Every time I go to Ottawa..I can’ t seem to stop eating. There’s always something new to try and always something I want to bring back to Toronto.

I started off my trip with a tweet up at a new restaurant called Pressed. I had read about it on other blogs (naturally) and thought it would be an ideal spot for a tweet up. Sadly I scheduled a tweet up on a night that the Senators were playing (oops) but I discovered that not EVERYONE watches the hockey game.

I loved the casual atmosphere of this restaurant and was impressed that they even put a few tables together for the tweet up!! Nice touch. I ordered the Margherita sandwich which was described on the menu as: fresh mozarella, basil, smoked tomato, and black olive tapenade.

Now, this could have been an ordinary sandwich but when I bit into the sandwich, I soon discovered that this WASN”T an ordinary sandwich.The addition of the SMOKED tomato made a huge difference!!  It was an amazing sandwich. Their investment to buy a smoker paid off. WOW..why don’t more places offer this smokey goodness?

My foodie adventures continued at Mugena which has been around for 17 years. I’ve probably passed it a hundred times but never once had eaten there.  Thanks to my foodie friend @sforzely who recommended this gem of a place that serves Caribbean food. When I walked in, I knew I scored as the place was full of Caribbean customers. While pouring over the menu, I didn’t see any vegetarian options but they were more than accomodating to make me a potato roti. I instantly fell in love with the soft dough and the filling. Next time I will order even more of the mango chutney. My taste buds really enjoy that sour sweet condiment.

I also stopped in to chat with Michael Sutherland from Michaels Dolce who highly recommended that I try the Chai Raisin Loaf from True Loaf. WOW…this bread is so unique and has such a different flavor profile. It’s in my freezer to help me from eating the whole loaf!! True Loaf has been around since 2009 and often sells out so I called first and got there before 1 p.m!!

What else did I bring back besides bread? Oh yeah – some  of  Michaels Dolces’ Jam!! I’m so excited to sample his unique jam (think Rhubarb Pepper made with Ontario Rhubarb) that I am going to host a Jam Party so I can share the bread AND the jam. Who wants to join me?

 

Pressed: 750 Gladstone Ottawa ON (613) 680-9294

Mugena: 911 Richmond St. Ottawa ON (613) 722-8228

True Loaf: 573 Gladstone, Ottawa ON (613) 680-4178

Last week was my birthday and my BF spoiled me rotten by whisking me away to the Inn on the Twenty in Jordan, Ontario.

It was the perfect time to get away – it was off season (ie. NO CROWDS) and the weather was warming up. There’s something to be said about travelling when it’s off-season. I really think it’s the way to go!!

We left on Sunday at noon and got to Jordan just in time for a late lunch at the Jordan House. Our friendly waitress (Leah) informed us that the fish tacos were a new item on the menu so it was a no brainer for me to check them out!!  Plus we both ordered beers. (even though we were in a wine region).

There is no doubt in my mind that the fish tacos will stay on the menu. They were perfect. Absolutely perfect.

After lunch we checked in. We were originally suppose to stay at the Jordan House but they upgraded us to a beautiful room at the Inn on the Twenty. We were thrilled to find out that the room was massive, complete with a sitting area and a fireplace  (it was Room #1 – just so you know). Not to mention that the bathroom was so big it could have been a room!!

We had dinner reservations at 8 p.m and simply crossed the street to get to the restaurant. How convenient.

We ordered martinis (I know I know – we didnt have wine) to start off the evening. Then we proceeded to have our main dishes. I ordered a pasta dish that was pretty extremely tasty. i.e the plate was white when it was returned to the kitchen. Specifically I ordered the Upper Canada Ricotta Agnolotti. Described in the menu as “baby spinach and ricotta, winter squash puree, toasted pumpkin seeds and chardonnay foam.

Of course, we ordered another round of martinis to enjoy while we ate our dinner. (I know I know – we didn’t have wine)

Monday was my actual birthday – so we started it off in style with a gorgeous breakfast that we really really enjoyed.  Not that we needed it cause we were still full from the nite before, but we both managed. How could we say no?

We were super impressed with this plate of goodies as well.

Then we took a drive into Niagara on the Lake (about 15 minutes away) for a brief stroll downtown and then stopped off at Stratus Winery on the way back to the 401. If you haven’t visited this winery, you really should. I finally got to meet the charming marketing manager that helped me run a contest TWO years ago. I was too full to sample a flight of wines but my BF certainly enjoyed the Malbec.

One final note: Special thanks to my BF who made sure my birthday was extra special this year.

