First stop was Inniskillin.  They have a beautiful estate up at Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Great for taking a wine tour, having lunch (they serve food with wine pairings), and just taking pictures.

Inniskillin is famous for their icewine but we’re not big icewine drinkers, so we tasted some of their Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc instead.  The tastings were only $1 each, so after about 6 tastings we decided to go with the 2008 Montague Vineyard Chardonnay ($18.95).  Yup, already broke into that one…starts off pretty sweet and fruity, but tastes more complex after you let it breathe.

Next stop was Lailey.  This is a fairly small and new winery, only 10 years old.

Picture from Lailey website.

We decided to go in and give their wines a try since we’ve never heard of them.  We tasted one of their Rieslings and their Rose.  We were taken aback by the quality of their wine glasses which were really worn out and scratched.  This obstructed the view of the colour of their wine, but since I really liked the taste of their Rose, we got a bottle of the 2009 ($18.75).

We headed back to our hotel first to drop off our stuff and get ready for dinner at the Peller Estates.  We stayed one night at the Sheraton on the Falls and they gave us a room with a beautiful view of the Falls.

Peller Estates is a beautiful winery and their restaurant is pretty highly reviewed as well so we decided to try their 5-course tasting menu with wine pairings.

Our waitress was very attentive and friendly.  The chef also takes into account any food allergies or preferences as well, so make sure you let them know when you are ordering.  Now for the food.  They started us off with an amuse of tomato gazpacho.

For appetizer, we were served with a smoked salmon, arugula and goat cheese salad.  2hung doesn’t like goat cheese, so they prepared his without.  This was paired with a nice sparkling rose.  Even though we only ordered a single wine pairing, the waitress gave us a very full pour, and even poured me a half glass by accident!

For our next course, we were served with an asparagus puree soup.  This was paired with a Chardonnay.  It was strange to have a wine pairing for a soup course, haha.

Next came the seared scallop with sweet corn.  This was probably the best dish besides dessert.  It was also paired with a Chardonnay.

Even the palette cleanser sherbet was made with Cabernet Sauvignon.

For our main, we were served bison rib eye with wild mushrooms.  Love wild mushrooms and the bison was very tender.  This was paired with a Cabernet Franc.

We even got an amuse dessert of panna cota with peaches.

And for the real dessert, maple walnut ice-cream sandwich served with figs and paired with icewine.  Our generous waitress gave me a separate pour of icewine as well!

Getting tasting menus with a single wine pairing is the greatest idea ever because at least one of us will need to drive home after dinner!

Night view of the falls.  The lights were not that impressive.  I think they need to spend more money on that to attract more tourists.

We were able to visit two more wineries the next day before heading back into town.  First stop was Strewn.  Strewn Winery was not that impressive at all and we didn’t particularly like any of their wines, so we just had a few tastings and left.  Their estate was nothing special compared to the other wineries.

Picture from Trip Advisor.

Last stop was Southbrook Vineyards.  This is probably the most contemporary looking winery you’ll find at Niagara-on-the-Lake.  The building’s design is so modern inside and out.  No wonder they charge a bit more for their wines…

The best Chardonnay that we had on this trip was Southbrook’s 2000 Triomphe Chardonnay ($33).

Thursday Night

We arrived late Thursday night at the W New York on Lexington, so we decided to grab some New York style pizza.  Joe’s Pizza is a popular spot for piping hot thin-crust, New York style pizza.

I devoured my pepperoni slice pretty quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly, as did all these people enjoying their slices on the park benches across from the pizzeria.

There was a store that sold gelato on a stick next door called Popbar, so I tried their mango sorbetto on a stick because it was way too hot for a creamy dessert.  I really needed something fruity and refreshing.

Friday

Friday’s meals weren’t half as exciting as Thursday’s.  My objective for Friday was to have lunch at the new Shake Shack in the Theater District.  The Shake Shack has some cool looking burgers, shakes and frozen custard.  However, the lineup was super long and the heat that day was so unbearable that we decided to find lunch elsewhere.

(Picture from Serious Eats)

We ended up going to Le Pain Quotidien and had ourselves some nice tartines.

