Last week turned into a serious burger week for me. I had 4 burgers in 8 days. Now my body is feeling the consequences - I think I'm getting sick.
Anyways, last week, wednesday I believe I met up with Drew and we headed to the Duke of G for the always classic Duke Burger. This is one of the best burgers in the city. The G is one of the only places that I know that makes its own patties by hand. They have that true homemade taste that just doesn't come through in frozen/store bought patties, excellent seasoning. The burger was topped with excellent topping - fresh green leaf lettuce (no iceburg here folks), red tomato and red onion. Also an added bonus is the dill pickle relish. Also, the Duke's fries are superb. Drew and I debated on whether they were fresh hand cut or not, but regardless these are good fries. The Malt Vinegar makes it all that much better. The Duke Burger and Fries goes for about 8 Bucks I believe.
Last night Luca, Heather and I went on a little dinner mission up to Bloor. After a nice stroll around on a temperate spring evening we decided on The Tap due to its genericy. We wanted something honky. They had a banquet burger special goin' last night listed for 6 bux. The topping didn't dissapoint with cheddar cheese and two strips of bacon along with lettuce, tomate, onion and pickle. The toasted bun was nice but the patty itself wasn't that great - very processed taste and texture. The fries weren't that great either - extremely greasy. Luca and I again debated weather they were frozen or fresh cut. We need to get an authority to weigh in on the issue. We had a good time at the Tap playing NTN.
Last weekend in Kingston I ate a burger that wasn't too great at Bubba's. The thin patty was over cooked and crispy around the edges - the toppings were shoddy. But this was to be expected in a place like this. Bubba had the horseracing statellite channel going on the tv, it was good entertainment while I ate my bad burger.
SO, i might be getting sick - gotta lay off the burgers this week and step up the healthy food. But more stops on the diner/burger tour to come including a return to People's Food up on Dupont which Chris and I were at last summer. Its the only other place that I know of that makes their own patties in house. Other places to hit eventually include reviews of the Vesta Lunch and the Stem. Eventually I'll make it over to the east side and head to the New York Cafe Restaurant for their cheeseburger (good memories of last march going there for lunch), and also some places that I have yet to visit.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Friendly's
Was down at Queen and Dovercourt tonight for a vaudville show that Jon's theatre group was in. I had a bit part in their play so was down early to help them set up and stuff. Before the show I strolled down Queen to look for a place to grab some dinner and strolled into Friendly's.
I got their Deluxe Burger Special (fries and cole slaw)
The burger was very good - great sized patty, fresh taste. tomatoes, pickels, onions - decent toppings. The bun was toasted which was a nice touch and it fit the size of the patty which isn't always the case with some places. The Fries were ok, but nothing special. The Cole Slaw was decent, but it was the vinegar style dressing stuff which isn't as great as the creamy style. Also got a dill pickel on the side which was nice. They had certificate that claimed 'best queen st. burger' I'm not sure if that was true but it is definately worth a repeat visit.
I got their Deluxe Burger Special (fries and cole slaw)
The burger was very good - great sized patty, fresh taste. tomatoes, pickels, onions - decent toppings. The bun was toasted which was a nice touch and it fit the size of the patty which isn't always the case with some places. The Fries were ok, but nothing special. The Cole Slaw was decent, but it was the vinegar style dressing stuff which isn't as great as the creamy style. Also got a dill pickel on the side which was nice. They had certificate that claimed 'best queen st. burger' I'm not sure if that was true but it is definately worth a repeat visit.
Brian's Record Option
Holy Hell!
I was in Kingston on the weekend for a gig at the Grad Club. I spent the better part of the afternoon before the party at Brian's Record Option. This was my first time in Kingston but I had been told to make sure I check out Brian's when I was there. The place seems like total chaos - thousands of records everywhere, but Brian seems to know exactly where everything is. I got some great deals on some rock stuff..
