I can finally scratch Bar Volo off my bucket list for 2013!! Hooray for me. I seriously don’t know what took me so long seeing as this family owned bar has been around since 1985!!

I went on Thursday night at 630 pm and the place was slammed. Was not expecting to see so many beer fans but clearly craft beer is popular these days. Since December 2012, they now have 26 beers on tap (one for each letter of the alphabet). Plus they are well known for serving cask ales!

I explained to my waiter that even though I love (love) beer – beer doesn’t love me. So he poured me 5 – 2 oz samples. Total cost $2.83. I felt bad – so I ordered another

5 samples and to my amazement, I finished all of them. I feel so grown up!!

Big spender eh?

My new twitter friend (@cfilion) ordered a charcuterie board that was MOST impressive. Sadly I couldn’t share it with her as I was too full from the beer (sniff). However I did manage to sample a few things and it was dee-lish.

I will need to return in the summer to enjoy their beautiful patio and another 10 – 2 oz samples of beer!!

For further information:

Bar Volo 587 Yonge St, Toronto (416) 928-0008 Open Monday to Sunday from 4 pm to 2 am. Kitchen Open from Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 12 pm. Cash and Visa only.

ps sign up for their newsletter so you can find out about special events, new beers, etc.

Share this:

True Story:

In 1977,  I was 12 years old and was going to a new camp that summer called “Wabikon“.  Seeing as my dad owned a sports store in Ottawa called “Ritchies Sports Store“, I was decked out in a lot of clothes from Nike, Adidas, and Puma. In fact, one could say ALL my summer clothes came from my dad’s store.

But then I went to Wabikon and my entire cabin was wearing polo shirts with a little alligator on it. I soon learned the word: Lacoste!!

When I returned home, I started to slowly collect Lacoste tshirts and this trend continued till I was 16. I was a HUGE prep and was proud of it. Througout high school, I wore Lacoste tshirts, Levis jeans and Converse running shoes. Period.

Fast Forward to 2013!

A few weeks ago I received an invitation to attend a media night at the Lacoste store at Yorkdale and I quickly sent a reply back that I would love to attend.  At the event, there was a preview of “the Annivesary Capsule Collection – “Edition and Unexpected”. Did you know that Lacoste is celebrating their 80th Anniversary? I loved walking around the store saying to myself “want” “want” “need” “want”!!

I was all too happy to celebrate with them. It was like going down memory lane but so much better. I can’t remember owning Lacoste shoes – but now I own a a pair and I can’t stop wearing them!!

Happy Anniversary Lacoste! Thanks for including me.

P.S. A huge thank you to the store manager who really demonstrated amazing customer service skills.

Share this:

This pop-up restaurant has been “on my list” for a while. (um, since early 2012 to be exact) I’ve read many positive reviews and have passed it by a gazillion times but for some reason it took me a LONG time to actually go there for a meal.

Finally last week – I had the opportunity! (applause)

Come and Get It  would certainly make it on my cheap and cheerful restaurant list for 2013, for several reasons.

a) I loved the space and their marketing  – funky and casual. Very appropriate for a restaurant at Spadina and Queen.

b) Two Step Menu – Gotta Love It. You can order everything as either a Salad or a Sandwich.

b) It’s Carb Free Friendly (which is perfect for someone like me). Therefore, I ordered the Hawaiian Pork Belly Salad. Everything about this salad “worked” and I was pretty happy with the generous portion too!

c) The service was amazing. When we walked into the restaurant we were warmly greeted and everything was explained to us.

d) Come and Get It is an environmentally friendly restaurant. The owner pointed out that the plastic bowls are made of corn and completely bio-degradable. #Impressed.

Here’s the catch – the owner is working on a monthly agreement since Dec. 2012 with his landlord. Therefore you need to COME AND GET IT – NOW!!

For further info:

Share this:

My friends wanted to take me out for my birthday, so it seemed appropriate to select a new restaurant for the occasion!  After a bit of research, we decided to go to Lisa Marie which just opened up last week.

Here’s what the space looks like.

We were warmly greeted by Matt Basile (who also owns Fidel Gastro’s) and sat down at a lovely table by the window. Service was brilliant. We had a great waiter who answered all our questions, filled our water glasses regularly and was extremely attentive.

As for the menu – a nice variety of “small plates” that are meant to be shared. (which we did)

We ordered 4 different items that all arrived on one plate. Please note, that larger “plates” were offered but we chose not to order any.

Lisa Marie is also serving some goodies for guests to take home, which I think is a brilliant idea.

Love the “name tags”

I also love how Matt knows a thing or two about Social Media. See what I mean?

A dedicated “wall” for social media. Love it.

Congratulations to the whole team at Lisa Marie. I’m sure this restaurant is going to be a hit on Queen St. West.

Plus I want to thank my friends for taking me out for my birthday. It was such a treat.