Saturday

We had dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill on Saturday.  Their sushi and other dishes were good but kind of pricey.  The restaurant was quite loud and dark, so it was hard to take pictures of the food…

Soft shell crab appetizer

Grilled Mahi Mahi

Soba with duck meat balls

Sunday

Sunday’s meals were quite exciting.  We started off with a Roman brunch at Maialino.  All their breakfast items are Italian inspired.

A nice latte and cream filled donuts to start.

Roasted Pork on Ciabatta

Prosciutto with buffalo mozarella

Pancakes with ricotta and cherry compote

After a round of shopping in Soho, we stopped by Boqueria for a Spanish afternoon tea.  Their tapas are great and they also offer a brunch menu.

Margaritas are great for a summer afternoon.

Patatas Bravas – crispy potatoes with garlic sauce and salsa – potatoes are yum!

Salteado de Setas – Sauteed wild mushrooms with pork guanciale and Manchego cheese

To end the trip, we visited Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant at The London Hotel.  Maze’s menu consists of a bunch of small dishes and a separate tasting menu.  We decided to build our own tasting menu by picking from the list of small dishes.  We were impressed with the quality and presentation of each dish.  Gordon Ramsay is not all about the F word after all.

Seared sea scallop with tomatoes and marjoram velouté

Octopus terrine with crispy potatoes

Tortellini of beef short rib in dashi – I think I liked this one the most!

Crispy belly of pork with kimchi and pickled ginger

Pan fried Tasmanian ocean trout with gnocchi

Carnaroli risotto of parsley preserved lemon and mascarpone

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting walnut praline ice cream – This dessert was awesome!

(picture above not taken by me)

I was in LA during the days of June 18 – 22.  The trip was all about spending time with my god-grandmother so I mostly stayed in the house with a few random visits to the local areas.   Her house has a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean which I spent hours looking at.

Close by the house is a trail which runs along the Palos Verdes coastline.  Whenever I have free time, I would hike down the trailers with my camera in hand to capture the mesmerizing ocean view.

At the end of the trail lies an old lighthouse with a whale museum nearby.  Observers come to watch and count the whales every year during the whale’s migratory path.  You can receive a free interesting tour from a local volunteer inside the museum.  The tour guide was explaining how they are having an over population of sea urchins and I thought to myself “wouldn’t crazyDiva like to turn them all into Uni”.

On the day I arrived to LA, my grandmother treated me to an extremely delicious apple fritter from the local bakery.  I later went back and purchased and ate 3 more in the span of a day, all by myself.

I also had a chance to drop by the local farmer’s market only opened on Sunday.  There were large varieties of fruits and vegetables, many of which had samples for.  

One of the booths was selling a Mexican fruit called “Cherimoya” that I have never seen before (you can probably purchase it in Toronto as well, but I have never came across it). 

A customer beside me describe the fruit as “a fruit from the heavens, it taste like a combination of pineapple, avocado, strawberries and all the best fruits you can think of”.  Which such high praise, I surely must try some for myself.   The verdict – it tasted exactly like coconut!

We stayed at the Caesars Palace.  They had pretty decent rooms and the hotel did not seem old at all, considering the deal that we got on the rooms.

For our first meal in Vegas, we enjoyed some Mexican food at La Salsa just outside of the Forum Shops.  I really enjoyed my fish tacos and margarita!  Mexican tastes extra good when you are hungry!

On our first day, we explored the many different hotels along the strip.

The new Louis Vuitton store by Aria looks just like the ROM.

The first night of clubbing was spent at TAO at the Venetian.  This was a very Asian infused club with near-naked ladies dancing in bath tubs.  The girls enjoyed cabana hopping and free drinks all night long!

Second day was outlet shopping.  We visited the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and look at all my purchases:

Our splurge meal of the trip was at Bouchon Bistro at the Venetian.  A restaurant creation by the infamous Thomas Keller of the Michelin 3-star The French Laundry.

The food was wonderful and the staff was very attentive, but I wonder if it was because of the fact that the waiter couldn’t keep his eyes off of the 6 sexy Asian chicks all at one table.  We ordered the octopus appetizer, seared halibut, and trout served whole.

We tried to make our second night of clubbing a little easier by going to the club right below the Caesars called Pure, but it was totally an older crowd and pretty dead when we went at around 11pm, so we decided to go to XS at Encore.  I wish I could provide a more accurate description of how pretty the club was, but all I could remember was that the hotel was very red…red carpets and red walls everywhere…

I was surprised that everyone was able to wake up for our spa treatment at Qua the next morning at 9am.  I guess it’s true when they say Vegas never sleeps.  There was a promotion at Qua and we ended up paying only $99 for our 50min Swedish massage, while being able to enjoy the rest of the facilities for free.  Compared to spas in Toronto, the facilities at Qua are unparalleled.  They had a hot tub, a cold tub, a body temperature tub, another hot tub, a sauna room, a steam room, and an Artic ice room.  Very relaxing indeed.

Lunch was at Payard at the Caesars.  We each enjoyed a $19 3-course prix fixe lunch of lobster salad, salmon, and choice of dessert.

Our last night in Vegas was spent at the Wynn buffet and Le Reve.  I’m not a big fan of buffets but I must say that The Buffet is much better than the one at the Bellagio and exceeded my expectations.  Le Reve, however, did not.  I wasn’t sure if it was because I had just had a big meal or if Le Reve was just plain boring, but I found myself dozing off throughout the hour and a half synchronized swimming show and display of acrobatics.  Definitely would want to catch a real Cirque du Soleil show the next time around.

A third night of clubbing was too much for me, so I let the girls go off on their own and went back to the hotel to pack for our noon flight out.

Based on reviews from Trip Advisor, I decided to book a room at Auberge Le Vincent.  This is a very comfy boutique hotel with 10 rooms for you to choose from.  We stayed in room 10 for a reasonable price and free breakfast.  The hotel owner was super friendly.  He showed us exactly where we should walk in the old city and recommended a great local restaurant for dinner.

Room 10

The hotel is located at the Saint- Roch district which was about a 15-minute walk from the old city fortifications.  The streets along the way were very European and a nice way to start off the day.

Inside the fortifications were more old-fashioned streets and houses.  We stopped for lunch at a nice cafe called Paillard.

We had the Roti de Porc and Bistro Boeuf sandwiches which were great choices for lunch.

After lunch, we passed by the Notre-Dame de Quebec Cathedral and the Chateau Frontenac.

We then took the Funiculaire down the hill for more window shopping and to take the local ferry for a better view of the old city.

The rest of the day was spent on more walking and sightseeing until we were really tired and hungry for dinner.

Dinner was at a cool little bistro called Le Clocher Penche.  I love hitting up a local restaurant and enjoying a frequently changing menu that’s made with local ingredients.  We started off with a lobster and crab bisque and braised octopus.

For our mains, we had mushroom ravioli and seared scallops with risotto.

Of course, the best part of the meal is dessert and this poached pear dessert was excellent!

The next morning after enjoying breakfast, the hotel owner taught us how to take the scenic route back to Montreal.  By following the Boul. Champlain, we had a great view of the St. Lawrence River.

Here are some of the places that I tried out:

Tsui Wah Restaurant

This innovative chain of restaurants brings HK-style cafe to a whole new level by adding new twists to classic dishes as well as introducing unique dishes that cannot be found anywhere else.

Fried Eggs with Corned Beef on a Baguette

Curry Garoupa

Roasted Fillet Cubes Japanese Style

Jika Udon

This new udon chain offers some cool Western-style udon dishes.

Pumpkin Udon with Japanese Black Pork and Mushrooms

Udon with Mixed Tempura

Inaniwa Udon Nabe Japanese Restaurant

Inaniwa udon is one of my favourites.  Try it hot, cold or cold with hot soup!

Inaniwa Udon with Black Angus Beef

Cold Inaniwa Udon with Three Sauces

Cold Inaniwa Udon with Stewed Chicken in Hot Soup

Fried Eggs with Unagi

Yaki Tori Skewers

Ginza Bairin

At this tonkatsu restaurant, you have a choice between getting regular pork or Japanese black pork.  The pork is tender yet has a lot of texture.

