26.2.11

Yesterday i went to this awesome cafe in Point Grey called The Brown Dog cafe!  Not only are the sandwiches mega and amazing but the coffees are served with a cute little mini muffin! SOld!  I ordered the egg sandwich with veggie bacon added bonus!  The soups sounded amazing as did everything on the lunch menu! A wee bit pricey $12 for sandwich but worth going to for sure!

22.2.11

Wouldn't this print be awesome in a dining room or kitchen!   I love this monochromatic print of an icecream cone! I found this on Etsy which is selling for $50!

21.2.11

I have just finished the hilarious book by CHelsea Handler, My Horizonal Life and was in need of a new book to read and totally opted for this book written by the gal who started one of my favourite blogs Orangette!  Yippee can't wait to begin reading it! How perfect is this a book about an adventure opening up a restaurant.. and recipes!

sweet Jesus!

What a stellar blog!  I came across this blog when i was looking up a recipe I once found for stout brownies and.... Ta Da! Taylor Takes a Taste blog came up with this crazy amazing idea...
Chocolate Stout Chocolate chip french Toast!
WHo is this dude!?  Genious!  I don't know if i have the mind to attempt this yet, as i am just getting my mindset into GET FIT mode so this might have to wait till... i get fit! haha But until then the eyes shall feast! I love french toast and ever since trying Banana bread french toast i have been curious about other loafs to use in replacement of yukon toast! ha and other things to do with beer for that matter!

17.2.11

Ollies Noodles

Back to the city i love! ...and what a great way to celebrate the snowy greeting then with a big ol bowl of soup!  Ollies 411 W. 42nd St was fantastic.   I was told about this great noodle place from my taxi driver as we drove from JFK.  Giving me a run down of the it spots for a gal to hit up in the city... like ladies night on thursday.... and if you go to Victoria secret on Madison, "tell them it's your birthday and you get free panties"... some facts where just random from this dude but others where right on the ball, like Ollies! He said it was cheap and the food was great! So Max and I went there and ordered a big bowl of soup! So great after a long flight and a cold greeting into the city! but take note the portions are massive so share!

un, dos, tres

This was a hilarious evening!  I went to the Lower East side to meet a friend for dinner and he chose this place Tres!  After walking around totally last and confused I finally found the spot a nondescript black entrance with Tres simple written!  Perhaps I didn't notice it because around this time of year when it gets super cold in New York all the Restaurants seem to sprout up these outdoor door ways!  Any who so i found it and I loved it! We ordered some red wine to help warm up and then i ordered the Fettuccine al Funghi - homemade pasta, Porcini, Cremini, Shitake mushrooms, Parmigiano, truffle essence.  It was really tasty... but lacked the truffle kick i was craving.  None the less I enjoyed every bite and was thrilled with the spot!  Also i took note that on weekends they have unlimited brunch mimosas and on monday nights its all you can eat/drink pasta meatballs and Sangria! After we finished with supper we ventured to a couple local bars and here they go.  




To begin we went to a basement bar... i can't remember the name but it was still happy hour at 9:00 (love new york) , but the bar bitch was just that and she had no personality so we split after a bud and whisky.  Next we went to this really great Art Nouveau bar called The Back Room.  With period-perfect chandeliers, velvet paisley wallpaper, tin ceilings, globes, and Victorian paintings of nudes I felt like i went back in time or down a rabbit hole far far away from the world i was once in and sat drinking out of teacups!  Ps. the drink i had was epic, get this: gin+cucumber+lime+basil!  There is also a secret room but chances of getting in there are as high as seeing Cher at the Olive garden! After our cocktail we kept going and next up was....the bull. 
We went riding the mechanical bull hahah how things happen like this i have no idea but i literally lasted 10seconds! haha Before i got on the guy was like "be one with the bull, be one with the bull! " I was not one with the bull he owned me. Moving on... Next stop the Bowery Hotel! Wow! So in love with this place! Sooooo in love! I felt like i should have been wearing velvet and silk! The place was like a great grandfathers old mansion full of antiques and charming people everywhere! I could almost see Gene Kelly sitting at the bar! The seats are meant to sink into and make for a perfect date spot!  Who wouldn't want to be on a date at a place with velvet wallpaper and jazz music! 

