Union Social - A good place to spend a Friday Night (or any night!)

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season and are ready to get back into the TDot eating scene! I apologize for my hiatus, December is a crazy time of year for me. Honestly I started writing this blog post about a month ago because I was so excited to tell you all about it, but life took over and I was unable to complete, that is until now (woot woot!)

The Union Social Eatery is what I am going to talk about in this post (and man I am ever excited). This place has done the near impossible and made it onto my "Gotta Go Back ASAP aka my GGBA" list and has secured a special spot in my heart next to Stack and under The Senator restaurant. I gotta say, I was pretty ecstatic about finding this place and bringing my dining buddies to it. This place is located, very conveniently, on Yonge St right next to the St.Clair subway station (well you have to cross over Yonge to get it, but it's close enough).

Mary McLeod's Shortbread Shop - If I could I would be there everyday

I grew up eating buttery, crumbly, amazing shortbread made by my very own Scottish Auntie Anne. She would make them for Christmas and every year my family would get a tin or two of those bad boys. Her shortbread cookies were so amazingly good, there would be fights in the house over who got the last one. The very sight of a Christmas cookie tin makes my mouth water. Sadly she is no longer with us and I have never been able to find a replacement for those cookies, until now! Mary McLeod's shortbread, I have to be honest, is not as good as my Auntie Anne's were, however they are a close second (and trust me I have eaten a lot of other shortbread).

(Cute little exterior)

This cute little shop is on Queen St. East and must stop when I am in the neighbourhood. Now of course you can buy these cookies at other stores like Chapters and Whole Foods, but I really suggest going at least once, you will not be disappointed.

The Senator - Aka My home away from home

The Senator has got to be my absolute favourite restaurant to go to.  If I could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of my life, I gotta say I think this would be it. Maybe it's the nostalgia of the place, it is one of the first places my  hubby and I went to when we first started dating.  It could also have something to do with the fact that the mere mention of "The Senator" and I start going into my happy place (FYI my happy place is filled with fluffy french toast and chewy, salty bacon).  Or maybe it's my favourite place because it's a cozy diner, with awesome staff and MAN do they ever know how to make a mean breakfast. And just for your reading pleasure, I have pictures and comments on both their breakfast and lunch menu (the things I do for my blog) So without further ado here is my post on what I call the best damn place to grab breakfast/brunch.

(History of The Senator)

Above is a shot of the menu that has the history of The Senator on it.  The Senator is Toronto's oldest restaurant, it started out as a house in 1860 and through the years it became what it is today...Toronto's best diner (well maybe that's just my opinion, but I gotta say the lineup to get in wouldn't lie). That's a really short version of the history, but it is quite interesting and worth a read while you are waiting for your delicious food.

Banh Mi Boys - A little ray of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day

So I started writing this post about a month ago (pre-holiday) on what was turning out to be a not so great day, until I stumbled upon this place. Now you are probably asking, why the delay in posting? I was all set to write it up and had all my pictures ready to go, until I realized that for some reason the picture of the food itself (the most important picture) didn't take (it was just one of those days)! So rather than posting something with just photos of the restaurant, I decided to wait and go back to re-order the same thing I had before and take a picture of it. And yes that does mean that this place is fantastic, so much so, that I went back to order the same thing just to get a picture of it so I could share it with you guys. So now onto my post!

I was first introduced to Banh Mi Boys when I was watching You Gotta Eat Here, and was intrigued. It just so happens that there is one located right by my hairdressers so I saw an opportunity to try it out and I did (twice).

Roaming report part two - Not so sunny Scotland

So after my fun weekend in Saskatchewan, it was back to Toronto to get ready for my second trip of the month...Scotland! Of course I was super excited, not only to see my family, but also to eat (and boy did I ever!) I grew up in a Scottish household, which means, I grew up eating things like black pudding (I am almost salivating just thinking about it), haggis, steak and kidney (yes kidney) pie and loving every bite. Don't worry, I did eat more "normal" type foods as well, so no need to stop reading if the previous sentence turned your stomach a bit.

While in Scotland, our base camp ("our" meaning my immediate family; sisters, parents, niece,nephew, and brother-in-law) was in Dunoon, which is a pretty, picturesque town across the clyde from Greenock. I arrived a week after everyone else, so the day I landed everyone, but my Dad were off to Glasgow for the day, which meant that my Dad and I  would be spending the day eating and drinking. So naturally after a quick stop off at the house and a quick tour of the town, off we went to the pub for a bit of food and drink.

