It’s summer….so let’s have some fun. Here’s some photos of some beaches and pools. See if you can identify them. Ready. Set. Go.

Beach #1 (hint: one hour east of Toronto)

 Beach #2: (hint: 40 min. west of Toronto)

 Beach #3: (hint: in the GTA)

Beach #4: (hint: 1.5 hours north of Toronto

 Beach #5: (hint: 1.5 hours NW of Toronto)

  Beach #6 (hint: 2.5 hours east of Toronto)

Ok..now for some pools

Pool #1 (hint: downtown Toronto)

Pool #2: (hint: 1.5 hour drive from Toronto)

Pool #3 (hint: Located in Vaughan)
Pool #4: (hint: a little over an hour east of Toronto)

Pool #5 (hint: it no longer exists but use to be located at Bathurst/Sheppard). I miss it SO much.

C

Can you tell that I love the summer and I love being around water?

Hope you are enjoying your summer as much I am.

On a recent day trip to Niagara On the Lake, I decided to quickly to jump over to Buffalo seeing I was SO close. When the border guy asked me “what’s the purpose of the trip”. The answer is always the same…”to go grocery shopping and to go to Target”.

Here’s what I bought at Tops (ps Im now a proud card member of Tops AND Wegmans). I must admit Tops has an advantage as it’s right next to Target on Niagara Falls Blvd.

1. Jell-O Party  Molds. It was free when you buy 6 small packets of Jell-O. How could I resist?

2. Jell-O so I could make the Cocktail Bites and use the mold. #staytuned. Can’t wait to serve these and find out which flavour is the best.

3. Heinz Ketchup with Balsamic. I’m all about flavour and curious to see how this tastes.

4. Snacks….can’t find these flavours here (I think. LOL). Actually I’m pretty sure I can’t find these here!

At Target I bought this flight of beer ($3 for the board, $1 for each glass). I’m going to sample 4 different bottles of Innis & Gunn STAT using this new server. I’ve been a long time fan of Innis & Gunn not to mention I love ordering flights of beer in restaurants. Now I can sample different beers in the comfort of  my own apartment.  #score.

 Fall shoes had also arrived at Target and I scooped up two pairs (of course). But will save that for another blog post about Fall Fashion!!

By the way, getting home was not pretty at each bridge. Oh well…it was still worth it.

Happy Shopping.

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.

Last month, when I had the Hyundai Sport for a week, I knew I wanted to drive the car and not let it sit in my garage! I googled “spa resort near Toronto”  and guess what appeared? Hockley Valley Resort!

I picked up the phone and they graciously invited me for an overnight stay and two spa treatments. I graciously accepted!

The only thing I knew about this resort was that the Food Bloggers Conference of Canada was held at Hockley Valley Resort back in May. Plus after I did a search on google map, I discovered that it was an hour and 2 minutes away from midtown Toronto. (yay)

The drive there was BEAUTIFUL. Probably one of the nicest drives I’ve had in a long time.

I checked in and had the nicest chat with the front desk staff before making a b-line  to the pool to take advantage of the gorgeous weather that we were having. (no humidity – remember those days?)

While lounging by the pool, I wolfed down a delicious pizza from the wood-fired oven. Loved the fact that the pizza was made with fresh ingredients from the organic garden and chef’s herb garden. #impressed

After lunch, I had the privilege of having an anti oxygen facial. Never had this treatment before but I LOVED IT. I couldn’t stop staring at my face! I am still 48 years old but my skin felt like it was 28 years old.

Once my spa treatment was over, I floated to my room feeling very relaxed and very youthful!! Amazing what a facial can do to lift your spirits.

When I entered my room, I was overwhelmed with this gorgeous room which was on TWO floors, and had TWO FIREPLACES (including one in my bathroom). I found out that the entire property underwent a 7 million dollar renovation a few years ago, which would explain the contemporary fresh look that is present throughout the resort!

The next day, I enjoyed a magnificent buffet breakfast and loved their commitment to using local suppliers.

On my last day, I had one more treatment (a flex massage) and a beer  (one beer, I promise) at the bar before driving home.

If you are looking for a get -away, that is close to Toronto – please consider Hockley Valley Resort. They have it all – golf, amazing restaurants, spas, and more!! In fact they are running a special summer promotion right now. Here’s the info  http://www.hockley.com/The-Great-Summer-Getaway

This family owned boutique resort is going to be on my radar from now on!!

For more information:

Tel: 519-942-0754
Toll Free: 1-866-HOCKLEY (462-5539)
info@hockley.com

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

Twitter: @hockleyVresort

 

 

As you know, travelling can be expensive. However by using Airbnb and staying in one of their properties instead of a hotel can save you a lot of money!! I had talked to a few other food bloggers who had used airbnb and everyone seemed to have had a positive experience.

Accoording to Wikepedia, As of 2012, the company had 250,000 listings in 34,000 cities and 192 countries. I also learned that it’s a privately held company based out of San Francisco. Interesting.

