the bowery

grilled octopus with tomato confit, tomato chips, nicoise olives, baby arugula, polenta and squid ink aioli

grilled 24 oz Rib eye with lemon shallot honey vinaigrette and shaved parm

if you're down in the financial district and are looking for somewhere to eat or to catch a drink with friends, look no further because the bowery just opened up. it took over the spot of six steps and the transformation that happened with the space is phenomenal. the space is eclectic with a hint of "punk" thrown in. lots of black and orange with vintage hits, like the stools that are straight from new york city. i don't have a picture of it, but featured in the main front window is a custom neon art piece by up-and-coming canadian artist jarrod wilson.

the food served was nothing short of mouthwatering. my favourite of the night was "grilled octopus with tomato confit, tomato chips, nicoise olives, baby arugula, polenta and squid ink aioli." long name, but delicious. the prices are reasonable, a couple drinks, an app and an entree will likely set you back around $50. not to bad. i love that they cook on a five foot long charcoal grill as it makes the whole restaurant smell like campfire slightly, one of my favourite smells. the word on the street is that they will be opening the downstairs as a live music venue. i had a chance to check out the basement and once this place is up and running, i can see it getting packed real quick.

vintage shopping in leslieville

gadabout

this past saturday i went shopping along the leslieville strip. the place is swarming with antique shops. i came across a fantastic record store called discovery used and collector records, and all the records were 50% off (my kind of deal). i didn't end up buying anything, but the posters they had on the wall were to die for (but unfortunately not 50% off). i then visited my FAVOURITE vintage store gadabout, i seem to make my way down there atleast once a week. just look at all the shoes! (all around $60-$80 dollars) they have a wide assortment of pretty much anything you're looking for. old straight razors, harmonicas, leather jackets, flapper hats, letterpress blocks, jewelery, SHOES, anything! it's all very reasonably priced as well.

value village addict: rolltop desk ($15)

i found this rolltop desk quite a while ago, but the price i got it for makes it post-worthy. callum and i spotted it ouside our local value village for $14.99!!! crazy i know. we paid for it, ran home and grabbed the dolly and trucked that thing back home. i was going to paint it white, but now i think i've fallen in love with it's beat up charm. plus it's solid wood and built in kentucky. i do plan on updating the hardware at some point, but until i'm sick of the wood, i'll hold off on the paint.

finger snap snap

yesterday was our last night at the studio. we finished up our song cadaver bells and gypsy spells and we really dig the new spin on it, greg's drums really pick up the tempo compared to the demo. if anyone is looking for a great studio to work with, i confidently recommend oak recording studio. we worked with justin helle (pictured above), who is a multi-talented engineer/musician and he made the entire experience an enjoyable one. he was "spreadin' the good vibes". we're very excited to get the first song recorded off of our new album and can't wait to get back and finish the rest.

shakespeare and company - paris, france

i was lucky enough to visit paris last fall for the first time. it is a truly beautiful city and from the moment i hopped on the plane back to the yyz i have been  devising a plan to return. on my list of "life goals" living in paris for at least a year is in my 5 year plan (first i need to learn french!). these shots are from shakespeare and company, THE bookstore to visit while visiting the city of lights. shopping here was the reason i had to cram so much into my purse for the flight back as the books weighed a ton! when you purchase a book at shakespeare and company they stamp the inside of your book which just makes them all the more special.

my top three finds were (well callum found the first one) perfume: the story of a murderer, the wild boys by william s. burroughs, and we have always lived in the castle.

tattoos + guitars

here are a couple more photos of our first session at oak recording studio. these were taken off of my canon, not the iphone, so the quality it a little better. there are a few shots at the end of callum playing on a vintage gibson that the studio has available and it sounds beautiful. we're heading back to the studio tonight to finish up the song with some finger snaps and all that jazz.

you can find the rest of the shots here.