Clash s/t and London Calling
AC/DC - Let There Be Rock
Thin Lizzy - Johnny the Fox
Stones - England's Newest Hit Makers
Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity
Eurythmics - Sweet Dream are Made of These
James White and the Blacks - Off White
Also grabbed a few things for doubles routines I'm workin on but those are secrets...
but the real gold mine was the 80s 12"s--
Madonna - Like a Virgin
Madonna - Vogue
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait (dutch and english versions)
Rolling Stones - Miss You (8 min. disco version which I didn't even know existed)
Eddie Murphy (!) - Party All the Time
Bangels - Walk Like an Egyptian (supadoopa 12 inch edit that I hadn't heard before)
Yaz(oo) - Situation/Only You (standard versions but nice to get 'em on 12 inch as the LP is a little lo-fi)
Kano - Another Life
I could've easily spent an entire day in there as i didn't even really look through the rock stuff and only got about half though the disco section but its best that I left when i did as too much money was spent.
I was in Kingston on the weekend for a gig at the Grad Club. I spent the better part of the afternoon before the party at Brian's Record Option. This was my first time in Kingston but I had been told to make sure I check out Brian's when I was there. The place seems like total chaos - thousands of records everywhere, but Brian seems to know exactly where everything is. I got some great deals on some rock stuff..
Clash s/t and London Calling
AC/DC - Let There Be Rock
Thin Lizzy - Johnny the Fox
Stones - England's Newest Hit Makers
Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity
Eurythmics - Sweet Dream are Made of These
James White and the Blacks - Off White
Also grabbed a few things for doubles routines I'm workin on but those are secrets...
but the real gold mine was the 80s 12"s--
Madonna - Like a Virgin
Madonna - Vogue
Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait (dutch and english versions)
Rolling Stones - Miss You (8 min. disco version which I didn't even know existed)
Eddie Murphy (!) - Party All the Time
Bangels - Walk Like an Egyptian (supadoopa 12 inch edit that I hadn't heard before)
Yaz(oo) - Situation/Only You (standard versions but nice to get 'em on 12 inch as the LP is a little lo-fi)
Kano - Another Life
I could've easily spent an entire day in there as i didn't even really look through the rock stuff and only got about half though the disco section but its best that I left when i did as too much money was spent.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Crazier than a bad of fuckin' angel dust...
A few months ago Jon brought home about 500 records from a house that they cleaned out at Got Junk. At first we were like "oh shit!" this is the greatest thing we've ever seen. But then after going through them for a while we were amazed at how someone with such bad taste could own so many records. They were about 75% Broadway soundtracks, 20% bad bad jazz and 5% other stuff. He even had some James Brown records, but there were the ones from the late 70s and 80s when James had completely fallen off. We guessed that this guy was either a homosexual or a serious musical theatre enthusiast...wait...
stuff that I actually bothered to grab -
Rusty Warren - Songs for Sinners (some 'adult' comedy album from the 50s)
The Bold Humor of Davey Bold
The Best of the Pointer Sisters (eihn)
Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye
Rocky Soundtrack
A Phil Silvers album
James Brown - Jam 1980s, The Original Disco Man (1979) and Body Heat (1976)
Some other crap not even worth mentioning.
SO now we have all these records in our basement and we're not sure what to do with them...many people have dug through them but there's still too many there. Jon says he knows someone who might be willing to take them all. At least there are crates that we can grab.
stuff that I actually bothered to grab -
Rusty Warren - Songs for Sinners (some 'adult' comedy album from the 50s)
The Bold Humor of Davey Bold
The Best of the Pointer Sisters (eihn)
Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye
Rocky Soundtrack
A Phil Silvers album
James Brown - Jam 1980s, The Original Disco Man (1979) and Body Heat (1976)
Some other crap not even worth mentioning.
