Jerk Chicken n' Red Stripe

Hello loves! Okay, okay...so I've also realized that I've kind of been on a chicken kick lately...but everything chicken I've eaten has just been so good! Last night I (finally) headed out to the Monthly Reggae Night at Redstar with Patrick (who I stole these photo's from...it was so dark in there I'm sure my camera wouldn't have sufficed)! 

I have been dying to try the jerk chicken, rice and peas (the "peas" are actually beans) and cornbread (I have a major weakness for cornbread) for ages (and of course sip on the red stripe specials), but since this event falls on the first wednesday of every month, something school-wise always came up!

But I finally have gone, and am pleased to tell you - the food was everything I dreamed it would be. The chicken was the perfect heat (spicy, but not burn-your-mouth-off spicy), and so moist and juicy, the rice and peas were delicious and homey and the corn bread was perfect. The red stripe's were icy cold and the people there - incredible! I have a feeling this won't be my last journey out to Redstar for these nights...

xoxo

Mariel

Pizzeria Libretto

Probably the best dinner out I had while in Toronto was at Pizzeria Libretto, in Ossington. Chloaye, Tatomme and I decided to go to this incredible spot on a whim, and I am so happy that we did! I had one of the most unique, incredible and memorable meals at Pizzeria Libretto than I'd had in a while.

The spot itself was gorgeous; packed, loud, beautifully decorated and warm. The restaurant was super long and narrow, which was kind of fun, and made the place really cozy.

The service was incredible, too! We had the most lovely waitress... That always helps so much!

When we finally settled into our table after a decently short wait (apparently there is always a line, and they don't take reservations, either), deciding what to order was an exciting experience! This spot is famous for their authentic neapolitan pizzas, however I'm sure the different "flavours" of pizza were not authentic (in a good way), all the different pizzas they had were so innovative and mouthwatering! 

Another thing that was really great about this spot is that everything they serve is made from local, organic, natural ingredients! 

Some delicious fresh bread and olive oil and balsamic was quickly delivered at the table, which us girls ate up pretty quickly (we were starving this night, however that is not the only reason the food tasted so good)!

Then I finally decided on what to order. I really wanted to try a bit of everything the menu had to offer, so I went for the "prezzo fisso" menu. It was really reasonable too! A four course meal for $25 dollars. This was especially good because the meal included: an appetizer (you weren't sure what it would be), a salad to start, a whole pizza (which were about $14-20 dollars on their own anyways) and dessert! The dessert addition really drew me in...

My appetizer came out very quickly, which is understandable...

I have to say, when I laid eyes on this scarce little plate I was a little worried about my menu choice. Don't get me wrong here, these little morsels of flavour were delicious...but...just look at it!

It was fun really coaxing myself to savor each bit of food though. All the cured meats are either house-made or locally made, which was nice, too.

Then, I was quickly redeemed by the restaurant when my "salad" made it's way to the table. It was so simple, fresh and delicious. I chose the fingerling potato and celery salad on a bed of Ontario mozzarella di buffala dressed beautifully with extra virgin olive oil and Italian parsley.

Then it was time for the pizza! Tate's came first, and was gorgeous. Tatomme ordered the rapini pizza, which had goat's cheese, black olives and Ontario fiore di latte mozzarella sprinkled on top.

And then it was time for Chloaye and I's pizzas! We ordered the same thing...the duck confit pizza. I am in love with anything duck, so it was an easy choice for me. This beautiful pie was topped with bosc pear and Ontario fiore di latte mozzarella. It was the best pizza I've had in my life.

The crust was impeccable. It was so paper thin, yet somehow felt like it had so much substance to it! I ate the whole pizza and was absolutely stuffed afterwards.

Pizzeria Libretto also provided a delicious "chili oil" which I was obsessed with and doused every slice of my pizza with. Mmm.

Then came the perfect way to finish off the evening, an impeccable bit of tiramisu for dessert. This lovely dessert was not very big, but it made up for it's size in flavour. I have no idea what they did to make their tiramisu so incredible, but it was definitely unique and tasted unlike any other tiramisu (and trust me, I've consumed many) I've ever tasted!