For further information:

Lisa Marie 838 Queen West, Toronto ON  (647) 748-6822

Share this:

I was on twitter last week having a ho hum type of day and then my day changed after reading this tweet!

	Shaan Sunder (@s_cubed)
2013-04-11 11:22 PM @momwhoruns @SevenLivesTO Carne Asada Fries, Gobernador and the octopus pumpkin seed Tacos are amazing. I ordered pretty much everything

I then “favourited” the tweet  so my little brain could remember what to order. Soon after, I picked up the phone to invite two friends to join me so we could check out this new restaurant that opened up in Kensington Market. The more the merrier right?

We couldn’t find the restaurant initially as they had moved from a smaller location to a new stand alone restaurant. (it is NOT located at 214 Augusta which is where google sent me). But once we found it, we quickly examined the menu and ordered. At $5 a taco – this is certainly going to make my list of “Cheap and Cheerful Restaurants for 2013”. I’m sure CheapDude will LOVE this place as well as many of my other foodie friends!!

 Of course, I ordered the Pulpo En Mole Verde (octopus with pumpkin seed mole). Definitely not something I’ve had before so it totally appealed to me.

Friend A ordered the Gobernator (smoked marlin, shrimp and cheese)

Friend B ordered the Carnitas (slow pulled pork).

We were all happy happy campers. The shell was the real deal and there was enough filling in it to make this taco, a small but satisfying meal.

Sadly I wasn’t able to get a good shot of what the restaurant looked like but it was hip and cool and very appropriate for Kensington Market.

Please look out for this restaurant next time you are in Kensington Market and are craving a taco. You won’t be disappointed.

For Further Info:

Twitter: @sevenlivesTO

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

69 Kensington Ave, Toronto (416) 803 1086

Share this:

Have you been to St. Clair Ave West lately? You should!!  It’s a pretty dangerous street for foodies like myself!! There’s Stockyards, Clafouti, Pain Perdu, Noir Coffee and Tea (can you say Maple Bacon Lattes?) and in the past year a few more yummy destinations have opened up.

Here’s what I’ve recently discovered:

Rococoa Chocolates:  285 Rushton Road (behind 740 St. Clair Ave West) 416 829 9821

I parked on Rushton and as I was returning to my car, I noticed  a chocolate shop. I decided to go in and check it out.  (I’m normal, right?)  After chatting with the owner, I found out that this store opened  only two months ago. I simply had to try a chocolate (or tw0). It wasn’t easy but I decided to select: a) Guiness b) Balsamic and Honey. Both were delicious and just what my taste buds wanted!!

B)  Bite Me Bakery 1034 St. Clair Ave. West (416) 651 2253. I was following Bite Me Bakery on facebook, well before they opened. Therefore I knew that I would be visiting when they opened their doors. I am such a huge fan of the “Bite” sized concept so this approach really appeals to me. Not to mention this is a bakery with attitude. I hope you get a chance to check out their website and facebook page too so you can see their creative marketing!! Dayna gets it!!

These were the flavours that were being offered that day. Don’t you just love the names of these cupcakes? (with attitude!!).

c) Emma’s Country Kitchen 1108 St. Clair Ave West (416) 652 3662

Once again, I was following this restaurant on facebook and twitter and knew that I to visit. My first visit was for brunch. I ordered the most amazing buttermilk biscuit with an over easy egg. It was PERFECT.

I was so impressed by this restaurant that I knew I wanted to return. So one day I popped by for a terrific fresh chickpea burger with a bowl of flavourful soup. Please note, that that even the BUNS are made in house. Not your ordinary chickpea burger. Thats for sure!!

This is truly one gem of a restaurant that offers great service, fresh food, and an amazing assortment of take away food (gluten free and vegan options too).

That’s my round up of St. Clair Ave. West – have I missed anything?

Share this:

Even though the Chai Bar is less than 4 km from where I live, I had never been there till recently! Don’t ask. I’m not happy that it took me so long to get there….at ALL!!!

It’s tucked behind the Indian Rice Factory and you probably pass it ALL THE TIME but just didn’t know it was there!! So today I decided not to drive by and take the time to find a parking spot and go in.

Soon as I opened the door I was impressed. The space is simply perfect and very fitting for a Chai Bar. I ordered a chai latte (how could I not?) and was blown away  to see the waitress using a mortar and pestle to grind up the spices. My latte was perfectly hot and was the REAL DEAL.

What I loved most about the Chai Bar is their outdoor patio. Guess who is going to be hanging out a lot at this place over the summer? Isn’t it perfect?…well it’s almost perfect…throw in some SUNSHINE, greenery and some cushions!!  I just wanted to give you an idea!

I also enjoyed the free wifi so I could work while enjoying my  chai latte.  Because I was so impressed, I spoke  the owner to discus a tweet up for Cofficers (errr…for freelancers who work from coffee shops). Stay tuned.

