The part that I love most about being a food blogger are the friendships I have made over the years. They happen quite by accident like the morning a beautiful tall and shy redhead asked if she could sit in the seat next to me at my first blogging conference in Toronto. Little did I know that years latter we would still be kindred spirits. She calls me her angel, a title I don’t take lightly.

She lives in the same neighbourhood that I stayed in last weekend so it was easy for her to pick me up and find a spot not far away. Asking if I liked Thai food, I responded with a resounding yes!

We started with a Mango salad appetizer. The ribbons of mango were perfectly sweet and the slivers of red onion and crushed cashews added appropriate crunch. Acidity came from freshly squeezed lime juice and the freshness popped out with the subtle use of cilantro. I would visit Jatujak a 1,000 times for the taste of that salad!

My favourite Thai soup arrived next. I am not used to a red Tom yum but the carefully simmering of a variety of hearty ingredients was soothing and delicious.

I had read that Jatujak was one of the best Thai restaurants in Toronto, and the culinary measuring stick is often Pad Thai.

Jatujak brings street-style elements to its pad Thai dish. Made with stir-fried rice noodles, with egg and a house tamarind-based sauce. You can get the Pad Thai with just the noodles, or with the option of adding tofu and vegetables, chicken, beef or shrimp.

I added chicken and tofu also made an appearance. It appears under the Lunch Special section of their menu and this enormous portion was only $8.95! It was so good, I am vividly remembering the tastes now that I am back home in Winnipeg.

Although the time was brief with my lovely friend, our hearts connected once more.

Kath’s quote: “Food makes travel so exceptional, because you get to taste what it’s actually supposed to taste like. To eat the real Pad Thai or finally have a proper curry is something pretty amazing”. -Meghan Markle

Love never fails.

I spent this past weekend in Toronto at Food Bloggers Canada (more on that later). On Saturday evening my Bestie M and I met her husband halfway between his work and their home where I was their guest for the weekend. We started at a place called Allen’s that maintains the tag line “Air Conditioned” not “where good friends meet”, not “why not tonight?” but “air conditioned”. I got such a hoot out of that! The beer was ice cold and I chose my favourite Canadian brand Moosehead, whereas R selected a cream ale. M stuck to her fav white wine. The place was hopping and the vibe very comfortable so we stayed and enjoyed another.

By the time we walked down and across the Danforth to Mezes, the place was lined up to the sidewalk. In a very small way, I felt in solidarity with the fellow pedestrians and diners. The memory of this summer’s violence was too acute to have faded, and yet here we all were strolling the Avenue and gathering on the side walks when hunger struct us.

Out of the many Greek restaurants to choose from, Mezes was the first choice.

The emphasis here is on sharing; a kind of collective dining that transforms a meal into an experience. Mezes promotes the most genuinely Greek method of dining: order multiple dishes, celebrate variety, and sample everything. There’s a remarkable unfussiness to the process that enthuses more vigorous conversation, and rippling laughter. While their list of entrées is considerable, it’s their Mezes they hope you’ll try.

Try, we did. With the guidance of our waiter, who encouraged us to take our time, start with a variety of dips and fried anchovies and go from there. If we were still hungry, we could keep ordering.

First up were a small trio of Mediterranean dips: an amazing Tzatziki, a fish roe dip called Taramosalata, a chick pea Homous, and Melitzanosalata which I thought was very similar to my favourite baba ganoush. All were delicious with garlic pita and then when that was all gone, with the fresh baguette delivered to our table. We had watched in fascination when platters of flat cheeses were set on fire and then doused with lemon at neighbouring tables.

Next I tasted fried anchovies for my first time. They were prepared like calamari with a more pronounced flavour. I had not had anchovies since I miss-ordered them in Positano Italy (see link here).

I had been out for a big lunch and passed on the lamb chops although the nibble that I had was divine.

I opted for sharing this fantastic salad as well as a very big surprise…

these white beans recommended by our server had been slow cooked in a luscious tomato sauce.

Every thing was washed down with a couple of lovely house wines. It was a wonderful evening. We hailed an Uber home as the streets got increasingly crowded with folks from nearby neighbourhoods.

Kath’s quote:“The Greeks’ fierce pride in their heritage has kept the basic culture intact. Whether a slave under Roman rule, a captive under Turkish domination, or a newly arrived immigrant, the Greek is always aware that he is the direct descendant of men like Plato, Homer, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Aristophanes. The Greek who begins life in a new land on the bottom step of society as a dishwasher needs only to remember how Aesop left a legacy of poetry while cooking as a slave.”-Theresa Yianilos

Love never fails.

In the same manner that the Canadian Museum for Human Rights elevates our city to a national (even international) tourism level, Era Bistro elevates the Museum to even higher heights. I have had the pleasure of noshing at the at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Musee D’Orsay in Paris, The Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem

and more recently the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence (my husband and I at the Ufizzi pictured above). All were tasty enough but none had the integrity of local produce and regional menu as Era does.

I have met both the Director of Food and Beverage and the Executive Chef at Era Bistro. The former named Toni is gluten intolerant and strives to give persons with this, vegan and vegetarian preferences plenty of menu choices. On the lunch menu alone there were nine delicious options. I enjoyed the gluten free Quinoa Salad on my visit.

Executive Chef Kirk Hanson couldn’t visit for long as he was hands-on in the kitchen. He did linger long enough to fill me in on their seasonal menu emphasizing locally sourced, Certified Fair Trade and sustainable products. Somehow they manage to do all of this and keep their lunch prices reasonable, ranging from $8-21 at lunch.