Just when I thought the meal couldn't possibly get any better, our adorable little waitress came over and let us girls know that the manager (I think that's what she said) would like to buy all us girls a little after dinner drink! Thank you for the flirtatious eyes with him all night, Tate! We all got a substantial glass of a delicious red dessert wine, which "went great with chocolate". I cannot remember what it was called though! But that was really fun, and definitely added to my love for the place!

So if you are ever in Toronto, you need to go to Pizzeria Libretto! It was so much fun, and there was such a variety of people there. Couples on dates, girls nights (like our table), tables full of man friends having a good meal together... I loved it! It really would be the perfect date spot, though.

Anyways, I'm off to pack up my things to head back home to Edmonton. This week went by so quickly I can't believe it!

xoxo

Mariel

Drake's Corner Cafe

Hello from Toronto (still) everyone! I know, I've been slacking on my posts a bit, but Chloaye, Tatomme and I have just been doing so much every single day...the blog has been the last thing on my mind! I thought I'd update you a bit though with what noms are going down in Ontario (there have been quite a few). 

Here's one place that is definitely worth mentioning from this trip: Drake's Corner Cafe, which is part of the Drake Hotel on Queen Street West.

To start things off, I have to say that the Drake is one of the most unique and beautiful hotels I've ever seen. We browsed around the lobby and lounge a bit, and Tate informed us that each major section of the hotel is designed by a different artist. It was gorgeous. Since it was the middle of the day, we opted for the hotel's cafe instead of their bar (which was stunning).

The cafe portion was a cute little spot with an inspiring and eclectic food menu, impressive fresh juice list and unique and delicious drinks.

The cafe itself was impressive also, you could definitely feel the emphasis the hotel has on arts and culture in this little spot!

The ceiling was covered with a tangle of old bike pieces, it was beautiful!

To start things off and wake myself up a bit, I had a big cup of coffee that kept on gettin' refilled (often). 

After Tatomme's explanation of how she's heard from numerous people that the mac and cheese was incredible at this spot, I had to go for it.

I'm so happy I did! This huge bowl of mac and cheese was made with a perfect homemade 4 cheese sauce, yummy fresh peas, and topped with deliciously flavored bread crumbs (which I love on pasta).

Tatomme and Chloaye both ordered the same thing, Matzo ball soup (I told you it was eclectic), which I tried...and it was incredible. 

Drake's Corner Cafe was such a lovely little spot for a nice coffee and bite to eat before heading back out to peruse the numerous vintage shops in the West Queen West neighborhood. And I'm glad I got to snoop around the Drake hotel that I'd heard all about from many people!

I hope you're all enjoying your reading weeks as much as I'm enjoying mine!

xoxo

Mariel

Valentine's Day in Toronto

Hello lovelies! Get ready to read aaall about my wonderful Valentine's Day spent in Toronto with two lovely women! It was such a good first day in Toronto, from start to finish! Us girls started off our day fairly early, and went out for a nice little Valentine's breakky! 

Tatomme took us to the cutest, and busiest little breakfast/brunch spot/hole in the wall I'd ever seen, Aunties and Uncles. We got there at the perfect time as we just missed a HUGE line that formed, practically curving down the street.

See what I mean? This place does NOT look like it would serve incredible breakfast...but looks are deceiving! The line was way past the little white golf you see there at one point!

After a not-too-long wait, we got to enter this adorable little spot! As we fought our way through the crowds of major hipster/scenesters to crawl up the most dangerous set of stairs I've ever climbed, we walked past the tiniest little kitchen I have ever seen! They were whippin' out the food (gigantic servings and all) in this place too! I was impressed.

The interior was a perfectly eclectic blend of bizarre art, 50's/60's diner and just...knick knacks really!

We got a table on the 2nd floor of this two level little restaurant. It was so cozy, you actually felt like you were at your aunty and uncles!

