Around the world ...

Ethnic was definitely the flavour of my last visit with my guy.

After an eventful trip to Montreal, marked by numerous delays (one spent chatting with Bill Paxton), cancellations and culminating with the airline sending his luggage to Toronto, my sweetie finally arrived.

Bill Paxton at LAX

Watching him (my sweetie, not Bill Paxton!) approach me, I noticed a marked absence of a Canadian staple - a winter jacket. Despite having grown up in this arctic climate, he decided to jam his jacket into his luggage and this Cali boy was now left to deal with temperatures of almost -7C in nothing more than a long sleeved shirt. After picking up the rental car and checking in at the hotel, we were told that because of the late hour, the bar, restaurant and room service had all closed for the night. He did, however, suggest that we head to the House of Jazz,only about a block away.

House of Jazz

We scampered over through the cold and made it just before the kitchen there shut down ... no big whoop since the food was just meh but the ambiance, the décor and of course, the music was amazing. The entertainment that evening was provided by the Dawn Tyler Watson Jazz Project and she was just terrific. Later, Snooky and the Bandits closed up the evening and they are definitely worth returning for.

Snooky and the Bandits 

The next morning brought the arrival of the errant luggage and we eventually headed out to the old neighborhood, properly dressed for a Quebec winter. We stopped in at Zytynsky's, where Angel set us up with some fantastic kobassa and fresh rye bread. We then headed to the Polish home and had a lovely visit with my guy's babcia, where she thoroughly enjoyed her snack. Later, we made a quickie stop in to Rockaberry's - I had been experiencing an incredible lemon meringue pie craving for a couple of weeks that desperately needed satiating! I tucked the dessert away for later because it was time to head off to make our dinner reservations. Whoa! Le Nil Bleu is truly an experience not to be missed! This restaurant serves Ethiopian cuisine that you eat sans cutlery. After going through an interesting menu, we settled on a platter for two consisting of four offerings - yesiga alicha (marinated beef cooked with potatoes and carrots in a mildly spiced sauce flavoured with green peppers and ginger root), doro alica (chicken in their special house seasoning sauce), yebeg key watt (lamb in berbere sauce) and yemesser watt (lentils in a mild sauce) - to be washed down with a delicious bottle of African red. After bringing you a hot, wet napkin (the kind you would normally spread over your lap), the platter of food is delivered to your table. The food is spread out over a large, flat, spongy Ethiopian pancake called injera, made from an iron-rich grain called teff. The pancake is also served along with the meal, rolled up and cut into manageable pieces, with which you scoop up the food and sop up the sauces. The whole experience is amazing ... it is very laid back and reminiscent of childhood to be eating everything with your hands but at the same time, a very intimate and sensual experience. Definitely something I would recommend and Le Nil Bleu is the place to try it out. And dessert? The lemon meringue pie - shared back in our hotel room after a nightcap at the hotel bar - was simply sublime!

The following day, after the required stop at Lafleur's, we hit the road for the hideaway. This time, we spent more time there as homebodies, cooking up a storm and watching a slew of movies.

My baby made homemade pizza ... with extra cheese! Awesome!!!

Of course, there was the dress up date night, this time at Scaramouche. The place was jumping with business men but we were squirreled away at a table that afforded us a lovely view of the CN Tower in the distance. Our server had us pegged from the get go and afforded us ample time to leisurely handhold our way through our cocktails and peruse the menu. My guy had the house smoked salmon (served with radish and cucumber, horseradish crème fraîche, salmon parfait, fingerling crisps, and lovage cress) while I chose the dungeness crab ravioli - a large offering crammed full of filling and accompanied by a seared sea scallop, mustard greens, bok choy and radish, all atop a sea of lobster sauce that I would have gladly licked my plate clean of if I thought no one would have been looking! We then moved on to halibut for the gentleman and for myself, more sea scallops - this time pan seared and settled on a leek potato purée and accompanied by salsify, puntarella, celery, bacon gremolata, Meyer lemon relish, and veal jus. Honestly, I had a mouthgasm. Multiple mouthgasms. Thankfully, they were all restrained. And dessert? Well, between the atmosphere, the company, the food and the wine, dessert somehow went by the wayside ... but the evening still ended on a sweet note!

