Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Last week, the weather was gorgeous. The sun was shining, people were out walking around, there was not a cloud in the sky! So we decided to go for a little, relaxing drive. Soon enough, we found ourselves around Union Station, watching tourists struggle with their giant maps of the GTA, taxis crawling in and out of traffic, TFC jersey-clad soccer fans and of course, Toronto baseball fans decked out in Blue Jays attire.

Can you tell which Harvey's this is? I'll give you a hint, it's on Jarvis and ladies of the night hang around here...

I got a little camera-happy on our drive downtown. I was taking pictures of everything and trying to be all artsy - epic fail.

As we drove down Jarvis, we were stopped at a red light right beside this car. The dog seemed to be staring me down the entire time. Despite the semi-creepiness of it, the dog was so cute! So I took a picture of my new compadre.

As I was saying before, we made our way down to Union station, where we spontaneously decided to buy some tickets to the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cincinnati Reds game from a scalper. We bought two tickets for a total of $15.00 for the 500 level (aka: nose-bleed section).
Through the Skywalk, we took some pretty touristy pictures... It was hilarious because actual tourists were staring at us like we were absolute lunatics. We had fun, nonetheless.
We finally made it to the Skydome - where the roof was open! We went in through gate 6 so that we could easily make our way up to the 500 level, but decided to stick around on the 100 level for a bit. Then music started playing and all the ushers walked down the stairs to the front of the field, so Hamir and I took this opportunity to sneak down into the 100 level section - into GREAT seats, might I add!

After eating some delicious ball game hot dogs and sipping on some Coors Light, the Jays trumped the Reds 8-2 and we headed home. Great game, great day, great weather, great company!

StheF

You Can Only Live For So Long: A Tribute

On Thursday, June 25, 2009, you and I woke up, just like any other day.

Reluctantly rose out of bed, groggily meandered to the bathroom, brushed our pearly whites, slumped back into bed, grappling for a few more hours' sleep, which, naturally, lasted all of a few minutes... But most importantly, we unknowingly cherished yet another day of life.

Others, however, were not as fortunate as you and me.

As I'm sure most of you have been made aware, maybe not by choice, by the constant stream of media throughout the day, the world has lost two fabulously talented stars: Charlie's Angel and sex icon of the 1970s, Farrah Fawcett and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. These two people have touched the lives of many and captivated the masses.

Known for her stunning good looks, feathered hair and incomparable zest for life, Farrah Fawcett, after being diagnosed three years ago with cancer, regrettably lost the fight at age 62.
Michael Jackson was a man of unparalled dance moves, a dominant figure in pop culture and an incredibly accomplished entertainer who grievously and unexpectedly suffered from a fatal heart attack at the age of 50, leaving behind an unbelievable legacy.
Though I cannot say that I was either of the superstars' biggest fan, I felt I had to write something. I'm not even sure I know what exactly to write, but hearing about these two deaths today hit something inside of me.

It may be entirely cliché to say that I have been encouraged to appreciate that life is a privilege, not a gift and we must embrace each given day, but it could not be more true. You never know... The following day could be your turn to leave your legacy behind.

Today is yours! What will you make of it?

Year One

The other night, I went to go see the much-anticipated movie, Year One, starring Jack Black and Canadian actor, Michael Cera.

I had been waiting to see this movie for a while and finally went this week at the Scotia Bank Theatre on Richmond. The trailer for this movie was absolutely hilarious, much like the film itself.

Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) are banished from their primitive Hunter-Gatherer village and together, set off on a hysterical journey through ancient times.

I found myself laughing out loud during several moments in the funny flick. This is certainly not a movie of much substance, but definitely a must-see movie if you are fans of either actor. Paul Rudd and other well-known stars make uncredited cameos, so you will be kept constantly entertained.

I recommend seeing this movie with a few friends who enjoy silly, obvious jokes, but if you don't make it out to this movie in theatres, that's okay. It may make a better rental for home viewing.

The Proposal

Tonight, Jessie and I went to see The Proposal, starring Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder, The Amityville Horror) as Andrew Paxton, an aspiring book editor/executive assistant to Sandra Bullock (Miss Congeniality, Speed) as Margaret Tate, a total bitch boss from hell.

Margaret is about to be deported to Canada, but decides to blackmail her executive assistant, Andrew, into marrying her so that she can stay in the States and keep her job as head-hauncho at the editing company.

