I’ve just returned from the VIP opening of the first Costco Business Centre  in Canada.

This is what you need to know:

1. Any Costco member can walk in to the Costco Business Centre. (insert applause)
2. There’s more business products. Especially if you own a restaurant/catering company/cooking school etc.
   

For example you aren’t going to see a hot dog stand for sale at a regular Costco.

3. They offer Business -friendly hours

4. Not to mention they deliver!!

I loved walking thru the warehouse and seeing massive quantities of EVERYTHING at super cheap prices. For example a 3.78 L jar of hot pepper rings for $6.89!!

It was also very cool to see the fabulous cheddar cheese I sell (St. -Albert Cheese Co-op)  in the Cheese/Meat Cooler.   So if you need a brick of cheddar at great prices – you now know where to go!!

Can’t wait to see what the industry thinks of this concept!

ps. you can shop online too.

For more information:

Website: www.costcobusinesscentre.ca

Address: 50 Thermos Rd, Toronto, ON M1L

Phone: +1 866-455-1846

As a sales rep for St. Albert Cheese Co-op,  I often myself walking along the streets of Toronto looking for prospective customers. One day I walked into a very cool hip restaurant only to find out that it was a vegan restaurant. Oops!!

However the menu really intrigued me, as did their cocktail list so I went back as a customer!!

I went back on a Sunday night at 630 pm and the place was packed. (always a good sign). However we did manage to get a table at the back for our party of four people. I should mention that no one was a vegan but everyone was open minded to check out a new restaurant!

We immediately ordered the (vegan) nachos and then immediately devoured the nachos!!

I ordered the fried chicken and waffles but only managed to eat half of it as it was a massive portion. I happily ate the leftovers for breakfast the next day.

It was positively delicious and I want to order it the next time I visit. It was that good.

The rest of the gang ate veggie burgers and everyone seemed pleased.

I love this restaurant as they don’t have one single salad on the menu. As much as I like salads, I love eating creative food that I can’t make at  home i.e. fried vegan chicken.

Next restaurant review: another vegan restaurant called Planta. Stay tuned!!

For more info:

Doomie’s 1263 Queen St W Toronto

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

Twitter/Instagram: @DoomiesToronto

St. Clair Ave West is now home to yet another fabulous restaurant. I’m not kidding I can count about 6 restaurants on this street that I adore

Ji opened about a month ago and is brought to you by the same owners as Pukka. Ji is described as an Indian Gastropub which means there’s a great cocktail list (Chutney Mary, Chai Flip, Tamarind Margarita  etc) as well as shareable plates/mains and desserts. This sign says it all!

Not only am I fan of the food, but I think they did a great job with the decor as well.

I usually pay no attention to the art in a restaurant, but this piece was noticed!!

We went with another couple and shared a variety of vegetarian dishes. Every single dish was flavourful and I wouldn’t hesitate to order them on another visit.

CHILI TOFU – pan tossed with onions and peppers.

SWEET POTATO CHAAT – with yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney

SEMOLINA PUFFS – filled with chickpeas, potato, yogurt and chutney

CAESAR SALAD – Romaine hearts, roasted chickpeas, smoky coconut “bacon bits’ with a vegan cashew dressing

 

TRIO OF CHUTNEYS with Papadums

I’m looking forward to my next visit at which time I’m going to order some non vegetarian dishes like: Hakka Shrimp, Naanchos, and Chicken Purris. Can you tell that I’ve been studying the menu? I really can’t wait to grab another couple and visit.

Congratulations Derek and Harsh for opening (and creating) yet another fabulous restaurant.

For more information about Ji. 

Address: 760 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto

Phone: 416 792 5550

Twitter/Instagram: @HelloJiToronto

Facebook: Www.facebook.com/HelloJiToronto

 

About a month ago, I attended a media dinner at the recently opened Captain’s Boil which is located at 671 College St. This is the 5th location for this restaurant chain, which I know will continue to grow as it’s such a fun concept. The location is uniquely design to resemble the hull of a ship and I must admit that the decor caught my attention.

The invitation to this event also caught my attention as I simply adore seafood. Plus I liked the idea of eating seafood in Little Italy!! I don’t know why …but I love all varieties of seafood – lobsters, oysters, mussels, shrimp, clams etc.

The concept at this restaurant is that you eat with your hands. Yes – gloves are provided.

Cute bibs are provided too and I’m proud to announce that I left the event with a white shirt and not a stained shirt!!

As for the food:

Step 1: You choose your catch: Snow Crab Legs, Lobster, Mussels,Clams, Chicken Slices, Shrimp, Crawfish, King Crab Leg or Dungeness Crab

Step 2: Choose Your Flavour: Cajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Captain’s Boil, Garlic Sauce

Step 3: Choose Your Heat: Non Spicy, Mild, Medium, Fire. (I chose the Medium and it certainly had heat to it).

There’s also  a huge list of side dishes to choose from: Okra, Lotus Root, Sausage, Corn, French Fries, Sausage etc.

Before you know it, bags of hot seafood arrives at your table and you dig in with your hands (oh ya – there’s no plates). It’s messy but it’s fun!!