My sea scallops ... I miss them already!

Another day, we made it onto the Danforth in Toronto and lunched at Kalyvia, a really great Greek restaurant. Saganaki, souvlaki platters and hot tea helped to ward off the chill that day and everything was deee-licious! We popped in to an organic market to pick up a few things but left just as quickly. Between not being able to find any ricotta, the almost $7/dozen for eggs (and I only needed 1!), me snickering at all the 'interesting' food choices (Rice Dream Ice Cream? Seriously?) and the hoards of 'granolas' (as we affectionately call them here in Quebec), I had enough of the place!

A shopper at the organic market ... ummm, it's a MALE shopper! Yes, that's a freakin' braid!!!

As we walked back to the car, my eye was caught by a whimsical window display of old time lunch boxes ... I just had to go in! The place is Sucker's, a candy emporium. No,'emporium' is an understatement. Imagine traveling back to your childhood on acid ... that is this store! Floor to ceiling displays of every candy you can remember and many that you had even forgotten that you had forgotten! (Remember Lucky Elephant Pink Candy Popcorn? FLASHBACK!) We were there forever, reminiscing and reliving memories. I picked up a couple of things for Julia and found out later that my guy has never had Pop Rocks! He has now! (Hehehe. 'Nuff said!)

Our last night at the hideaway was another night in. I was really excited because it was 'gnocchi night'. And not just 'eat gnocchi night', it was 'make gnocchi night'. I had wanted to make gnocchi for the longest time and we finally did. For those of you who haven't, you must try it. It was both one of the easiest to make and best things I have ever made. Seriously ... the results far surpass the very limited effort expended. Scrumptious!

You gotta make this!

And now the wait is on for the next adventure. Destination picked, tickets bought ...I'm SOOOOO excited!!!

Out with the old ...

While I no longer make any New Year's resolutions (I never maintain them for more than 2 weeks, tops!), there is a feeling of turning the page with each January 1. This year, I'm continuing with the decision I made last year to de-clutter my life. If it isn't beautiful, useful or it doesn't bring me joy, it's outta here!

The first week of the new year saw me haul several bags of clothing to the neighborhood Société de St-Vincent-de-Paul. I then tackled a bookcase that was bursting at the seams (but there are more to follow!) and made up a box that I'll drop off at the hospital the next time that I'm in town. (Yeah, there are closer hospitals but a donation to them would result in raised eyebrows at my anglo literary offerings.) I've set aside stuff for the boys that they can hopefully use - a sneaky way of getting rid of even more stuff! Then there was the miscellaneous junk (and frankly, I can't explain how much of it even got under my roof!) ... a green pocketknife, some DVD's I don't remember ever buying, some t-shirts (buh bye Boss! and more cowbells? How about NO MORE cowbells!), company emblem sweatshirts, a jean shirt (I sent that one back to the 80's where it belongs!) and a mismatched pair of knitted slippers (who even uses Phentex yarn anymore?!?) I also went through my jewelry box and dumped some stuff from there too ... old earrings and bracelets, necklaces and brooches and some ring that looked like a wedding band. (Interesting, considering I've never been wed!) It's very cathartic to dump crap you no longer want or have any use for, especially when you have no sentimental tie to it.

Do, did, done!

You + me = 5000!

A lil over 16 months ago, I started this blog (my second), simply to have a place to voice my thoughts, share my opinions and even rant and rave about this and that on occasion. In the time since, I have somehow managed to amass 5,000 views. Whether this is a big deal or not in the blogging world, it's a big deal to me. To those who have passed by to take a peek, I say thank you. To those who make a point of regularly keeping up with me and my world, I also say thank you. I am both flattered and humbled by your attention.

Best date ever!

