Where to Eat - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy August 19, 2014

What To Do With The Rest Of Your Summer!

It feels like summer is ending fast! It’s been so cold this week and September is fast approaching, so I’ve been thinking about what I need to fit in before the end of the summer. I’m going to be having as many BBQ’s as possible, and trying to do everything outdoors, and I absolutely want to take advantage of all the fun events in and around Toronto at this time of year. There are a few on my list I want to make sure I fit in during these last couple weeks, and I have added them below for you to see as well!

Twilight Tuesday Mini Night Market – Tuesday’s in August from 5pm – 9pm

Held at the York Street parkette (Richmond Street and Adelaide Street), the event features summertime snacks and live entertainment.

Tickets are $5 and can be traded for one food item or one drink item from restaurants such as Momofuku, Drake One Fifty, Richmond Station and Gabaradine.

The Drake One Fifty

These restaurants will serving up snacks and street food with live music. More information on the event can be found here.

Scotiabank® presents Summer Cinema at Fort York – Tuesday’s in August & September

Starting at Dusk on Tuesday’s, Ford York is hosting a family friendly free outdoor movie for the month of August. This event is free, and all you need to bring is a blanket or lawnchair for seating. The first 300 people will receive free popcorn and the first 50 SCENE debit and VISA cardholders to show their cards will receive a VIP seat. Check out www.scotiabank.com/outdoormovies for more details.

August Movies: •August 19th – Ghostbusters (8:15pm)
•August 26th – The Amazing Spiderman 2 (8:05pm)

Chill Ice House – open year round!

The best time to visit a frozen bar and lounge is in the summer, right?

Located at King Street West and Bathurst Street, Chill Ice House is left at a temperature of -5 C. There is a $15 cover charge which includes your use of a made-in-Toronto cape (red or blue – your choice!) and gloves. You are also provided a wristband which tracks your purchases so you don’t need to worry about the money you can’t get out of your pocket because it is too cold.

Photo Courtesy of Chill Ice House

There is a 1200 square-foot chilled space, plus a 1500 square-foot speakeasy which is warmed in the back if you need a break. Every thing is frozen including the chandelier and cups, but the bathroom is not frozen luckily.

Photo Courtesy of Chill Ice House

At night it’s a bar, but during the day families and school trips visit and tour the Ice House.

More details at http://chillicehouse.com

Oshawa Centre Fashion Never Sleeps – Friday September 5th

Photo Courtesy of the Oshawa Centre

The mall will be open for extended hours on this night from 9pm until 11pm. There will be giveaways, live music, and the latest in fall fashions.

Photo Courtesty of The EX

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) – August 15th – September 1st

It’s one of North America’s largest annual fairs, and it signals the end of summer for Torontonians. There are 18 days of amusement park rides, parades, live entertainment, food and more.

Photo Courtesy of The Ex

The Canadian International Air Show will be on the last weekend of the summer, and there are lots of concerts and events which coincide with the fair. $16, Seniors: $12, Children (13 and under): $12, Children 4 and under: Free

www.theex.com

Photo Courtesy of Scotiabank Buskerfest

Toronto’s 2014 Scotiabank BuskerFest 2014 – August 21st – 24th

This festival takes over the Yonge Street from Queen to College and throughout the neighbourhood including Yonge-Dundas Square, Trinity Square Park and Gould St on the Ryerson Campus.

Street performers take over the city with appearances by magicians, circus acts, musicians, clowns, contortionists, acrobats aerialists, puppets, silent comedians and more.

Photo Courtesy of Scotiabank Buskerfest

There is no actual schedule for the performances – you just have to walk the streets of this festival and see what pops up. It’s the last major festival of the summer, and for more details check out http://www.torontobuskerfest.com/

Roxymandy August 14, 2014

The Drake Devonshire in Prince Edward Country set to Open September 15th!

I love hanging out at the Drake Hotel in Toronto. There is so much do to there that you could have a completely different experience each time you go. There is the Café which serves what I think are the city’s best chicken and waffles, the Sky Yard where you can enjoy a meal or just drinks under the stars, the Underground where you can catch a concert, a comedy show, or even a film screening, and a main restaurant with just some really good food.