I did not necessarily have high hopes for this movie initially, but had heard some good reviews from friends. I could classify this film as a chick flick, or well-rounded comedy - both genres come together to create this absolutely hysterical, feel good movie of the summer for everyone. The humour is witty, dry and sarcastic - just the way I like it - with a hilarious, entertaining and totally original story line to keep the audience laughing at/with and feeling for every character in the movie.

Even if you are not a fan of chick flick movies, this movie is still for you! I very highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a good laugh.

Two ecstatic thumbs up for The Proposal!

High School Graduation

...Not mine! My lovely cousin (basically sister - we've lived next door to each other since we were babies!) Jessie experienced an important and huge milestone in her life on Friday, June 19. She graduated grade twelve from Greenwood College School on the honour role, with her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. She looked absolutely gorgeous in (my) pale yellow Betsey Johnson dress with small white stitched polkadots.
We all met at Pallucci for a pre-ceremony lunch and endless photo shoot before walking down the hill to the school to watch Jessie stride across the stage and receive her high school diploma.
Sitting in Greenwood's gym, I felt a simultaneous surge of excitement, pride, nostalgia, butterflies and some sadness. Excitement for Jessie to finally be done with high school and moving on to bigger and better things; pride for being related to such an amazing girl - woman! - who graduated with amazing grades and a prominent future; nostalgia for my own high school experience; yet some sadness because, though I did graduate from high school and received my diploma, I unfortunately and sadly did not attend my graduation ceremony.

Watching Jessie sitting up on that stage, my emotions were at an all-time high. Thankfully, before the ceremony commenced, a woman walked around with a cardboard box full of kleenex packages - I used a full pack!
The ceremony was incredibly long - we were there from 2.30pm - 5.30pm (holy cow), but every chance I got, the waterworks would turn on like a switch. As Jessie walked to the left of the stage, getting ready to have her name called, on cue, I burst into tears (not quietly, embarrassingly enough!).
And then her name was called. My mom and I let out some woop's and woo-hoo's while the tears poured out of my eyes. I couldn't help it. I didn't even get to hear what her advisor had to say about her because my sobs were more or less drowning him out!
Despite the incredible length of the ceremony, it was beautiful.
I am so proud of you, Jess! You're a beautiful, talented, intelligent girl who's going places, without a doubt.

Here's to the next chapter!

StheF

Pallucci

This past Friday, June 19, my cousin (may as well be my sister), Jessie, graduated high school at Greenwood College School. Before the ceremony, our family, as well as Jessie's friend and her mother, went for lunch at Pallucci, a small restaurant just north of Davisville on the east side of Mount Pleasant @ 523 Mount Pleasant Road.
As with The Keg Mansion, I have passed by Pallucci several times, yet have never even thought to go in for a meal. It's a very narrow, subtle restaurant, mingling with other restaurants and bars along the Mt. Pleasant strip between Davisville and Eglinton. Inside, the decor is very fresh. By fresh, I mean it felt very airy, light and comfortable. There was what looked like a blue, red and steel colour scheme, with many tables lined along a bench, as well as small tables lined against the wall with blue sofa chairs (according to their website, the most popular seating choice).
When we were seated, we were promptly served with plates of sweet potato fries, with a balsamic reduction drizzle on top and a roasted garlic aiolli to dip them in:
As well as plates of the fries without the balsamic reduction drizzle, as it was a bit bitter:
Because there were so many of us (13 people), there was a pre-selected prix fixe menu that we were able to choose from. For the appetizer course, we had the option to choose from grilled calamari with sun dried tomatoes, red onion on a bed of baby arugula tossed with a warm balsamic reduction; mixed organic greens tossed with a light wild berry vinaigrette; or a gazpacho soup. I had the organic greens salad, which was really good.
Saul had the grilled calamari, which created an unmistakable fishy aroma in the air (almost sickening), but I was told it was delicious.
Charlie, being a picky salad eater (i.e.: will only eat caesar salad), ordered a caesar salad, which he (typically) devoured in seconds! But I was quick to get in a photo before he inhaled it.
Then came the main courses. We had the option of choosing from a maple glazed Atlantic salmon served with roasted potato and fresh daily vegetables; linguine a olio with black tiger shrimp, brocolli and chili peppers; veal parmigiano served with roasted potatoes and fresh daily vegetables; or gnocchi with fresh vegetable and tomato sauce. I had the gnocchi, which was totally scrumptious, but totally filling, as gnocchi normally is.
My mom and Charlie had the veal, which looked so delicious! I almost regretted my gnocchi decision - almost.
My Auntie Annie had the salmon, which also looked great and apparently tasted just as great as it looked.
As you can probably tell, I am only reporting on the meals of the people who were sitting around me. At the other end of the table, I'm sure there were different dishes being devoured.