I'm sure that like me, you have been on some pretty retched dates. Outings, that either because of the company or the activity, make you wince when you recall them now. (One of mine? RL in my days at CEGEP. Smart and handsome, he asked me out and we met for drinks. After the waitress (because that's what they were called back in the old days!) deposited our beverages and quoted the amount due, RL sat there like a stone. I looked at him, up at the waitress, back at him, back to the waitress and back at him. I could almost hear the hands on a clock marking the seconds in my head as we all waited for something to happen. Yes, crickets were chirping! He finally reached into his back pocket for his wallet and paid the tab. After the waitress walked away, he calmly asked, 'So, am I going to have to pay for your drinks ALL night?' Wow. HE asked ME out. And back in those days, guys paid on dates! I'm not sure I overcame the feeling of being stunned for the rest of the evening and frankly, it couldn't have ended fast enough. Despite it all, amazingly, he tried to get it on with me in the Boulevard Shopping Center parking lot before depositing me at home. Yeah, like THAT was going to happen!)

Best dates? I'm lucky to be able to say that I have quite a few to look back fondly on, especially recently. My latest was just a lil while back. My son, Jordan, came home and asked me if I'd like to accompany him to the car show. My heart melted! I have a 20 year old son who actually wants to spend time with me! In public! Without me having to beg him to do so! And he knew it was an outing that I'd really appreciate! If you're a woman who has raised young men, you know I'm not exaggerating at how touched I was/am.

That Saturday, Jordan, his girlfriend Érika and I made our way down to the Palais de Congrès (truly the ugliest building in all on Montreal ... don't get me started!) via the metro. I sat down while Jordan and Érika stood and we had only made two stops before I became aware of a drunk sitting behind me, one seat over. At that same moment, a blind man got on and I quickly gave him my seat. The drunk continued both sides of his own lil conversation, pausing often to chortle at some hilarious thing he had said. It wasn't long before he weaved his way over and plopped down beside the blind guy, somehow managing not to stumble over the guide dog on the floor. Having found a rather captive audience, he did what all drunks do ... he threw his arm around the man and proceeded to loudly talk to him from about 3/4 of an inch away. All the passengers watched uncomfortably and it was then that the kids and I noticed the huge wet stain on the front of the drunk's pants. One o'clock in the afternoon and someone is already drunk enough to piss themselves. Wow. Eventually, the blind guy got up and the drunk then started drinking out of the biggest beer bottle I've ever seen that he had hidden in his jacket. A few stop later, the drunk got up and waited patiently for the door to open; he didn't get out but a young woman got on and sat down in the seat he had been sitting in only moments before. Yeah, in those nasty pissy pants of his. I swore at that moment to never ever EVER sit down in the metro again! At our stop, the drunk disembarked as well and dragged himself up the stairs, losing himself in the huge crowd.

I-I-I shwear! You're my new besht friend, sherioushly!

Everyone and their brother had decided to go to the car show that day. But it was amazing! Gorgeous, hot cars everywhere! Twice, I was approached by salesmen, who I quickly handed off to my own car salesman son. Bonus! It was fun being there with a man who is actually knowledgeable about cars - kind of like having my own personal tour guide!

Lotus Exige 

Lamboghini Aventador

Aston Martin

Subaru BRZ

Honda CRX  (this one made me miss my old car)

Bugatti Veyron

Jordan in his 'Gawd, I hope to own one of these one these days' BMW 135

Nissan's electric race car

Ferrari

It was such an enjoyable afternoon. But I would have been just as thrilled with a walk around the block or a trip to the supermarket.

Because my son asked me to spend the afternoon with him.

Home Sweet Home

I've always believed that it's not what you do or where you are but rather the company you keep that decides how much fun you have. My most recent trip certainly underlined that for me.

