This year, Winterlicious is taking place Jan 31st to Feb 13th, 2014. I’ve been a long time fan of this program as it’s a great way to check out new restaurants for a reasonable amount of money.   There’s three-course prix fixe lunch menus for $15 or $20 and $25, and dinner is priced at $25, $35 and $45. Perfect prices for someone who is on a budget. (Like. Me.)

Lucky me….I was invited by Pangaea to attend their Winterlicous Dinner and by the Hyatt on King  (King Street Social) to attend their Winterlicious Lunch Menu. I’ve never been to either restaurant so I was excited for both meals.

Here’s a recap:

Pangaea Winterlicious Dinner 2014: …$35

The minute you enter the doors, you are warmly greeted and your coats are taken into a nearby closet. Then you notice the high ceilings and the beautiful art. I was already impressed before I even ate anything. Our lovely waitress was uber professional and the menu choices I selected were well executed. It was truly a perfect meal – loved the service, the ambience and the food.

Top Left :Foie Gras Torchon, Grape Confit with Toasted Brioche.

Bottom Left Pork Tenderloin (brined and grilled), Chickpea ragout with spinach, honeyed sweet potato

Top Right: Hot Apple Cider

Bottom Right: Toasted Cinnamon Creme Brûlée, Poached Pear, GingerSnap Biscotti.

Please click here for the entire Winterlicious lunch and dinner Menu for 2014

Hyatt on King – King St. Social – Winterlicious Lunch 2014 …..$20

The entire team at Hyatt on King did an amazing job and reached out to a group of food bloggers to sample their Winterlicious Lunch Menu. Sadly I had an appointment that day that I could not miss and was going to decline. But then I noticed that lobster poutine was on the menu…and I knew I had to attend, even if I had to dash out. In the short period of time that I was there, this is what I sampled.

Top Left: Winter Greens (vegan)
Baby arugula and leafy greens, roasted pears, grape tomatoes, slivered almond with an Orange Chili vinaigrette

Top Right: Lobster Poutine
Butter poached British Columbia lobster served with our signature gravy, angel hair parmesan and frites.

Bottom Left: Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Bisque Truffle Crème and a Sweet Potato Soup (vegan)

Bottom Right: Grilled Black Tiger Prawns
bell peppers, grape tomatoes, red onions, micro green salad with a soy ginger reduction

Please click here for the entire menu for King Street Socials’ Winterlicious Lunch and Summer Menu for 2014.

 

I really hope you get a chance to check out Winterlicious. There’s still time left!!

For more information:

 

Pangaea  1221 Bay St. Toronto 416 920 2323

 

Twitter: @Pangaea

 

King Street Social – Hyatt Regency  on King 370 King St. West, Toronto, 416 595 2524

 

Twitter: @hyattonking

 

I knew that there would be a snow storm on Wednesday and it would be the perfect reason to STAY HOME  and cook/bake/clean and work!! It wasn’t hard to figure out what to bake, seeing as I received a recipe that peeked my interest in my inbox the other day. This is what happens when you subscribe to a food blog!! The recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it’s called ” Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake”.

It’s easy to make, moist and a great way to use up those ripe bananas!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake – from Sally’s Baking Addiction

INGREDIENTS:

My weekend in Ottawa consisted of the following elements: seeing family, eating great food, and  Winterlude! I couldn’t have picked a better weekend to visit. Seriously.

On Friday night – we checked out Confederation Square to see the ice sculptures. It was so impressive and so so pretty.

Here’s a breakdown of our day on Saturday:

10:00 am.  We went directly to Art Is In Bakery to eat a Cronut and their potato buttermilk donut with a maple glaze and maple bacon crumbs. There’s only one word to describe both of these items: WOW. I would not have discovered this treat had I not been following @AMWATERS on Twitter as I read a tweet that she had enjoyed  a Cronut the other day. (well, her 25 gram portion of the cronut!!)

 

12:00 pm We went to Flapjack’s  Pancake Shack which is located right behind Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s in the Glebe. We ordered the JimBerrr! Watson – Double Smoked Bacon, Gouda & Egg between two original buttermilk pancakes. There is clearly a reason why Ottawa has embraced this new food truck!!

5:30 pm. For dinner, we checked out Prime Burger Bar. We inhaled our deep fried calamari, steak poutine and the Chipolte Burger  (double jack cheese, double smoked bacon, avocado and chipotle mayo). Not to mention we ended our meal with DEEP FRIED OREOS.  This restaurant opened in October and as always I discovered them on twitter. The owner took the time to chat with us and in that short chat, we could tell how he really does care about every aspect of his restaurant. I later asked my cousins if they had been to this restaurant and they also had a a great story to share about the owners amazing customer service!

Our day on Sunday continued with more yumminess!!

10:00 am – Black Pepper Biscotti and a Nutella Cannoli from Simply Biscotti.  Note: We were celebrating World Nutella Day early!! (it’s officially on Feb 5th)

11;00 am – Maple Syrup Taffy on a stick – which I enjoyed while skating on the Rideau Canal. Oh how I love this childhood treat and of course skating on the canal was a treat too!