SO now we have all these records in our basement and we're not sure what to do with them...many people have dug through them but there's still too many there. Jon says he knows someone who might be willing to take them all. At least there are crates that we can grab.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Ok ok
Well, it seems as though I have negelected The Second Line as of late. Perhaps my initial interest in blogging can be related to when you get a new hobby as a kid - karate, uni cycle, etc. something you're really excited about and then lose interest. I resolve to not let that happen. More regular updates to come.
Lots has happened since I've posted last. Stories to come involving Jonny's 500 (12 crates?) strong record addition to out basement, late night pillaging of an abandoned record store, and a trip to By the Pound with Jess (she bought clothes, I bought records).
Went to see Keb Darge spin at Supermarket last night. more about that later.
Also last weekend was the Wavelength 5th anniversary weekend. After seeing a lot of music I have resolutions to see the following bands as soon as possible: Jon-Rae and the River, Final Fantasy, The Pauls, SS Cardiacs, No Dynamics and the Creeping Nobodies. Yay Toronto!
Lots has happened since I've posted last. Stories to come involving Jonny's 500 (12 crates?) strong record addition to out basement, late night pillaging of an abandoned record store, and a trip to By the Pound with Jess (she bought clothes, I bought records).
Went to see Keb Darge spin at Supermarket last night. more about that later.
Also last weekend was the Wavelength 5th anniversary weekend. After seeing a lot of music I have resolutions to see the following bands as soon as possible: Jon-Rae and the River, Final Fantasy, The Pauls, SS Cardiacs, No Dynamics and the Creeping Nobodies. Yay Toronto!
Friday, December 03, 2004
365 Days Project
Be sure to check out The 365 Days Project.
This extremely well done project was put together in 2003 and was unavailable for some time but has recently been archived. Basically one interesting/odd-ball mp3 was posted per day for a year complete with analysis, commentary and often album artwork. I've only had a chance to go though the first few months but there is some awesome stuff there. A few highlights off the top to get you started are #5 Janeen Brady & The Brite Singers - I'm a Morman, #15 Picking Up Girls Made Easy - The Women's Clothing Store Pick-Up, #18 Charlie Lewis - Four Songs, #19 Sister Gertrude Morgan - Let Us Make A Record, and #37 Bob Vido - Boo-Bah-Bah.
Just as entertaining as the songs themselves are the excellent commentary which accompanies each mp3. Its very well written and shows a true appreciation for outsider music or just weird music in general. Much of this stuff has been taken from thrift store vinyl finds as well as personal collections and other sources.
This extremely well done project was put together in 2003 and was unavailable for some time but has recently been archived. Basically one interesting/odd-ball mp3 was posted per day for a year complete with analysis, commentary and often album artwork. I've only had a chance to go though the first few months but there is some awesome stuff there. A few highlights off the top to get you started are #5 Janeen Brady & The Brite Singers - I'm a Morman, #15 Picking Up Girls Made Easy - The Women's Clothing Store Pick-Up, #18 Charlie Lewis - Four Songs, #19 Sister Gertrude Morgan - Let Us Make A Record, and #37 Bob Vido - Boo-Bah-Bah.
Just as entertaining as the songs themselves are the excellent commentary which accompanies each mp3. Its very well written and shows a true appreciation for outsider music or just weird music in general. Much of this stuff has been taken from thrift store vinyl finds as well as personal collections and other sources.
Friday, November 26, 2004
John Book's THRIFT STORE ADVENTURES Home Page
John Book's THRIFT STORE ADVENTURES
This is a really great site for anyone interested in vinyl oddities and thift store finds. It was John Book's site that served as the inspiration for the creation of this blog. He's an interesting guy which comes through in his taste for vinyl and his writing.
This is a really great site for anyone interested in vinyl oddities and thift store finds. It was John Book's site that served as the inspiration for the creation of this blog. He's an interesting guy which comes through in his taste for vinyl and his writing.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
St. Clair West
Went thrifting with Lizzy up to the Goodwill on St. Clair West about a month ago...