I downloaded the (free) app and then you search the city you are travelling to. (in my case, I was looking for a property in Barcelona).

Here’s what you need to do:

-read the reviews carefully

-read the details carefully

-look at the photos carefully too

I did this for HOURS and then finally selected “Central Garden Entrance Suite. Here’s the description that sold me (ps the reviews and the price sold me too)

 My dream came true as I was able to shop for fresh shrimp  and garlic at the Boqueria market and then come home and make myself a little snack!!

Airbnb is so addictive that I find myself scrolling through photos DREAMING of my next travel adventure.

I would definitely be using Airbnb on future trips. My host answered all my questions (and there was more than one!!) and the property was spotless, in a great location and a price that I couldn’t beat.

PS for fun it’s even neat to put in the city you live in – to see what comes up!!

Happy Travelling!

I’ve just returned from a fantastic event called Night It Up Night Market, which takes place July 12 -14 at the Markham Fair grounds. This event raises money for Second Harvest and is run by an amazing group called the Power Unit Youth Organization.

What exactly is Night It Up? It’s an outdoor night market similar to the ones you see in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places in Asia.  At Night It Up you will find an impressive line up of food vendors as well as entertainment. I was clearly there for the food. LOL.

These photos will give you an idea of what I ate:

a) cold noodles with peanuts, corriander, bamboo shoots and more b) Salted mandarin Juice c) Ice Volcano (had the marshmallow) d) Calamari Taco from @TheTacocat

I continued to nibble and try a few other goodies:

a) Green Tea Shaved Ice w/coconut from @ChillyRibbons (ps first franchise in Canada) b) Hachiko Hot Dog c) Dragon ball from @MenuFoodTruck d) oyster omelet (just snapped a photo – the line up was too long).

Here’s what you need to know about Night It Up:

Where? Markham Civic Centre
101 Town Centre Boulevard
Markham, Ontario

For parking info, shuttle bus info – please visit their website

When? Friday, July 12, 7pm – 12am, Saturday, July 13, 12pm – 12am, Sunday, July 14, 12pm – 8pm

Admission is free and all proceeds go to Second Harvest.

 

 

 

 

I bet you think I just ate my way thru Barcelona and didn’t see anything but restaurants and the Boqueria Market. WRONG. I actually did go sightseeing!!

I accomplished this by using Barcelona Bus Turistic Bus which allows visitors to see many of the attractions in Barcelona. There’s a blue line, a red line and a green line. It’s tremendous value and well worth the money. If anyone is visiting Barcelona and has limited amount time – this is the way to see Barcelona!!

I spent a full day on the blue line and a good chunk of the time on the red line too.

The Blue Line allowed me to see the following attractions: (please note, there are 14 stops)

The famous football stadium (um, can  you say MASSIVE?)

A Chocolate Museum ( I’m a food blogger so of course this was of interest to me)

The Red line allowed me to check out: (please note, there are 23 stops but I just didn’t have time to see everything)

The Barcelona Beach

The Aquarium

Of course, after a long day of touring I was thirsty and needed a drink. So I spent Saturday Night sipping some amazing cocktails courtesy of the W Hotel Barcelona. The Eclipse bar is located on the 26th Floor and was a spectacular location to watch the sunset and re-hydrate!

The friendly bartenders were also skilled and knowledgeable about mixing the perfect cocktails. See this? 4 bottles – 2 hands.

I enjoyed the following drinks (all of them..hee hee). To be honest – there were 2 more drinks!

Barcelona is truly a spectacular city with lots to offer. I didn’t stop moving for the entire 4 days that I was there.

For more information please visit Barcelona Tourism.

I think I found out about Aborigens by googling these three key words “food tour Barcelona” and then of course I connected with them via twitter and email. I’ve now completed several food tours (two in New York), one in Israel and one in Barcelona. Each one offered me a unique experience.

Aborigens is run by three partners and one of those partners was the tour for the evening. We met at 545 pm and I swear the tour ended at 11: 45 pm even though it was suppose to be a FOUR hour tour. Our group was so dynamic and friendly that we kept shmoozing and eating and shmoozing and drinking. The fact that Alex didn’t mind, said volumes about their service.

Here’s a photo of our lovely group: there was a mother/son visiting from NY, a couple from South Africa, a mother/daughter from outside Philadelphia, a young women from Australia and moi.

Our evening included SIX restaurants and at each restaurant we ate and DRANK. There was no shortage of food or booze. I can assure you that NO one left hungry. In fact I didn’t eat anything the next day till 330 pm.  (not even a coffee).

I took lots of photos and arranged them into a few collages to make it easier to show you exactly how much we ate and drank!! This is just a SAMPLE of what we ate. There was more but as always …I don’t want to bore you.

 And then we visited another restaurant and ate some more…..

 Plus we walked to another restaurant (that we would have never discovered on our own)

We are now getting full. ..but we manage!