My honey had me meet him in Toronto again but this time, with a twist. Rather than doing the hotel thing the way we typically do, he rented a small house for us to share. It was a great opportunity for us to relax and feel like homebodies. It was also a chance for us to cook together again, something we haven't had an opportunity to do since I had visited him in California. After meeting up at the airport, we headed to the hideaway in Newmarket. It was a lovely lil home - living room, bedroom, washroom and kitchen. We dropped off our bags and headed out for a bite at the Lion & Firkin. Back at the hideaway, we called it a day. The following day, after tending to some business, my honey took me to The Stockyards for a late lunch. If you want funky, quirky and offbeat with a side order of some of the bestest food you can imagine, this is the place to visit. It's a small place, crammed with what I gathered was a very loyal clientele who are more than willing to wait patiently for seating to become available. There are a few places at the front of the joint but mostly, you'll find yourself plopping down at the long counter that faces the grill or at the long counter that faces the wall. (Any thought of lingering is counteracted by the fact that you're seated on stools while rubbing elbows with strangers - it's definitely an eat-and-vacate kind of place. For those not wanting to soak in the atmosphere, they were also doing a spirited take-out business.) While waiting to be seated, we decided on what to order, cutting down on the already short waiting time to receive your food. I went with the Butter Burger, described as 'bone marrow blue cheese, red wine butter, onion frites, and butter lettuce'. My honey had a Pulled Pork Sammy ('slow smoked, BBQ sauce, and slaw on a store-bought squishy'), with a side order or cole slaw and fresh cut fries. (They also sell old fashioned pop in glass bottles. I had a black cherry pop, possibly the best I've ever had in my whole life.) The food was beyond fantastic. This is a place definitely worth visiting ... and then revisiting! Once we were done, we crossed the drizzly street and popped into World Class Bakers. (They don't have a website but can be found at 690 St Clair Avenue West.) The place is a gem, offering both baked goods and hot meals and sides available for take out, or, if you have the time, you can consume them on site in the café/bistro area.) Definitely a place I want to revisit on an empty stomach! We then headed to the supermarket to pick up some foodstuffs, where we encountered a guy who took the idea of 'dashing out to the market to grab something real quick' to a new level. Mock turtleneck, loafers .. and pyjama pants!

She looks really impressed at the addition of dress shoes to his sleeping attire!

We headed back to the hideaway, threw on some dinner music and started on supper. Being in no rush, we took a couple of slow dancing breaks before finally settling down to our repast ...

Stuffed chicken breasts and sautéed vegetables ... and vino, of course!

Sunday - a lil more work and then supper at Al Casale. My salmon was really good but my honey's linguine with lobster was to die for! Another lovely meal and a terrific evening, made all the better for the company I kept. The next evening was another evening in. On the menu, succulent souvlaki brochettes, fabulous tzatziki sauce (both from Copari Meats, a Newmarket butcher), Greek salad, garlic bread and a bottle of wine. Hopa! The next evening, Tuesday, we hit the movies. Arriving early, we settled into a theatre where there were five other people. There were only two guys there, my guy and another dude. We watched as people drifted in - all women and in groups of anywhere from 2-5 at a time. From time to time, a guy would walk in with his girlfriend or wife but when all was said and done and the theatre was filled to capacity, there was a grand total of 7 men there. It was weird! Anyhow, the film was Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close. While it was a great film and one I would strongly recommend, I was completely blown away by Thomas Horn, a 12 yr old actor who plays the 11 yr old son in the movie. This kid is a veritable wonder to watch. He so totally carried this film that you forgot Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock were also in it! It's incredibly unfortunate that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar because he is so deserving of the award. Go see it. Go see it! GO SEE IT!!! After the movie, we went over to Moxie's for a late dinner. The waitress was a chirpy lil thing who wafted back and forth on a cloud of 'Hot Couture' perfume (her pronunciation, not mine) and insisted on making us her version of Appletinis, which was nice because she made us an extra large batch! Wednesday was 'empty the fridge cuz we're having leftovers' night - scrambled eggs with sun dried tomatoes and basil, pork brochettes and salad. Scrumptious! 

And he does dishes ... how perfect!

Thursday night, we ventured into the city for an evening at Lee, where we celebrated Winterlicious, a winter foodie celebration. We started with butternut squash soup with cucumber ginger and cinnamon wildflower honey, followed by pot stickers with salted chilies. We went on to feast on slow braised beef with sour cream, served with potato leek purée and crispy shallots followed by ginger and onion crusted mahi mahi, aloo gobi croquette and lemongrass vinaigrette. We ended with a warm chocolate banana cake and a crème brulée. The experience was really nice (the food was great) but the evening was marred by the simple fact that the noise level at this place is simply deafening. Thursday's on a Friday is quieter than this place was! As more patrons arrived, the noise level went up; the people in charge would then raise the level of the music, which would then force people to speak even louder. Reading lips would have been a much appreciated talent, because it was near impossible to hear what was being said from across the tiny table. A pity.