The Drake Hotel is just a fun place to hang out, and usually has something to do whatever your mood is. It’s a fun, cozy spot that is always buzzing with something exciting happening.

After a two year restoration of a late 1800 year old building, the Drake Devonshire located in Prince Edward Country is set to open it’s doors on September 15th, and I’m kind of excited about it!

Prince Edward County is two hours away from Toronto, and all I have heard lately is buzz about the amazing wine and atmosphere this area has to offer. Twice a year I head down to Niagara-on-the-Lake for wine tours, and I have been itching to switch it up and head to Prince Edward County. Now that the Drake Devonshire is opening, this is totally happening sooner than later!

The Drake Devonshire will be open for business September 15th, but the actual grand opening will be in Spring 2015. By that time you will find a the Creekside Deck built, and cabanas situated near the water.

Until then you will find the Drake Devonshire is ready to host you with eleven rooms, and two suites. One of the suites will be a two bedroom loft-like space, while the other will be called the Owner’s Suite and will sit above the beach with a custom brick fireplace. How cozy does this sound? The rooms will feature Malin + Goetz toiletry products, free Wi-fi, and the Drake Pleasure Menu.

On site you will find the Glass Box ping pong room with beautiful glass walls overlooking the lake, a Pavilion where special events, fall markets and wine tastings will take place, a covered bar and deck, an expansive outdoor patio, and a fire pit.

Some of the cocktail creations from the Drake Devonshire

The lobby of the Devonshire will features a micro Drake General Store. I love checking out the Drake General store in Toronto for fun and original gifts. I always seem to find some strange item that I’ve never seen before, but wonder how I have survived this far without it.

One of the things I associate the most with the Drake Hotel is the food, and it seems like the Drake Devonshire won’t disappoint!

Seafood Chowder:
Shrimp, scallops, fish, crab + grilled corn
$22

Farmer’s Lunch:
Assorted house made charcuterie with traditional garnishes
$17

Beef on Weck:
Slow braised tri-tip of beef, pepperonata, gruyere, caramelized onions, horseradish & mustard on a soft caraway bun
$20

Chef Matt DeMille has created a farm- and lake-to-table menu with all-time Drake favourites alongside new Devonshire dishes. Local wines will be featured on the menus as well.

Drake Breakfast:
Fried eggs, hash browns, roasted tomatoes, banger, baked beans
$12.95

Cobb Salad:
Rotisserie chicken, blue cheese, apple, tarragon dressing, Vicki’s arugula + crispy bacon
$15

Highline Mushroom’s on toast:
With pickled eggplant & herbs
$15 + add smoked trout $4

I’m excited to visit this hotel, and it seems like it doesn’t matter which season I go because there will be something to do. I love visiting wineries in the fall because they are less busy than the summer months, and Prince Edward Country offers excursions like fishing, cross-country skiing, art tours, and of course wine tasting! Drinking is luckily a year-round activity.

The Drake Devonshire is located at 24 Wharf St., Wellington, Prince Edward County. Rates start at $229. Reservation requests are now being accepted for October 1 onward, and can be made at www.drakedevonshire.ca or by calling 1-844-898-3338. Dining is available for guests from 7:30 a.m. through to midnight, from opening day.

For more information, visit www.thedrakehotel.ca

Roxymandy July 28, 2014

My Dinner Courtesy of Fresh Canteen

I feel like my domestic cooking career has been through many stages so far in this life. When I moved into my first house with my boyfriend I was in the trial and error stage, desperately trying to fake my way through recipes and act like I actually knew what I was doing in the kitchen. This stage included a lot of burnt dishes, band-aids, and an emergency pizza delivery number on hand.

The next stage was when I finally had a foundation of a few dishes I could solidly make, and I felt comfortable experimenting with harder dishes. At this stage I was able to host dinner parties, and contribute something better than meatballs at potluck dinners.

Then I had a baby, and I entered a good six months of take out food. Cooking sort of started up again around that six-month mark, but I didn’t realize then there was an even harder challenge coming up! When I went back to work there was another stretch where those take-out menus got a good work out, and then I started to get into fast and quick meals. It’s so stressful to get home from work and need to get dinner on the table ASAP, plus to have it not suck.