... So i went there. Yeah, i did it! I went and I ordered them! And you know what... they were amazing!  Ever since reading Spoon Fed by Kim Severson I have made it a mission to make it to Sarabeths Kitchen and try the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes!  Holy Shit these are the best damn pancakes I've ever had! Max and I were staying at The Empire Hotel on 63rd and noticed that it was super close to Sarabeths so for my first day back in New York we went there and had a blast! The place is adorable and has a rustic cottage feel! The coffee was great, the serves was superb and i just was in bliss being back and having pancakes for breakfast! But the best part was seeing Max again after a month apart!
 Go and try them..or make them!

Effort! This is how i woke up one morning after a late night of salsa dancing in a speakeasy, a punch bowl at an alice in wonderland secret bar, pool at max fish and enough gin and tonics to turn me into a character from ABFAB! Effort was my name of the day and when i awoke that morning, I realized I needed to get some cold water on my face and pull it together... as best as I could.  We were doing a brunch with our dear friend who recommend we check out this place called Diner and I was not going to miss! Boy was it worth the effort!  This place is a total hipster through back to the 50's and has a really great character!  The staff are supper friendly and read out the days menu (which changes everyday) by scribbling it down on your table cloth!  The food is remarkable and worth savouring every bite! So take your time, the wait might be a little long but isn't that written into the brunch handbook?  This place is also part of Marlou and Sons group which is a really great concept CafĂ© by day, raw bar and restaurant by night and a grocery store in the front.  We just walked inside to have a peek and i got the impression it was a lot like Jeffreys Grocery!  I like this idea of casual dining with fresh and local ingredients... you can buy after your meal!  I would definitely check out Diner for a meal or cocktail and hit up Marlou and Sons for Oysters, talk about a perfect evening/date!
Chiefs Sean Rembold and Dave Gould
front grocery section at Marlou and Sons

Breakfast at Bakeri

Breakfast is a beautiful thing!  Its hard to describe the way scrambled eggs make for a perfect start to the day, or how the cream twirling in your cup of coffee makes you perk up and that heavenly dash of butter spread over multigrain toast makes for a perfect morning moment. Yes breakfast and me are dear friends!  So needless to say when I was in the city I made it a mission to test out some new spots, which i feel i must write home about! One morning Max and I went for a stroll to this adorable little bakery called, Bakeri just off of Bedford.  It was a euro bakery dream found in none other then Williamsburg!  The hipster shop girls were adorable and had kerchiefs tied like a head band, one  wore coveralls which i only assumed was belonged to an auto mechanics and they were so friendly.  Its super cozy and literally everything here looks and tastes amazing!  Max ordered the fritata bread pudding and  i totally got suckered into the Dark chocolate chip, rosemary with crushed salt cookie! Note to self, Bakeri is another reason to move to New York... better yet across the street!  And bonus in the warmer months the have a little back garden area!  





Keep still my heart!


Back from the Big City and I miss it already!  I was in New York for the last 10 days and its like seeing an ex boyfriend who you still love!  I hate to leave but I know our paths shall cross again!  I am extremely excited to share some of the amazing places i discovered on this trip.  So to begin being there during the middle of February has its perks.. being the season of love.  So what quickly came to my attention was the Hot Chocolate Festival put on by The City Bakery.  Every day during the month of February they have a totally new flavour of hot chocolate!  Needless to say Max and I made it our mission to try the Stout hot chocolate with a big fat homemade marshmallow!  Just when i thought chocolate couldn't get any better then Mast Brothers Salt and Pepper bar... it did!!  So of course I went back to try out the 'love potion' on valentines day!

9.2.11


Having just been in Costa Rica for the month i have news to report... Trits!  I have discovered the best ice cream sandwich known to man. This is no average cookie treat my friends, this here is vanilla chocolate swirl ice cream sandwiched between two graham cracker cookies!  I was told about this when i was in line at the grocery shop and a man behind me noticed i was still pale and assumed i was visiting Costa Rica for the first time. He said "Have you tried Trits? It's like an orgasm between cookies" i wasn't sure how to gadge the comment but i tried it and it was amazing!