12:00 pm – A veggie Zatar from Aladdin Bakery

1:00 pm – Eggrolls from Golden Palace.

As always, Ottawa is an amazing place to visit. I can’t wait to visit again in March!! In the meantime, I’m heading to Goodlife Fitness to hit the treadmill and burn off a few calorie..

For more information:

Winterlude – Jan 31 to Feb. 17, 2014

Art Is In Bakery 250 City Centre (613) 695 1226

Flapjack’s Pancakes Shack, 809 Bank St, (613) 355 2927

Prime Burger 780 Baseline Road, (613) 680 2051

Simply Biscotti 354 Preston St. (613) 234 5336

Aladdin Bakery 1801 Carling Ave. (613) 728 5331

Golden Palace 2195 Carling Ave. (613) 820 8444

Seeing as I’m a social media consultant, I spend a lot of time working in a coffee shop rather than working from my apartment. There are two things that are important to me when selecting a coffee shop – free parking and good coffee.

Nine Bars meets both requirements! Thanks to my friend, I discovered a side street with free parking. (WOOT). Also, I need to thank BlogTO for bringing this new coffee shop to my attention!!

The space is totally inviting with lots of exposed brick and gorgeous furniture. Clearly someone has an eye for detail.

Even the menu is displayed in a unique manner. You can tell that there was a lot of thought going into planning this cafe!! ps there’s also sandwiches and croissants from LaBamboche!

My friend described the coffee as velvety, smooth and without any bitterness. I couldn’t agree with him more. He also said it was the best coffee he had outside of Rome.! Not to mention that BlogTO also said it was a perfect cup of coffee!

On a side note, the owner took the time to chat with us and it was clearly evident that he has a passion for coffee and loves people! A great combo for owning a coffee shop.

I can’t wait to organize a Coffice Tweet Up here!  Stay tuned for details.

For more information:

Nine Bars  – 46 St. Clair Ave West – www.9bars.ca – 647 831 5958

Twitter: @9barsto

Facebook: www.facebook.com/9barsto

Out of nowhere…I’m noticing a lot of Cauliflower recipes. I strongly believe that Cauliflower is the new Kale!! I’ve noticed on Facebook this week, not just one cauliflower  recipe but two.

For some reason, I’m wired to try new recipes..so I did. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to chop anything AND it was uber healthy. Not to mention pretty too!

Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

SPICY WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER (from www.purewow.com)

 

 

Back in November I was invited by the workshop leaders of Love Thy Carrot, to attend a Healthy Desserts Cooking Workshop. I should mention that it also said that “all workshops are dairy free, gluten free and sugar free.

I was intrigued seeing as my desserts are all about butter, sugar and flour. Repeat – all about butter, sugar and flour!! OK…throw in some chocolate too!!

How did I meet Love Thy Carrot? Well I was introduced to Love Thy Carrot by  The Bumpercrop a few years ago and have been following her blog for at least a year. I was delighted to hear that she branched out and was teaching workshops too! The workshops are taught by Marla – who is passionate about leading a healthier lifestyle and Karen, who is a graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

During the class we learned how to make an amazing Black Bean Brownie – which I will definitely be making again. That’s how good it was!

We also learned how to make Chia Pudding with a Maple Glazed Coconut Crunch.

Plus we learned how to make Buckwheat Pancakes with Caramelized Pears. These pancakes are way healthier than the pancakes that I make with regular flour!!

The workshop was informal but informative and included a wonderful handout at the end of the class so that I could go home and recreate these amazing dishes. Not to mention that Marla took the time to talk to us about her favorite kitchen appliances and motivated me to go purchase a Vegetable Spiralizer. (which I’m loving). I also loved that she included the basic essentials regarding what a healthy pantry should include!! (note to self: pick up agave)

Upcoming workshops include: One Pot Winners to Warm  the Winter Soul (Wednesday, February 5, 6:30PM – 8:30PM and Thursday, February 27, 11am -1:30PM

and Vegan Comfort Food (Feb 13 from 11 to 1:30 pm). Note: Each workshop costs $80.

Please don’t forgot to check out Love Thy Carrots amazing blog as well. I’m a huge fan of her photography and her content!

For more information:

Love Thy Carrot,

Email: marla@simplexity.ca

Twitter: @LoveThyCarrot

If you go to my apartment  you will find food magazines but if you go to my parents’ condo you will find fashion and decor magazines!! Therefore, one could say that I was brought up with an appreciation for interior design. I can still remember my mom searching high and low for “grey” towels back in the 1980’s – well before grey was a popular colour!!

Seeing as I’m a fan of interior decor, it’s a natural fit for me to visit the Interior Design Show. I can’t stop snapping photos while wandering thru the aisles. Talk about “Eye Candy”.

Gorgeous, Right?

See what I mean?

 

I actually went to a media preview AND the opening party. #smartmove.