You are also provided with lime, salt and pepper in little containers. I’ve never seen this before and was eager to try it. I will now continue to eat seafood with this idea. Thanks Captain’s Boil!

For more information:

Website: www.TheCaptainsBoil.com

Address: Captain’s Boil – Little Italy – 671 College St.

Telephone: 416 538 8868

Twitter/Instagram: @thecaptainsboil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecaptainsboil

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary however all opinions are my own.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to hang out in beautiful Mont-Tremblant. It was the perfect escape seeing as Toronto was going to be hot and humid. Sorry my Toronto friends, but I was wearing long sleeves and pants in Mont Tremblant!!

But enough about the weather, lets talk about the food.

Hee. Hee.

The weekend started off with a trip to a grocery store called S. Bourassa where I picked up a cheese I never had before (Le Samson D’Ici) and some other favourites as well!! #score

Then we went Ben-Venue for poutine and a pogo. I resisted eating the poutine but I couldn’t resist devouring the entire pogo.

Somehow I had the willpower not to indulge in this fabulous poutine.

Here’s two restaurants that I would highly recommend.

1. L’Escalope 597 Rue de Saint Jovite, Mont-Tremblant, QC, Phone:  (819) 425-3354

This restaurant had a prix fixe menu for $26 which included an impressive salad bar, a main course, dessert and coffee. Of course, I was so full from the salad bar that I wrapped up 90 percent of my main course to take home for lunch the next day.

2. Creperie Catherine,  977 Rue Labelle, Mont-Tremblant, QC, Phone:(819) 681-4888

Oh my. What a treat. I ordered the french onion soup which was exactly what I wanted. It was so good that it deserved its own photo on my blog.

The smoked salmon crepe was also outstanding – full of smoked salmon and stuffed with gooey cheese. Was kicking myself that I’m on a no carb diet and could only have a bite!!

I had a fantastic weekend in Mont-Tremblant despite the clouds. The excellent food and the great company made up up for it!!

This week I had the opportunity  (and time) to visit two new restaurants and naturally I would like to share them with you.

Restaurant #1: The newly opened Caplansky’s at 156 Cumberland. Yes, The Deli King,….Zane Caplansky, has brought deli to Yorkville and this particular location is the launch of their first franchise!

The space is bright and colourful and has some fun features like a pickle on the front doors and pickle wall paper too.

As for the food: I sampled the Turkey Reuben (exclusive to this location),  BBQ Beef Brisket and a Smoked Meat Reubensque. Of course, I liked all of them! I wish I could tell you I liked one more than the other, but I can’t.

The media event that I attended, also had some fun swag that was brilliant…Pickle Socks in a Mason Jar.

Restaurant #2: It’s called Toast and it’s a pop up restaurant that will be open every weekend throughout the month of May (9 am to 3 pm) in the Distillery District (45 Mill St).

You pick the type of bread and then pick either savour or sweet toppings. Easy Peasy and DELICIOUS

Sweet options include: Nutella Cheesecake Mousse, Birthday Cake Batter, Carrot Cake Whipped Ricotta, Salted Caramel Milk Jam, Ball Park Peanut Butter.

Savoury options include: Green Goddess Goat Cheese, Huevos Diablos, Pudina Cream Cheese, Hummus 2.0, Grilled Corn Mash.

One bread with one topping is $6 and well worth it. I couldn’t decide between the sweet or savoury so I decided to go half and half (Huevos Diablos and the Salted Caramel Milk Jam).

Then you can sit down and enjoy your Toast!

The three woman behind this concept use to work for The Steve and Chris Show (Joanne Lustead, Amrita Singh and Lindsay Agnew) and while travelling to San Francisco saw a similar concept. Oh how I love these types of stories.

Congratulations to both restaurants. Hope to see you again soon!!

 

This is my definition of “The Perfect Saturday”:

a) 10:15 am – ATTEND A RESTAURANT SALE

Sadly I never ate at Splendido but now I own a piece of history! I got there 15 minutes after it opened so stuff I would have wanted was already taken however I did manage to walk away with some goodies. To be exact 6 chairs and some serving dishes. #SCORED

11:00 ENJOYED MY FIRST TURKISH BREAKFAST – ISTANBUL’S TULIP (1560 Yonge St)

Had no idea that I could enjoy a Turkish Meal at Yonge and St. Clair!!

12:30 CHECKED OUT A CUTE COFFEE SHOP – THE STRONG ONE (68 Wales Avenue – Kensington Market)

This adorable spot in Kensington Market won me over with their cute atmosphere and goodies made from scratch.

1:30 pm CHECKED OUT A NEW ECLAIR PATISSERIE – NUGATEAU  (717 Queen St. West)

This stunning eclair cafe is the first of it’s kind in Toronto. There was no shortage of interesting flavours to catch my attention. I had a lovely chat with one of the owners who clearly thought of all the details when opening this cafe. Last year I had a croissant party, and this year I’m thinking of having an eclair party. What do you think?

3:00 Return home to cook a bit (my favourite hobby)  and rest.

The only thing that was missing from making this day even more perfect, was a trip to the Farmers Market. Next time.