As usual, nobody had room for the desserts: chocolate raspberry tartufo; shortbread lemon tart with blueberry coulis; or biscotti with fresh berries.

Me with Charlie, Jessie and Saul

A great restaurant for a large lunch party or one-on-one quiet dinner. Reservations aren't necessary for lunch (although it was a Friday), but a good idea for dinner or large lunch party.

Party Size: 13
Price Range: $25-$35/person
Visit Again?: Yes
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5 (Fabulous service! Totally hospitable!)
Atmosphere: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

StheF

The Keg Steakhouse Mansion

Sorry I've been slow on the blogging front. I've been pretty busy this week.

This past Tuesday, I went for dinner at The Keg Steakhouse Mansion, just north of Wellesley on the east side of Jarvis @ 515 Jarvis Street. After a long day of running errands, we decided to head for a nice, hearty dinner at The Keg.

I have driven by The Keg Mansion too many times to count, but I have never actually been inside. I never really thought of it as a place to drop in for a quick dinner if I was feeling peckish, but more as a tourist trap or somewhere to go for a special occasion. Needless to say, I was wrong. Inside the intimidating doors to the mansion sat an array of people from what seemed like every corner of the city in the main dining room. There were people dressed up sitting at a long table; there was a quiet couple celebrating at a small corner table; there were two thugs clinking beer bottles with one another; there were the obvious tourists, with their white knee socks, khaki shorts and fanny packs (you can't get more stereotypical than that); and then there was us, sitting at a table by the window with a perfect view of the rest of the restaurant (i.e.: perfect for people watching).

We each ordered different appetizers so we could sample a few things (the options all looked so tasty!). One friend ordered the escargots in a creamy garlic sauce. I ordered the fried calamari with an Asian-inspired roast garlic and chili sauce,
and my friend ordered the Atlantic soft-shell crab legs.

Each appetizer was delicious. We haven't had luck lately with escargots. Although they were delicious, they could have used more garlic and the sauce could have been less like a soup. The calamari was well-prepared with an abundance of flavour. The sauce the dish came with had a combination of a sweet and spicy taste. The soft-shell crab, though I only had a small taste, was savory, sweet and tasted absolutely divine with a short dip in the melted-by-way-of-candle butter dish.

For the main course, I had the Filet Mignon, wrapped in smoked applewood bacon, accompanied by roasted garlic mashed potatoes, a grilled tomato with melted cheese and a small pot of buttery garlic dip.
Now, I am normally not a steak eater, or an eater of any red meat for that matter, but I have to say that I was impressed by my filet. It was incredibly tender and The Keg's signature steak spices that the steak marinates in prior to grilling creates a memorable taste. Shobha's steak, on the otherhand, was done a little too well for her liking.

My friend had the New York Striploin, along with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and an assortment of grilled vegetables.
Our server came to clear our plates at the end of our meal and to ask us how we enjoyed our time at The Keg. I informed our server that my steak was a little too well-done than I'm used to, but everything else was great. The next thing we knew, the manager was at our table making sure we were alright, if there was anything we needed, anything she could get for us, "perhaps a dessert?" But as per usual, we were a little full for the dessert menu.

Despite our many "thank you's" and "don't worry's", our server comes to our table with a plate with three dessert samples: carrot cake, chocolate mousse, and cherry cheesecake.

Despite the little steak incident, I have to say that I would return to The Keg Steakhouse Mansion. The appetizers were great, the mains were really good and the desserts, or the small tastes we had of them, were delightful.

Party Size: 3
Price Range: $40-$50/person
Visit Again?: Yes
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5 (the lighting is a little poor, but the story behind the mansion is great! ask the hostess in the front of the restaurant for some chilling stories!)
OVERALL: 5/5

Be sure to knock three times on the bathroom door to hear a ghost flush the toilet!

StheF

Another Movie Review

After our delicious oyster dinner at Big Daddy's Crab Shack & Oyster Bar last night, I went to watch a new movie that has just come out: Away We Go.

Away We Go is about a couple, Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph), who are a few months shy of having a baby, yet still haven't found a place to call home yet. The entire movie is spent watching the couple go from city to city (even with a stop in Montreal.. Canada, represent!), visiting friends and seeing if they could see themselves living and raising a family in each particular city.