The next morning, my honey left the hideaway for work but promptly returned from Tim's with a tea and toasted bagel for me. What a sweetie! We left later that day for our flight back to Montreal, where once again, the flight attendant fawned over him while almost ignoring me. (*batting her lashes at my guy* Can I get you something to drink, sir? Diet Coke? I just got back from Paris - they call it Coca Lite there, so I'll call it Coca Lite for you, ok? *barely glancing over at me* Oh yeah, do you want something?) Charming! Arriving in Montreal, we pick up the rental and head to the Omni, a trip down memory lane for my guy, who worked there three decades ago during its existence as The Four Seasons Hotel. We headed over to Prince Arthur Street (which is really quite sad and lonely street on a windy, winter evening) and dined at Mazurka. After starting with a bowl of kapusniak (it was excellent), we dove into plates of perohy, plyatsky, bigos, holubsti, and a kobassa-type of sausage (the stand out was the plyatsky - fluffy and crisp and totally delectable!) Add to all that a healthy serving of sour cream and you had two very happy people. (Note to those never having been to Mazurka - the décor isn't trendy, the service is very basic but the prices are cheap by today's standards and the food is just like your baba used to make. To that point, there was a baba sitting toward the back of the restaurant who gave us the once over in the way that only Eastern European babas can do and then promptly hopped up to hustle into the kitchen as soon as we gave our order.) Back at the hotel, we stopped for a nightcap at the hotel bar, where my fellow reminisced with the barman. The following day, we made a quick stop at Zytynsky's to see Angel. After explaining that we were headed to visit my guy's babcia at the Polish home, she made us up a lovely lil take away of deli meat and some rye bread, which Babcia inhaled after we got there, leaving her supper to be ignored on the tray. (If you don't shop at Angel's, you are missing out on some exceptional Ukie treats ... and the feeling of coming home as soon as you walk through the doors.) After a lovely visit with Babcia, we picked up Julia and met Jordan and Érika for dinner at Arahova. The evening was a lot of fun but would have been made more so had Kevin and Myriam not been too ill to join us. Oh well, next time!

Sadly, the next day, Sunday, was also flyday. And now here's me, counting down to the next adventure!

Southern Hospitality

I hate winter. I hate the bitter cold, the dirty slush, the wind whipping up the snow, the added weight and girth of outdoor winter wear, the time involved in donning all said outdoor winter wear, the bare trees, the dirty cars, hazardous road conditions, the racing around involved in avoiding the sub-zero temps and the sheer length of the all around nasty season.

Yeah, I hate winter. So give me a chance to escape it and I'm all in. Add my honey to the mix and I'm even more in, if that is even possible. Time in Atlanta? Sign me up. (And he did!) I left my winter jacket behind with Julia after she dropped me off at Dorval and headed off to some much needed warmth, relatively speaking. After my sweetie's flight arrived, we headed to the hotel; once there, he decided we should do room service, so we settled in to a fantastic indoor picnic. The next day, I was treated to a most excellent surprise - plans had been made for me to enjoy an hour long facial and hour and a half long massage at the hotel's on site spa. Holy smackamoly! I was SO spoiled and drifted back to my room on a sea of complete and utter bliss! The intimate spa is just divine, uses organic products and the service is both warm and professional. If you go, ask for Pamela - she is exceptional at her craft and if I ever win the lottery, I will fly her out to wherever I am weekly! Later that evening, we made our way to the movies and caught a showing of The Artist, a silent, black & white wonder. If you have already seen it, I don't need to explain how good it is. If you haven't yet, you are truly missing a pure gem! Go see it - you will quickly forget that there is no dialogue and be taken in by the story and talent with which it is presented. (Look for the stairway scene - it was our fave!) Later, we enjoyed a late dinner at Rain, a terrific Thai restaurant. We devoured the kai satay and then made our way through their steamed sea bass with ginger, pad thai, and a chicken dish that I cannot remember the name of, prolly due to the raspberry martinis and bottle of wine we also enjoyed! We popped in to the hotel bar for a nightcap before heading upstairs ... and thus ended a truly spectacular day. Thank you, baby!  ❤ 

