Anytime I get invited to an event that includes food, I’m always in. I love visiting new restaurants, and finding new places to add to my “favourite’s” list. If someone asks me to get together, I’m always trying to add brunch, lunch or dinner to the mix! Never breakfast – I don’t get up that early.

Thursday night I attended the Friends and Family night in celebration of the opening of Amici Trattoria in Pickering. The restaurant is slated to open very soon – Monday, April 20th.

Our family spends a lot of time at Frenchman’s Bay in Pickering where our family has a bit of property and boats, so I was very excited this restaurant was opening minutes away from us. My hubby understands that long days at the boat mean I need to be well fed, so I can usually squeeze a good lunch or dinner out of the day’s plans.

In Whitby there is currently an Amici Restaurant just below Mondo Ristorante, and I had been there before for some good wine and food so I knew this added location was going to be good!

The space is beautiful, and it includes a large bar section along with two separate seating areas.

The food was amazing. We left completely stuffed after sampling all kinds of meats, cheeses, appetizers, pastas and salads. I would have loved to have taken more photos but people were loving the food so I couldn’t get the chance. We had actually thought that food would just be passed around like at most parties so we would embarrassingly be chasing down servers for bite-sized snacks. Instead we found a generous spread that all of the guests were raving over, and I kept my dignity by just picking up a plate and trying whatever I pleased. Well, my plate was piled so high the husband had to carry my bread, but I wouldn’t say that was overly embarrassing. Ok, maybe a little.

The wine was lovely, the food was great, and overall the space creates a great atmosphere. I’m looking forward to eating there lots over the summer!

Be sure to visit this restaurant over the next few weeks and see what I’m raving about!

Again, the opening is Monday, April 20th, and to learn more about Amici in Whitby, visit their website here.

Amici Trattoria is located at 1305 Pickering Pky in Pickering, Ontario.

Sometimes I’m asked to review really difficult products. Like chocolate. It was a tough subject, but somehow I got through it.

This week I tested out Baroness Chocolate for Chick Advisor! You can check out all of the reviews on Chick Advisor for Baroness Chocolate here!

Baroness Chocolates are hand made in Ottawa, Ontario. Their chocolates are certified kosher, fair trade, gluten free, contain organic ingredients, and contain no GMO’s.

All bars are made from 100% sustainably cultivated cacao beans. They are also fermented longer than any other chocolate bar on the market.

Here is what I thought of each one of their chocolate bars that I tried below!

First up was Aiyaaaa! I loved the name of this chocolate bar!

I thought that since it said on the label “Summon the Kung Fu Master Within”, it would be a great snack to eat before my toddler had a play date with three other monsters/children.

It was a very good idea – it was a solid chocolate bar with butterscotch and almonds, and it was pretty darn yummy. It gave me the kick I needed to handle a play date with toddlers.

Next up I tried the Subversive Squirrel. The name of this chocolate bar is kind of hilarious. I think it would be a cute gift to give someone!

I thought that since it said on the label “Stay Free, Fight the Power”, it would be a great snack to eat while working. Fight the power to me means fight the authority (or in this case, management), in a polite let’s-not-get-fired kind of way.

This one was of my favourite chocolate bars – it had dark chocolate, salted peanuts and peanut brittle. The peanut brittle was so good.

It wasn’t very messy because the “toppings” mostly ended up being inside, so I could work, eat, and not get chocolate on important paperwork.

Mocha Krunhjay was hands down my favourite chocolate bar of the bunch!

I have no idea what the name means, but the bar says “Give Yourself Permission to Say What You Want”. Sounds good to me!

I thought this one would be a good choice for a day of fashion shows at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto, since my outfit would do the talking for me (going with the theme of saying what I want!).

I ate this chocolate bar in about 4 seconds. So good. LOVED toffee inside!

It also had dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, almonds and coffee. The coffee added a nice kick!

I don’t know if I agree with the tag line of the Love & Blessing bar – “Chocolate Tastes Better when Shared.” Really? I’ve found that it’s better when I am eating it all by myself, but to each his own.

I begrudgingly shared it with my husband over a bottle of wine, and my husband seemed pretty happy because A) The chocolate was really good, and B) He was in shock and awe that I was sharing.

This was one solid chocolate bar! It was very heavy, simple, and just made with organic milk and dark chocolate.

It was very good with wine! It actually was a good bar to share since it was heavier than most of the other Baroness flavours.

I needed some quiet pampering time, so the Tummy Rub Baroness Chocolate bar seemed like it would be a good idea.

The tag line on the bar is “When you need a hug and a nap”, so I thought eating it during my down time would be the best option. Although, I actually feel like everyone needs a hug and a nap all of the time.

Anyway, this bar had a gluten free cookie inside which was a lovely bonus! If you are looking for gluten free then this is the chocolate bar for you!

The chocolate was milk chocolate, and it was a really simple, great tasting chocolate bar.

I ate it while reading magazines, doing my nails, and while I was just relaxing with the TV off and my phone put away.

What do I do when I am getting ready for a date night? Apparently I eat chocolate.

I tried Baroness Chocolate’s Dob Dobs before heading out to dinner with the hubby, and a few things surprised me about it.

First of all it has a caramel filling, and I was surprised that the caramel was still oozing out of the bar even though I had the bar stored in the refrigerator. Yes, I keep my chocolate in the fridge. It’s strange, but that is what I do. Anyway, the caramel didn’t turn hard at all. Maybe because the chocolate bar was so fresh?

