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.

In Las Vegas. I keep returning to a restaurant called Hot ‘n Spicy Crawfish  as there’s nothing like it here in Toronto. Guess what? That’s changed. I don’t have to go all the way to Vegas as a similar concept opened right here in Toronto called The Boil Bar. I discovered them on Instagram a few weeks ago and before I knew it, I was invited to drop by for dinner.

When I walked in, I immediately started taking photos of the space as I think they did a great job at creating the “right” type of atmosphere.

Here’s how it works: Basically you pick your “catch”, then you select your flavour followed by the spiciness. Your meal then arrives to your table in a plastic bag…all steamy hot and flavourful.

Naturally there’s plastic bibs and plastic gloves and a big roll of paper towels on the table which YOU will really really need.. Here’s a photo of me all dressed up in the plastic bib and gloves ready to dig into my delicious crab.

I also ordered the baked lobster which is not something I would normally order but was opening to trying something different. The lobster meat was perfect and the creamy sauce was exactly what it was suppose to be…um, creamy!!

I sucked back these fresh meaty oysters too. Oh man were these oysters good.

Of course, I had to try the crawfish. However they aren’t my favourite as they have so little meat on them.

I also devoured some shrimp but for some reason I didn’t snap a photo of them. (forgive me?).

There is no doubt about it: I’m a seafood fan and this restaurant is ideal for people like me!!

The meal finished off with some refreshing bubble tea from a kiosk that insides the restaurant. It was a perfect way to end this fun meal.

I really hope you get a chance to check out this restaurant soon. You won’t be disappointed. Promise.

For more information:

Website: www.theboilbar.com
Scarborough Location: 633 Silver Star Blvd. #110 & 111
Phone: (416) 293-2666 Hours: Mon – Thur 4pm – 2am, Sat & Sun 12pm – 2am

Yonge Location: Opening Soon at 664 Yonge St.

Bloor Location: Opening Soon at 442 Bloor St. W

Instagram: @BoilBar

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theboilbar

Note: This meal was complimentary however all opinions are my own

I went to Rock Lobster Food Co. on Ossington back in the winter and was totally blown away by their epic Rock Lobster Caesars. I had read that a second location had opened on Queen W and knew that I wanted to go check it out (like a good foodie) Once I read Abbey’s Kitchen blog post about the Queen W. location,  I knew that I wanted to visit sooner than later.

When I heard my mom was arriving from Ottawa on the 7 pm bus, I mentioned to her that we would be enjoying some Lobster Love for dinner. She was just as eager as I was to head to Rock Lobster Food Co. on Queen W.

Here’s a picture of  us with those epic Rock Lobster Caesars.

The menu includes many other delicious sounding cocktails but I can’t stop ordering the Rock Lobster Caesar.  There’s a part of me that really wants to try the other cocktails and another part of me that just wants to have this lobster caesar each time I visit!! #firstworldproblems

We ordered:

Peel and Eat Shrimp – which were plump, fresh, meaty and served COLD. I’m thrilled I ordered this dish.

We also shared the Lobster Poutine (Nova Scotia Lobster, hand cut fries, Quebec Curds and Lobster Bisque Gravy). I love poutine so this was not hard for me to enjoy!!

Naturally, we ordered  the Lobster Roll as well (Nova Scotia Lobster, Yukon chips and McClure’s Pickle). I will describe this in one word: YUMMY.

Now that I’ve shared with you what we ate I would like to talk about the space. To begin with – it’s a much bigger space than their  Ossington  location. This is great news for those of us who aren’t fond of line ups!!

Here’s a photo of the space (kudos to the designer).

 What appealed to me (besides the food and the cocktails) was the fact that we could take advantage of the summer and sit on the outside patio. Again, whoever designed the space thought of every little detail.

As for the service: our waitress Renee was completely charming and was super friendly and attentive too. She had the type of energy you would like to see in every waitress that serves you.

I’m sure I will be returning to try: more cocktails and the Steam Whistle Steampot. Who want’s to join me?

For more information:

Rock Lobster Food Co

Twitter: @rocklobsterfood

Instagram: Rocklobsterfoodco

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rocklobsterfoodco

118 Ossington Ave, Toronto 416 533 1800

538 Queen St. West Toronto  416 203 6623

ps please note that each location has different hours and different menus too.

 

As you know, Valentines Day is in just a few days. It’s one of those holidays where  you celebrate it in a “big way” (ie cards and gifts), celebrate it in a “medium way” (ie a card with flowers or chocolates) or celebrate it in a little way (ie a card).

In the event you celebrate this day in a “big” way – here are some suggestions:

1. What about a gift certificate for some pampering at Body Blitz. I’ve been a huge fan of their water therapy for many many years.

2.  Head to Bar Chef for unbelievable unique cocktails. My personal fav is the molecular mojito. No one in the city makes a drink like this.

3. Valentines Dinner and Nature Walk at Kortright Centre on Saturday Feb 16th from 7 – pm

This event sounds divine.  Think candlelit dinner and then a twilight stroll through the beautiful and pristine forest at Kortright. Advance tickets are required  416-667-6295

5.  Give a Samba Days Gift Experience: a unique gift experience that allows the recipient to choose from a huge range of experiences (gourmet getaways to helicopter rides…no shortage of options)

6.  Pick up some lobster at City Fish (they will cook it for you for the same price). Then light some candles, pop open a bottle of wine and bingo you have yourself a pretty fab Valentines Day meal. ps no website – but they are located at 2929 Duferin St. 416 256 7373

7. Um, what about Dirty Bingo on Saturday Feb 16th at the Paintbox Bistro. Bingo starts at 9 pm. #justanidea

8. May I suggest a heart shaped pizza from Boston Pizza, followed by some skating?
$1 from each pizza sold goes to support the Boston Pizza Foundation – I totally love this idea.

9. Head to the Korean Family Sauna – which is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

10. Visit Moroco Chocolat in Yorkville for some heavenly chocolate fondue.

Happy Valentines Day!!