The following day, after finally hauling out of bed, I ventured out into what the locals dubbed as 'the cold'. (I found that to be really amusing as the whole time we were there, it never got below +7C!) I walked around and explored the area and reveled in 'the cold' of Atlanta. That evening, we decked ourselves out for our traditional 'dress up date', dining at Ruth's Chris Steak House. While I learned that this is a chain of over 120 restaurants located across the US and some international locations, it feels nothing like a link in a chain. Rather, it has the feel of an older, well established steak house. Posh and lowly lit, the place was filled with chattering diners. Once seated, we were treated to a jumbo shrimp starter. The shrimp, almost as big as my head, was breaded and fried crisp; light and perfectly cooked, it was a great beginning to a great meal and a really nice touch on behalf of the restaurant. I then sank myself into a Key Lime martini, sighing happily with every sip. So incredibly rich and delicious, I could have easily saved this to enjoy as a dessert replacement. While sipping on our drinks, we shared an appetizer - two jumbo lump blue crab cakes, sizzling in lemon butter. We then slowly made our way through succulent filet mignon, some fresh asparagus with creamy hollandaise, and an au gratin potato casserole with three cheese sauce. Frank, our server, was both attentive and completely unobtrusive. When we were finally finished with our wine, we decided to share a warm bread pudding with whiskey sauce, which Frank graciously offered us on the house! It was heavenly - light and not overly sweet; the whiskey sauce silky and warm. The restaurant really hit it out of the park and I would highly recommend it!

Sizzlin' Blue Crab Cakes / Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Friday, there was more more exploring, a lil shopping and s'more enjoying of the Atlanta 'winter'. I have said it before and I will say it again - there is nothing like the friendliness of the people of the south. Where else can you find joggers who smile and say 'hi' as they pass you on the sidewalk? I stopped at a red light, waiting to cross the street (yeah, they do that there! Imagine!) ... the people already waiting at the same light turn and smile, 'Hey, how y'all doin'?' You cannot set foot outside anywhere without getting a warm, fuzzy feeling from everyone around you! Dinner that night was at Maggiano's. Pomegranate martinis (ok, so I'm on a kick!), Italian sausage flat bread, Salmon Oscar for me (think salmon on a bed of orzo that has been studded with sun dried tomatoes and asparagus, all topped with a lemon-basil sauce that includes crab meat. Decadently delicious!) and stuffed jumbo shells crammed with crab, goat cheese, spinach and more deliciousness for him. We crowned the evening's meal with their mini dessert sampler - Tiramisu, Crème Brulée, Apple Crostada, New York-style Cheesecake and Chocolate Zuccotto.

Salmon Oscar

All good things must come to an end, they say (Hmm ... what do they say about marvelously fantastic things?) and this one ended much too quickly. We had our traditional stop at Chipotle before heading to the airport to catch our flights. It was an interesting airport experience - the terminal was bursting at the seams with Mary Kay reps, who had just spent 4 days at a convention in the city. Everywhere you looked, there were women made up to the nines and coiffed to the heavens, decked out in black and pink outfits and carrying matching black and pink makeup bags (which were more the size of carry on luggage). 10,000 of them ... everywhere! It was like being on another planet ... a professionally made up, tweezed, and hair sprayed planet! Arriving at Dorval, I was welcomed back into the bosom of a good ol' Quebec January, complete with howling winds, sloppy 'sloche' and the remnants of a snowfall from the days before my return.

Did I happen to mention how much I hate winter?

A November to remember ...

It is one thing to have such a good time that you would want to repeat it. The time I had was SO good, that I would put it on a loop, to be able to relive it over and over and over again!

