My Daily Bread - Get Fed

There's A New Gin In Town

2013-03-03T16:51:00.000-05:00

And vodka. And white rye. I got to taste all three spirits from Dillon's Distillers, straight up and in cocktails, at the latest in the Death Row Meals Uncorked series. The event took place at Lil' Baci in midtown and was well worth the trip.

Coulda Been The Whiskey

2013-02-23T18:07:00.000-05:00

We're deep in the heart of winter. When my friend Catherine let me know about a new scotch tasting series happening at The Caledonian, I knew it would be just what the doctor ordered. Whisky's medicinal, right?

Prete a Cuire

2012-12-12T01:27:00.002-05:00

When the folks at Louise Prete Fine Foods hand-delivered a jar of their Sugo Pomodoro e Basilico (that's tomato and basil sauce to you and me) to my office, I was very interested to try it. I knew nothing of the company, but had been connected with them through my pal Mary Luz Mejia. It was something I wanted to share with friends and tonight I had the opportunity to do just that.

Yakito-me

2012-12-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

There's a new Asian spot in Toronto. Brought to you by industry veteran Sang Kim, Yakitori Bar in Baldwin Village has a lot to offer, along with it's take-out side, Seoul Food. Can I tell you, I've been waiting for someone to open a Korean spot called Seoul Food since the mid-90's!

Getting Wise About Chowder

2012-11-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

This week, I made my first visit to the Fairmount Royal York Hotel, as a guest of Ocean Wise for their third annual Chowder Chowdown - Toronto Edition. Twelve local chefs brought their seafood a-game, using sustainable fish dishes to be judged by the public and by a panel of expert judges.

A Marriage Made In Heaven

2012-10-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

You guys! You have 24 hours to get yourself to Pizzeria Libretto, either location, by whatever means you can. Through tomorrow, their featured pizza is a collaboration with one of my other neighbourhood faves, Porchetta & Co. You heard me. Pizza. Porchetta. Perfection.

Wine Country Adventure

2012-08-26T11:16:00.000-04:00

A limousine, a helicopter ride over one of the world's best known waterfalls, Segways, and best of all, eating and drinking your way through Ontario's rich wine country. How is this my life?! Thanks to an invite to participate in an LCBO-sponsored tour of Niagara's vineyards, it wasn't just a Bond marathon-fevered dream.

The Ex Factor

2012-08-24T12:15:00.000-04:00

The CNE, aka The Ex, is always bittersweet for me. Although its arrival signals the end of summer, I also really love a carnival. And what's not to love? Neon, noise, animals, rides, and of course carnival food!

People Are Talking About VQA

2012-08-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity, thanks to Trina Hendry of Hendry PR, to be a part of the very first preview tasting of the LCBO's fall Ontario VQA lineup. For those who don't know, Wine Country Ontario says VQA stands for Vintner's Quality Assurance, which means "the wine is made from 100% Ontario-grown grapes, which have been approved through a strict quality-assurance program". Tuesday's tasting was the initial stage of the LCBO's upcoming "People Are Talking" campaign to promote VQA wines.

Contest Alert: Fiesta Farms' Apron Strings

2012-06-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

Food, for many of us is inextricable from memory and nostalgia. Growing up, at least for many in my generation, the kitchen was arguably the domain of mothers, grandmothers, and aunties. But there were among them those fathers who loved being there and creating meals for their families to equal degree as the women of the clan.

Reel Eats Wedded Bliss

2012-04-22T18:00:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday, I was the guest of Sizzling Communications for the fourth edition of their Reel Eats dinner series. The film that was the inspiration for the evening's all-veg menu was Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.

Bento Sushi Iron Chef

2012-04-13T11:38:00.000-04:00

Recently, I was invited to be a guest judge, along with two other bloggers, at Bento Sushi's inaugural Iron Chef competition. Tasting new sushi creations? Sign me up!

A Journey Through India

2012-03-31T20:49:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to a bloggers dinner at Indian Rice Factory to sample their widely diverse menu. I hadn't been to the restaurant in about 7 years, so was excited to revisit, as I remember the food being quite tasty.

Do You Dream Of Sushi?

