As a territory manager for St.- Albert Cheese, I have the opportunity to visit restaurants and retail stores as well.

Lately I’ve visited a few restaurants that I would like to share:

1. Frankie Fettuccini Food Truck Inc.: I have a foodie friend who posted his favourite dish from Frankie Fettuccini on facebook, and of course I ran to Mississauga quicker than you could say “fettuccini”. I inhaled this delicious pasta dish however next time I’m ordering their famous Ossobuco Gnocchi Poutine.

2.. Rudy Restaurant: (619 College St). No joke… this hamburger made my day!!

3. Junked Food Co: (1256 Dundas St. W) I discovered them at the Mac and Cheese Festival when they were serving their Smash Bag – Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Cheddar Cheese, Black Olives, Jalapeño, Sour Cream and Chili sauce. All piled in a bag of Doritos. Love their creativity!!

4. Harbord Bakery: (115 Harbord St). These little donut holes have a custard in them (one is plain and the other is mocha). How could I resist?

5. LBS. (100 Yonge St). LBS means Lobster, Burgers and Salads, which is exactly what you will find at this beautiful restaurant that opened a few weeks ago. Love the concept that everything is $22. I ordered a Lobster Salad and those huge chunks of lobster did not disappoint.

Other restaurants that should be on your radar:

1. Magic Noodle: (93 Harbord St) In the winter I head there for their soup but now that it’s hot, I decided to check out a few of their cold appetizers. This particular simple dish of celery, carrots and peanuts won me over. PS Magic Noodle has just celebrated their 3rd anniversary!!

2. Death in Venice: (536 Queen St. W) This new gelato company has my full attention as I’m a flavour freak and their flavours are INCREDIBLY UNIQUE…for example; Peanut Butter and Croissant, Chocolate Mole, Bourbon and Smoke etc. I dropped by Fiesta Farms to buy a pint (or two) and as you can see from the photo…I’m not the only one who has discovered them.

Happy Eating!!

PS Next blog post: What I’m Drinking. Stay tuned.

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I’ve just returned from visiting a new pizza restaurant that has opened up at 386 Bloor St West. It’s called Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria and I have a good feeling that they are going to get a lot of love in Toronto.

Right in the Heart of the Annex

They are already a hit in Western Canada and they now have two locations here in Toronto (their first location is in the new Food Court at Yorkdale Shopping Centre).

I immediately liked  this blackboard  that you see when you walk in: (I am a sucker for clever marketing)

I am on a carb free diet so I was “good” and didn’t touch the pizza (sorry Famoso Pizzeria) but I certainly did enjoy the Gorgonzola Walnut Salad. It was exactly what I needed and the full size salad hit the spot ($12.50).

Perfect

I did however take a photo of their famous (and popular) Margherita Pizza. I mean who wouldn’ t want to dig into this?

Will have to return to try this one day soon when I’m no longer doing this crazy carb free thing.

What really grabbed my attention was the Nutella pizza. They take their authentic pizza crust and smother it in Nutella. I mean, seriously, could life get any better?

there is a Nutella banana version too!! ps I had a bite. I had to.

If you want to end your meal with something “lighter” – then try their authentic artisan-style gelato, which is handcrafted in small batches and has low levels of butterfat (4-6%) and made with no preservatives. Famoso Pizzeria has partnered with Fiasco Artisan Gelato and in my humble opinion, it’s a perfect match!!

I gravitated towards A SAMPLE of the blueberry basil (Wild BC blueberries macerated in fresh basil and cane sugar). …however other flavours include: salted caramel, burn sugar banana choccolate, zesty lemon and more!!

My carb free diet did not interfere with the opportunity to have a great meal at Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria. There is something for everyone!!

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria:

1. Yorkdale Shopping Centre (full service restaurant in their new food court).

2. 386 Bloor St. West.

657-748-23333

@FamosoPizzeria

Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 11 a.m to 11 p.m, Thursday to Sunday 11 am to midnite

ps vegetarian friendly: Daiya Vegan cheese is available as a substitution for mozzarella at no extra cost

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Each time I visit Ottawa there is a new restaurant for me to try and new people for me to meet (yay tweet ups!!).

Here’s a review of three places I went to this past weekend:

a) Stella Luna Gelato Cafe (1103 Bank St)

I had read rave reviews about this new gelato place that opened up just  FOUR weeks ago and put it on the top of my list to visit. I introduced myself  to the owner Tammy and her husband and she graciously took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to chat with me.  She also encouraged me to sample a variety of gelatos (think – blood orange, salty pistachio, marscapone and rum).  While I was sampling the gelato, a customer approached Tammy and said “are you the woman responsible for my ever growing waistline”. It was too funny.

Blood Orange Gelato

Clearly Stella Luna Gelato Cafe  is a hit and has been welcomed by the Ottawa community. Not only are they serving fabulous gelato but the space is gorgeous too with little nooks, beautiful chairs and lamps and stunning photographs from Italy on the walls.

How Cozy!

b) Tweet up at The Manx for Brunch (370 Elgin St)

This wasnt a formal tweet up but a few foodies gathered to have brunch at a very popular pub in Ottawa called The Manx. We arrived 15 minutes before the doors opened and  trust me, we werent the only ones in line. We had a a fabulous table for our party of 6 and I really couldn’t complain about the service. However no one was raving about their food. …which was kinda disappointing seeing as we ALL had heard that the food was outstanding. After the meal, I heard that there was a new chef in the kitchen, which means I should go back one more time before really blogging about it. Fair is fair, right?

c) Lansdowne Farmers Market.

I’ve blogged abou this Farmers Market before and I’m not shy to blog about it again. It is FABULOUS – the space, the variety of the vendors, the location – it’s ALL GOOD.

I discovered a new variety of vegetable this particular visit, from one of my favorite vendors, Jambican Studio Gardens – it’s a LEMON CUCUMBER.

Lemon Cucumber!

Never had it before but I was all too happy to buy it. Stay tuned for another blog entry soon on what I make with it K?

Hope you get a chance to visit Ottawa soon.

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