Tucked away in the corner of the upstairs was a cute little sink/counter area where the waitress served up our coffee from. So homey.

Pretty quickly, our food arrived! It looked incredible! All three of us ordered the same thing...because it just sounded too good not to order (I know, we must have looked SO boring).

What we picked was: the omelette of the day which was roasted vegetables and goat cheese, which came with incredible, sweet challah toast, amazing home-made hash browns and "greens"(a yummy little breakfast salad). We ordered some fruit too, which was stewed pears.

I can honestly not get over this toast! It was so, so, melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

To make things even more incredible, they make their own home-made ketchup at Aunties and Uncles. Mmm.

After breakky we went for a brisk stroll down to the Kensington Market area, which I fell in love with.

There were so many adorable vintage shops, unique restaurants and great little health food stores and bakeries!

We wandered into Wanda's Pie in the Sky, which Tatomme told us we "had to see".

This packed little pie shop reminded us of what day it was with adorable little conversation heart sugar cookies!

Loved them.

The pies were so pretty!

Then on our little adventure, we came across the most incredible little kitchen store ever, Good Egg. Stores like this are really detrimental to my wallet...

They even have all sorts of classes going on all the time! This one looks so tempting and right up my alley! I wish I was here for this! 

Also, here's a little fact for you! Apparently Rachel McAdams took some knife sharpening/cutting classes at this spot! I liked her even more than I already did after hearing that!

Before I knew it, we were in what I'm sure was "little mexico"...which was filled with dried fruit stores and graffiti-ed alleyways. Don't I have such gorgeous cousins??

After our slightly chilly walk through Kensington, we headed to a grocery store to pick up a good load of groceries for the week!

We got home and were all majorly cravin' some nachos...so we whipped up a large batch. 

We made yummy guac with the avocados that Chloaye did end up bringing, and a black bean dip. The salsa we bought...

After we filled up on chips we headed out to a little pub not too far from Tate's place, which had 35 beers on tap. It was difficult to choose!

I finally ended up deciding on a chocolate cherry stout, because it was Valentine's day after all, and I hadn't had any chocolate all day (which is so wrong)! It was a good choice...

It was Sunday evening though, so we packed 'er in fairly early and headed back to Tatomme's place on the trolley. 

Such a great, noms-packed day though! I absolutely loved spending Valentine's with my two wonderful cousins! I am really loving my first taste of Toronto. Look forward to many, many more food adventures from over here!

xoxo 

Mariel

Sugar-Free Week: Day 2

Ola! So here we are on day two...and guess what? I am still successfully sugar-free! 

My day started off with a nice bowl of oats this morning. Yes, that's right, I figured out how to make a bowl of oats with no added sugar, that still tastes great! I really needed this bowl to keep me going after my mad essay writing last night.

To make these oats stomach-able I turned to the powers of natural fruit sugars! I started off by cutting up a whole banana and sprinkling that on the oats, then I diced up some all natural Medjool dates and added them to the bowl. Then, I generously spooned on the almond/cashew butter, gave a good dusting of hemp seeds and finished the bowl off with a splash of milk (just good old, normal, 2% milk).

With breakfast I had yet another cup of black coffee...my favorite...

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and time to head out the door to classes! As I recalled my father's mid morning message "Mariel, I made a sandwich for you, it's in the fridge" I opened the fridge door to find this:

Such a weirdo.

But the sangy (Flanagan for sandwich) was tasty nonetheless. It even had more meat in it than yesterdays (I may or may not have made a complaint...)!

After I scarfed down the sandwich, I ran out the door to catch the bus to head to my classes for today. The classes quickly came and went, and then it was time to meet Patrick downtown to peruse the new Art Gallery of Alberta (something I have been dying to do since it opened)!

It was everything I thought it would be! The architecture of the building alone is a piece of art (it did NOT feel as if we were in Edmonton while wandering around the gallery). The exhibits were pretty over the top as well, and I would have to agree with Patrick on what were my favorites: the Karsh exhibit, and the Murder of the Crows sound installation.