What made this food tour so memorable?

-the group itself was super fun.

-our tour guide Alex was accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. He let the group have fun and we did!!

-the restaurants that were selected were NOT touristy at ALL. Very local. Very Authentic.

-I could have never done this by myself. Its a great way to try a lot of restaurants in a short period of time.

For more information:

Aborigens Food Tours  – please check out their website for further information about their tours and other services they offer to chefs or visiting food industry professionals.

Twitter: @aborigensBCN

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

The list of restaurants we visited included: Moritz, Koska Taverna, Els Sortidors Del Parlament, Gran Bodega Elkano, Amigo Cascaries, Rosal 34. However please note that the restaurant and what was served might change from tour to tour.

 

About 6 years ago, my parents went to Barcelona. When they got home my mom showed me pictures of the Boqueria Market (or Mercat de la Boqueria) and I knew that I had to go there one day. Finally I made it happen! On my  back from Israel to Toronto, I made sure to book a few days in Barcelona.

Clearly visiting the Boqueria Market was high on my list of “things I wanted to do”. I hope the Picasso Museum forgives me!. I wandered up and down the aisles of this spectacular market – snapping photos with my iPhone 5. I also ate. (what else is new?)

I had several friends tell me that I must( must) go to El Quim  and I was thrilled that was I able to find it amongst the hustle and bustle!! My neighbor at the bar was an American who now lives in Barcelona and visits El Quim every Saturday morning with his kids. He’s a “regular” and was all to happy to introduce me to the Chef.

I ordered squid with eggs thanks to a few email exchanges with @DeliciousDishTO who told me it was the best …and she was RIGHT!!

As you can see, I just couldn’t stop taking photos. Aren’t these gorgeous bundles of Bouquet Garni?
These zucchini blossoms are pretty gorgeous too.

The Boqueria market is so spectacular that I’m going to return on my last day for one more visit to make sure that I saw EVERYTHING. I’m sure I will be taking more photos and enjoying some more food as well.

ps the coffee is from La Virreina and I’m definitely going back there for another cappuccino!!

For more information about Barcelona please visit their website.

I’ve done food tours in New York with Urban Oyster and knew that I would love to go on a food tour in Israel. Thanks to Twitter and @funjoel – my cousin and I had the opportunity to have a food tour thru Mahane Yehuda with Joel.

Please meet Joel!!

Joel is originally from the New Jersey and is now a licensed guide in Israel. He’s also a foodie and knew exactly where to take us in Mahane Yehuda, which is a popular food market in Jerusalem.

Here are the highlights.

Jachnun Bar: (30 Ha Egoz) This is a Yemenite restaurant that recently opened in the market.  I ordered a Fatut salad and would order this again in a heart beat. I loved the texture and the originality of this dish. What is Fatut? small pieces of malawach fried with egg, cheeses and toppings. Joel brilliantly described it as “kind of like matza brei”.

Halva King: (10 and 72 Ets Hayim St) These guys sell a gazillion types of halva (pure halva – not sugary, processed halva) AS WELL as a gazillion flavours of tehina. I was so impressed with how they make the tehina (see the photo) – that I purchased a container of tehnina to take home!! This is indeed AUTHENTIC tehina.

Manou Bashouk. At this restaurant we enjoyed a sliver of some meat pie. I say a “sliver” cause we were so full from lunch!!

Oozi Eli: At this store, we were introduced to some interesting combination of natural juices. i.e Gat juice, Almonds and Dates, Lemon Mint and Etrog, Passion Fruit and Goats Milk and more. We even shmeered some lotion on our necks in the hopes that we stay young and youthful forever!!

We even visited a family member of the Dr. Laffa owners. What a small world!

My cousin has lived here for 4 years and said (early on in the tour) “I would have never found these places”. Clearly Joel was instrumental to our  tour thru Mahane Yehuda. It would not have been the same visit without him.

I am also eager to connect Joel with many of my foodie friends and other friends who visit Jerusalem on a regular basis. Fun tour guides are hard to find and Joel was definitely fun and knowledgeable. Once again, I’m thankful to twitter!!

Our night ended at a restaurant that was suggested to me by three separate Toronto foodies (@rosieschwartz, @abeworno and @foodie411). Once again, my twitter friends guided me to the most amazing restaurant in Jerusalem called MachaneYuda (10 Beit Ya’akov St) The menu changes daily so I’m not going to list exactly what I ate as there is a good chance that it wont be on the menu the next time!!  What I can tell you is that the flavours, execution, presentation, service and atmosphere will be flawless!!

There is a reason why this is one of the top restaurants in the country!

Sadly my trip to Israel has ended.  I’m really really sad about leaving but know that I will be saving my loonies for another trip soon!   However my  vacation continues and the next blog post will be about my food adventures in Barcelona! Stay tuned.

For more information:

Joel can be found on twitter (@funjoel) or on facebook and has a great website too.