Tonkatsu Set with Japanese Black Pork

Katsu Don with Japanese Black Pork

Katsu Sandwich

Afternoon tea and desserts are some of the most wonderful things in life, and must be enjoyed especially when you are visiting Hong Kong.  It is part of the culture.

Okada Coffee

This Japanese-style cafe has really good cakes and great coffee.

French Toast with Hokkaido Red Bean and Green Tea Ice-Cream

Why not enojoy a nice cup of coffee and some pastries next time you are shopping at IFC?

Simply Life

Wasakuraya

I learned about this Japanese dessert store through watching Choi Lan’s TV show.  This store specializes in pudding made with Hokkaido milk and soy milk.  They are very creamy, yet not too sweet or heavy.

Yuzu Pudding

Green Tea Pudding

Black Sesame Pudding made with Soy Milk

Original Custard Pudding

Yes, yes, I know.  This is probably the Nth time that I’ve been to NYC, but there’s always something new to see, something new to buy, and something new to try when you are in the Big Apple.

Things I ate:

My brother took us to three new restaurants.  The first one was Milos.  This is a Greek restaurant that serves pure seafood.  If you are a fish lover, this restaurant is for you.  I recognize this restaurant because there is a location in Montreal as well, but we never went to try it because we thought that it would be too expensive.  Turns out, the fish dishes are for sharing and the prices are by the pound, so we ended up ordering the octopus appetizer, the daily fresh fish grilled with lemon, the grilled vegetable platter and the Galaktoboureko for dessert. The fish was cooked whole on the bone and then de-boned and served to us which is not as common in Western restaurants.  Everything was very tasty, except I can imagine some people may find the fish a little bit bland.  I thought it was pretty fresh and would have been good with a bowl of rice!

The second restaurant is called Convivio.  This is a Southern Italian restaurant.  The ambiance and decor of the restaurant was really good and they had pretty good service.  My brother decided to go with the 4 course prix fixe for $59 USD, while my mom and I ordered a la carte.  For the prix fixe, we got sliced yellowtail with olive oil and pistachios, tuna-tomato filled pasta, grilled lamb chops, and coconut custard with mango sorbet for dessert.  Other dishes we got were the crispy oysters, malloreddus with crab meat and sea urchin, and tagliatelle with clams.  I didn’t actually see any sea urchin in my pasta but I guess it was dissolved in the yellowish sauce.  It tasted great nonetheless!

Last time when I was in New York, I didn’t get a chance to try the cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, so I made sure that we went this time.  Their cupcake is really fluffy and their icing is fresh and creamy.  I think they taste a lot better than the ones you can get from the Cupcake Shoppe at Yonge and Eglinton.

Another place we went to is the Sobaya for some soba, udon and other donburi.  Their food was good but pretty typical stuff.  We got the nabeyaki udon, chirashi udon, and tartar don.

At the Rheon Cafe for lunch, we tried their wagyu-style half burger on ciabatta bread as well as their salmon burger, potato cheese balls and green tea muffin.  This is a great little lunch place in Soho.

Finally, we got some handmade truffles from Kee’s.  Pistachios, green tea, black sesame and almond truffles melt as soon as you put them in your mouth!

Things I bought:

I didn’t buy that much stuff this time around.  There weren’t any sales really.  I just bought a few pieces of clothing, picked up my Christian Siriano for Payless shoes and bought my Marc by Marc Jacobs bag that I’ve been eyeing.  Bloomingdale’s has 10% off for all visitors to the US, so it was a great discount compared to Holt Renfrew.  Also got some cute Rachel Rachel Roy earrings as well.

Celebrity sightings:

As we were shopping on Mercer St. in Soho, we came across these four guys with camera lenses 100x the size of crazyPyxo’s, so immediately, I look all around me to try and spot a celebrity.  All of a sudden, in front of me was a man with a prominent bald spot and then I recognized the voice of Jon Gosselin.  My mom and I tried to walk out of the way of the paparazzi but we still managed to be caught on camera with Jon Gosselin!  How embarrassing!  Catch the rest of the pics here.  Looks like he was shopping with his mom too, haha.

