Quaintrelle Weekender
Sleuth, shakshuka, and a few days away.
A quick one today.
I just roared back into town after a few days in Niagara-on-the-Lake and hit the ground running with a lunch meeting (doesn’t that sound so Devil Wears Prada?) for my next Wine, Women & Wealth event in June. Tomorrow, I’m on assignment for a magazine where I freelance. The deadline is a quick turnaround, so I can’t spend too much of the muse’s blessings. Just like it’s inadvisable to workout the same muscles two days in a row, I must conserve the creativity, lest I’m too stiff to really let it flow, and this particular assignment is one which demands taps on at full blast.
NOTL is great this time of year; too early for tourists, so the crowds have yet to fill up the place: sidewalks are pleasingly spacious and restaurants can easily accommodate visitors, no reservation required.
We rented a big home in the country, vineyards flanking us on all sides. After the daily grind of Toronto, the quiet – and space! – of rural life is a welcome reprieve. That is, until frost threatens the tender spring vines at 3am and the wind machines flip on, churning desperately to keep the warm air down. I woke up worried we were under siege. The frost fans seem harmless but surprisingly sound like a fleet of choppers swarming ’Nam.
We took in a show at the Shaw Festival. Sleuth is a smart, two-man play that is all the better for brevity. One hour for the first act, 55 minutes for the second, for a total run-time of 2-hours and 15-minutes including intermission. You may have seen the 1972 movie with Michael Caine, and if that’s too antique for your browser history, maybe you saw the 2007 version, also with Michael Caine.
The play runs for the season at the Court House Theatre, a wonderful stand-in (and the original site of the Shaw Festival) for the Royal George Theatre which is closed for a multi-year renovation. The Court House Theatre is cozy and snug, only 249 seats, and reminds me, in all the best ways, of community theatre: actors so close you could touch them (but that’s frowned upon), and it doesn’t seem like there are any bad seats… unless, of course, the person behind you can’t resist unwrapping hard candies in rapid succession all performance long. The Shaw does attract a certain bus-tour, matinee crowd…
As I climbed the stairs on my way to my seat, I complimented an elderly gent sitting a few rows ahead of me on his socks. They were quite stylish. On my way back down I was standing by his seat again; his wife took his cane and said, “You put on your coat… I’ll hold your stick.” I told them that I say the same thing to the handsome fellas.
Hello and welcome to Quaintrelle Weekender, my weekly postcard of what’s on my mind this week.
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This Week’s Big 3
The perfect break up video: I have a friend going through the heartbreak of extricating herself from a … well, a fuck boy. I’m enraged for her, but of course, love is blind, and we’ve all been there. It’s so, so, so hard to tell the person who you feel deeply connected to (even if they’re just not that into you) to pound sand because … what if there’s a chance…? Watch this as many times as you need and do NOT call him in the morning – or at midnight after a few glasses of rosé.
Ditch the weighted vest: If you’ve been torturing yourself with a weighted vest, my girl, Dr Stacy Sims, has once again come to the rescue. She says they may be doing more harm than good.
Fast and easy and fancy: I make a roast chicken at least once a week and a pan sauce will always take it up a notch. I also totally get friends who wimp out of making one because they feel it’s a hassle or they’re too freaked out to try it. Cook’s Illustrated to the rescue.
The Weekend Menu
Changing it up just a smidge this week. We went out to both Treadwell Restaurant and Peller Estates while in Niagara, but cooked equally as much in our rental house.
Brunch: Shakshuka with Feta (gift link from NYT cooking)
Dinner: Moules Sauce Poulette (a very fabulous way to host. Just plunk the whole pot right in the centre of the table and let everyone dig in. Perfect.)
The Weekend Cocktail: Whisky Smash
The Weekend Wine: Guado al Tasso “Il Bruciato” Tuscany, Italy $46 (from my cellar)
And that takes care of another Weekender
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xo – Erin
Thanks for the review of the play you saw at the Shaw Festival! I'll keep Sleuth in mind when reviewing the other options.
I also appreciated your description of the wind machines in the vineyards....so sad they're still at risk of damage due to frost. The temperature is still on the cool side these days, so I'd be worried if I were a farmer/grape grower for sure.