Ingrams bar was my first meal in Scotland. Both my dad and I went for the steak and chips (french fries) and I opted for a red wine. It was exactly what I needed after a long flight and a long journey from the airport to Dunoon. The meat was tender and flavourful, the crust was flaky and buttery, the chips were hot and crisp, and the peas were pretty good too! I realize now I did not take a photo of the wine, but it was a merlot and it was ok.

(Look at that flaky crust)

Roaming report - Sunny Saskatchewan

Like I said in my previous post, I spent the August long weekend in Saskatchewan visiting my soon-to-be pilot hubby (that's right, I'm married to an almost pilot :D). Now that you know why I was in Saskatchewan, you can forgive me for forgetting to take some photos of the places we ate at (I was excited to see him), but I do know all the places we went and remember if they were any good.

First off lets start with Moose Jaw. Yes Moose Jaw is a place, it's in Saskatchewan, about 45min west of Regina (I only say that because more often than not I get the puzzled look when people ask me where I went). My first dilemma was how on earth do I get from Regina airport to Moose Jaw (hubby was in class all day, and I would have to wait a couple of hours in the airport before he could pick me up). Well a quick look on the Regina airport website and I found I had two shuttle options; Hobo express or Roaming Buffalo.

I decided on the Roaming Buffalo and was pleasantly surprised. Dane is, I believe, the man who runs the company and was very pleasant on the phone when I was booking, explained clearly where he would meet me, and arrived just as I collected my bag (he had a little sign with the company logo and name). He is a very friendly man, helped me with my bags, and we had a great little conversation on the way to Moose Jaw. Total cost from the airport to downtown Moose Jaw was $70 and it was well worth it.

City Kate is back!

I hope you all didn't miss me too much! I do apologize for my absence, but you see, I was living the jet-setter life for a bit this month, and I couldn't find the time to sit down and write a proper blog post. Where have I been (I'm sure you are all asking yourselves)? The beginning of the month I was off to sunny Saskatchewan for the long weekend, and then I jetted off to Scotland (not quite so sunny) to visit my family. Now I did my best to remember to take photos, and take note of where I was eating (it wasn't easy, but I tried).

Stay tuned for my "roaming food reports" (I'm still a bit jet-lagged so I shall do my best to write them up ASAP....bring on the coffee!!)

The Rolling Pin Part 2 - I just can't get enough!

 Ok I know, two posts on the same place within a month, really? Aren't there tons of other places out there I could/should be blogging about. Of course there are, but I did promise to go back and get some interior shots, and I really, really like this place!

 If you read my Chez Laurent post, you would know that myself and two of my friends headed down to the bakery for a little pre/post dinner snack (it was suppose to be pre, but we may have gotten a tad carried away and decided it would be best to save the rest for a post dinner treat aka dessert). I know, you are probably thinking it was my idea, but it wasn't, it was my food confidant B's idea (one of the only people I know who truly understands my love/passion for food), and of course I am not going to say no, so off the three of us went.

(Awesome logo)

*Correction to my first Rolling Pin post. I said, I didn't think that it was a cream cheese frosting they used for the red velvet, but upon checking the website, they do indeed, so either my taste buds were off that day (most probable scenario), or they didn't use the cream cheese, either way it was still phenomenal (and you betcha I am going to get myself some more of those bad boys!!)

Chez Laurent - Another week another dining adventure

So this restaurant is in North York (Yonge and Sheppard area), and I must have walked past it hundreds of times without ever going in. Countless friends have asked me if it's any good, but all I could ever say was, well it seems pretty busy, but having not eaten there myself I had no idea if it was any good. So this past Friday I decided enough was enough, and I dragged a few friends out to try this place out. (I also dragged two of them down to The Rolling Pin bakery to buy some pre and post dinner treats).

(Nice little patio with some really pretty flowers)

The Burger's Priest - Or what I call an awesome Friday afternoon!

You may recall two of my previous posts; Butter Ave and The Rolling Pin, where I ventured out in the heat in search of a fun food adventure. Well to end my day of food finding, I headed to a little place called The Burger's Priest. The are several locations, this particular one is at Yonge and Lawrence.