2012-03-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

From the moment I laid eyes on the poster, I knew I had to see Jiro Dreams of Sushi. At the time, I didn't know anything about it. Was it a scripted drama? Actually made in Japan? What's the story? I had no answers to any of these questions until a few weeks later.

New Italian At The Old Prune

2012-01-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, I was invited by Mary Luz of Sizzling Communications to a dinner at The Prune in Stratford. The meal would be cooked by Italian chef Paolo Lopriore as part of The Stratford Chefs School's International Celebrity Chef-In-Residence Series. Hailing from Siena in Italy's Tuscany region, Chef Lopriore, along with student chef Beja Cassiano, created a beautiful menu for us on a blustery January night.

Eat St. Video Contest Needs Your Votes

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

My pals at Food Network's Eat Street are giving the opportunity for North American exposure to all those unsung food trucks out there, via their TV show. They've already got submissions from food truck vendors across the continent, including a few Canadians, and are now looking to viewers to help them pick five winners. I'll let them tell you more about it.

Citrus & Pasta Are Best Friends

2012-01-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

I recently joined the new site Pinterest, because I clearly don't spend enough time trawling the internet. But in the short time I've been on, I managed to find a "recipe" for a pasta featuring Meyer lemons, which I made tonight. I want to share this dish with the world!

Eurotripping - A Tale Of Two Schnitzels

2011-11-21T16:03:00.001-05:00

I've been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the most beautiful cities in Europe on this tour, and Vienna certainly ranks as one of the most exquisite. You can feel the art all around you, but particularly music, naturally. Besides the gorgeous architecture, there is some very famous food to be had in this city as well. On my first night, before heading to the opera, I didn't have time to get to the most famous schnitzel house in town, so went to one closer to the hotel, on the recommendation of the concierge.

Eurotripping | Stuttgart

2011-10-13T12:07:00.000-04:00

I'm writing this on a very rainy drive from Stuttgart, Germany to Zurich, Switzerland. Stuttgart will be a special memory on this trip, as it is in this city that I got to hang out with a friend I've known since she was 7 or 8. She was actually my sister's friend, but has been part of her life for so long, she's pretty much family. In fact, to the day, the last time I saw Tina was on my sister's wedding day two years before, so we got the chance to record an anniversary greeting for my sis and her husband. I think she was pretty happy to get a video message from her sister and her oldest friend from so far away.

Eurotripping | A Taste of Home in Arles

2011-10-05T17:29:00.000-04:00

Since we had time on the drive from Marseille to Toulouse, we took an hour out for a lunch stop in Arles, a town that inspired many famous painters, including Van Gogh, Gaugin and Picasso. It's also the place that gave me a taste of home.

Eurotripping | Barcelona

2011-10-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

Ah, Barcelona. Even not seeing much of you, I can tell I quite like you. I love your architectural mix of modern and classical. I love your wide, pedestrian-friendly walkways. I love your style - varied and free. I even love your traffic patterns, with so many of your motorists on motorbikes and scooters. And yes, I love your food.

Eurotripping | Bilbao

2011-09-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

I'm now about a week into my 3-month sojourn across Europe, and I've finally got a day to get to my own things. Good thing, too, as I'm starting to lose track of what day it is, never mind what I've been eating or details of where I've been.

Eurotripping | Nice

2011-09-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

Through work, I have the opportunity to travel all across western Europe for the next three months. I will be working, but will squeeze in as much eating, and writing about it as I possibly can, however short the posts may be.
Read more »

Cookin’ Greens Contest

2011-09-11T14:38:00.000-04:00

Green Eggs made by Chef Joanne Lusted
Base photo from Cookin' Greens foodie photo gallery

My pal Mary Luz from Sizzling Communications wanted me to let you know about a new contest from Ontario produce brand, Cookin' Greens - "Going Green With Envy". There are some tasty prizes to be won, so get your thinking caps on and enter soon!

Lovely Lemony Curd

2011-08-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, Ivy Knight's 86'd Mondays hosted Battle Lemon Curd at The Drake. Five of Toronto's finest pastry chef brought their best confections designed to highlight the puckery goodness of lemon curd.