Home Sweet Home

Living away from your family and in a different country, you learn to live without certain things. Things you once took for granted you suddenly find are no longer there. This is generally a good thing because you learn to become more independent.  However, there are certain little pleasures that are difficult to replace...things like your favorite cup of coffee, and little relics of family travels.

I just recently was given an opporunity to return home for a visit.  It's been a while and I am very glad to be reacquainted with my family...but also with a few key elements of Canadian daily living.

One of the most fabulous things is the Second Cup coffee chain. The espresso and coffee brewed in every locally-owned Second Cup is of the highest quality, strong and dark, never over roasted or burnt. Oh and they have the BEST whipped cream..hands down.  One of the first things I do upon returning to the homeland is to stop and grab a latte....so satisfying!

Now this does not look like much at all, but this is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover...or a granola bar by its appearance.  Here, we have an Island Oat Bar, carried only by Starbucks in certain Canadian provinces.  These oat bars are the perfect sweetness, nice and chewy and great as a snack or part of breakfast.

Just yesterday, I dragged my sister on a journey to find one as they were somehow wisked away from me by the people in line right in front of me...at two different locations! Apparently, I am not the only one who is aware of this delicious and un-assuming treat:)

Finally (for the moment anyhow), we have here an assortment of chocolate, not from Canada, but from Australia.  My mother had just recently come home from a trip abroad and had brought back from the land Down Under, a good stock of Aussie treats. My favorite are the Milky Bars, just plain white chocolate...oh and the Koalabears, milk chocolate and caramel...sooo tasty. There is something different with the Cadbury chocolate from across the globe...it is just so much better than anything you get in North America...

Now, although these are just three little things that I really miss from Canada, they make a huge difference when you need a little pick me up.
There is also something more added in them that I like to call nostalgia...ah childhood memories:)

Posts will follow with my trip to the St. Lawrence Market and other such torontonian escapades - stay tuned!

Brithday celebrations:)

Birthdays are very special...sure, everyone has one and one person's day is usually about a billion other people's as well...but this is not to say that one should not take full advantage of the opportunity to celebrate with friends, family and some good food and drink!

I started my celebrations on Saturday with a great hair cut from G20 Salon to freshen up and then met up with some friends for drinks and good times at both Zocalo and Red Lantern.  Between the great margaritas, Bubble Tea Cocktails and Flaming Plums (pictured above), it was a great start to my birthday!

Sunday was a little more low-key, but Monday, being my actual birthday, was when my friends graciously offered to take my out to dinner.  The best thing? I got to choose the location! Well, this was the best and the hardest thing because there are so many great places and to pick one is really challenging.  After going through the process of elimination, I decided to go for Area IV and from the very first dish to the candle on their olive oil chocolate cake, it turned out to be the perfect choice! 

Dishes come out as they are ready and many come out simultaneously, the style of dining makes sharing natural and easy.  We were really impressed with the butternut squash soup, which was a bit spicy and not too sweet. Only the freshest ingredients are used in all of Michael's dishes. The shaved brussel sprout salad complete with candied hazelnuts, pecorino and lemon was also delicious.

Another personal favorite that usually ends up surprising everyone is their signature bluefish salad. Marinated in pungent flavors with spring onions, although this dish is small in size, it is huge in flavor!

Their roasted cauliflower, peppered almonds and smoked paprika vinaigrette was another a tasty little number. We all really like the crunch of the almonds.

We also got their Mac and Cheese which unfortunately was missing the bacon (it was ordered and left out:( ) and the pretzel nuggets.

The pizza was last to arrive, which is to be expected as it is all freshly dressed and cooked in their open brick-oven. We decided to go with the mushroom and fontina cheese pizza with pecorino and gremolata. It came perfectly cooked and presented an excellent balance between crispy crust and toppings. This balance seems to be hard for many restaurants to strike.

Of course, my absolute favorite part of any dinner is the dessert and Area IV does not disappoint. We ordered their olive oil chocolate cake with creme fraiche, cookie crumble and salted caramel sauce. This dessert has been talked up in every review I have read and it delivered a really strong performance. I sopped up every last bit...and being the birthday girl, I definitely had more than my fair share:)

We also ordered their sundae of the day, a combination of pumpkin and vanilla house-made soft serve with house-made (sensing a trend here!) marshmallow fluff, salted-caramel sauce, and  toffee crunch. It was delicious and ordering two was an absolute necessity.

