Just came back from a quick quick visit to Ottawa. This visit was special as I discovered something NEW plus I went to visit a museum that I use to enjoy when I was a kid. (keep reading).

Let’s talk about the NEW discovery first.

As you know I spend a lot of time on twitter. Here’s a classic example of a finding out about something via twitter. One day I was on twitter and I noticed  @LiftRestaurant had sent me a tweet . I checked out their profile and noticed that they were a restaurant in the Delta Ottawa City Centre – exactly a block away from where I stay in Ottawa!! We started to chat on twitter and I mentioned that I would drop by on my next week. So I did.

When we arrived  at Lift Restaurant, the first thing that impressed me was the contemporary, bright, space. After chatting with our super friendly waitress, we ordered the Lift Chowder (Bay Ccallops, Shrimp, Atlantic Salmon, Surf Clams and a Charcuterie Board to share. We scored with our order. The soup was probably the best chowder I’ve ever had and there’s a reason for that. IT’S  MADE FRESH WHEN YOU ORDER IT.

I was also given a quick tour of some of the suites and LOVED the fact that the CLEAN DESKS had all sorts of  computer plugs in it. This certainly appeals to people like me, who travel with no fewer than four cords on each trip!!

I can’t wait to return for more Chowder and have even posted the menu in my parents nearby condo so that this restaurant is on their radar too!!

Now for the part of my trip that brought me down memory lane.

We went to visit The Canada Science and Technology Museum. This museum was my favorite museum as a kid because they had an exhibit called the KRAZY KITCHEN. Forty years later – it’s still there.

I swear I was smiling throughout my visit.

I love visiting Ottawa! Period.

For more information:

Delta Ottawa City Centre 101 Lyon St. N, Ottawa,  613 237 3600

Lift Restaurant  101 Lyon St. N, Ottawa 613 688 6802

Canada Science and Technology Museum1867 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa 613 991 3044

Ottawa Tourism

 

Trader Joe’s recently opened in Buffalo!!  This is great news for foodies like me. Naturally I had to stop enroute back to Toronto from Greenwich Conn last week.

I’ve been a fan of Trader Joe’s ever since I went to visit their store in Detroit. Lot’s of amazing products with pretty good prices too. Definitely not your average grocery store.

When you walk into the new Buffalo location, you are greeted by this mascot!!

Then the fun begins as you walk thru the aisles looking for goodies to buy!! Here are a few items that went into my grocery cart.

1. Ginger Miso Broth: at $1.99 a box! So I bought two. The other night I used it and now I’m kicking myself that I didn’t buy 6. Arghhhh.

2. Dried Kimchi: Haven’t tried it yet but it intrigued me.

3. Milk Chocolate Covered Toffee Popcorn: I served this the other night with on a cheese platter and they were inhaled.

4. Speculoos Cookie Butter: Described as “A deliciously unusual spread reminiscnet of gingerbread and made with crushed biscuits”  I spread some of this on a cracker and even though it was sweet – I enjoyed it. Basically, I’m a sucker for anything with the word gingerbread in it.

5. Soap. ..that’s right..Soap!!  I bought one bottle on my last trip to Trader Joe’s in May and this time I bought 3 bottles. I’m getting smart!!

Definitely worth visiting!!

For More Information:

Trader Joe’s (Amherst) 1565 Niagara Falls Blvd. 716 833 4687

Hours : Monday to Sunday 8 am to 9 pm.

 

I was in Greenwich Connecticut for the weekend to attend a Bat Mitzva.  This means that there was a Friday Night Dinner, A Saturday Night Service/Party, and a Sunday Brunch.

I basically had FREE TIME between 10 am and 2 pm on Saturday. I knew that I was going to use that time to do something that involved FOOD!! (surprise surprise). The best way for me to experience A LOT of food in a short period of time was to head to Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, NY. I had been to this amazing outdoor food market four years ago on their opening weekend  and knew that it would even be bigger and better. I was right!

The first thing we ate was a RAMEN BURGER: This vendor is only 12 weeks old but a HUGE HIT with the public. I was also  thrilled to  have met Keizo Shimamoto (the guy in in the top right photo) who is the brain behinds this idea.