Another less exciting celebrity that I saw in Soho was Jay Manual from America’s Next Top Model, who was shopping at a furniture store with some dude.  There was no paparazzi following them.

Other random things:

On Park Avenue, I came across some sculptures and fountains of Hello Kitty, Miffy and My Melody.  They looked like they were made of paper mache, but they are actually constructed out of bronze by this artist called Tom Sachs.

They were giving out free Diet Coke on 5th Ave, so we strolled in to enjoy some cold drinks and free food.

Stay tuned for my review of The September Issue!

So, this weekend I got engaged. The plan was executed FLAWLESSLY, due to my meticulous planning abilities. When I say FLAWLESS, I really do mean FLAWLESS. The weekend started off by watching an amazing fireworks display over the falls at night. We had the prime location, so it was a rare opportunity to be watching it up close…

Jenn’s one weakness is her stuff toy collection of Nemo’s. She always brings one on vacations. Knowing this, I had something prepared for her, and in the morning this is the note she found.

My brother came back to Toronto for a visit, so he and my mom decided to take a trip to Montreal for the weekend.  They were only staying for two nights, so I didn’t really have anything planned for them except that we were going to try out some good restaurants in the area.

Thursday night was Au Pied de Cochon, which I thought would be a good way to start things off, but when we got to the restaurant they had lost our reservation!  They offered to get us a table as soon as possible but we still had to wait another 40min before getting seated.  Well, at least they didn’t turn us away like they did to the other cutsomers who didn’t have reservations.  My mom and bro found the foie gras poutine to be absolutely amazing, but my mom was not so impressed with the Duck in a Can and the Happy Pork Chop.  I think it was a bit of a meat overdose for her, but I don’t blame her.  I mean, look at the size of that pork chop!

Friday, I had to work most of the morning, so we went out for lunch closeby to this bistro called Vallier.  I’ve been here for dinner before, so I trusted the quality of their food.  My brother ordered a lamb burger and my mom and I shared a leek and potato soup, a salmon tartare and some fries.  This is definitely a good place to go for reasonably priced French food that tastes great!

After lunch, we went for a walk in Old Montreal.  We paid a visit to the Notre Dame Basilica.  The inside of the church is so beautiful.

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There is also a small chapel at the back of the church with a beautiful alter crafted in wood.

For dinner, we tried a restaurant called Toque which was recommended by one of my foodie clients.  This restaurant is pretty upscale and their prices are a bit higher than the bistros that I’ve been going to lately.  At first I thought we weren’t really dressed up enough for the restaurant especially because my brother was wearing shorts!  But, since we were tourists, it was ok, and nobody seemed to mind.  Another customer was even wearing flip flops.

They started us off with an amuse-bouche of corn mousse.  I don’t think I’ve ever had corn-flavoured mousse before, but it was quie an interesting taste and the mousse was more like a foam that melted as soon as you put it into your mouth.

I didn’t see anything that excited me that much on the appetizer list, so we just ordered a grilled Mackerel and gave it a try.  It was pretty good; the way it was cooked is very Japanese.

For our mains, we got shoulder of suckling pig, Atlantic halibut, and cavatelli with veal meatballs.  I really liked my veal meatballs.  They were really tender.  The halibut was cooked perfectly as well and the suckling pig just as tasty.

Dessert was millefeuille with fresh berries (for two).  It tastes aboslutely as good as it looks!  They also gave us some tiny blueberry macaroons to finish off our meal.

Overall, I think the quality of the food was really good and the portions were just right, but I think that the food is slightly overpriced at $40 a dish.  I think you can get the same quality of food elsewhere for 3/4 of the price.  I think I would only come back to this restaurant if someone else was treating me!  hahaha

On Saturday morning, we visited the St. Joseph’s Oratory which was located on Mount Royal.  This church is not nearly as grand as the Notre Dame Basilica but it was nice because it was situated on top of the mountain and it had a nice little garden in the front.