It seems like the only time I can actually create a meaningful dish is on the weekend when I am not working, and usually my weekends are spent with family and friends at restaurants. I can’t believe I am going to say this, but sometimes I actually miss cooking a good meal!

This week I tried an AMAZING solution. I ordered a meal from a company called Fresh Canteen in Toronto.

The process for ordering a meal is super easy. First of all you should enter your postal code into the website to see if you are in their delivery range. If you aren’t yet, don’t stress because they are expanding their reach right now. If you are in range, consider yourself lucky!

Next up take a look at that weeks recipes to see what you would like.

You need to chose which recipes you would like and the number of servings, and then Fresh Canteen will deliver the recipe and ingredients straight to your door.

They use a refrigerated box so you don’t even need to be home for the delivery.

All boxes are delivered on Tuesdays between 12pm and 6pm. The refrigerated box I received contained insulated packaging with a gel pack which kept my food fresh.

When I opened my first box I found all of the ingredients I would need to make my chosen recipe, which was Honey Glazed Chicken with Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad and Potatoes.

There were a couple things I needed out of my pantry like salt, pepper, a bowl, a pot, and a dish to use in the oven, but otherwise everything else was provided. That was amazing news to me because I had a box of Cherios and a loaf of bread in the pantry at the time, so I wasn’t really prepared to add anything significant to the meal based on what I already had on hand.

Included in the box were step-by-step instructions complete with photos to explain how to prepare the meal. I LOVE recipes with photos because I really need a visual to see what dinner is ACTUALLY supposed to look like.

So basically Fresh Canteen does all of the shopping for you, and they send you the ingredients with a quick and easy recipe to follow. My meal only took 40 minutes to complete which solved my time issue, along with the fact that the shopping and meal idea was sent right to my house. It doesn’t get much easer than that. The produce was super fresh as well! Fresh Canteen source their ingredients locally whenever possible, and everything was already measured out so I could just chop a few things up and add them to the mix. All of the nutritional information is included as well if you are watching what you are eating carefully.

You are able to choose how many portions of each meal you would like, and Fresh Canteen charges $12.50 per serving.

Fresh Canteen sends you almost everything you need to make any of their meals, but you may need a few things out of your own kitchen. They suggest you keep on hand a ladle, locking tongs, spatula, chef’s knife, grater, serrated bread knife, y-shaped vegetable peeler, colander, skillet or frying pan, pot, baking tray and cookie sheet. You will note that Cherios and bread were NOT on this list, but if they were I would have totally been prepared.

I absolutely loved this service! I loved that all of the shopping was done for me, and that I was able to create this quick and healthy meal without needing to do much other than some herb chopping. It felt good to create something in the kitchen so easily. The instructions were so easy to follow, and it really was time saver to have everything measured and ready to go.

Check out Fresh Canteen at www.FreshCanteen.com – but only if you are interested in saving time, eating healthy, and want to look like you have mastered the whole “cooking” thing.

Roxymandy July 24, 2014

It’s National Tequila Day! So Have a Drink!

I bet you didn’t know it was National Tequila Day until I told you just now, right? Did I make your day a lot better? Wait, don’t think back to that last time you had a tequila shot, because I am sure it will only elicit memories of terrible hangovers, or possibly no memories at all that night of how you got home.

In honor of National Tequila Day, Chef Arturo Anhalt of Milagro Cantina on Queen West in Toronto was nice enough to pass along two awesome recipe’s to me made with tequila that I promise will taste a lot better than that shot you last took with only a lemon and some salt to get it down your throat!

I promise, this will make your Thursday a lot better!

Check out one of Milagro’s three locations in Toronto as well – details are at http://milagrorestaurant.com/

MILAGRO CANTINAS
Santa Sabina Cocktail Recipe, Care of Chef Arturo Anhalt

Ingredients
1 ounce Cazadores Añejo Tequila
1 ounce St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
¼ ounce Martini Dry Vermouth
¼ cup English cucumber, diced
¼ ounce dark agave syrup
2 cups ice
1 English cucumber
1 lime

Steps
1. Chill a martini or wide-rimmed cocktail glass.