We also ate:

Molasses Spice and Marshmallow Sandwich cookies (from S’mores Bakery),

Cornmeal Crusted Cod topped with Chipotle slaw served with Old Bay Chips (from Bon Chovie)

Apple Cheesecake with Bacon (from Bite Me Cheesecakes)

Pumpkin Milkshake (from Milk Truck Grilled Cheese)

Our visit also included:

Tomatillo Juice (from ??…sorry…can’t remember)

Pumpkin Pop tarts from (The Baking Bean)

Pumpkin Chai Ice cream Sandwich (from the Good Batch)

Lobster Roll from (Hook Lobster Pound)

Oh yeah one more thing we devoured….

Here’s a few photos of other items we wanted to try but we were just too full. Sad but true.

Smorgasburg is definitely something that should be on your radar if you live in NYC or are visiting!! There a few locations so please click here for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

True Story: the first time I went to a cottage I was in my mid 20’s. You see, I grew up going to summer camp every year and most of my friends did too. (like 98% of them). The first time I actually went to a cottage, I was in my mid 20’s!

This past weekend, I was invited to spend an entire weekend at a beautiful cottage  that was located just a few hours north of Toronto. Before heading up, I did a bit of prep in the my Toronto kitchen so I could truly enjoy the cottage and not have to spend time away from the dock!!

I also made a broccoli stir fry and picked up some prepared food from Ararat Foods (1800 Avenue Road). I picked up Labaneh, Hummus and Tabouleh…to be specific.

I spent Saturday and Sunday – either in the  boat touring the lake or on the deck eating. I should mention that both days started off with a quick dip into the lake. The biggest decision I had to make all weekend was to jump or dive in the lake. Actually for me – that was an easy decision. JUMP.

Life is good.

I also had the most stunning boat ride just at sunset. It was truly magical.

I enjoyed all my meals on the deck or the dock as the weather was perfect and I wanted to be outside as much as I could.

One of the highlights of my weekend at the cottage was the STEAM BATH. I forgot to take a picture of what the steam bath looked like on the inside but this is a pretty neat photo of the wood fire that heats it up. (which takes about an hour by the way). The process went like this: sit in the steam bath for 10 minutes and then run into the lake. Repeat. 3 times.

The other highlights of the weekend included: seeing 4 deer, 2 moose, several frogs, a family of ducks, many loons, and a gazillion stars. Nature rocks.

There is something peaceful about visiting a cottage. Sigh….I can’t wait go back.

As always I have just returned from another trip to Ottawa. As you know, I visit regularly (every 6 weeks) and on each trip I discover something new that delights my taste buds (and sadly my waistline too).

Here’s a few highlights:

1. Harvey and Vern’s Ginger Beer. Hands down the best ginger beer I’ve ever had. Sadly I only bought one bottle. WHAT WAS I THINKING (please don’t answer!!). Next time I’m picking up a half dozen bottles. Seriously.

 

2. Callaloo Jamaican Patty from The Piggy Market: (400 Winston Ave, Ottawa) I love something interesting and this was indeed something interesting!! The pastry was perfect and the filling was flavorful too. So glad I dropped by this amazing store.

 

3. Hummingbird Chocolate has joined forces with Michaels Dolce Candied Ginger ….to make the perfect chocolate bar. It was introduced to the public at the Ottawa Farmers Market on Sunday Aug 4th and I’m confident that others will also give it a THUMBS UP!!

 

4. Albacore Tuna Crudo with Lemon Truffle Oil, Puffed Rice and Young Cilantro from Supply and Demand (1335 Wellingston St. W. Ottawa) Many thanks to @simplyfresh for tweeting me about this dish. Can you say “heaven?”.

5. Ministry of Coffee. Again, many thanks to @AMWATERS for tweeting me about this brand new cafe that opened up on Elgin St.  I enjoyed a wonderful “Cortado” which is a shot of espresso with both cream and milk. Will definitely be returning for more!!

6. Bombs from It’s a Matter of Cake (Ottawa Farmer’s Market) These are not cake pops. Not even close. They are simply dense and delicious. My mom bought a bag of 6: Chocolate Peanut Butter, The Split, Oatmeal Nutella, Maple Carrots, Smokey Bacon, and the Dark Horse. When we got home…the knife came out and we started to split each one in half. Then we started  saying words like: “ohhhhh” and “ahhhh” and “freaking h” and “unfreakin believable”. Clearly we loved each and every bomb!!