For more info:

Inn on the Twenty, 3845 Main Street, Jordan Village 1 -800 701 8074

Jordan House: 2751 Main St, Jordan Village

Stratus Wines: 2059 Niagara Stone Road, Niagara on the Lake

My last visit to Ottawa was in December, which means a lot has happened in regards to new restaurants opening up!!  Therefore, I was on a mission to visit these new restaurants even though my trip was a quick one.

I had been tweeting with @AMWATERS about my trip and she suggested we have a coffee at Bread & Sons (195 Bank St). I’m always eager to visit new coffee shops even though I’m a huge fan of Bridgehead. While sipping coffee, we shared a croissant which was buttery and chewy and quite perfect!! I had my “eye” on the butter tarts but decided to try it on a future visit.

Then we met for lunch at a new Taco restaurant that recently opened called Taco Lot (995 Wellingston St. W). I inhaled a super fresh taco and can see why Ottawa has embraced this new restaurant as the city was kind of lacking a place to eat a really good taco.

Seeing as the taco was more of a “snack” – we headed over to Hintonburg Public House (1020 Wellington St. W). We shared an order of fish and chips and noticed that all the surrounding tables had ordered the same thing. Clearly this a a hit on the menu! We were impressed with the food, service and ambience – no complaints.

Due to the fact that Isobel’s was a few stores down, (1018 Wellington St. W) I went in to grab a vanilla bean cupcake with cream cheese dressing. I couldn’t resist.

I encourage everyone to visit Wellington St. West  – it’s truly a happening neighborhood. (referred to as Hintonburg). You can visit lots of fabulous stores and restaurants without having to move your car once!! SCORE.

In the afternoon, I headed over to see my foodie friends  at Michaels Dolce to check out their new kitchen facility. This couple is super interesting and super talented and I was thrilled to have had a few minutes to drop by.

For dinner I headed out once again to Wellington St. W. I was excited to catch up with @FoodiePrints and they suggested we eat at Hintonburger (1096 Wellington).  I ate the falafel veggie burger while chatting with this lovely young couple about food, social media and more food!!

The next day, I made sure to visit 3 places very quickly before heading out:

1. Art-Is-An Bakery: to pick up 3 fantastic loaves of bread

2. Rideau Bakery: to pick up challah and rye bread.

3. SuzyQ Doughnuts: to pick up 2  (yes, only 2), salted caramel donuts. By the way – I was introduced to these donuts at the Farmers Market last year, but just recently they opened up a retail location at 991 Wellington St. West. I’m thrilled for them.

It was a great trip that combined inhaling great food and spending time with family and friends. Even the weather cooperated. Looking forward to my next trip already.

Visiting a Trader Joe’s was on my bucket list for 2012 but I’m proud to say that as of last week, I can now tick it off. I finally went to a Trader Joe’s on my visit to Detroit last week.

I will repeat this story again because I think it’s the coolest story ever: When I was in Trader Joe’s, I approached a random sales person to guide me around the aisles and said: “Hi I’m a food blogger from Toronto” and he replied “Are you Mom Who Runs? we have been chatting on twitter”. Naturally we became fast friends, cameras were whipped out and photos were taken of me and @JoeFoodie.

Here’s what I bought:

Item #1:

This chocolate bar was 99 cents. Thats right..99 cents. I bought 4 of them and should have bought a dozen!

Items #2 and Item #3: Marcona Almonds with Rosemary and Rosemary Pecans and Cranberries, that are too good to describe, so I won’t.

More items: @JoeFoodie suggested I buy these Chocolate Vanilla Bean Cookies and he was bang on with this suggestion. Definitely not an Oreo. As for the Gorgonzola crackers…I bought them because one of my facebook friends told me to buy them. (I’m easily convinced…can you tell?)

@JoeFoodie suggested I buy these quinoa and black bean tortilla chips plus these beers. Again – I’m kicking myself that I didn’t buy more.

This happens every time I shop in the States…I simply don’t buy enough!! Why can’t I get it right?

The good news: I will just have to return to Trader Joe’s. I hear they are opening up on in Rochester so perhaps it’s time to eat my way thru Rochester. Road trip anyone?

 

 

Day two of our trip to Detroit was as successful as Day 1. We scored…. as we discovered some really cool “local” places that were definitly off the beaten track.

For example:

We went to a restaurant that served “Soul Food” called Connie and Barbara’s (13101 W. Mcnichols Road) Here’s proof that we were off the “beaten track”. You certainly don’t see signs like this in Toronto.

But let’s talk about the food!!. We were in heaven. Our lovely waitress Donna was even from Toronto and understood our needs to “sample” a little bit of everything and to try items that we couldn’t find in Toronto. We started off our meal with a Caribbean Kool Aid.

Then we ordered items like grits, cornbread, collards and pinto beans.

It was truly an experience and I would certainly return.