For more info:

Chai Bar: 414 Dupont St, Toronto (647) 748 -2424

Hours: Monday to Friday 830-500 pm, Saturday and Sunday 930-500 pm

Facebook: www.facebook.com

Share this:

A few years ago I attended a cousins wedding and was introduced to some new people who were sitting at my table.

A few years later, that same cousin had a baby shower and  I recognized one of the people that I had met at the wedding. We said hello, started to chat and I discovered that she recently took courses in millinery!!  Not only did she learn this skill but she started a hat business called Wild Work Designs.

She shows me her beautiful brochure, and before you know it, I offered to host a hat party for her! I’ve hosted a lot of parties before but this was my first “hat party”. I liked how my dining room table looked with all the beautiful hats displayed!!

My guests walked in the door and immediately started to try on different hats. It was so much fun!

It was truly a hoot to see everyone trying on different hats.

   A party wouldn’t be a party with out food but I realized afterwards that everyone was so focussed on the hats that hardly anyone ate anything!!

It was a lot of fun to host my first “hat party! I can’t wait to watch this business grow.

For more info:

Wild Work Designs (the website is stunning – so please take a peek at this website)

Twitter: @hatsbywildworks

Tel: 416 220 1490

Share this:

A “Random Rant”  about a whole bunch of stuff that has happened to me in the last week:

-I bought myself an iPhone 5 as an early birthday gift. One of the only reasons I wanted an iPhone 5 was to take take better pictures for my blog! Time will tell. Still trying to sync everything over from my iphone 4. Wish me luck.

-Usually I buy  Belkin products to protect my iPhone and my iPad, however I decided to buy a hard covered case for $12. I returned it to Staples 30 minutes after purchasing it as 4 people could NOT remove the case. Lesson Learned. (ps the staff at Staples were amazing)

-Usually I go to the Apple store to buy all my accessories, but was already at Staples and bought a Belkin car charger for my new iphone. Guess what? It doesn’t work  either and I’m pretty sure I threw out the receipt and the box. #nothappy. Again, lesson learned.

Total Fail – both items. Not happy

-I’m in Ottawa at the moment and arrived with a nasty cold. I brought medicine with me as I knew I was getting sick and this stuff  (err, Tylenol Cold) SAVED me. I took a dosage on Friday night at 11 pm and took another dosage in the middle of the night. Guess who woke up on Saturday at 2 pm. Guess who also had a nap between 6 and 8 pm?

-This is totally random: My parents live in a condo in downtown Ottawa and the cost of using the laundry machine is $1.25. My laundry machine in mid town Toronto is $2.25. Can someone explain this  to me?

-I went to the National Home Show/Canada Blooms last week. Why did it take me 17 years to go to Canada Blooms? #lessonlearned….won’t be missing it again.

-My mom went on a cruise and came back with a Kipling hand bag for me. I have no idea what this is but apparently my 74 year old mom knows her “labels”.

So how was my random blog? did you like it or should I stick to recipes and restaurants and food products? LOL

Share this:

I received an invitation to an event called “Taste of Iceland” that was going to be held at the Drake Hotel, from March 21-24, 2013. I have to admit, that it was the cocktail listed on the invitation that really caught my attention. Specifically, I am talking about the “Sons and Daughters” cocktail that was going to be served that night!

What’s in the drink? Let’s see …some pretty interesting ingredients! Reyka vodka, aquavit, lemon juice and caraway seeds, muddled thyme, and sea butckthorn syrup.

Not your average cocktail. I RSVP’ed very quickly – “Please add my name to your guest list”.

Not only did I enjoy my cocktail (or two), but I enjoyed multiple servings of EVERYTHING.

The evening started off with:

-Hardifskur  w/Icelandic butter (I would travel to Iceland just for this butter!!)

-Grilled Icelandic Langoustine, with garlic, butter and herbs

-Atlantic Shrimp and Lumpfish Caviar, with pickled vegetables and citrus vinaigrette

-Deep Fried Crispy Balls of Cod Potatoes with “Sol” mayonaisse

-Pickled Herring on sweet rye bread, curry dressing, green apples and spring onions (I had 3 of these).

The main courses included:

-Naturally Raised Icelandic Salmon – cold smoked salmon with grainy mustard dressing, sour cream dill oil, and Icelandic rye bread

-Free Range Iclelandic Lamb – seared Icelandic lamb filet with glazed root vegetables, juniper berry infused lamb jus and wild Icelandic blueberry herb dust.

I inhaled EVERYTHING. My table mate, Adam Mazerall from View the Vibe actually said ” he never saw someone devour something so quickly.

Needless to say, I barely had breakfast or lunch the following day!!

For those who can’t hop on a plane tomorrow and head to Iceland – please head to the Drake Hotel from March 21-24 to experience the food and the culture of Iceland. In the meantime, I think I’m going to add Iceland to my bucket list of places I want to visit!!

Drake Hotel 1150 Queen St. West Toronto 416 531 5042

Taste of Iceland: on Twitter: @IcelandNaturally

Share this: