Reading Week

Reading week has come and gone *sniff*. Although I did spend most of it in Montreal doing a group project. Spent the first day skiing at Tremblant's moguls --- well, to ME they were moguls! The first two runs were on greens where I tried to get back into the hang of skiing (it's been over three years since I last strapped on skiis). Then it was blues. Man --- they were like blacks at Blue Mountain! I damn well nearly killed myself 12 times (that's how many times I fell during my 4 runs at blues). There was one hill I can't seem to go down without killing myself. I also accidentally went on a black because I didn't see the sign...that was alright though, it was near the bottom so it wasn't like I had to ski 10 minutes down a black (thank goodness).

Then --- it was the last run. I was thinking I'll just go on the green and take it easy (or not ski the last run at all because I was tired and my arms and butt were hurting), but noooo, I wanted to get my money's worth so down the blue I went racing. Really, I went super fast down the slope because my thought was, the faster I get down, the faster I can go home and take a nice long hot shower...I was doing pretty well until I crashed into someone (ouch). In fact, it wasn't just any crash, I hit him (thank goodness it wasn't a kid) while he was in mid-air doing a jump (which I didn't see because I was anticipating him to go left in which case I was going to pass him on his right). So of course, he jumped straight and then BAM - down we both went. My head smashed into his leg (or something hard cause my head has a bump), my hat, goggles, skis and poles flew off as I tumbled in the slow, it must have been a hard fall since the previous falls I was able to keep my hat and goggles and poles. Don't remember much but when I finally stopped rolling, there was a second guy with his snowboard asking me if I was alright and how many fingers he was holding up. I guess they really do ask these questions! I told them I was fine...then the guy whom I crashed into asked me if I was going for a jump as well...as if. I apologized for ruining his jump all was alright. Andrew showed up eventually to see me sprawled on the snow. He didn't see my crash, which was good? LOL.

I skied down to the bottom with one more fall (at the same usual spot dammit!). I limped back to the ski rental place to change. My thumb was bruised and swollen, and I thought about putting ice on it, but it was so cold outside I don't think it would have made a difference! We finally made it back to Mike's place (Andrew's friend) and I took a nice hot shower. My poor body...I think I will stick to the Blues (maybe even some of the blacks) at Blue Mountain from now on....

Auberge du Pommier

Auberge du Pommier
Yonge and York Mills
The complete package: Romance, scrumptious food, great service...

It's great to know that you don't have to drive all the way downtown to find a romantic restaurant with amazing food. This French restaurant exceeded every expectation and was a fantastic dining experience.

The decor was classically simplistic. Two main rooms and one private dining room. The two fire places gave the rooms a 'warm' homey feel. The walls were not decorated much with paintings, but rather with small little wall lamps that gave the restaurant a rather nice ambiance. One thing I would recommend however is for the restaurant to paint its ceilings...wouldn't want chippings to fall into my food...

We had arrived a little earlier to grab a couple of drinks at the bar. FYI, they make AMAZING apple martinis!! I really liked how they carved little apples out and put them on the stir stick, really nice touch. Compliments to them!

We were then shown to our table by the corner of the restaurant. Our table was by the window looking out into the terrace, it was nice, but a bit chilly. The manager gave us complimentary sparkling rose wine (it was my birthday...it also helped that the bf was consulting for the O&B chain!). For appetizers, we had the escargots and wild mushrooms wrapped in a cabbage leaf and foie gras terrine. The foie gras terrine was the best that I have ever had and I would go back just for that! It wasn't on the regular menu but rather the tasting menu (but you can order it separately - don't know how long the same tasting menu will be there though). I really don't know how to describe it but imagine a creamy foie gras ice-cream...smooth. The escargots were good too (below)!

Then the server brought us two Cappuccino de Truffle appetizers, compliments of the chef! This was a pureed wild mushrooms soup presented in a cappuccino glass. Very very tasty, in fact I was deciding on that and the foie gras, so now I got both. But this was very filling. Everything was so rich. I couldn't finish it so I gave it to the bf.

Our main was the Homage Glacage - butter poached lobster with citrus salad. By that time, I was pretty stuffed and barely finished it. In fact, I had to pass some over to the bf. The salad added a nice touch and helped balance out the richness of the dish (they gave us citrus flavoured ice earlier to clean the palate before the main) because of the citrus and terragon mousseline sauce.
It was very sad...I couldn't have dessert because I was so full!!! I was in pain or else I would have had something! But the restaurant was so great that they brought out two bite sized desserts (size of my thumb) with "Happy Birthday" written on the plate.