Anyways, back to food! After working up appetites at the art gallery, I was treated to my first ever trip to  Furusato Japanese restaurant at 10012 82nd Ave NW. I had read all about this place on various other Edmonton food blogs, and was so excited to be going for myself finally! The master orderer picked three delicious items: assorted vegetable/prawn tempura (it was perfectly battered and super light and crispy, and hot), a delicious (and huge) plate of assorted sashimi (there was such a good variety), and dragon rolls (which combine two of my favorite things, barbecued eel and tempura, into one incredible little piece of maki).

I was obviously a little too absorbed in the eating part as I forgot to take a picture of the impressively artistic dragon roll plate. However, you can check that out (and much, much better photos of everything else) on 1hundo! 

So yep, I did it again...no sugar today! Although I have to admit...these cravings are getting stronger and stronger...uh oh. It's nice to have lots of fun things to do though to distract from the lack of sugar in my life! Today was just perfect. Wish me luck for tomorrow!

xoxo

Mariel

Best Recipe of the Weekend

Hello everyone! So the weekend has come and gone, again. I hope you all had fun! Mine was fairly low key this week, and I loved it. 

Food wise, I didn't do (or make) a lot, however I did consume some very delicious meals. 

Earlier in the weekend I was treated to some incredible late night snacks and bizarre beer at Sugarbowl (one of my favorite spots, ever). On top of the great food, I didn't even have to blog about it! That job was done impeccably by Patrick on his blog, 1hundo.

Later in the weekend I got to enjoy one of the best comfort food meals that have been served in this household for a while. It was so simple, yet so perfect and delicious. The meal consisted of: a beef stew type of thing, mashed potatoes (oozing with melted butter) and caesar salad (home-made dressing, of course).

Mmm, so good.

The beef we used was probably one of the cheapest roast cuts you could buy, however the cooking method made this beef melt in your mouth. It was honestly the most incredible thing I have ever tasted, you could compare the texture of the beef to soft, white bread (that's how tender it was)!

Beef Stewed in Beer with Gravy

1/2 kilo inside round roast, cut into bite size pieces

olive oil

salt and pepper 

garlic

1 can of beer (we used Heineken)

1/4 cup butter

all purpose white flour

Brown the beef stove-top in a large sauce pan or skillet with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add in the salt and pepper, and garlic.

Once the beef is nicely browned, pour in your can of beer.

Pop a lid on the pan or saucepan, and let the beef simmer for 2 hours on low to medium low heat.

After 2 hours, make a gravy by melting butter in a separate, small saucepan.

To the melted butter, slowly whisk in flour until you have a nicely thickened sauce (the consistency is up to you and how you like your gravies).

Next, spoon some of the hot cooking liquid from the saucepan containing the beef, into the butter/flour mixture.

Then, when you have a smooth gravy, slowly pour this into the center of the pan containing the beef, stirring quickly.

Only add enough of your gravy mixture as you'd like.

Enjoy!

For the mashed potatoes, a good trick to keep from obtaining "gluey" potatoes is to heat up your milk, butter, cream (or whatever you are adding to your potatoes) before you add it to the potatoes. It really works! You will never have gluey mashed potatoes again.

Real Caesar Salad Dressing

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 teaspoons lemon juice

dash of Worcestershire sauce

2 cups olive oil

2 tablespoons warm water, if necessary

1 cup parmesan

Place egg yolks, mustard, anchovies, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice and worcestershire sauce into a bowl or food processor (or magic bullet, in our case).

Mix with a whisk, or blend the ingredients together.

Slowly in a slow pouring stream, add the olive oil until fully incorporated.

If the dressing gets too thick, add warm water and then continue until all the oil is added.

Add parmesan and continue to mix.

Makes 1 1/2 cups of dressing.

The chef was quite pleased with herself about this meal, not a scrape of food was left!

Well, now it's time to get back to working on 1 of my 3 essays due very, very shortly! Enjoy the rest of your Sundays!

xoxo

Mariel