 

See that bike on the bottom right? WANT. It’s way more affordable than the bike I want to buy. LOL. Seriously I’m in love with this bike and can easily see it in my apartment as a conversation piece.

For more information:

Interior Design Show, Metro Convention Centre, 255 Front St, Toronto

Saturday Jan 25, 2014 from 10 am to 7 pm

Sunday Jan 26, 2014 from 10 am to 6 pm.

Twitter; @IDSToronto

Facebook: www.facebook.com/idstoronto

 

Please welcome Walter – who is Canada’s first premium, all natural craft Caesar mix. They only use real, high-quality ingredients, prepared in small batches and packaged in glass……right here in Canada.

I think that alone deserves a huge round of applause. As you can see from this photo, my mom and I are huge fans of a good quality Caesar!

Other interesting facts: Walter was launched in 2013 by two childhood friends in Vancouver B.C. and the recipe was developed for over a year . There’s NO MSG, No artificial colours or flavours, and there’s no high fructose corn syrup in this product.

I was all too happy to enjoy a Walter Caesar while watching the Australian Open and I was all too happy to share it with two friends. Both friends knew instantly that I served them a quality product.

Where can you find Walter? At select B.C and Ontario grocers, specialty food and gift shops, restaurants and bars. For a complete list, please visit WalterCaesar.com/find-us.

Cheers!

For more information:

Walter Caesar, 1 604 908 0994, info@watercaesar.com

Twitter: @WalterCaesar

Instagram: @WalterCaesar

Disclosure: Walter All Natural Craft Caesar was provided to me, however all opinions are my own.

Nando’s has been around since 1987 and has a huge presence outside of Canada. They have seven locations in Ontario (with two of those locations being in Ottawa and continue to expand!. Yet – for some reason I had never heard of Nando’s before. This has now changed!!

I was invited to the opening of Nando’s downtown location (832 Bay St) on Friday and accepted this invitation even though I really don’t eat a lot of chicken. Well guess what? I ate EVERYTHING that night. In fact I even had two sliders..that’s how juicy the chicken was.

The Nando’s at 832 Bay St. is located in a huge heritage building. Think – massive ceilings….Think…original stunning columns. Their design team did a fabulous job to reflect this brands South African roots (the first restaurant was opened in a suburb of Johannesburg).

That night I experienced: hummus with pita, (drizzled with PERI PERI Drizzle) roasted red pepper dip, PERI-PERI Sliders, PERI PERI Fries, PERI PERI Chicken, and Chicken Skewers. I was in chicken heaven!! (and PERI- PERI  heaven too). Of course I had to try the carrot cake but it’s the chicken and the PERI-PERI that steal the show here.

Not only am I a fan of Nando’s Chicken but I’m also a fan of their clever marketing.

Note: Pili Pili is the Swahili word for the African Bird’s Eye chilli. Nando’s calls it PERI PERI and it truly is what makes their chicken so special. I will end this blog post with something I read on their brochure: The Result is ultimate PERI-fection!!

For more information:

Nando’s 832 B ay St. Toronto (416) 925 8888

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NandosCanada

Twitter: @NandosPeriPeri

 

Seeing as I’m a HUGE fan of anything related to Cheese – it was a no brainer for me to check out a new grilled cheese & mac ‘n cheese restaurant that is opening up in the Junction. I was pretty lucky to be invited to visit Cut the Cheese, as their soft launch is officially on Saturday Jan 18th at 4:00 pm (till 2:30 am!).

Don’t you just love the name of this restaurant and the cow on this sign?

As for the menu: (this will expand….but initially this is what they are starting off with). Plus there’s sides – like coleslaw, cheese coins, tomato soup and fries!!

First I took a few lactose pills and then I sampled 2 grilled cheese sandwiches and one mac’n cheese.

Top Left: Cartel,  Top Right: Beet-it-Up, Bottom Photo: Southern Comfort Mac n’ Cheese. What would I order again – all of them!!  However if I had to pick a favourite it would have to be the Beet – it – Up.  What a wicked combination of ingredients (beets, smoked gouda, portobello mushrooms and dried tomatoes).

What really impressed me, was that everything is made in-house: the pickles, the ROOT BEER ketchup and more. Not to mention, they offer gluten free bread and have wicked sense of marketing.

I am confident that this restaurant will be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. Not to mention it’s going to appeal to many grilled cheese  (and mac ‘n cheese” fans out there. Like me!!

Speaking of grilled cheese – did you know there is a Grilled Cheese Festival on Feb 28th? Click here for more details. PS Cut the Cheese is participating in this event! WOOT.

For more information:

Cut the Cheese – 2901 Dundas St. W, Toronto ON 416 901 7166

Twitter: @cutthecheeseTO

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cutthecheeseTO

Instagram: cutthecheeseTO

Hours: Closed On Mondays, Tues-Thurs 1130 am to 9 pm, Friday-Sat 11:30 am to 2:30 am, Sunday 11:30 am to 7 pm