Then we went to Dutch Girl Donuts (19000 Woodward Avenue) as I had read that this was an Detroit Institution. We sampled hot donuts that were SO fresh and SO perfect. I now understand why this place is a Detroit Institution. i.e it’s been around for 63 years.

Our next stop we discovered because of our fast friendship with our blogger friend, @JoeFoodie (who we had met at Trader Joe’s on Day 1).  He told us to drop by MOCAD for a pop up restaurant called Anthology Coffee. We would have never heard of this, if we hadn’t met Joe! We dropped by to check out the coffee and we weren’t disappointed.

For some reason, we also stumbled across Elmwood Market and even though it was a weekday, we still took a stroll around.

Then we went to the Heidelberg Project – which was NOT a food event. SHOCK. I know!! This was one cool public display of art and we absolutely loved every exhibit.

But then it was back to FOOD. LOL.

En route to Target, I noticed this DRIVE IN  called Sonic and HAD to stop. It was a blast from my past complete with waiters who brought your  food to your car on roller skates. Just look at my smile …I felt like I was 5 all-over-again.

Our last meal of the day was Traffic, Jam and Snug which is a 22,000 sqf restaurant that brews their own beer, makes their own ice cream and makes their own cheese. Talk about an achievement!! We invited @JoeFoodie to join us and he invited the owner to join us as well. What a treat!! We were given the royal treatment complete with a tour, a gazillion appetizers, beer samples, mains and desserts PLUS a gift bag to take home full of baked goodies. We were overwhelmed but at the same time, totally grateful for the hospitality we received. Here are three highlights.

I also fell in love with this most unique salad that featured “hot sauce jelly beans” which made a normal salad something very special.

However it was this dessert that really blew us away. It’s called Carlotta Chocolatta Ice Cream Cheesecake described in the menu as:  Double Chocolate Cheesecake wrapped in a coffee  ice cream, coated with bittersweet hot fudge and sprinkled with ground espresso.

Enough said – look at this photo (thanks to @JoeFoodie)

Once again, we returned to the Hilton Garden Inn located in downtown Detroit, totally full and totally happy!!

 

I’ve finally crossed another item off my Bucket list. This past week, I went to Detroit so I could finally visit a Trader Joes. That’s right – I had never been to a Trader Joe’s. I travelled to Detroit with my foodie friend @pronosher, who didn’t mind joining me so we could “eat our way thru Detroit”

Here’s a break down of Day 1 in Detroit.

9:00 a.m to 1:oo pm – travelled to Detroit. Quick check-in to the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Detroit.

1:30 -2:00 p.m. – visited “GreekTown” which was a lot smaller than what we expected. Sadly we didn’t discover anything particular unique.

2:30 – 3:30 pm. – dropped into Honey Bee Supermarket which is in Mexcian Town and not to far from downtown. I scored. I found spiced cajun boiled peanuts and scooped up a variety of other goodies as well. Thanks to @theChefUpstairs for recommending that we visit this unique supermarket.

4:00 – 4:30 – a quick visit to Taqueria Mi Pueblo. We knew we scored when we discovered we were the only caucasians in the restaurant. Inhaled a taco and tried hard not to eat the complimentary nachos and salsa. Operative words: Tried Hard. By the way, we went to this restaurant as a result of talking to a random stranger at Honey Bee Supermarket.

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – took advantage of happy hour  at Roast so I could sample a variety of local Michigan Beer and eat Brussel Sprouts (thanks to @clickflickca for this recommendation). I sampled the following beers: Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Beer, Founders Brewery Dirty Bastard, Shorts Brewery Co Uncle Steves Dry Stout. Sadly no room to try one of their desserts that really appealed to me. Think: Beer and Pretzels.

7:00 p.m – Trekked out to  Cadieux Cafe to take a peek at “feather bowling”. This establishment is the only one in NORTH AMERICA that has this sport. Pretty Cool. It was worth the trek.

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. This was the highlight of my day…..We went to Trader Joe‘s. But the visit got really interesting, when I introduced myself to a sales person. I said  – “Hi Im a food blogger from Toronto and I’m wondering if someone could take me around the store to show me interesting items”…he then replies “are you momwhoruns? we have been chatting on Twitter”. How totally cool is that? I mean..what are the chances!! We took photos and then @JoeFoodie walked thru the aisles suggesting items I should buy. (which I did…LOL). I will blog about my “Trader Joe’s” products in another blog post. Promise.

9:00 p.m. Went to Slows as I had read that it was a really popular spot. It was true. We were pretty lucky to have found 2 spots at the bar otherwise it was going to be a 45 minute wait. I tried the split pea and okra fritters and loved the fact that you could see chunks of okra in this dish. Certainly not something I could find in Toronto.  I also shared a Rogue Chipolte Ale, which I’ve had before but hadn’t had it in years, so I was thrilled.