Hope you had a fabulous Saturday as well.

 

 

 

The other night I dined at 70 Down Restaurant and Lounge, which opened only 3 months ago. They are located at 70 Yorkville – which gave me the perfect opportunity to shop a bit before dining. Always a great combo!

My meal started off with the perfect cocktail that was refreshing and perfectly balanced!!

As soon as I saw the ingredients I knew I had to order it. I was not disappointed. It was so perfect that I had to use all my willpower not to order a second one.

70 Down has positioned itself as “Mediterranean Middle Eastern meets Modern Tapas” .  I kind of like that idea so we embraced it and started off the meal with Moosear (shallot pressed yogurt with Himalayan salt, dressed with micro arugula and thyme leaves). I must admit – I fell in love with this creamy goodness.

We also ordered  Turshy which is the cutest assortment of pickled cucumber gherkins, carrots, eggplant, cauliflower and garlic, garnished with a chili. Another great dish.

The meal continued with Bolani which is a crispy dough crust stuffed with smashed potato and caramelized onion. I was delighted to see that it came accompanied with more of the Moosear (that yummy pressed yogurt).

One of my favorite dishes of the evening was a simple charcoal broiled tomatoes. So simple and so good.

The waitress suggested we try her favourite dish which was The Moroccan Fish Tacos. I can see what it was her favourite.

 

Believe or not, we tried one more dish called Bontu. Who knew that beef and onion dumplings topped with a tomato beef sauce and topped with yoghurt, garlic and mint COULD BE SO GOOD. I MEAN – REALLY REALLY GOOD. (sorry to use caps and shout but I wanted to make a point. Forgive me?).

We finished the evening with Bistrani – a saffron pistachio ice cream with sprinkled with good quality pistachios. It was the perfect way to end the evening.

70 Down is an incredible place to EAT as well as a happening lounge on the weekend. I was more than impressed with the management and Chef Jimmy who took the time to chat with us about their passion for food.

Already looking forward to my next visit!!

For more information:

Website: www.70down.ca

Address: 70 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto

Phone: 416 323 3696

Twitter and Instagram: @70Down

Disclosure: The meal was complimentary however all opinions are my own.

It’s no secret that I love oysters. In fact, you will find me at the oyster bar at any event where oysters are served. While everyone else is grabbing drinks, I’m wolfing down oyster after oyster till I actually have to apologize. #truestory.

Therefore when I received an email inviting me to visit the Pearl Diver, I immediately said; YES.

When I walked into the restaurant, I quickly realized that it use to be the Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill. The space is still welcoming and cozy.

I started off my evening with an appetizers of calamari. The combination of a sesame and panko crust really made a difference.

I couldn’t resist ordering this appetizer too: Chicken Liver and Oyster Pate with Blackbird Toast. It was beyond good. Seriously.

Of course, I had to order a selection of oysters too!! Naturally I loved all of them. The oysters were tasty, fresh, plump and perfect!! How’s that for a description?

I also tried the mussels which were bathed in a coconut cream, ginger, chilli, garlic, lemongrass and cilantro sauce. #totallyum

Plus I HAD to try the dessert. One could say I tried four food groups that night…seafood, seafood, seafood and dessert. LOL.

I’m already planning my next visit as they offer 100 oysters for $100 every Thursday.  Im SO doing this!! (with others of course. LOL).

For more information:

Website: www.peardiver.com

Address: 100 Adelaide St. East, (416) 366-7827

Hours: Mon to Wed : Noon to 12am, Thurs & Fri: Noon to 1am., Sat: 4pm to 1am, Sun: 11am to 12am

Twitter and Instagram: @PearlDiverTO

I grew up on something called Gribenes.  Here’s the definition of Gribenes according to Wikipedia:

Gribenes or grieven (Yiddish: גריבענעס, [ˈɡrɪbənəs], “scraps”) are crisp chicken or goose skin cracklings with fried onions, a kosher food somewhat similar to pork rinds. Gribenes are a byproduct of schmaltz preparation.

I remember my grandmother serving it on Friday nights and holidays but haven’t had it in decades. (I’m not joking). Needless to say I knew when I saw it on the the menu at Essen that I would be ordering their gribenes.

What I didn’t know is that I could order buckets of the stuff! Essen makes a gribenes that is PERFECT. I’m still talking about it even a week after visiting their restaurant!!

Now Essen serves up other dishes that resonate with me seeing as I grew up with this type of food. For example: Their chopped liver is also outstanding.

I also enjoyed their Jewish Ramen which is described as egg noodles, matza balls, soft egg, brisket kreplach and veggies. I would order this dish again in a nano second.

My tummy was also introduced to their braised brisket, duck fat fries, roasted cauliflower and their unique caesar salad.

I should also mention that Essen serves some wicked cocktails that are beyond creative!

Hope you get a chance to visit this restaurant soon. You won’t be disappointed and I promise you will leave FULL Very. Full. I know that I will be taking my mom here on her next visit to Toronto.

For more information:

Essen, 1282 Dundas St. W, phone:  (416) 534 0407

Twitter: @essen_toronto

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

Disclosure: My meal was complimentary however all opinions are my own.