Can you tell I had another amazing trip to Ottawa? I’m already looking forward to my next trip in September!!

Last month, when I had the Hyundai Sport for a week, I knew I wanted to drive the car and not let it sit in my garage! I googled “spa resort near Toronto”  and guess what appeared? Hockley Valley Resort!

I picked up the phone and they graciously invited me for an overnight stay and two spa treatments. I graciously accepted!

The only thing I knew about this resort was that the Food Bloggers Conference of Canada was held at Hockley Valley Resort back in May. Plus after I did a search on google map, I discovered that it was an hour and 2 minutes away from midtown Toronto. (yay)

The drive there was BEAUTIFUL. Probably one of the nicest drives I’ve had in a long time.

I checked in and had the nicest chat with the front desk staff before making a b-line  to the pool to take advantage of the gorgeous weather that we were having. (no humidity – remember those days?)

While lounging by the pool, I wolfed down a delicious pizza from the wood-fired oven. Loved the fact that the pizza was made with fresh ingredients from the organic garden and chef’s herb garden. #impressed

After lunch, I had the privilege of having an anti oxygen facial. Never had this treatment before but I LOVED IT. I couldn’t stop staring at my face! I am still 48 years old but my skin felt like it was 28 years old.

Once my spa treatment was over, I floated to my room feeling very relaxed and very youthful!! Amazing what a facial can do to lift your spirits.

When I entered my room, I was overwhelmed with this gorgeous room which was on TWO floors, and had TWO FIREPLACES (including one in my bathroom). I found out that the entire property underwent a 7 million dollar renovation a few years ago, which would explain the contemporary fresh look that is present throughout the resort!

The next day, I enjoyed a magnificent buffet breakfast and loved their commitment to using local suppliers.

On my last day, I had one more treatment (a flex massage) and a beer  (one beer, I promise) at the bar before driving home.

If you are looking for a get -away, that is close to Toronto – please consider Hockley Valley Resort. They have it all – golf, amazing restaurants, spas, and more!! In fact they are running a special summer promotion right now. Here’s the info  http://www.hockley.com/The-Great-Summer-Getaway

This family owned boutique resort is going to be on my radar from now on!!

For more information:

Tel: 519-942-0754
Toll Free: 1-866-HOCKLEY (462-5539)
info@hockley.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HockleyValleyResort

Twitter: @hockleyVresort

 

 

As you know, travelling can be expensive. However by using Airbnb and staying in one of their properties instead of a hotel can save you a lot of money!! I had talked to a few other food bloggers who had used airbnb and everyone seemed to have had a positive experience.

Accoording to Wikepedia, As of 2012, the company had 250,000 listings in 34,000 cities and 192 countries. I also learned that it’s a privately held company based out of San Francisco. Interesting.

I downloaded the (free) app and then you search the city you are travelling to. (in my case, I was looking for a property in Barcelona).

Here’s what you need to do:

-read the reviews carefully

-read the details carefully

-look at the photos carefully too

I did this for HOURS and then finally selected “Central Garden Entrance Suite. Here’s the description that sold me (ps the reviews and the price sold me too)

 My dream came true as I was able to shop for fresh shrimp  and garlic at the Boqueria market and then come home and make myself a little snack!!

Airbnb is so addictive that I find myself scrolling through photos DREAMING of my next travel adventure.

I would definitely be using Airbnb on future trips. My host answered all my questions (and there was more than one!!) and the property was spotless, in a great location and a price that I couldn’t beat.

PS for fun it’s even neat to put in the city you live in – to see what comes up!!

Happy Travelling!

 

I bet you think I just ate my way thru Barcelona and didn’t see anything but restaurants and the Boqueria Market. WRONG. I actually did go sightseeing!!

I accomplished this by using Barcelona Bus Turistic Bus which allows visitors to see many of the attractions in Barcelona. There’s a blue line, a red line and a green line. It’s tremendous value and well worth the money. If anyone is visiting Barcelona and has limited amount time – this is the way to see Barcelona!!

I spent a full day on the blue line and a good chunk of the time on the red line too.

The Blue Line allowed me to see the following attractions: (please note, there are 14 stops)

The famous football stadium (um, can  you say MASSIVE?)

