there is Providence.

God's merciful providence.

Or, as we know it, Providence where Shea'la of Tiny Showcase lives with her lovely cats Nook



and the majestic Moose.



Shea'la lived in Edinburgh for a little while and when she invited us to stay we jumped at the chance.

We headed to Jamestown to look at the lighthouses,



and to picnic on the rocks.



We peered into rock pools, and then headed to Newport to see the old money holiday homes (you say home I say mansion/chateau/palace) of the Vanderbilts and their old money friends.

After a restorative G&T in a terrifyingly neon tiki bar (I swear I'm not making this up) we made our way back to Providence for a drink at AS220, a local arts centre, followed by pulled pork sandwiches and beers at The Red Fez and another chance to play with those wonderful cats.



I still don't know much about Providence but I know that I'll stay there for an extra night or two next time.

BOSTON

After getting over the hurdle, and subsequent agony, of walking 26.2 miles in the middle of the night wearing a bra decorated to resemble two watermelon slices (made of felt) I am finally ready to come back and remember our two weeks away. Two weeks, two countries, four cities, good friends, good food, good fun.

We always eat well with Adam and Renee.

They love to cook and they love to eat so it was no surprise to eat well in Boston.

We ate Korean food in a jet lag fog on our first night, meatloaf sandwiches smothered in gravy in a Watertown diner, pancakes for breakfast, and enormous sandwiches from a deli near Harvard.

But there were two meals which stood out from all the rest.

I would love to describe the first in all its glory. I would love to tell you about the 15 individual plates of food and describe the exact components of the Hendrick's cucumber gimlet that we started the meal with. I would love to tell you about the fig bread, the three different types of caviar, the beautiful single scallop I was presented with as an alternative to seared fois gras (which when I tried I would happily have devoured), the frogs legs and snail in garlic butter, the five cheeses we ate as course number 12, or was it 13... We sat for four hours and we ate and we drank and I would love to describe L'Espalier in painstakingly precise detail but it just wouldn't be right. I don't have any photos and I'm not convinced that I could do all those intricate dishes the justice that they deserve so all I will say is that it was impressive, and delicious, and as we ate each dish we all went silent for a brief moment and then mopped up every last morsel of every perfect sauce.

Thankfully not every Boston meal leaves me so lost for suitable words and thankfully not every Boston meal was enjoyed without a camera on the table.



On a hot May Sunday we headed to The Barking Crab to sit at a picnic table under a red and yellow striped roof,



to look out at the Boston skyline,



to drink pitchers of cold Sam Adams,



to eat Jonah crab claws, crab cakes, and oysters,



followed by lobster rolls with fries,



and a little more Sam Adams to wash it all down.

Fresh seafood, simply cooked, simply served, simply eaten and enjoyed. Do you think I could persuade them to open a London outpost?

AND WE'RE OFF

Boston today. Providence on Tuesday. Toronto on Thursday. New York to finish.

See you in two weeks with stories and photos.