I have to say that Auberge is the BEST restaurant that I have been to so far. Special treatment or not, this restaurant deserves to win "most romantic" restaurant in Toronto (and it has!). I will have to make a reservation to go back and have one of their desserts...and try out other drinks...

Winterlicious - Pangaea

Ah, another treat for myself. This is definitely the last Winterlicious this year - I'm going broke. I went to Pangaea with a friend last Sunday (okay so I'm retracting a little)...but I've been busy with the car trouble.

I thought Pangaea was a very interesting name, so I looked it up: Pangaea or Pangea (derived from Παγγαία, Greek meaning 'all earth') is the name given to the supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago, before the process of plate tectonics separated each of the component continents into their current configuration. ~Wiki

Pangaea
1221 Bay Street
"An unpretentious charming little place...in Yorkville!"

True to its name, one will find Pangaea to be a very natural looking place. Its decor is simplistic with dark wooden chairs and soft coloured walls that seems to be striving to bring out the earth's elements. What I really liked about the restaurant was the down-to-earth service (and we had a really fun and easy-going waiter)! Notorious for its desserts, I was anxious to find out whether Pangaea can live up to this reputation. Guess I will find out after the entree and main!

For the entree, I had a very delicious Pear and Endive Salad. If you've never had a cooked (roasted) pear before you should definitely try it! Coupled with the pear were Stilton cheese (mmm, cheese...), watercress and mustard dressing. The pear was sweet and succulent (yes, even when roasted, does that sound strange?) and makes me start eating more fruit (I'm not really a fruit person). Although I have to say, the best cooked/roasted pear that I've ever had was at a little restaurant named Verona (on King St) but this was pretty close.

My friend had the Lobster bisque soup - I guess it must have been really good because he scooped everything out of that plate!

For mains, I opted for the Ocean Trout since I felt like I've been eating too much red meat lately (steak, grilled meat, lamb shank...). I'm not a fish person but I didn't feel like eating Sweet breads as a main...my friend ordered the Grilled Lamb Chop. For wines, he ordered the Australian Shiraz and I ordered a Niagra Sauvignon - it's also been a long time since I've had white wine. This night is a night of eating food that I'm not a fan of it seems!

The Ocean Trout was surprisingly good, although I found it a little bland, but Pangaea is also known to use very natural ingredients and aims at retaining its 'true' taste.' Since I wasn't a fish person, I would have preferred a slice of lime. If I had to compare it with other fish, it was 100 times better than the salmon that I had at Far Niente (I will never go back there), which was dry and seemed like it came out of a Hi-liner box (no offense to HL). The trout was presented on a bunch of lentils...I ate some of it, but I don't like lentils, or any sort of beans except maybe refried beans (lol). Fine onion rings were added on top of the trout.

Don't know how the lamb tasted, but again, my friend seemed like he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it all except the lingot beans. He hates beans and there were a lot of it!

Finally, it was dessert time and according to my friend, he's not a dessert person (...!). So, we got the Passionfruit pot de creme and the Ginger cake - what can I say, it lived up to its reputation. I especially enjoyed the passionfruit pot, but the maple candied pecans that came with the ginger cake was mmmmm....good! This was definitely a pleasant fine dining experience! Will have to come back for sure!

So that's all for Winterlicious...next round would be Summerlicious....hehe.

Public Transportation

So I'm resorted to taking public transportation now because the car is in need of a lot TLC. So here's my yucky morning on my first public transportation in a long time (not including subway):

6:30am: Wake up - that was brutal. I got cleaned, dressed, said hi to the dog, packed lightly (meaning no laptop or heavy course kits)

7:05am: Left the house, 5 minute walk to the YRT bus stop, which is ok, a little exercise. Waited at the bus stop on Bayview and Briggs.

7:20am: It shows up 10 minutes later, late. I get on, pay $2.75 (wow, it went up 50 cents last time I took it), it moves at 30km/hr and I'm here thinking I'm going to miss my connection at 7:40am.

7:35am: Finally the bus gets to the transfer point at Bayview and John (note - this distance is literally a 5 minute drive in a car...), I get out (remembering to ask for a transfer ticket) then crossed the street to the other side.