A Chocolate Museum ( I’m a food blogger so of course this was of interest to me)

The Red line allowed me to check out: (please note, there are 23 stops but I just didn’t have time to see everything)

The Barcelona Beach

The Aquarium

Of course, after a long day of touring I was thirsty and needed a drink. So I spent Saturday Night sipping some amazing cocktails courtesy of the W Hotel Barcelona. The Eclipse bar is located on the 26th Floor and was a spectacular location to watch the sunset and re-hydrate!

The friendly bartenders were also skilled and knowledgeable about mixing the perfect cocktails. See this? 4 bottles – 2 hands.

I enjoyed the following drinks (all of them..hee hee). To be honest – there were 2 more drinks!

Barcelona is truly a spectacular city with lots to offer. I didn’t stop moving for the entire 4 days that I was there.

For more information please visit Barcelona Tourism.

I think I found out about Aborigens by googling these three key words “food tour Barcelona” and then of course I connected with them via twitter and email. I’ve now completed several food tours (two in New York), one in Israel and one in Barcelona. Each one offered me a unique experience.

Aborigens is run by three partners and one of those partners was the tour for the evening. We met at 545 pm and I swear the tour ended at 11: 45 pm even though it was suppose to be a FOUR hour tour. Our group was so dynamic and friendly that we kept shmoozing and eating and shmoozing and drinking. The fact that Alex didn’t mind, said volumes about their service.

Here’s a photo of our lovely group: there was a mother/son visiting from NY, a couple from South Africa, a mother/daughter from outside Philadelphia, a young women from Australia and moi.

Our evening included SIX restaurants and at each restaurant we ate and DRANK. There was no shortage of food or booze. I can assure you that NO one left hungry. In fact I didn’t eat anything the next day till 330 pm.  (not even a coffee).

I took lots of photos and arranged them into a few collages to make it easier to show you exactly how much we ate and drank!! This is just a SAMPLE of what we ate. There was more but as always …I don’t want to bore you.

 And then we visited another restaurant and ate some more…..

 Plus we walked to another restaurant (that we would have never discovered on our own)

We are now getting full. ..but we manage!

What made this food tour so memorable?

-the group itself was super fun.

-our tour guide Alex was accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. He let the group have fun and we did!!

-the restaurants that were selected were NOT touristy at ALL. Very local. Very Authentic.

-I could have never done this by myself. Its a great way to try a lot of restaurants in a short period of time.

For more information:

Aborigens Food Tours  – please check out their website for further information about their tours and other services they offer to chefs or visiting food industry professionals.

Twitter: @aborigensBCN

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aborigensBCN

The list of restaurants we visited included: Moritz, Koska Taverna, Els Sortidors Del Parlament, Gran Bodega Elkano, Amigo Cascaries, Rosal 34. However please note that the restaurant and what was served might change from tour to tour.

 

About 6 years ago, my parents went to Barcelona. When they got home my mom showed me pictures of the Boqueria Market (or Mercat de la Boqueria) and I knew that I had to go there one day. Finally I made it happen! On my  back from Israel to Toronto, I made sure to book a few days in Barcelona.

Clearly visiting the Boqueria Market was high on my list of “things I wanted to do”. I hope the Picasso Museum forgives me!. I wandered up and down the aisles of this spectacular market – snapping photos with my iPhone 5. I also ate. (what else is new?)

I had several friends tell me that I must( must) go to El Quim  and I was thrilled that was I able to find it amongst the hustle and bustle!! My neighbor at the bar was an American who now lives in Barcelona and visits El Quim every Saturday morning with his kids. He’s a “regular” and was all to happy to introduce me to the Chef.

I ordered squid with eggs thanks to a few email exchanges with @DeliciousDishTO who told me it was the best …and she was RIGHT!!

As you can see, I just couldn’t stop taking photos. Aren’t these gorgeous bundles of Bouquet Garni?
These zucchini blossoms are pretty gorgeous too.

The Boqueria market is so spectacular that I’m going to return on my last day for one more visit to make sure that I saw EVERYTHING. I’m sure I will be taking more photos and enjoying some more food as well.

ps the coffee is from La Virreina and I’m definitely going back there for another cappuccino!!

For more information about Barcelona please visit their website.