We spent quite a while digging through the vinyl and found a few gems. Found a copy of Donna Summer's 1976 LP A Love Trilogy. Wicked Giorgio Moroder production. Got a copy of a Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam record from 89 called Straight to the Sky. Not as good as the earlier stuff but still satisfying to find a vintage freestyle record for 50 cents that hipster DJs are currently spending a lot of money on at Play De and other places online.
One of the big finds was the 12" of Techtronic's Pump up the Jam. Rinsed that out at the Cat's Eye Halloween party, it was one of the biggest tunes of the night. The kids are going crazy for the early 90s dance stuff these days.
Also got a second copy of Zepellin's album In Through the Out Door. A not so great late career Zep release. But my reason for grabbing it was to juggle the track Fool in the Rain. Its been a really fun track to play around with in the last few weeks - rockin the doubles it sounds pretty wicked.
Its all about going to the out of the way thrift stores. Making the effort to go off the beaten path leads to rewarding finds. For example, back in the spring I was staying with my Grandparents for a few days and we went down to the Salvation Army in Richmond Hill. I got the Sesame Street Fever record. Which has some wicked disco songs on it, namely the C is for Cookie disco version with Robin Gibb. The "C is for cookie, thats good enough for me" chorus gets everybody up and they've never heard it like this before. One of those instantly recognizable things from our childhood. First time I played it was at Paul and Tyrone's Loft party back in May and it was a huge hit with the floor.
We spent quite a while digging through the vinyl and found a few gems. Found a copy of Donna Summer's 1976 LP A Love Trilogy. Wicked Giorgio Moroder production. Got a copy of a Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam record from 89 called Straight to the Sky. Not as good as the earlier stuff but still satisfying to find a vintage freestyle record for 50 cents that hipster DJs are currently spending a lot of money on at Play De and other places online.
One of the big finds was the 12" of Techtronic's Pump up the Jam. Rinsed that out at the Cat's Eye Halloween party, it was one of the biggest tunes of the night. The kids are going crazy for the early 90s dance stuff these days.
Also got a second copy of Zepellin's album In Through the Out Door. A not so great late career Zep release. But my reason for grabbing it was to juggle the track Fool in the Rain. Its been a really fun track to play around with in the last few weeks - rockin the doubles it sounds pretty wicked.
Its all about going to the out of the way thrift stores. Making the effort to go off the beaten path leads to rewarding finds. For example, back in the spring I was staying with my Grandparents for a few days and we went down to the Salvation Army in Richmond Hill. I got the Sesame Street Fever record. Which has some wicked disco songs on it, namely the C is for Cookie disco version with Robin Gibb. The "C is for cookie, thats good enough for me" chorus gets everybody up and they've never heard it like this before. One of those instantly recognizable things from our childhood. First time I played it was at Paul and Tyrone's Loft party back in May and it was a huge hit with the floor.
Thifting in London
I was in London two weeks ago visiting family and friends and got a chance to hit up a few thrift stores in search of vinyl.
I was happily surprised to discover that the Goodwill had lowered their vinyl prices to 6 for a dollar. That is as cheap as I've ever seen vinyl.
Some highlights from Goodwill include Bryan Adams' 1984 album Reckless which has Summer of '69 on it.
The Original Soundtrack to the Montreal '76 Olympics. Basically its bad modern Canadian classical music, but I got it mainly for the cover and novelty factor.
A copy of the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (5th of Beethoven!)
A Richard Simmons workout record. When i got it home I was disappointed to discover there was no disc in it, guess I forgot to check in the store. Still great for the cover though - Richard amognst a crowd of people all reaching upwards to the sky seemingly with hopeful and excited looks on their faces
J. Geils Band's album Freeze Frame which has Centerfold on it.
And the highlight of the highlights is this combination board game/comic book about Canadian Bilingualism from the 70s produced by the Government. It features a Quebecois Parrot and a group of kids who travel across Canada or something learning about multiculturalism. Its pure 70s Canadian Govt. stuff, classic. The best part is that it came with a 7" flex disc which has 4 songs on it about how much fun bilingualism can be.
