Weddings, FKO and restaurants

My friends Tom and Sue (above) are getting married at FilKONtario this Friday! For those attending, Sue invites everyone to wear medieval garb if you have it. They're not hiring an "official" photographer, but are hoping friends take photos (I'm sure we will :-). For more info, please see Tom's blog.

I was delighted to hear that Al Thomson (from Curraugh) is flying in for the event. Al's an enormously talented musician and singer; hopefully he'll be performing in some of the open filk circles. He gave me a Northumbrian Pipes lesson back in 2002 (photo by Allison):



And here we are playing tin whistle together during Beckett's visit to the Bhigg House in Winnipeg in 2005 (photo by Beckett):



Dave Clement is coming to visit with me after the convention; I'm very much look forward to that. Below: Dave and Tom perform in an open filk circle at GAfilk:



Thanks so much for all the birthday greetings; I had a wonderful birthday. My sister and her family took me out for lunch, and Jeff and I went to Globe Bistro for dinner.

I posted on Chowhound a couple of months ago, asking for advice about where to go on my birthday. I love trying restaurants with poetic menus (y'know, the kind of menus that have over-the-top menu item descriptions that read like poetry) but Jeff isn't crazy about the atmosphere of some of those places.

After some helpful advice from Chowhound types, I decided on Colborne Lane. I left three messages over the course of several weeks, with reservation info and asking them to call to confirm...but I heard -nothing-. I tried calling during business hours, but only got the answering machine. I finally left a fourth message cancelling my reservation (if it had ever been made) and explaining why. Still heard nothing.

After cancelling on Colborne Lane, I went ahead and made reservations for Globe Bistro (again, based on recommendations from Chowhound types). Globe Bistro now has an online reservation system in place. After making the reservation online, I received a friendly phonecall confirming the reservation, and another phonecall closer to the date confirming once more.

I had asked if we could get a nice table, and they put us at a romantic table (the most romantic in the restaurant, in my opinion) in a relatively secluded corner beneath a tree on the small mid-level floor, with a lovely view overlooking the restaurant. We were both happy with our food, and I loved my dessert (lemon tart). The service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant turned off the main lights during Earth Hour. :-)



Above: view from our table at Globe Bistro (apologies for the photo quality; I only had my point-and-shoot with me).

A follow-up on Colborne Lane: I finally did receive a call from Colborne Lane ON THE DAY of my original reservation, to confirm the reservation. When we explained why we had cancelled, the person on the phone (I think he said his name was Kirby) just said that someone at the restaurant who took reservations had recently quit and besides, they had been getting SO MANY CALLS ever since Toronto Life magazine had named them one of the best restaurants in Toronto. At no point during the phone call did he apologize.

I'm sure Colborne Lane has fantastic food, but I have to admit that this incident has dampened my enthusiasm for visiting that restaurant. The quality of food is important to me, to be sure. But for me, the dining experience encompasses more than just what I'm eating.

If I had a choice between a trendy upscale restaurant with fantastic food but snobby staff and a small but friendly family-run fish and chips shop where the matriarch smiles as she hands you your change (like Penrose, for instance), I'd opt for the latter anytime.



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