I never seem to get tired of going to food shows as I’m always looking for new products. It’s just the way I am wired …I guess!! In any case, this years CRFA show (Canadian Restaurant and Food Show) did not disappoint me. I found several products that were new and this blog entry will be dedicated to them.

The first product, is called Molton Ice Glasses and infact they were  launched at the show. GBS Food Service Equipment saw these creative glasses in Europe and scooped up the rights to bring it into North America. I thought it was a genius idea and if (operative word – IF) I was throwing a party I know that this is one product I would want to get.

The next item that caught my eye, is a fantastic example of taking an existing product (i.e Extreme Bean) and creating a new way to serve it!! I loved this idea – it’s a tempura battered Extreme Bean. Now, Extreme Bean has been around since 2000 however they recently partnered with Cavendish to create this delicious product. I am hoping that restaurant owners at the show discovered this product and will be putting it on their menus sometime soon!!

I also came across a new cheese (to be entered into my cheese diary, of course) called Albert’s Leap. Nothing beats a creamy cheese with mushroom-like flavors. Not to mention that it’s locally made in Ontario!!

I stopped at the David Rio booth as I loved the packaging of the product. David Rio, crafts a premium chai and loves animals so much that each product is named after an endangered species and they support animal welfare organizations as well. I sampled the Tiger Spice and loved it as it had just the right balance of spices and it wasn’t too sweet. Plus all of David Rios’ products are certified Kosher, gluten free and contains no hydrogenated oils or trans fat. (bonus).

Once again, the CRFA show did not disappoint me. I walked around for hours, shmoozed with vendors, sampled A LOT….and like a good foodie I went directly to GoodLife after the show to burn off a few calories on the treadmill.

 

My visits to Buffalo are generally like a working day. ie I get to Buffalo at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. However this weekend was different…I finally stayed overnite and ate my way thru Buffalo.  I am now the proud owner of the phrase “I ate at 7 restaurants in less than 7 hours”.

It all started with a phone call to the Buffalo Convention and Visitors bureau, where they were all too eager to help suggest a few restaurants and bars. Then I made a second phone call and booked a room at my favorite hotel which is the Hampton Inn Walden Galleria. I was off to a good start!!

I did a bit more research on twitter with @BuffaloEats and @YelpBuffalo and then I was all set to go: I prepared a “master list” of restaurants and addresses and packed a few lactaid pills as well!!  What more did I need besides a great list of  restaurants and a great hotel? Oh yeah – I needed someone to eat with me…..so my boyfriend accepted to join me on this “foodie adventure”.

Here was the schedule:

3:00 p.m Louise’s Hot Dogs (470 Elmwood).

We loved the Elvis Milkshake (think – peanut butter, chocolate and banana). It was perfect.  We also inhaled the veggie dogs and sweet potato fries. The fries were hand cut and came with little containers of melted butter and honey. We loved this concept!!

3:30 p.m. Chow Chocolate (715 Elmwood)

We were pacing ourselves so we only tried some chocolate and not the hot chocolate (which I’m sure is delicious).  I selected the  “hot lips” chocolate which had an insane about of heat in it. This means that I ate my chocolate on 3 separate occasions!!

4:00 p.m Blue Monk Bar (727 Elmwood)

This bar had a wicked line up of beers and Steve (the manager) brought us a sample of the following beers: Kasteel Rouge, Ithaca Flower Power IPA, Stillwater, Gla Zen Toren Jan De Lichte, Beer Here Hox Fex, Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 year old. He clearly understood that I wanted to try beers that were not available in Toronto.

We also tried their mac and cheese. OMG. Creamy, crunchy and perfect. That’s all I am going to say.

5:00 p.m Sample Restaurant (242 Allen St).

We sampled a wonderful artisinal cheese plate and were happy campers. Specifically we were in love with the house made burrata.

6:00 p.m Chocolate Bar (114 W. Chippewa)

Can you say..chocolate pasta?  We didn’t order it (sniff). Instead, we ordered a chocolate martini (how could we not?) and a flatbread appetizer that was delicious. Just to let you know: it’s a franchise and there has been interest to open one in Toronto. Stay tuned for more details.

7:00 p.m.Pearl St. Grill and Brewery (76  Pearl St)

What a happening place!! Joe the “amazing” bartender brought us samples of the following: Lighthouse, Wild Ox, Blueb oxed Blueberry Blong, Don Cherry Cherry Wheat, Choca Ras, Raspberry Fields, Billy Bonka, Black Pearl – Black IPA, Lake Affect, Sabres Edge, Powder Keg, Train Wreck and Street Bralwer. We were thrilled with this line up!!

8:00 p.m Ted’s Hot Dogs

We started the day with milkshakes and ended our day with milkshakes too. We sampled their famous Loganberry milkshake and onion rings. It was a perfect way to end our epic food adventure.

9:00 p.m. We finally check into the Hampton Inn. Our check-in was effortless, our room was spotless and we loved the white duvets.

DAY #2: Elmwood Tacos & Subs ( 937 Elmwood Avenue)…around 1 p.m (No Breakfast. Wonder why? LOL)

I ordered the “mexican pizza”  which was 12″ crust, topped with tomatoes, salsa, black olives, onions, cheese and beans. I ordered a mixture of black and brown beans. It was super cheesy. Infact, I actually took most of the cheese off in the effort to make it a bit healthier. They are famous for their Diabola sauce which I added in VERY small quantities to the pizza and it really did elevate the experience.

Next: Eating my Way Thru Detroit. Where oh where should I eat and drink? Suggestions are welcome.

 

 

I was invited to an event at Loblaws, so I could learn more about their PC Blue  Menu Products and learn more about initiatives taking place to help consumers make healthier choices. I signed up right away – as I’m a big believer in eating fresh foods and cooking from scratch.

The evening started off really well. I snacked on PC greek yoghurt with some PC Blue Menu Granola. I was a happy camper.

Then we went downstairs for a tour which was led by one of their in-house nutritionists (did you know they offer this service?) We walked through the a variety of aisles and learned about hidden sugars, hidden sodium,  and how to select food with more  fibre. It was all very interesting.

However…in the back of my mind I kept thinking about tweets I had read on twitter about the DONUTS  and the CUPCAKES that are served at this location. Seriously.  I am not joking. I was surrounded by nutritionists and dreaming about donuts and cupcakes!!! Could it get any worse? the answer is: YES.

I snuck away from the group (me. bad) and bought:  A RED VELVET INFUSED CUPCAKES:

THEN I BOUGHT A CHILI CHOCOLATE DONUT!

I inhaled the donut. It was THAT good.

Let’s end this blog post about eating healthy!! Please check out the Loblaws website so you can learn more about their cooking school, their nutritionists, and their tours.

Here’s to a Healthy March!!

p.s. I ran on the treadmill 5 times this week so I felt like I could have a “treat”. Does that make sense?