10:00 p.m  We stumbled across Sugar House as we were walking back to the car. I was too full to consume one of their craft cocktails but @pronosher managed to drink a beautiful cocktail. This place reminded me of Bar Chef – great atmosphere and sophisticated unusual cocktails.

11:00 p.m – Finally back to the Hilton Garden Inn in Downtown Detroit so I could collapse into this ergonomical Mirra Chair designed by Herman Miller to write a blog post. I not only loved this chair but was delighted to stay in this hotel due to the great location and the amazing service. Plus there was a fridge in the room and not a mini bar – perfect for foodies.

To Be Continued…..

 

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.

 

There are no words to describe the perfect scenery that I have witnessed while vacationing in the Cayman Islands. It’s been a wonderful week of great weather, great books, and DOING NOTHING. This blog entry will be short and sweet – just like my vacation.

 

 

 

After landing in Cayman, the first thing I did was head to Kirk Supermarkets. I went there last year for my grocery supplies and went there again this year. This meant that I was somewhat familiar where everything was located and  could be on the beach by 430 p.m (we landed at 2:30 p.m – by the way).

Seeing as were staying in a private residence, I knew that we would be eating breakfast and lunch at home and only going to restaurants at dinner. Plus, we brought a lot of essentials from home. This means, I bought only the essentials: bread, veggies to make a salad, eggs, a case of diet ginger ale, a cantaloupe, bananas, and some cheese. My lovely bill was over $70. Trust me, Kirk Supermarkets is by no means a high end grocery store, but everything is imported so this means prices are higher than what we are use to.

I did however find a few things that caught my eye as “interesting”. (and imported)

Ginger Gingeng Up and Cawston Press Juices in two flavors:  apple and ginger and apple and ederflower:

Ginseng Up is a 100% natural soda and I found it quite refreshing after spending 8.5 hours on the beach. (I know, it was a rough day..HA).

The Apple and Ginger juice was also a winner as I love ginger in anything.

But I think I liked the apple and ederflower even more. The combo of the apple and elderlflower was dynamite.

Sadly Cawston Press is located in the UK. I have never seen in it on the grocery shelves in Canada but will look out for on my next trip to Buffalo. You never know right? I might have passed it on those many trips I take to Wegmans!!

Kirk Supermarkets is known for importing products from UK, Asia, Latin America and South Africa. This means, that I hung out in those aisles a little longer.

Look what else I found?

Havent tried it yet…but I will.

I am also noshing on stuff I bought at  John Vince: We really tried to bring as much as possible from Toronto. I swear my bag is going to be 10 pounds lighter on my return trip.

On this plate you will find: cinnamon and black balls, (childhood memories), Australian crystalized ginger (not just ordinary ginger), Wasabi roasted broad beans and garlic flavored roasted broad beans. Plus, my favorite: peanut butter filled pretzels.

My mom and I are very happy noshing on the beach!!

As for restaurants: We went out for dinner the first nite toCimboco. We went there last year and loved it so much that we even ordered the same dish from last year.

 

We inhaled this island-style sandwich tucked into their fire roasted flat bread and filled with traditonal Caribbean curried vegetables. This is “my type of perfect meal”.

Stay tuned for more Cayman Adventures through out the week!!

p.s. finished one book already…my goal is to finish 3.

 

 

 

 

I have a feeling there are two camps for this holiday…the camp that dislikes this holiday and the camp that likes this holiday.

Personally, I like this holiday. This year, I am celebrating in style. Here’s what I will be doing.

a) I am going to the Cayman Islands. Thats right – by 3:30 p.m on Feb 14th – I will be on Seven mile beach. I went there last year, and had such a relaxing vacation, that I am going back to the same strip of sandy gorgeousness!!

 

b) I will be applying Body Shop  Shower Cream from their Chocomania collection, after a day in the sun as my skin will really need it. Trust me, I do nothing but lie on the beach. I know, I know…lying in the sun all day is not good for me but I promise I use a really good sunscreen. PS If you need a last minute gift – run to The Body Shop to buy any product from this Chocomania collection.

c) I will be eating my Neuhaus Chocolate. I buy myself ONE chocolate from Pusateris every year. True Story: I use to sell Neuhaus when I worked in the gourmet department at Holt Renfrew as a teenager.  I can still remember having a line up of dozens of men, waiting to by chocolates.

d) I will be reading from my beloved Kobo ALL WEEK (not just on the 14th). I downloaded…Hillarity Ensues by Tucker Max (please don’t judge me), Bossy Pants by Tina Fey and Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. Probably in that order.

I simply can’t wait to celebrate Valentines this year…for many reasons.

Stay tuned for more blog posts from sunny Cayman Islands!!