blog post Taste of the Tour Bus: Cold Specks

For a band on tour, what's the next most important thing to performing? Eating, of course! Every band that has hit the cold roads of Canada has its favourite restos, diners, coffee shops and steakhouses. Tastes of the Tour Bus features these road-tested recommendations. Today, indie sensation Cold Specks, who considers both Toronto and London home.

Cold Specks is Al Spx, and while she hasn't won over every critic on the planet, she's gained the attention of a lot of them. Her debut album, I Predict a Graceful Expulsion, has had a polarizing effect on listeners, but her mix of gospel and goth provokes conversation among music lovers.

The buzz around Cold Specks kept the young artist busy and on the road for much of the last year. Earlier this year, Cold Specks hit the road with Canadian folk-rockers Great Lake Swimmers.

Cold Specks doesn't claim to be a foodie but she is passionate about her favourites from the world of restaurants.

Toronto (Canadian hometown)

The Works

"I went to The Works in the east end of Toronto recently, and it's a burger restaurant. That's the best burger restaurant I've been to in my entire life. Brie and chopped tomatoes with mushrooms and avocado as well. It was really weird, but it was a weird combination of ingredients that worked really well at The Works."

here

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From her heritage (Ethiopian food)

Nazareth

"I was born and raised in Toronto. My parents are from East Africa and have also spent time in the Middle East and all over really. Ethiopian food is really good and it's becoming kind of trendy, but that's great because it's really good food. There's loads of Ethiopian restaurants in Toronto. Nazareth is really good. Cheap as well. L.A. now has a big Ethiopian trend going on there which I am really pleased about."

here

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Calgary

Ki Modern Japanese

"In Calgary I went to this Japanese restaurant called Ki. It was really good. I got some good duck."

here

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Lethbridge, Alta.

Top Pizza

"In Lethbridge there is this pizza place across the church we played. It was good pizza, gourmet pizza."

here

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New York City

The Bowery Hotel

"The Bowery Hotel in New York City is really good. We just ordered a bunch of appetizers and stuck our faces in it."

here

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Portland, Ore.

The Doug Fir Lounge

"The Doug Fir Lounge in Portland. We played a show there and they were serving really good food there as well. I just remember being very satisfied."

here

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London (her U.K. home)

Loong Kee

"Loong Kee is a Vietnamese restaurant in Shorditch. It's really good and really cheap as well."

LMNT

"Also, LMNT which, is owned by a Russian guy, and he's also the server. He's so rude in the most wonderful way. You can eat in an urn, it's got Egyptian decor and French food. Once I was with someone who complained about the cutlery being dirty and the guy went back and came back with a huge silver tray with a fork in the centre. It was really rude but disgustingly hilarious."

here

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Paris

"Everywhere you go in Paris, everywhere there's loads of these brasseries. They are everywhere, so the city is infested with great food. There are too many places in Paris. I order all the stuff the local people are probably horrified by. Snails. I did something really horrible recently and ordered fois gras. It's delicious."

here

 Listen to this conversation.

Related:

Cold Specks CBC Music page

Why Cold Specks should take the Polaris Prize

Cold Specks on Q

Tastes of the Tour Bus: Newfoundland's The Once

Tastes of the Tour Bus: Great Lake Swimmers