Over a couple of visits I have managed to tuck into the Pickerel Po’Boy and California Club, having a difficult time trying to discern my favourite. The former was assembled from panko-crusted Manitoba pickerel and iceberg lettuce, tomato, pickled onion & jalapeño remoulade. The latter, roasted herb-marinated chicken breast and prosciutto, lettuce, tomato, avocado spread, mayo, sprouts & aged cheddar. Both were wedged between halves of toasted ciabatta buns.

In addition, I just might have tried Era’s famous carrot fries where beer-battered carrot sticks were served with  a fresh herb & jalapeño buttermilk dip for…..dipping!

Era’s desserts are in a league of their own. Both that I have sampled were gluten free-the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with a blueberry lavender and lemon compote

and the Roasted Peach and Rhubarb Parfait with house-made graham crumbs and Chantilly ream. I understand their home-made ice cream and crème Brule daily specials are amazing too.

As I was oohing and ahhing, Toni reminded me that Era Bistro is the exclusive caterer for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and does off-site catering as well. The Bistro is available for private events like weddings, holiday parties and corporate soirees.

As my lunch date and I were leaving I popped outside to get a glimpse of the beautiful summer patio. In addition, I just had to stop in at the boutique where I made a mental note to purchase future hostess and birthday gifts.

Kath’s quote: “Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.”-Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) (1694-1778)

Love never fails.

The wedding festivities that we traveled to Mesa, Arizona for, commenced the evening before the wedding at the rehearsal party. The location was the common space/party room of the couple’s condo development. The space was lovely with comfortable seating around a fireplace and plenty of serving space where an Italian dinner was set out for guests. There was also an enormous patio that became enclosed as the evening cooled off. It was the perfect occasion for D’s siblings to assemble and get caught up.

The wedding day venue was called Villa Sienna and was where both the ceremony and the reception were to take place. The outdoor courtyard was a gorgeous setting.

Here are the beautiful Grisim women waiting for the ceremony to begin: Daughter #1, J2  (of J1 and J2), Boo and the eldest Wee One. The Frenchman and my Bro-in Law with the cheesy smile make up the back ground.

The setting was so beautiful that we took next year’s Christmas card picture after the ceremony.

The courtyard was so romantic that the Wee Ones danced and swayed pretending that they were princesses I am sure.

We lingered in the outdoor space as the weather was so pleasant and a drastic extreme from the temperatures back home. When we joined everyone else in another reception room, we were treated to appetizers and libations.

The foodservice at the venue was top drawer. The kid’s table enjoyed mac and cheese, potato skins and chicken fingers.

We loved the short ribs, chicken breasts, beans almandine and butternut squash ravioli with pecans.

Dancing commenced right after dinner and the music was so good that almost everyone sprang to the dance floor at the same time. I had volunteered to go back to our house when the Wee Ones were tiring out, so I was pleased to have joined in on the festivities early on.

If you know of anyone looking for a wedding venue to the Mesa/Scottsdale area, I would highly recommend Villa Sienna.

Kath’s quote: “Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale”.-Unknown

Love never fails.

Once we were given the keys to our home away from home we were thrilled with the space and all the thoughtful touches.

Since we left home on December 28th, I had spent the 27th packing up all of our Christmas things. I was really touched that the Air BnB owners had a Christmas tree that graced the living room.

The house was well stocked with movies that we enjoyed intermittently over the week. It was also equipped with puzzles and games and the Wee Ones had a great time perched at the kitchen table. There were air mattresses and inner tubes in the garage for the pool as well as other pool toys like Frisbees, footballs and squirt guns in a basket by the washer and dryer. The latter was on the second floor outside of the room that my mother-in-law slept in. She has to take a flight of stairs to do her laundry at home so she did it all before she left Phoenix.

Designating the sleeping space was a breeze: our youngest and her husband had a queen bed in a double room, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law shared a room with twin beds. Our son and his wife and 2 kids had the Master Bedroom with a King bed so the kids could Mom and Dad if they needed too. They also had their own en suite which made mornings quieter.

Our eldest slept on the pull out in the living room (she also had use of the main floor powder room), leaving my husband and I with the last double room.

This one had bunk beds which was kind a fun!

Each bedroom had a theme and you can likely determine what ours was. There was a small balcony off of our room and an enormous walk in closet.

The kitchen, oh the kitchen! It was furbished with every single small appliance you could think of including a movie theatre style popcorn maker, George Foreman grill, crockpot and waffle maker! There were at least 12 place settings and even more cocktail and wine glasses. Every kitchen shelf was labelled so you always knew where things were put when you unloaded the dishwasher. The major appliances were brand new and the fridge was huge. We made good use of it and the pantry by stocking up on food and libations at a Winco up the street. This way the kids could have cereal in the mornings and snacks throughout the day. My brother-in-law got to make his smoothies and specialty omelettes. We took turns cooking for each other which was great fun and made good use of the barbeque right out the sliding doors.

But the best benefit of the house was the additional space it offered up. One evening all the cousins got together, ordered pizza and played foosball. A small group of us celebrated New Year’s Eve together and one evening we hosted my husband’s sister, our niece, our nephew, his new wife and relations we had not met before.

If you are a family looking for an economical way to travel together, an Air BnB house might well be the answer.

Kath’s quote: “Home is not a place…it’s a feeling.” Author unknown

Love never fails.