(Exterior)

DIY candles - Or how I spend a gross hot Saturday afternoon

So I finally did it! I finally checked off one of my items on my Pinterest to do list. Saturday (as my title suggests) was a disgustingly hot and humid day in Toronto, and the pooch and I are no fans of heat or humidity (our hair simply can't handle it) so it looked like it was going to be another hide out in a/c kinda day, but what to do? Sure I could have cleaned, done laundry or organized the kitchen, but that's not fun, crafting on the other hand is fun, and can also be very rewarding. So off to my little shelf of craft supplies to pull out my votive candle making kit I purchased from Michaels last year.

(The kit all laid out)

(Read all the instructions, but don't make any up ;) )

I am not going to lie, I was bit apprehensive to do it, I thought somewhere in the instructions I read that the wax was easily flammable and not to go above the 170F or it would light on fire instantly. Little back story, I have a few fears in my life, fire being one of them (I know I know, I'm afraid of fire and yet I am making candles, well they're pretty and smell nice and as long as I have a BBQ lighter to light them all is good) so reading that, or at least thinking that I read that, well it terrified me. Now I know that the flash point of the wax is about double that of which I needed to heat it to and I apparently made the instructions up in my head.

Megalomaniac Wineries Cabernet Sauvignon - Bravado

So I figured it was about time that I right another post about wine. The wine I am working on is a 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Megalomaniac wineries (my new favourite winery). It's called Bravado and, as usual, the bottle has a pretty snazzy label to go with the name.

The Rolling Pin Bakery - Love at first sight

As mentioned in my Butter Avenue post, I stumbled upon this bakery, The Rolling Pin, on my way to another bakery (Butter Ave). What caught my eye first was the really awesome name and logo and then my eye was drawn through the window to the red velvet cupcakes. But could I really go to two bakeries in one day?

(How could you ignore that?)

(If you look really close, through the door, to the lower right of the logo you can see the red velvet cupcakes.)

Butter Avenue - Hi there, could you sound any more delicious?

So this past Friday I had decided that I was not going to hide out in the a/c, but was actually going to venture out into the city to do some "research" for the blog. I had read about this place a while back, but had never actually gone. The place I speak of is a patisserie and cafe called Butter Avenue.

(Adorable box that I am having issues with throwing out)

Oh yes it's Ladies Night Friday night at Stack Smmmoked Restaurant Toronto

So Friday night myself and some of the ladies from work decided to go out for dinner.  And seen as I am the "foodie" expert at work it was me who got to pick the location.  I have walked past this restaurant at least a dozen times, and have always wanted to try it, so finally Friday night was the night. The restaurant is called Stack, it is a BBQ joint with a smoker, and it has a bit of fine dining feel without being too uppity (cloth napkins, but no table cloths, which is probably a good thing).


*Disclaimer* This is going to be a long one, so if you don't have the time to read, just enjoy the pictures and go eat here!

(Exterior of restaurant with patio to the left of the photo)

(Another shot of the exterior)

Orange Is The New Black - Part two - The Food

Ok so now onto the food. For such a special occasion, like the return of Orange is the New Black, I of course had to have two of my favourite foods; Burgers (I could almost eat a burger everyday and be totally ok with that) and Cupcakes (who doesn't love a handy individual cake).

(Yes that is a Dairy Queen next door and yes I am super excited about the return of the s'more blizzard)

Orange is the New Black is BACK! And this is how I celebrated - Part One the Wine

So was anyone else as excited as I was when Netflix released season two of Orange is the New Black? Only problem was, when I started watching I couldn't remember what happened last year. Well I remember she did something bad, but as for what it was and to whom I didn't have the foggiest. So of course I went back to the last episode of season one and watch the end but that only created more questions and I had to keep rewinding back until I could piece together the story. So once I finally figured out what had happened I sat down to watch the new season with my glass of wine, burger and cupcake. This post is going to focus on the wine, because that's a whole lot of stuff to review and I don't want to miss any points.

The Friendly Butcher - Lasagna

So I happened upon this awesome little butcher shop a while back when I decided I wanted to start getting my meats from a butcher instead of the grocery store. The grocery store is ok, and when I'm really busy I will go to grab a few cuts of meat, but I much prefer to head on down to my local friendly butcher. I'll do another post dedicated more to the shop on a later date, but today I am posting about one of their frozen meals.