2. Pour spirits and agave nectar into electric blender. Add diced cucumber and puree on high for 30 seconds.

3. Place ice and cocktail mix into steel cocktail shaker. Shake well.

4. Using a strainer, pour mixture into chilled glass. Garnish with cucumber round and lime wedge. Bottoms up!

MILAGRO CANTINAS
Rosa Canela Cocktail Recipe, Care of Chef Arturo Anhalt

Ingredients
1 ounce Hornitos Reposado Tequila
1 ounce Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
¼ ounce Martini Red Vermouth
½ ounce pomegranate juice
¼ ounce dark agave syrup
1 cinnamon stick, whole
1 twist of orange rind
2 cups ice cubes

Steps
1. Chill a tumbler cocktail glass.

2. In a steel cocktail shaker, pour in spirits, juice, and add the cinnamon stick and ice. Shake well

3. Using a strainer, pour mixture into chilled glass. Add in some fresh ice cubes. Garnish with orange rind and cinnamon stick. Cheers!

Roxymandy July 4, 2014

Summerlicious 2014

I love opportunities where I am not responsible for making dinner. I’ll take any excuse I can to eat out in a restaurant instead of slaving away in the kitchen myself. A great excuse to try some of the best restaurants Toronto had to offer is Summerlicious. Today, July 4th is the first day and it runs until July 20th this year. Either lunch or dinner is offered at these restaurants at a fixed price which is usually well below what it would cost to eat there for a regular meal, and each meal is three-courses.

If you are interested in trying it out this year, I’ve mentioned some of my favourite restaurants included in Summerlicious below. That way if you don’t like dinner you have someone to blame! Just joking – they are all excellent restaurants worth giving a try. Here is a link to the Summerlicious website to see all of your choices.

Bosk
Shangri-La Hotel Toronto
188 University Ave

I recently posted about my great experience at this restaurant. They describe their food as Canadian, and their flashy champagne cart and attention to detail on each plate wowed me. Check out my review here.

$25 Lunch, $45 Dinner

Canoe
66 Wellington St W, 54th Floor, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower

I tried Canoe out one Winterlicious a couple years ago because I wasn’t sure I could afford it not during one of the “liscious” events! Canoe is expensive, but it has an amazing view of the city, and critics say it’s one of Canada’s best restaurants. This is one of the most popular choices of Summerlicious, and they only have availability on Monday the 7th!

Lunch $25, Dinner $45

Cibo Wine Bar
522 King St W

This trendy restaurant on the lively King West strip has some very ……interesting art in the basement, but the menu is very simple and offers traditional Italian food.

Lunch $15, Dinner $25

Fabbrica
49 Karl Fraser Rd

Fabbrica is not cheap, but they back up their prices with good food. The location is one of my favourites as its a part of the outdoor mall Shops at Don Mills. If you really like your dinner it’s likely you can pick up another one at Mark McEwan’s grocery store across the road to take home! They have lots of pre-packaged meals which are searched at all of McEwan’s restaurants across Toronto

Lunch $20, Dinner $35

La Société
131 Bloor St W

This Yorkville French restaurant is gorgeous. It’s like stepping into a restaurant in Paris. When I ate there for Summerlicious last year I loved that oysters were an appetizer option! My meal was perfect, and patio is great for people watching.

Lunch $20, Dinner $35

Lee
601 King St W

Lee (named after the Chef Susur Lee) is all about Asian and French food in family style portions. We had to make a 9pm reservation just to get not this restaurant, but the sushi was totally worth it!

Dinner $45

Weslodge
480 King St W

This saloon-style restaurant has a lot heads on the wall, and a lot of crazy drinks on the menu! It’s a packed bar at night, and I snacked on a scotch egg (my first one – very tasty!) and a “pastrami”-style sandwich which was made with bison, but really did taste like pastrami. I don’t know, maybe it WAS pastrami and they lied to me. Anyway, it was really good – and fun!

Lunch $20, Dinner $45

Stock
Trump International Hotel & Tower
325 Bay St, 31st Floor

Stock has their own chocolate lab, and they have special mini leather chairs to hold your purse. Does it get any more amazing than that? Stock is in the 31st floor so the views are amazing, and they even have a patio.

Lunch $25, Dinner $45