After picking up my man at the airport on a Thursday, we made a beeline to the Aloft, our new favorite getaway. Because we were only going to be in Montreal for about 2 1/2 days, it was a flurry of activity. We squeezed in a trip to Lafleur's (a Montreal boy needs his fix, after all!) and two visits to his babcia. We brought her homemade borscht, which she wolfed down, explaining that the food at the Polish home lacks seasoning. Another evening, we headed to Old Montreal and ended up at Papillon, a sweet little place serving French and Italian food. The food was pretty good but the place was ... well, because my honey and I are hooked on the Food Network's Restaurant Makeover show, we had ample opportunity to 'make over' this restaurant. (Top of the list? Ditch the paper napkins and table covers for cloth and get rid of the individual plastic butter containers too!) That Sunday, we hit the road for Toronto. Never have 5 1/2 hours flown by so quickly or so enjoyably! While I will spare you all most of the details of the rest of our trip (mainly because my kids and my dad read my blog!), here are some of the highlights:

My honey made sure to feed my craving for Chipotle, as he always does. I have come to realize that he is like a drug dealer - first, he gets me hooked on the place and he is now the one who takes care of getting me my fix. (By the way, here is a really cute video that explains the Chipotle ideal.)

Our pizza-and-Rummy-500 night saw me get a promotion; I went from having my first win be an 'isolated incident' to now having my second win be a 'coincidence'. One more win and I become a 'trend' ... and then the Rummy 500 crown will be mine. Mine, I tell you ... all MINE! *insert evil cackle here*

Our trip would not have been complete without seeing my Robbie. Our toothsome threesome took place that evening at Fabbrica, While a little too much time was given discussing the perceived weirdness of the men's washroom (don't ask!), the food was terrific. The guys swarmed over the three types of crostini; I was saving my appetite for my orecchiette with rabbit and rapini. (It was divine!) We laughed and drank and laughed and ate and laughed s'more. Budino di cioccolata (a flourless chocolate cake) and cappuccinos were the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

One of the new loves in my life ... Chocolate Mmmmmmartini!

Time to pull out all the stops (and the high heels!) because it was 'Date Night'. And OH ... EM ... GEE ... what a date night it was! We head to the TD Bank Tower and up to the 54th floor. (I love a good elevator ride, don't you?) As the doors open to Canoe, there seems to be a change in the atmosphere - this place is posh with a capital WOW! We are led to the bar while they ready our table (restaurantspeak for 'please spend money at our bar'). Reading the drink menu, I am tempted by the suggestion of a chocolate martini and order one up. HOLY SMACKAMOLY! Two sips into the delectable concoction, I decide that when I die, I want to be embalmed in this heavenly elixir. Someone needs to expand the English language, because there are no words to describe how succulent this drink is!!! Eventually, we are led to our table where we sink into incredibly comfy club chairs. The view is simply spectacular and we soak it all in as we finish our drinks. Our server appears and we settle on the tasting menu, something my guy and I have both become enamoured with of late because it allows you the chance to sample a wide variety of dishes without become overly stuffed. And because we choose to go all in with the wine accompaniment, we are virtually assured of perfect pairings throughout the meal. Here is what we had (wines are indicated in brackets):

• Amuse Bouche (Izumi Jaja-Uma 'Crazy Horse' Saké, Ontario Spring Water Saké Company, Toronto)
• Qualicum Beach Scallop Ceviche, Apple Cider Seaweed, Horseradish, Fresh and Preserved Apple (Tawse Quarry Road Vineyard Reisling, Vinemount Ridge, Ontario 2010)
• Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, Crispy Artichoke, Sunflower Seed Oil, Maple Braised Pork Belly (Antolino Brongo Cryomalus Iced Apple Cider, St-Joseph-du-Lac, Quebec, 2010)
• Intermezzo (this was a serving of palate cleansing granité, presented in a Japanese soup spoon but I can't remember what flavour the granité was)
• For the main course, I chose to have the Purdy's Deep Water Char, Molasses Glazed Salsify, Cookstown Beets, Cranberry Shallot Compote and Borscht Jus (Keint-He Vineyards Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario, 2007) ... my date chose to go with the Green Alder Roasted Venison, Spaghetti Squash, Chestnut Tourtière, Huckleberries (Stratus Cabernet Franc, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, 2007)
• Caramel Poached Niagara Pears, Birch Caramel, Almond Cookie, Pecan and Wild Flower Ice Cream (Cave Spring Vineyard Reisling Icewine, Beamsville Bench, Ontario, 2008
• Petit Fours