Also found this 7" which is a promotional spot for Purex cleaner by Dinah Shore. First she talks about how great Purex is and then sings about it.
Its single sided. Pretty cool find.
Also got the single of Norman Greenbaum's Spirit in the Sky
Second stop was the Value Village.
Got a Jackie Wilson record from 1953. Great romantic type loungey mood music. But the best part is the cover art is done by Salvador Dali. There is a great photo on the back of Wilson and Dali shaking hands.
Found a copy of Bruce Willis' (yes, that Bruce Willis) 1987 Motown release The Return of Bruno. It features his attempt at a Blues Brothers style R&B thing but doesn't fare very well. It is comprised of mainly originals suprisingly, none of which are very good. The few covers he does are Secret Agent Man, Under the Boardwalk and Respect Yourself. weird stuff
Also got a copy of Springsteen's Born in the USA
The goldmine at VV was the 45s. Somebody dropped of a huge collection of 80s pop. I grabbed the following.
Roy Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know Its True
Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
Tony Basil - Mickey
The Romantics - Talking in Your Sleep
Nena - 99 Luftballons
Huey Lewis and the News - I Want a New Drug
Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
George Michael - Faith
Madonna - Like a Prayer
All in all it was one of my best thifting experiences to date.
I was happily surprised to discover that the Goodwill had lowered their vinyl prices to 6 for a dollar. That is as cheap as I've ever seen vinyl.
Some highlights from Goodwill include Bryan Adams' 1984 album Reckless which has Summer of '69 on it.
The Original Soundtrack to the Montreal '76 Olympics. Basically its bad modern Canadian classical music, but I got it mainly for the cover and novelty factor.
A copy of the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (5th of Beethoven!)
A Richard Simmons workout record. When i got it home I was disappointed to discover there was no disc in it, guess I forgot to check in the store. Still great for the cover though - Richard amognst a crowd of people all reaching upwards to the sky seemingly with hopeful and excited looks on their faces
J. Geils Band's album Freeze Frame which has Centerfold on it.
And the highlight of the highlights is this combination board game/comic book about Canadian Bilingualism from the 70s produced by the Government. It features a Quebecois Parrot and a group of kids who travel across Canada or something learning about multiculturalism. Its pure 70s Canadian Govt. stuff, classic. The best part is that it came with a 7" flex disc which has 4 songs on it about how much fun bilingualism can be.
Also found this 7" which is a promotional spot for Purex cleaner by Dinah Shore. First she talks about how great Purex is and then sings about it.
Its single sided. Pretty cool find.
Also got the single of Norman Greenbaum's Spirit in the Sky
Second stop was the Value Village.
Got a Jackie Wilson record from 1953. Great romantic type loungey mood music. But the best part is the cover art is done by Salvador Dali. There is a great photo on the back of Wilson and Dali shaking hands.
Found a copy of Bruce Willis' (yes, that Bruce Willis) 1987 Motown release The Return of Bruno. It features his attempt at a Blues Brothers style R&B thing but doesn't fare very well. It is comprised of mainly originals suprisingly, none of which are very good. The few covers he does are Secret Agent Man, Under the Boardwalk and Respect Yourself. weird stuff
Also got a copy of Springsteen's Born in the USA
The goldmine at VV was the 45s. Somebody dropped of a huge collection of 80s pop. I grabbed the following.
Roy Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters
Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know Its True
Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Culture Club - Do You Really Want to Hurt Me
Tony Basil - Mickey
The Romantics - Talking in Your Sleep
Nena - 99 Luftballons
Huey Lewis and the News - I Want a New Drug
Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
George Michael - Faith
Madonna - Like a Prayer
All in all it was one of my best thifting experiences to date.
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