Toronto, that’s an Indian word which means “meeting place.” For the past separate three trips I made since the beginning of 2011, I made it a point to meet with Ogie for lunch. The third meeting, Ogie and I were treated for lunch by his lovely wife at Casey’s Bar and Grill. The place is conveniently located at the street level where she works at Citibank, Toronto. The area is also considered the entertainment center of the city.
The healthy lunch that she ordered was something new and unexpected, with an Asian flare, which I don’t normally prepare at home. I started of with a glass of the house’s cabernet sauvignon wine (I’m sure it’s Canadian); and had with it - calamari strips tossed in a chili-garlic sauce, with dressed red and green peppers, and garnished with green onions. It was followed with a spinach salad, crisp onion rings with red peppers, topped with a skewer of grilled shrimp. And finally, we were served with rice pilaf, sautéed fresh vegetables, and a pan-fried plank of salmon. I didn’t have space for dessert. I was saving whatever space is left in my tummy for dessert and coffee at the famous “Tim Horton’s.”
Tomorrow, I’ll take my fourth trip to Toronto. After spending the weekend in Los Angeles gorging on Filipino dishes, I look forward to meeting Ogie for lunch. "What," I ask, "is in store for me?" I know, I will be welcomed again with a good and fair weather. I was fortunate to have avoided the ravages of wintry snowstorms that hit the east coast the past six weeks.
