I’m a big fan of community events and love to support them. Therefore I’m blogging about a community event called Shop Wine and Dine, that I thought I might share BEFORE the event takes place. I know how much you hate when I blog about something AFTER an event.

So mark your calendars for the Mount Pleasant Village Shop Wine & Dine event on June 16th from 5 to 9 pm. FYI – Mount Pleasant Rd is located between Eglinton and Davisville. RAIN OR SHINE.

Retailers and restaurateurs will “roll out the red carpet” for local residents, people who work in the neighbourhood, shoppers, and commuters heading home. Guests will be entertained by live bands,    shopping sales, and order from specialty restaurant menus created exclusively for this event.

The event will feature 4 to 6 live bands along the street which will certainly create a festive environment. Plus many retailers will be offering specials. For example: Manor Hair Salon will be offering FREE braids and Healthwinds Spa will be delighting visitors with free hand massages. You can even drop into Saati Fine Jewellery for an inspection and cleaning. Please note that parents can leave their kids for $5 at Kidnasium  (limited space – call ahead to book) while they walk along Mount Pleasant. Click here for more information about this great service.

Trust me, the whole street gets involved and it’s a lot of fun.

I encourage you to spend some time on their fabulous website so you get acquainted with the shops and services along Mount Pleasant. It truly is a fabulous community with lots to offer.

Website: www.mountpleasantvillage.ca

Twitter: @Mt_Pleasant_BIA

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

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post however all opinions are my own

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There’s a festival for everyone – a Hot & Spicy Food Festival, a Rib Festival (or two or three), Toronto’s Festival of Beer,  a Night Market, and many many more. Seriously, there’s no shortage of festivals.

I try to attend as many as I can, seeing as food is a strong interest of mine. It seems as if I’m always on the prowl to eat something different or discover a new product!

Here’s a recap of two food events that I recently attended:

1. Taste of Toronto:

The 2nd annual celebration of everything we love about food, takes place July 2-5 at Fort York. Taste of Toronto features 70 artisanal producers, interactive classes by star chefs and 50 dishes from the some of Toronto’s hottest chefs and restaurants.

This festival should be on your radar as the weather is going to be picture perfect over the next few days.

The big draw for foodies this year is the appearance of Morimoto, Chef Morimoto is known to millions as the star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America—and the big news is the fact that he will be opening a restaurant in Toronto one day soon!

For more information about this event..(hours, admission prices etc) please click here.

2. Restaurantacular

This food festival that is located along Mount Pleasant Road, is a great chance to wander from restaurant to restaurant to enjoy the $2, $4 and $6 amuse bouche, appetizers and small bites they have prepared especially for this event.  Restaurantacular is a chance to try the many great restaurants in this neighbourhood, little bites at time.

I’ve gone two years in a row so I can “eat my way along Mount Pleasant”. It’s a fun, neighbourhood event on a street that is known for their fabulous restaurants and bakeries!

Curious to know if you will be going to any food festivals this coming summer! Please let me know.

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I’ve been patiently waiting for the Istanbul Cafe and Espresso Bar to open for almost a year. This new coffee shop is located at 175 Eglinton Ave East between Mount Pleasant and Yonge St.

Recently I noticed via Twitter that it opened and I quickly grabbed a friend to check it out. Yes..that’s the way I roll.

Upon entering we were ooohing and ahhing over the attention to detail. Everything from the lights to the fireplace is STUNNING.

Take a peek at how they serve Turkish coffee. I’m a sucker for presentation so I ordered it!!

This new coffee shop has already had a warm welcome from the neighbourhood and I’m sure it will get even more popular when their liquor licence kicks in.

On a side note: they do serve sandwiches, mediterranean treats and muffins that you would see in typical coffee shops.  However, I really hope that they serve more mediterranean food in the future.

For more information:

Istanbul Cafe and Espresso Bar: 174 Eglinton Ave East, Toronto 416 480 0303

Hours: Weekdays 7 am to 10 pm, Saturday 8 am to 10 pm, Sunday 9 am to 10 pm

PS Liquor licence  is pending….stay tuned for (much) longer hours

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Here’s a few events that are on my radar:

a) The Niagara Integrated Film Festival (Thursday June 19 to Sunday 22, 2014). This is a great chance to see some wonderful films AND drink wine! Not a bad combo at all. There’s a wide range of films (Canadian, Animated, Documentaries and more) and you will be watching these movies in a truly unique setting. Please visit their website for more info www.niagarafilmfest.com. 

b) Restaurantacular on Wed. June 25th from 4 – 9 pm. This is a great way to eat your way thru Mount Pleasant! There will be a variety of food from local restaurants that will only set you back a loonie or two or three!! LOVE IT. For more information please visit: www.mountpleasantvillage.ca

c) Night It Up 2014 Night Market takes place this year on Friday July 11th to July 13th. I’ve gone for the last two years and always find something that I’ve never tried before. For more information please check out their website www.nightitup.com

d) Summerlicious will be taking place July 4- 20th and I’m sure I will be checking out a restaurant or two. I’ve already make plans to visit Pukka for a $15 lunch with a bunch of friends. What great value. For more information – please visit their website www.toronto.ca

Take a peek at how many festivals are going on…there’s no way one can be bored during the summer.

PS many thanks to my friend @sackman66 for sending me this list!

Have a wonderful summer everyone!

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While visiting the Toronto Garlic Festival back in the fall, I had the opportunity to sample a Seafood Chowder from a vendor that was simply outstanding. That vendor was Smoked & Cracked, who also happens to own a restaurant at  516 Mt Pleasant Rd. (just north of Davisville).

Last week I went to visit their restaurant and it was so good that I returned a week later. I simply had to try more items on their menu and share this “find” with more friends.

The restaurant has a lovely “East Coast” feel without being too kitchy. (you know what I mean). There’s small touches that I really think are cute: i.e small jade plants can be found on each table that are planted in empty tomato cans.

The menu is on a chalkboard. Simple but effective.

This is what I’ve tried so far.

–Lobster Bisque

–Manhattan Seafood Chowder: This soup had  a beautiful broth with massive chunks of perfect scallops, shrimp, and mussels in it. I think this was my favourite soups out of the two that I tried.

–Lobster Mac and Cheese

Comfort food at it’s best

–a WARM lobster roll (that was the best lobster roll ever)

What really impressed me was that every vegetable was perfectly diced. Plus the shrimp, scallops and lobster that were in my soup were cooked to perfection.  Bonus that the owners are super friendly and know the industry inside and out!

This is what I want to try on my next visit (which there will be…trust me).

Either the lobster omelette or the lobster scramble gratinee…which is served on Sundays only.

Who wants to join me?

For Further Info:

Smoked & Cracked  516 Mount Pleasant, Toronto ON 647 748 5722

Twitter: @smoked_cracked

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

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