The acting in Away We Go is great. Each actor plays their quirky, original part well and manages to make the characters seem realistic. That being said, I can't say the same about the script and story line. The concept is interesting, but unfortunately, the story is drawn out for so long and makes for an incredibly boring movie. In fact, I was more or less bored to tears. There were a few funny moments (emphasis on few), but all in all, I was thoroughly unimpressed.

I even considered asking my friend if he wanted to leave at the halfway point, but decided to stick it out.

Overall, I highly do not recommend this movie unless you feel as if you just have to see it. You are not missing out on anything!

Big Daddy's Crab Shack & Oyster Bar

Last night, a friend and I went for dinner at Big Daddy's Crab Shack & Oyster Bar, just West of University, on the North side of King Street @ 212 King Street West.


I had been here previously and loved it so much that I had been trying to go back for a while now. The only problem was they were either too busy (long wait for a table), or they were closed (we went too late). At around 7:30pm last night, we decided it would be the perfect place to eat and headed over.

When we arrived, the hostess informed us that there would be a ten minute wait for a table. We decided to stick it out and went outside to enjoy what was left of the beautiful day on Big Daddy's outdoor patio. The minutes passed by quickly and soon enough, we were seated at a great table for two in the main dining room.


Our very helpful server advised us on the wine list, pointing out which white wine she recommended, as we didn't recognize any of the names. I ended up with a glass of Peller Estate Chardonnay - a nice and light white wine, bottled in Niagara Falls, Ontario. My friend ordered a Chardonnay from South Africa (I can't remember the name), but unfortunately it tasted a little sour.

Can you tell I used the iPhoto red eye reduction tool?


Then came time for the food. We decided to take advantage of the delicious oysters that Big Daddy's has to offer and ordered basically a full meal of them, as well as an order of escargots, which we started off with.

This is only the first side of Big Daddy's extensive menu.

Unfortunately, we didn't realize how hungry we were and dove into the escargots before I got a picture of the plate! But after we were more or less finished, I remembered to get a quick shot in. The escargots were in a mushroom and roast garlic sauce, mingling with mushrooms and garlic cloves and topped with three thin slices of garlic bread. We were both fairly unimpressed with this dish, as we felt there could have been more of a garlic taste. We found it to be a little bland, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Then came the Crabshack Oyster dish.

These oysters were baked with snow crab and cheese on top. They were pretty good, although had a distinct taste of mayonnaise, which was sort of unsettling. Luckily, Big Daddy's provides a platter of jars of different sauces you can put on your oysters to give them more flavour.


The sauces range clockwise from mild - a balsamic vinegar sauce (bottom right), to extremely spicy (top right), with a banana pepper vinegar in the middle and Worcestershire.

Big Daddy's makes all of the sauces in house. (Sorry for the bad quality, it is fairly dark in the basement restaurant and with the flash on, the label is whited out!) This one is a mild sauce and as you can barely make out on the label, it is a cocktail sauce.

Then came the main event: the raw oysters! Big Daddy's has a deal called the "Big Daddy's Oyster Feature", where you get a dozen of their feature oysters for $18.99.

These oysters were from the East coast of Canada and were absolutely delicious. They tasted sort of buttery and not very fishy at all - the perfect oyster to slurp down with some of Big Daddy's house-made sauces.

We also asked our server, an expert shucker, to prepare us a dish of an assortment of a dozen oysters - some from the East and some from the West coast.

As you can see, there are 16 oysters there - the manager sent four extra as an apology for the slow service. There was a bit of a back-up on the oysters, so they took a little longer, but we didn't really notice! These oysters were delicious as well, although they had more of a fishier taste and required more lemon and sauce than the other platter of feature oysters. The non-feature oysters are all individually priced (very reasonably).

By the time we finished our meal, we had devoured 43 oysters and 12 snails!! We couldn't get over it. Our server offered us the dessert menus, which we looked over, but regretted to decline the scrumptious brownies, creme brulee and crepe (with bananas and chocolate sauce) because we were just too full!

All in all, we had a delightful, not to mention delectable, experience at Big Daddy's Crab Shack & Oyster Bar. In future, I would suggest making reservations, as there is no seating area in the main restaurant if you have to wait. There is a bar where you can wait with a cocktail, but it was pretty busy last night and it was only a Sunday.

Party Size: 2
Price Range: $20-$45/person
Visit Again?: Yes
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5 (it's a little dark, as it is in the basement and seems like it needs a little sprucing up - but the Louisiana decor is fabulous! Mardis-Gras beads everywhere!)
OVERALL: 5/5

As they say down in Louisiana, laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll),

StheF