All in all, it was an amazing birthday dinner. Area IV presented the perfect space, casual and comfortable; great, friendly service; delicious food dish after dish; affordable pricing and in the end, we were all pleasantly stuffed.

Thanks so much to my friends for coming out to Cambridge on a Monday night to celebrate my special day:)  

A blogger field trip to Privateer Rum Distillery

So here is a bus full of happy, expectant faces! Where could they all have been going?

On a fine Saturday, this group of happy campers, of which I was lucky to be a part, were going out on a field trip to the Privateer Rum Distillery in Ipswich.

The field trip consisted of about 16 food bloggers and their guest. It is always great to embark on an adventure with this crowd and it is even better to get to add some new faces to the mix.

The tour was to take place at the distillery and was put together by Rachel of Boston Food Bloggers in partnership with the great guys at Privateer. After meeting half of the crew at the Marriott in Copley, the shuttle dropped us off around 1 30 in front of a big blue warehouse. Some of the party had taken their own means of transportation and had already arrived at the factory. 

I have never been to a distillery before and did not know what to expect. I really liked the layout at Privateer though; it was spacious, with barrels of Rum lining one side and big impressive rum making machines lining the other.  Appropriately, there is a fully stocked bar in the middle of the warehouse.

The tour itself was interesting as it was nice and informal, with different members of the team stationed at various points (behind the bar, in front of the impressive machines) and ready to answer any questions that came up as we meandered.

One of the most interesting parts of the event was of a taste test between Bacardi and Privateer Rum. The difference in taste was incredible. I am not a huge rum drinker, but the Privateer Rum was so smooth that I could actually see myself enjoying it on the rocks...crazy! 

Of course, all of this rum may have gone to my head had it not been for some expert cooking catered and offered by Summer Shack. We had some great clam chowder, lobster rolls and hot dogs. However, the highlight among all the bloggers were the grilled apple fritter donuts served hot off the grill with some maple and vanilla infused whipped cream...

It was an incredibly well orchestrated event. Rachel brought it together on top of all her other projects and we all had a great time. I came out very much more educated on the inner workings of a rum distillery and had the chance to hang out with some great people.

Thanks so much to Privateer Rum! A brand I will be on the look out for from now on...it really is a delicious product - you should keep an eye out as well!

Battling the elements on a Wednesday evening

In the middle of October, days of rain and wind are to be expected.  Nonetheless, there is something about them that, no matter how prepared you are, finds you in some weather induced mishap or other.

Wednesday of this week was one such day and had all the potential to be a day of quiet solitude.  However, with a bit of twisted luck, I ended up having a great evening with friends...water and wind be gone!

Our initial plans had been to meet at Pho and I on Huntington Ave at 6 30 for dinner, before heading over to Jordan Hall for a concert starting at 8 oclock.

Through sheer luck, I was able to snag a ride to the restaurant and ended up getting their very dry, but also very early. About five minutes later, I get a text from my friend saying he could not make it due to the weather. With some gentle nudging and minor guilt-tripping, I received a follow up text a few minutes later with an affirmative answer. I was quite happy to wait.

About a half hour later and all subsequent parties arrived, we were seated and a fabulous Thai Iced tea with Boba was placed in front of me soon after I ordered it.  Pho and I has great speedy service, and they do not hold out on the amount of tapioca pearls in their drinks...I was much enthused!

While sipping on my drink and chatting, our orders of Pho and gyoza were being prepared.  Our food came out swiftly and a steaming bowl of what was truly the perfect dish to temper the cold and harsh predicament we had all been privy to, sat steaming at my place...

I went for the vegetarian soup with delicious, fresh vegetables and big chunks of firm tofu, all swirling in a hot broth to which I added a dash of hot sauce..I do love a good bowl of Pho!

After our meal, we made our way to Jordan Hall, conveniently located just across the street, where we were about to experience a very impressive group of students from NEC.

The program, part of the Mahler Unleashed program, was entitled 'Hearing Mahler Through His Contemporaries' and consisted of a selection of composers that either influenced or were influenced by Mahler.

The group of musicians were incredibly uplifting, they had no conductor and instead had this way of communicating with each other through their body movements and eye contact.  It was truly incredible, a feast for the eyes and the ears.

I love the concert series they offer at Jordan Hall. It is such a great ressource, both for the students, who get to perform in front of very keen audiences, but also for the audience members, who get to experience the up and comers...for free.

I intend on taking much more advantage of this great incentive...and with Pho and I located conveninently right next door (as well as Symphony Sushi for that matter), it makes for a great evening...rain or shine:)