The lasagna is probably one of my husband's favourites from the Friendly Butcher. It's really tasty and super meaty, unlike some other frozen lasagna's you can get in the grocery store which are more sauce than meat, this one does not skimp on the meat.

(Meaty goodness)

Another week, another bottle of wine - Bordeaux edition

I hope you all had a great weekend. Here in Toronto we had some pretty spectacular weather. But enough about that, I'm here to talk about wine.  This week I have opened a Bordeaux.  I bought this bottle a little while ago in the vintages section at the LCBO, I believe with the thought of drinking it with some sort of braised meat (because that's what the bottle said to drink it with). I was really into braised meats (well still am), but never got around to drinking this bottle, so with a little help from my boy Charlie (that's right he helps pick out my wine, don't judge me) I decided to give this one a go.

(Which ever one he noses the most,I drink)

Burrito Boyz

So I've walked past this place a few times on one of my long walks with my dog and have been wanting to try it for a while. So finally the other day I headed up to grab a quick bite for lunch.

(Exterior of the North York location)

Pinterest

So now for my last "hobby" Pinterest. What can I say, I love Pinterest, I can spend hours scrolling through the pins and pinning stuff to my own boards.  Only problem is once I pin them I do nothing with them, they just sit there on my boards waiting for me to do them. My other problem is Michaels the craft store. I very much enjoy walking up and down the aisles buying materials for projects that either A. I'm going to start, get bored and then shove it in a closet or B. Don't even open and just shove it in the closet for a later date that never comes.  My Hubby even makes fun of me for this, every now and then the question "So when are you making those candles?" is asked (I bought the candle making kit over a year ago and only took the plastic wrap off to see what was inside).

This is just a small example of stuff I have bought from Michaels for project ideas from Pinterest. 

So now I am saying stop the madness and start doing something with them. And what better motivation is there than having a blog in which people will be expecting posts about all the fun and exciting recipes and crafts I do :)

Happy Pinning!

Food

So now for my second post, it's all about food! Some people may eat to live, but I live to eat. I have planned travel around my quest for food.  No seriously, hubby and I have driven 5 hours just to eat at Garde Manger in Montreal, which was excellent, heck we've even added a stop on our European vacation so we could have hamburgers and lamb in Iceland (well we also absolutely love Iceland). I am the type of person who gets "hangry" (very moody when I'm hungry, but for some reason unable to say it's because I'm hungry, good think hubby has figured out the warning signs). Some people plan their trips around sight seeing and activities, while I plan it around the restaurants/food trucks I am going to eat at.  However there is something magical about stumbling upon a place that is simply amazing, so much so you can't wait to tell everyone you know! I get annoyed when my meal isn't very good, but just like wine, it's all part of the adventure and I just make sure to put it on my do not eat list.

So if you are food enthusiast, like myself, you are in for a treat with this blog!

Bon Appétit

(Burgers from Burger Bar in Montreal)

Wines

Ok, so lets kick off this blog with a post about wines. I know, shocking the first post isn't about food, but I like to keep you on your toes!

 Picking a wine can be a rather daunting task, you walk in and before you are hundreds of wines. So how do I pick my wine? Let me let you in on my little secret. I start by the label, if it's got a fun label that catches my eye chances are I am going to buy it, and second is the name. If there aren't any labels jumping out at me then I start looking at names, a fun and or clever name is pretty much a guarantee that I am going to buy it. And if a wine just so happens to have both a fun label and name then there is no way I'm not bringing it home with me. Now that doesn't always work, occasionally I do grab a less than stellar bottle, but that's all part of the adventure. I bet you thought I had some fool-proof, educated way to pick a wine, but alas I am no wine aficionado, even though my Mum may think so.

So what am I drinking now? Earlier this month the hubby and I headed out to wine country in Niagara and swung by a lovely winery by the name of Megalomaniac wineries. I highly recommend visiting this place, the vineyard is huge, the shop is beautiful and currently they are building a massive addition on-top. We didn't stop for a tasting, just to grab a few bottles (6 is only a few...right?), and I am happy we did. Right now I am making my way through a red blend called Pompous. It's a mix of Cabernet and Merlot. It's a medium body red and is fruity and delicious.

Note the fun label and name, now how could I possibly have left the winery without picking up a bottle!