What struck me immediately about an anticipated visit to Beet Happenings (818 Notre Dame Ave.) was that the food would be wholesome and healthy as depicted by its name and my hunch was accurate. The cheery spot on Notre Dame and Tecumseh serves gluten free, vegetarian and vegan offerings.

There were a number of comfortable booths which lined one wall and we were encouraged to find our spot and then return to the counter to order. Owner Justin might even take care of you himself. As we had arrived, we were encouraged to order our dessert as well, because the counter gets very busy over the lunch hour. The philosophy of Beet Happening is that exciting, nutritious food should be accessible to all people, even busy ones.

My lunch date immediately spied the pizzettes like the ones that you might see at a French style bakery. But first she had been tempted by the weekly special of pulled pork with corn bread. She remarked that the personal pizzas were top notch from the deliciously chewy crust, to the gooey cheese and a sprinkling of greens.

I asked what their most popular salad was and received the emphatic answer that the Beet Happening Salad was by far the most popular. Perhaps the restaurant itself was named for the salad, I mused. I felt healthy just gazing at the array of red quinoa, chickpeas, beetroot, carrot, grape tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, currants and seasonal greens. Consuming the salad was just as satisfying. I am always impressed when you do not have to sacrifice flavor for healthy choices.

Having eaten lightly I was not concerned about ordering dessert and had already selected a strawberry/lemon fruit crumble bar. Reminiscent of the classic Matrimonial Cake, the bar retained a crunchy bottom and a top layer of brown sugary rolled oats as well as a scattering of pumpkin seeds to make me feel good about my choice.

My lunch date selected a gluten free tart with lemon curd and berries and was delighted with the cool lemony flavours. Beet Happenings is open Monday-Friday from 9 am -4 pm with breakfast & lunch menus available. There is street parking available and the building is wheelchair accessible.

Kath’s quote: “The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.”-Tom Robbins

Love never fails.

Up early but out of bed after D. I was so jealous that he got to see the sunrise from the malecon! I vowed to get up with the alarm thereafter.

Some early morning shopping in the fresh market.

With an opportunity to show the Wee Ones how tortillas are made.

An early dip at North Beach with with J1 and J2 and the little girls. We almost had the beach entirely to ourselves!

Shrieks of excitement!

We stopped for Breakfast at Rubens. Read all about it in this link.

The day was lovely and lazy. I showered and got ready for the wedding rehearsal on the beach. Met up with the gang who had completed the golf cart scavenger hunt at Jax.

It was a windy rehearsal at Playa Sol.

I imbibed in a second Happy Hour at Tres Mentiras.  We went because it is the only place that we can order the beer from Isla Brewing. Winnipeg friends Rudy, Carol, Margaret, Donna, and family Sue, Kelly, Lorraine joined Doug and I. Turned out that J1 & J2, babies, Kate & Lori were all there for dinner with good reports.

From there we ventured across the street for a fabulous rehearsal dinner at Lola Valentina’s. Separate post and food photos in this link.

Another round of wonderful speeches and tributes were made by all the wedding party but especially my nephew Jon. I was struck by how emotional the groom’s friends were when trying to express what his friendship meant to them.

The rest of the extended  family were gathering all along Hidalgo. Often when we walk Hidalgo in the evening, we will be greeted with a shout or a wave. But this stroll was especially sweet as we knew someone at almost every restaurant along the street. D stayed out with the guys including a dear old friend of his from Cambridge Ontario who also happened to be uncle to the bride. I took a “Glamma” shift and slept on J1 & J’2s futon to be near the little girls until everyone arrived home.

Kath’s quote: “Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.”- Henri Nouwen

Love never fails.

We have been visiting Isla Mujeres since 2005 when my sisters and I booked at Villas Punta Sur not knowing that we were the opposite direction from Playa Norte. In spite of our short time on the island and our inconvenient locale, the three of us instantly fell in love with Isla. Since that time husbands, other siblings, extended family and friends have visited too. Some have been enchanted and others not so much.

Our entourage minus the grandbabies.

But our 2017 visit was a very special one, because we accumulated for the wedding of my niece/goddaughter.

We arrived a couple of days before the wedding, right on the day that a welcome party had been planned at the two villa property where the bride and groom’s families were staying, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The early morning departure did not go all that smoothly and so our eventual arrival was especially sweet.

The grandbabies did particularly well considering that had been plucked out of bed in the middle of the night.

The port was really busy so we missed a couple of ferries and eventually caught the 1:30 pm.

D took the golf cart full of our luggage

and everyone else walked to the Xbulu-Ha hotel. We had booked four suites and everyone settled in quite nicely. I went to the Supermercado to buy some lunch supplies to sustain us until the party that evening.