Top all that off with a couple of cappuccinos and we were done! The service is impeccable; everything is presented with understated flourish and described in the greatest of detail. Glasses are refilled without you even noticing and plates seem to magically disappear. We took our sweet time over our dessert and coffee, eventually looking up to notice that we occupied only one of the two tables left busy in the whole place. We had been there for three hours but never made to feel rushed in the slightest. People, if you have a special occasion to celebrate, this is THE place to do it. And if you are a foodie, put this one on your bucket list - it is touted as being one of the best restaurants in all of Canada.

The view from Canoe Restaurant, Toronto, Ontario

At some point during this trip, my guy decided he needed to extend his stay (yay me!) True, it was sort of a working vaykay for us both but I was not at all disappointed to see a 9 day trip turn into 14 days of togetherness. *happy dancing*

Another evening, my guy whisked me off to Unionville, a charming place I definitely want to return to see during the day. We walked through the doors of Il Postino, where we were immediately greeted as though we were family (I love that about Italian restaurants!). The service there is so attentive and friendly, all without being overbearing. From the roasted butternut squash soup (I had to hold myself back from licking the bowl!), to the snow crab ravioli in a lobster cream sauce (it was so scrumptious, I almost licked my plate!) to the (and I quote) 'traditional cheesecake with a touch of maple syrup, served with a warm, wild blueberry compote spiked with a splash of Grand Marnier'. OY! I begged my honey to look away so I could (you guessed it!) lick my plate, but he wanted to watch ... so out of embarrassment, I refrained. *sigh*

On our last evening in TO, we headed out to Al Casale. Located in a home originally owned by an ancestor of today's Rogers family, the restaurant dishes up really good Italian food, served by an older waiter who fawned shamelessly over me and jokingly glared at my date. Veal marsala, a nice bottle of Chianti, cheesecake and cappuccino ... and the greatest dinner companion ever. What else could a gal wish for?

The next day, I popped off my honey at the airport and headed back to Montreal. Amazingly, I didn't snare myself a speeding ticket thanks to my decision to make use of the cruise control. (Be warned: the Ford Edge is VERY sneaky because it makes 140 kms feel like a mere 100!) Before I knew it, I was back in la belle province and reacquainting myself to driving on snow covered roads again.

Comme dit Gilles ... 'Mon pays, ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver.'

My Robbie ♥

Ahhh, Robbie. Recently, I described Robbie to a friend of mine. I told him that Robbie is my 'go to' person - the one I can call at all hours of the night or day, the one who will help me dispose of the bodies without asking any questions, the one I can always go to for advice, knowing it will be blunt and raw and lacking in all candy coating whatsoever. He is my rock and sounding board but he is also my mirror, who instead of reflecting back what I might want to see, reflects back what truly is. Robbie is the place I call when I need a shoulder; I've spent 6 hours driving there, talked his ear off for 4 hours and then driven another 6 hours to come home. He is 'Uncle Robbie' to my children and he has graciously shared his 'Ma' with me - I walk amid his family where I easily feel like one of them.

Ma & Robbie - 31/08/2011

Robbie was in town in late August, giving us a chance to celebrate our birthdays, albeit belatedly. After picking him up at his mom's, where we had an impromptu photo session, we headed to Old Montreal. We roamed the cobbled streets, then explored the Old Port until it was dark before finally settling in at Les 3 Brasseurs for a drink. (I took the advice of our server, Sebastien and had a raspberry beer. Interesting!) We sat and talked and people watched and laughed uproariously (as we usually do) until they started packing up the tables and chairs on the terrace.

Robbie & me - Old Montreal, 31/08/2011

As is always the case when I'm with Robbie, the time flew by way too quickly. I drove him home (he'll maintain that I sped him home but what does he know!) and we may have woken a neighbor or two as we laughed our way through our g'nites. Thankfully, I get to do it all again next month when we wreak havoc on Toronto!

I love you, Robbie!

Missing pets . . .

I solved the mystery!!!

You are sooooooo right, baby . . .