A few weeks ago I had a lousy day which started off at 8:10 am when I dropped my car keys down the elevator shaft.

Don’t ask. Not my best moment.

Luckily I’m a CAA member. Therefore a CAA tow truck whisked my car to a Nissan dealership that was luckily only a kilometre away. I then discovered that it would take 1.5 hours to program a key for my beloved Versa – at a total cost of $232. It was still half the cost of an elevator technician so I wasn’t complaining.

During the 1.5 hours I had to kill, I ventured out out to walk along Avenue Road. I did some prospecting (as always) and then realized it was time for lunch and  decided to grab a burger at South St. Burger. This restaurant has always been a favourite of mine. Not to mention that this sign made me laugh. Oh how I love clever marketing.

I had a burger that I believe is the “Better Choice”.  The fact that it contained a fresh 6 oz beef patty made from 100% Angus beef, raised without antibiotics, hormones and prepared without any preservatives or additives certainly appealed to me.  Definitely the “Better Choice.”

What I also love about this restaurant is that you can customize your burger (or hot dog, or chicken burger) with over 30 traditional and gourmet condiments. There’s everything from dill pickles to dijon horseradish, guacamole and mango chutney at no extra charge. Premium toppings include a selection of five real cheeses, grilled ginger glazed pineapple, Applewood smoked bacon, and sautéed mushrooms.#YUM

I always seem to select: mango chutney, guacamole, lettuce, tomato and dill pickles. Time in and time out!! There’s something about this combination that makes me feel like I’m getting spoiled.

South St. Burger is the “better” choice – hands down!!

This time, I didn’t order the french fries or the onion rings (even though they looked really good). I also was tempted to try their milkshakes as they are made with 2 scoops of real ice cream. #next time

I must admit that South St. Burger cheered me up on a pretty lousy day.

Other fun facts about South St. Burger.

• It is 100% independently Canadian owned and operated
• There are more than 35 locations across Canada from coast to coast and two in Dubai.
• They also offer Gluten Free Buns

Hope you get a chance to visit a South St. Burger one day soon as well (minus the hassle of losing your keys). LOL. With South St. Burger, dinner just got better.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this blog post however all my opinions are my own.

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Well I’ve been to Ottawa a few times since the Fall and of course with each visit there’s some new discoveries! Here we go…

a) Equator Coffee (412 Churchill)  just opened last week so it was the ideal place to meet my Ottawa Food Blogger friend.   I have no doubt that the neighborhood is going to embrace this coffee shop even though there’s no shortage of coffee shops in the area! (which I found out from my other Ottawa Food Blogger Friend). In my opinion..the more the merrier.

b) The Bacon Factory Burger Emporium: (154 O’Connor) Well any restaurant that has the word “bacon” in it – has my full attention. My mom and I happily split the burger that had the most amount of bacon in it. Hee Hee. PS this restaurant could have been a bar as it was full of guys. (see photo on far right)

c) Red Door Provisions: (117 Beechwood) Oh what a quaint place. My mom ordered the scones which were light and fluffy and I HAD to order the pickled sriracha egg. I’m a total sucker for something different.

d) Ace Mercado: (121 Clarence) This new tequila bar that recently opened in the Byward Market is super cool.  The branding of this restaurant/bar is genius. You can tell that a lot of thought went into opening this restaurant.  If you are looking for a cool space to have a drink or for dinner, then this is your place.

d) Grounded Kitchen & Coffeehouse:  (100 Gloucester) Discovered them on Twitter (big surprise) and was happy to receive my first coffee on the house because I followed them on Twitter. I love when a restaurant “gets” social media.

e) Holland’s Cakes and Shakes:  (100 Armstrong) Can you say “Red Licorice Milkshake?”. OMG.  Their sandwiches and pastries looked delicious but as always there’s only so much I can eat!! Will have to return one day soon.

As always I love visiting Ottawa. I can’t wait to visit again and find out what else has opened up!

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For months, I drove by a window sign that said “Fresh..Coming in the Summer”. I waited and waited and waited. Finally the day arrived (err..it was Fall but that’s OK) and it was open. I was excited to visit as I knew that this location was going to be a hit, for this popular  vegetarian/vegan restaurant. (which now boasts 4 locations).

Heading north of Bloor was a smart strategic move. This is easy for me to say – seeing as I live about a kilometre away!

I love that this particular location is paying attention to the fact that single diners might want the option to sit at a BAR  to eat, and not by themselves at a table. I think I counted THREE bars (by the window…when you first walk in ..and at the back). #ANOTHER #SMART MOVE.

What did we order?

Well I can’t seem to visit Fresh without having these epic quinoa battered onion rings . They come as an appetizer but I wish they came as a main dish!!

We also ordered:  the big salad, the soup of the day with grilled cornbread and hummus, and the picnic burger. Everything was FRESH FRESH FRESH and completely inhaled. Our waiter was also super attentive and helpful too.

For more information:

Fresh on Eglinton…90 Eglinton Ave East, Toronto 416.599.4442 PS take out is available too.

Twitter: @freshoneglinton

Facebook; www.facebook.com/freshsince1999

Instagram: freshrestaurants

Foursquare: Got a message today that if you check in before Dec 31 on Foursquare ,you could become the mayor and win!!

This company really gets social media and gets serving FRESH food. Hope you will get a chance to also visit this location soon.

Disclosure: I was given a gift certificate to visit this location however all opinions in this blog post are my own.

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