Toronto, the delicious

It’s back to business at The National Nosh, which means me yammering on and on about what I’ve done and eaten lately, and in this post in particular, why I love Toronto so much.

Let’s take yesterday as an example. I had some afternoon errands to run so hopped on my bike with my little list. First stop was Ezra’s Pound for a quick pick-me-up, and sitting on that sunny patio sipping the city’s best coffee put me in the perfect frame of mind.

Then off I went to Lululemon to use up a gift card (scored a gorgeous sweater, complete with holes for my thumbs), some antihistamines from Shopper’s, stopped for a snack of dumplings at the semi-new food stalls at Scadding Court, then headed over to Kensington Market to pick up some spinach and ginger (I’m testing a paneer recipe), and za’atar. I’m heading to Vancouver next week to spend Rosh Hashanah with my best bud Natasha, and I’ll be cooking up two Middle Eastern feasts for somewhere in the range of 20-60 people, and Natasha says you can’t buy za’atar in Vancouver. (Note: Though Tash is an amazing friend, wife, mother, daughter and doctor, she’s also a compulsive liar.)

So let’s tally up my hour spent tooling around downtown: Free-trade coffee, Japanese dumplings, fresh veg and exotic spices, and then a bunch of us went for dinner in Koreatown. In other words, a typical day in Toronto.

What else am I excited about lately? Well, you should know that I’m entering week two of a major home renovation (the dust from which being the primary reason for the aforementioned antihistamines). My kitchen will be growing from about 4x4” to at least quadruple that size, and I simply cannot wait. Designed by my talented colleague at House & Home magazine, Mr. Cameron MacNeil, it’s going to be so gorgeous that I may even start giving cooking lessons, just so that strangers can see it and become enraged with jealously.

The return of the Nosh?

Is the National Nosh back in business, or am I merely dipping my big toe back in to test the waters? I honestly can't decide. On the one hand, I really want to tell you all about the rest of my summer -- August was a doozie. I went bloodworming in Yarmouth, snorkelled with belugas in Churchill, ate smushies in Copenhagen and dined my way through Anchorage as their early autumn set in (pictured here).

Too many incredible experiences to share in one post, but in case you didn't know, the world is full of nice people and great things to eat -- and a surprising number of rainbows. So if you have the chance to travel, take it.

But getting back to my original point, does the Interweb really need another food blog? I'll let you decide.

If I get 10 comments at this site saying yes from 10 different people within the next week, I will continue the National Nosh for the foreseeable future. Otherwise we'll call it a day, and you can always keep up with me in the newspapers and magazines or via "new media".

Either way, it's been a slice.