The tag line of this bar is “Chocolate that lingers on your taste buds like a loving embrace and then slaps you in the face.” Sounds like the perfect chocolate for a date night!

I am thinking the “slap in the face” is the caramel? There were pecans as well which I loved, but I really did like the “slap in the face” caramel as well.

I ate all of this chocolate bar in one seating, mostly because I had to hurry up and get ready for dinner. Plus I didn’t actually want to share this chocolate with my dinner date, and I was really hungry so I ate it all.

I would give this chocolate to a friend because it was a really good chocolate bar, and because I loved the tag line!

Just based on the title of the Tantric Tiger chocolate bar, I decided I would eat it before Yoga class. Not many people eat chocolate before Yoga, but I hate being that person doing deep breathing in class that has their stomach making noises because they are so hungry.

With the word tantric involved, I think of Sting, and then I think of Yoga for some reason. That is the way my mind works.

Anyway, back to the chocolate – the tag line says “Breathe deeply and then pounce.” Sounds like Baroness was thinking of Yoga class too!

I love fruit, nuts and chocolate together. Perfect combo, and this chocolate bar did not disappoint.

The chocolate bar had milk and dark chocolate, cranberries, almonds and sea salt.

So good! Perfect combo, and almost healthy to eat before Yoga class because of the cranberries involved? I know, I’m reaching.

I wouldn’t share this chocolate bar with anyone because I liked it too much. I would consider buying it for someone else because it was really yummy!

Overall one of my favourite Baroness chocolates because of the sea salt and cranberries – it was a really great combination.

For more information on Baroness Chocolate, visit www.baronesschocolates.com

Although these chocolates were given to me for a review, all opinions expressed are my own.

As some of you may know, I love going out to dinner! What’s not to love? It means I’m not making the dinner myself, there is usually a great glass of wine waiting for me, and when it’s all over I just get to pay the bill and walk away without the thought of cleaning a dish.

Any excuse I can come up with is used to sway my hubby to take me out to dinner. It’s Friday – yay, let’s got to dinner! It’s Saturday night – no one makes dinner on Saturday night, so let’s go to dinner! It’s Monday, and I hate Monday’s – let’s go to dinner to keep motivated for the rest of the week! I’m brutal.

Our latest culinary adventure was to America Restaurant at the Trump Hotel in Toronto.

We had dined previously at the Trump (Stock Restaurant), but I had heard some really great things about America so we gave it a try on Valentine’s Day.

One thing I love about dining in hotels is the accessibility of valet parking! Especially with all of the snow and cold we have had in Toronto, I like just stepping out of the car into a warm lobby. America Restaurant offer’s $10 valet parking at the Trump Hotel after 5:30pm on weekdays, and all weekend. Unfortunately for us, there was a rather large wedding on the 9th floor that night (how romantic on Valentine’s Day!), so there was no parking available. This is where I took advantage of being a potential damsel in distress and had my husband drop me off at the front door since I was wearing rather high heels. There was parking available just next door luckily so he didn’t have too far to walk in the cold.

We took the elevator from the gorgeous Trump lobby to the 31st floor and were met by a smiling host and hostess ready to take our coats and whisk us to our seats.

The space had impossibly high ceilings, and large canvas prints on the walls broken up by a beautiful view from the windows looking out onto the city. They really do have a beautiful patio with an excellent view! The lighting changed throughout the night from white lights, to pink, to a darker, romantic pink as the night wore on. This will explain why some of my photo’s have a strange color to them!

The wine list was large enough that I had some great choices in the white wine section, so I was very happy. I was also happy to see wine’s from Niagara featured. I just hate to see Toronto restaurants who don’t feature some of the amazing local wineries we have in Ontario.

The menu that night included a special prix fixe menu, and a selection of their most popular dishes from their regular menu were also available.

We had fresh warm bread delivered to our table, and I especially liked the corn bread. It was pretty much to die for, and was almost a meal in itself.

We started with a few oysters. They were ice cold, fresh, and were a great way to start off the meal.

Once I saw the word “lobster” on the menu, I knew what I was having. Well, really I didn’t know what I was having since the description was rather complicated, but I knew there was a lobster involved so I was in!

I had the Lobster Rockefeller, and the description said: steakhouse spinach, idaho puffs, philly cheese dip. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into, but once it arrived and I took my first bite I was so happy I ordered it. The lobster was completely removed from the shell, and it was cooked to perfection. It came with a hefty price tag ($58) but it was well worth it. I gave my husband the smallest bite possible (it was Valentine’s Day so I pretty much had to share), and he just said “whoa”. He is a man of few words.

My husband ate the Roasted Grain-Fed Chicken ($29), which included roasted roots, Mexican truffle, and a sage and celery stuffing or (stuffin’ as they called it on the menu). He was apparently very hungry because he didn’t even give me a chance to take a shot of it before he tore the dish apart. I had a few bites of his meal (he is way more generous than I am), and the chicken was very tender, and the stuffing was really tasty. I would have been happy to have ordered that as well!

Our server was lovely and checked on us often to see if we had everything we needed. Our water glasses never went lower than half way, so I would say the service was very well done.

I really loved the music in the restaurant as well. The music wasn’t so loud that I couldn’t carry a conversation which was great, and it was fun and kept things lively. At night this restaurant serves a latenight crowd with a DJ and bottle service.

I am really looking forward to going back soon for drinks in the bar, and possibly a bit more lobster.

America Restaurant is located at The Trump Hotel, 325 Bay St. 31st floor, Toronto, Ontario and you can visit their website here.