Holiday Eats :)

I have been a complete glutton this holiday season. Being home around my Italian family = food overload! Here's a little glimpse into what I have been eating over the holidays. 

Homemade gnocchi in tomato sauce

Salad with oil and vinegar

Baccala (salted cod fish) 

Seafood risotto

Homemade pickled vegetables. These are my favourite!

Baccala and Polenta with a salami vinegar sauce.

Seafood Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce

Seafood extravaganza!! (grilled octopus, breaded shrimp, salmon, mixed seafood salad, green salad, baccala)

Christmas day feast. (Stuffed mushrooms, pork kebabs, stuffed veal, quail, rapini, green salad)

Lamb chops with garlic mashed potato and asparagus. (Every time my mom cooks dinner, her food is always presented and tastes like a 4 star restaurant)

Surf and Turf. 

Me....about to explode from all this delicious food!!

I have been spoiled this holiday season with incredible food. I am lucky to come from a family that really knows what they are doing in the kitchen. Nothing beats home cookin'.

Happy Eating!

The Drake

Im a huge fan of The Drake. I've been here numerous times and always enjoy my experience. The Drake is known for its eclectic decor, fun nightlife and delicious food. Here is what I had on my last brunch visit! 

Mimosas. Great way to start the day :)

Fried Chicken and waffles. This was outstanding. I ate every single bite, and loved every minute of it. The chicken was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The waffle was savoury and fluffy. There was creme fresh and a berry compote on top. Everything on the plate came together in perfect harmony. I would highly recommend trying this dish if you go to The Drake for brunch. 

ALT. Poached eggs with avocado, lettuce and tomato with marble rye. My friend had this, and said she enjoyed it. 

The Drake never disappoints. Go check it out! 

Happy Eating! 

Richmond Station

I am a food network fanatic. Some would say addicted. Last year, I was huge fan of Top Chef Canada and watched each week until the winner: Chef Carl Heinrich was revealed! He recently opened the buzzing Toronto restaurant: Richmond Station. I am happy to say I finally ate here. 
Heres what I had:

Fresh Raspberry Apple Juice. This was very nice. Perfectly sweet and refreshing.

Polenta fries, with a spicy mayonnaise, and marinara sauce. I love polenta, but have never had it in fried form before. They were yummy. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

STN.Burger with aged cheddar, beet chutney, rosemary fries and radish salad. The burger was one of the juiciest burgers I have had in a while. It was cooked perfectly medium rare. I wanted more of the beet chutney on the burger, so I could really taste the sweet/salty pairing. But overall, it was a great burger. I particularly loved the dipping sauce for the fries.

Grilled Sea Bream with potato rosti, fennel puree, swiss chard and an herb salad. The fish was cooked perfectly. All the flavours worked well together. I enjoyed every bite of this.

Overall, I really loved my experience at Richmond Station. I sat facing into the open kitchen, and loved how interactive the chef's were with guests. Chef Carl even came out and introduced himself which was a bonus! I found the service to be excellent, and the atmosphere to be wonderful. You should definitely go check this place out!

Happy Eating!

Holiday/Housewarming Party :)

My sister, who just moved, threw a housewarming/holiday party that was filled with delicious food. I helped her bake/cook lots of goodies for the get together and I thought I'd share the yumminess with you! Here's what we made:

Crab Stuffed Cucumber Cups

Mini Sliders

Devilled Eggs

Meats, cheeses, olives, veggie platter

Tomato Brushetta

Mini cheesecake peppermint balls

Shrimp ring (not much effort here)

Bacon wrapped water chesnuts and bacon wrapped dates (these never fail to be around for any party. So easy and so delicious)

 Chocolate banana cake

Lemon Mojito

The party was fun, the drinks were flowing and the food was tasty! Everything we made was pretty easy to execute and had good flavour. Good times :)

Happy Eating!

The Rhino

The Rhino is definitely one of my 'go to' places when I'm wanting to chill and have drinks with friends. This bar/restaurant is located in Parkdale and has a massive beer selection as well as a full bar and food menu. The atmosphere at this place is relaxed and not fussy. During summer months, they have a pretty big outdoor patio that is perfect for summer night drinks.

In terms of food, The Rhino offers a straightforward menu that is very reasonably priced. Here is what I had on my last couple visits.

Food on Sticks! They have an assortment skewered appetizers you can mix and match to make your own little platters. It comes with a variety of different sauces for dipping. This one has dumplings, steak, satay chicken.

Shrimp, steak, lamb meatballs

Calamari, Tofu and Samosas.

Fish and Chips. This came with coleslaw and tar-tar sauce.

The portion size was massive...clearly

Overall, the food is descent. Food and drinks are pretty cheap at the Rhino. If you are wanting to hang out in a laid back environment, with music playing, and want the option of ordering any beer you can imagine....then come check out The Rhino. 

Happy Eating! 

Current Crave 6

I have become a little obsessed with Oikos Greek yogurt ...specifically the key lime flavour! 

I'm not a huge yogurt eater, but after I tried this yogurt a couple weeks ago, it is all I crave. I can't seem to get enough! I usually add some granola to the cereal for a little crunch. It is incredibly creamy and actually tastes like a key lime pie. This is definitley the BEST yogurt I have ever had. 

You should try it! But be warned: you may become hooked! 

Happy Eating!

Swan Restaurant

Swan restaurant is a quaint little place on Queen West. Prices are very reasonable, portions are on the larger side and the atmosphere is laid back and welcoming. I came with my friend the other day and had a nice meal. I started with a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. It was great.

 Potato Salad

Oyster Po'Boy. This sandwich had nice flavour. It had fried oysters, mayonnaise and lettuce on a hoagie. It came with a side salad.

Salad with goat cheese and pear. I really liked this salad. The tangy goat cheese paired beautifully with the sweet pear. 

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Swan. If you are in the area you should check it out!

Happy Eating!

Khao San Road

I haven't had REALLY great Thai food in Toronto in a long time. This changed last week when I checked out Khao San Road. This restaurant, located in the entertainment district, does thai food right.

We started with the Thai Iced Tea. I'm not joking, when I walked in...every person in the restaurant was sipping on one of these. So obviously, we needed to try it. It is black tea, thai spices and condensed milk over ice. My friend really liked this, personally it wasn't my cup of tea.

Spring Rolls. These were yummy. The chicken in these bad boys was marinated to give each bite a burst of flavour. The sauce along side was a great pair.

Kho Soi. This is braised beef and egg noodles in a coconut curry with crispy noodles on top. I loved every bite of this dish. It was rich and full of flavour. The beef was tender and the crispy noodles on top added a nice contrast in texture.

Chicken Pad Thai (street style)

Shrimp Pad Thai (street style). The pad thai's were great. One of the best pad thai's I have had in the city by a long shot. Noodles were perfectly cooked, sauce was on point and it tasted authentic.

Overall, Khao San Road delivered on all accounts. Great food, great atmosphere, and attentive and friendly staff. I will definitely be back to this restaurant. If you haven't tried it yet, GO ... NOW!!

Happy Eating!