I really wanted my mom and bro to try the French toast dessert at Lemeac, so I took them there for lunch.  They actually have a pretty good brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays, and the restaurant is not as crowded at this time, so I would recommend going there for brunch.  My mom and I shared the smoked salmon and poached eggs on top of blinis and a side of fries.  The French make such good fries, I just can’t stop eating them!  My brother tried their risotto with asparagus and wild mushrooms.

This time I was able to take a picture of the inside of the French toast.  The toast tastes like cake!

Our last stop before my mom and bro headed back to Toronto was at Schwartz Deli.  You can’t find a line up like this anywhere in Toronto!

My sandwich tasted pretty good.  I think they gave me medium or lean meat cause it wasn’t that fatty.  It probably would’ve tasted better if I ate it while it was hot though.

On Sunday, I walked along the entire rue Ste. Catherine by myself but I didn’t buy a single thing!  If you weren’t here for the partying, I think Montreal would be a pretty boring place if not for all the wonderful restaurants, bistros and cafes.

P.S.  The Holts on Bloor beats the one in Montreal x1000.

CrazyDiva discovered Mildred’s Temple Kitchen from Toronto Life… and what a wonderful discovery it is!  Temple Kitchen was suppose to be a stop over location for lunch on our way to Nadège Patisserie, but it quickly became the most memorable meal of the day.

Waiting for your seats? Enjoy a trendy art book

Tucked inside the artsy district of Liberty Village, Temple Kitchen is an excellent place for brunch.  The first thing I love was their decor.  The trendy and cozy design projects a very welcoming feeling.  My favorite was the open kitchen.  It reassures the cleaniness of the kitchen.  You can be sure that the 5 second rule does not apply here.  Each section of the resturant seem to have their own unique design that blends well together.

Enjoy a drink at their bar

Open kitchen to ensure cleaniness

Want attention? Sit at the round booth

Having fancy decor means nothing if the food is no good… fortunately, that is not a problem here.  I was already drooling when I saw other people’s order come out of the kitchen.  To start off, I ordered their buttermilk biscuits.  I normally don’t like biscuits but since their scones were sold out, the biscuit was the only option.

Buttermilk Biscuits

The biscuits tasted as good as it looked.  It was fluffy, soft and tasted great when combined with butter and jam.  What an excellent way to start off the brunch!

Our table ordered 3 dishes to be split among 4 people.  The first dish was the salade Lyonnaise (frisee salad with fried egg, wild mushroom & rosemary bacon).

Salade Lyonnaise

This was an unusual dish for me.  You don’t often see eggs combined with salade, wild mushroom and bacon.  When you mix all the items together, you get an interesting blend of taste and texture.  The soft eggs and mushrooms against the cruchy vegetables.  The salty bacon mixing with the bland salade.  I have to say this is one tasty and unique dish.

Vedas choice

The second dish was given the funny name of “Vedas choice” (poached eggs on croissant with smoked salmon, bearnaise & crispy oven roasted potatoes).  This is one of my favorites.  The croissant was fluffy and the smoked salmon was fresh.  The roasted potatoes were earthy and crispy,excatly how I liked them.

Mrs. Biederhofs pancakes

Our last dish was “Mrs. Biederhofs pancakes” (blueberry buttermilk pancakes, Lanark Country maple syrup & whipped cream).  Wow! this is one of the best tasting pancakes I have had.  It’s super fluffy, light and soft with just the right amount of sweetness for the perfect taste.  I am not usually a big fan of pancakes, but this one changed that.  Mrs. Biederhofs, can you please make these pancakes for me every morning?

For the pet lovers out there, even your dogs will get a treat as there are dog cookies waiting at the entrance.

Even your dogs will like this place

Overall, this is one impressive restaurant.  Their food could be listed on a high-end menu, but with an excellent price of $9-13 a dish, it makes coming back to Temple’s Kitchen a no-brainer.  I would definitely make a trip to downtown just to eat here again.  Temple’s Kitchen now belongs in one of my top restaurants to visit.

crazyPyxo’s rating for Temple’s Kitchen

9/10