Boo at the party.

The Welcome Party was a perfect time. The guests included all the Kapilik/Resch/Gray families, as well as Isla friends Jan and Bruce

and long-time Toronto friends Richard and Melinda (who just happened to be on the island at the same time AND staying at the hotel right next door!).

Dinner was a Taco Bar featuring Cochinita Pibil (authentic Mexican pulled pork which is typically available from locals on Sundays), (thanks to Isla friend Wanda) , locally made tortillas, pico de gallo and guacamole made by chef/friend Ziggy and all lovingly assembled by Sister #3.

The bride and groom.

As we broke bread together we were introduced to various Australians (the groom is Australian) who we had often heard of but had never met in person. As speeches commenced, we all soon realized that this was not going to be a typical wedding or even a typical destination wedding. This was gong to be an opportunity for new lifelong friendships to be created and cemented. I personally was not surprised as every perfect detail had been in the planning for months.

As the merriment continued a beautiful orange moon rose from the ocean. I for one felt as if our assembly was being divinely blessed.

Kath’s quote: “For love is a celestial harmony
Of likely hearts compos’d of stars’ concent,
Which join together in sweet sympathy,
To work each other’s joy and true content,
Which they have harbour’d since their first descent
Out of their heavenly bowers, where they did see
And know each other here belov’d to be.” -Edmund Spenser

Love never fails.

Keep an open mind when you pull up in front of Crème De L’Essence 1833 Inskster Blvd. and get ready to experience something absolutely unique. I for one was not expecting a restaurant of this calibre in the middle of an urban industrial park.

Black and white photographs adorn black walls but the room is astonishingly bright due to their south facing windows. Tables are simple and are surrounded by what I would call “church chairs”; you know the kind that can be stacked impossibly high?

The menu itself is a basic laminated sheet. But this is where the mundane departs and luxurious food enters the scene. We started by sharing Black Garlic Linguine with arugula and parmesan. The lengthy pasta ribbons were satiny and the creamy sauce was offset with peppery arugula leaves. We moaned with our first tastes and were not shy about finishing every last dollop of sauce.

My lunch date opted for an all day breakfast item and chose the Ube Pancakes. We were baffled by the purple flesh of the flapjack. With research, I discovered that the colour comes from the ube yam which is used in a variety of Filipino desserts such as ice cream, cakes, hopia, and halo-halo. The pancakes themselves were fluffy and delicious, sensational when topped with bruleed bananas and coarsely chopped hazelnuts. When my companion could not finish her portion, I picked up her fork and did the deed for her!

My eye had been drawn to the Chicken Poutine where pulled chicken confit adorns herbed fries and are smothered with roasted corn, cheese curds, gravy, grape tomatoes and an option of shaved foie gras! I decided to dial back the decadence level and chose roasted brussel sprouts enhanced by a pomme puree and more chopped hazelnuts. From our elementary French we thought that the pomme puree would be apple sauce but was in fact a pureed potato as in pomme de terre or potato in French.

My relatively light choice meant I could indulge in my companion’s left overs. When you visit, ensure that you have your elasticized pants on as your tummy is sure to expand with the lavish fare.

Crème de L’Essence is owned and operated by RJ Urbano and Ryan San Diego. The have all day, take out and catering menus available. They are open from Tues-Sun 10 am- 3 pm., Wed-Sat 10 am – 2 pm then reopen from 5 pm – 8 pm. On Fri & Sat they close at 9 pm. They are wheelchair accessible.

Kath’s quote: “You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food”. -Paul Prudhomme

Love never fails.

On one of our final days on the island, D declared that we had not yet visited Mango Cafe. I love Mango but because I knew we had all kinds of fixings in our fridge and cupboard and because our departure was fast approaching, I was hesitant to go. I simply cannot waste food. Doug had a great suggestion as to what to do with it, so I agreed knowing that the food fixings would be going to a good home.

We have two favourites that we ordered each year-the stuffed poblano and the coconut French toast.

We have always marvelled as to how the stuffed chilies are made-does the filling go in already cooked to simply be reheated when plunged into the deep fat fryer? This is our best guess.

I try very hard to eat these with the fruit and not the syrup. The syrup takes it from hearty breakfast to decadent dessert!

We love the varied colours of the cozy restaurant and always feel at home. Perhaps it is the décor, perhaps it is the staff that are as cordial as the restaurant’s owner. We befriended Polo a number of years ago and are so excited to see his lovely little family expand.

Kath’s quote:  “I will stop loving you when an apple grows from a mango tree on the 30th of February”.-author unknown

Love never fails.