7:40am: A bus with York U shows up, I ask to be sure, he says no, sign is wrong (then you should change it darn it!).

7:45am: 3B shows up - this one actually goes to York U. I hop in showing my transfer ticket - I think I was supposed to add another dollar for a new zone or something but I didn't because he didn't ask. I sit on the bus, did my readings so that was a plus. The bus continues on some weird route but I don't care, as long as it gets to York U. On the way to the school, the bus did a completely USELESS loop wasting 3 minutes of my life (lets face it, this bus trip wasted an hour so I guess the 3 minutes was negligible).

8:28am: Bus stops at York U (class starts at 8:30am)

8:33am: Get to class --- for once he starts on time (great)

So that was my morning. There are some plus and minuses of course, but seriously, lets do the math.

Bus:
Round trip tickets: $3.75 each way x 2 = $7.50 (holy sh*t)
4 trips per week = $23/week
4 weeks = $23x4 = $92

Car:
I fill the tank up every 1.5 weeks - 2 weeks, average fill is $35~$40
Twice a week = $70~$80/4 weeks
Parking = 440/4 months = 110/month
4 weeks total cost = $180

Parking's the killer, if I could get parking back, it's cheaper to drive, saves lots of time, less cold and is more convenient. Mind you, I drive to other places too so the gas allocation is not just for driving to school. So lets say 50/50, which means 4 week cost is approx. $130. Of course, it's not environmentally friendly and I can't read. Technically speaking, parking is a sunk cost so I should take the bus...but time and cold...and sleep...

The alternative is to wait for a cheap head to go on sale then buy it...in the meantime there is a cheap car for sale, I think I can bargain it down to $100-$200, but it's a 1990 Mazda and who knows how long that will run or how safe it is to drive...it is cheaper than renting a car...

Popped Spark Plugs

So after passing the 100,000 miles mark, the engine decides to play "I'm gonna die on you now!" One of the spark plugs popped out of it's socket and now a new one doesn't seem to want to go in. Dunno how or why it happened, perhaps you can help me figure it out...here are some pix for you engine experts! Click on pictures for a full sized viewing.

(Above) The last one on the right is obviously new, that is what I bought to replace the old ones.

(Above) Another angle for your analytical pleasure.

(Above) Don't know if this view helps with the diagnostic...

New Addition to the Family

It's been a week now and Corey has settled in nicely in our home. He is about 10 weeks old and weighs about 5.8 pounds. So far crate training has been a success and he now knows how to sit when told to. The new challenge...toilette training....*sigh*.

His third day home...that's his new toy that he's playing with...

Sleeping on his back in my arms - I was typing on the computer at the same time...sort of.

Isn't he adorable?! He's a snorer though...

Looking cool...

I'm looking at YOU!

Ohhh...that feels GOOD!

Hi, my name is Corey!

And I'm a good dog...

...I'm very obedient...

...most of the time...damn I'm cute!

Winterlicious - Hemispheres

By the time we arrived at the Metropolitan Hotel, we were late, but just by 10 minutes or so. One of the hosts took our jackets and showed us to our table. The Winterlicious fun begins...

Hemispheres, Metropolitan Hotel
110 Chestnut Street
"New luxury chic"

For those who are not familiar with the term "New Luxury" (as opposed to old luxury), new luxury primarily refers to a more minimalistic style of luxury. Luxury that accentuate rather than define who you are. It's quality without the pretense - think Prada vs. M0851.

The bistro, which was newly renovated, accommodated about 25-30 tables in the main room and another 10 or so in the adjacent room (which looks more like a bar). The wall that separated the two rooms was filled with over a hundred wine bottles accentuated with pieces of modern art.

As we took our seats I noticed that one can see the chefs cook up their magic through a large glass window. Food AND entertainment!

We took a look at our menus (the truncated version of the main and the Winterlicious menu) and thought that it was a nice subtle way of encouraging add-on selling. I mean, what if I wanted soup and/or salad in addition? For an extra $9 I can get it from the regular menu since the Winterlicious only offered you a limited choice.

I started with the Prosciutto wrapped shrimps, which was absolutely delicious (although the shrimp in my opinion was a little too chewy). The saltiness of the prosciutto and shrimp (on a skewer) was balanced out by the blandness of the polenta cake (cornmeal), which was shaped into a triangle. The bottom layer contained spinach, which added a subtle taste to the overall entree. What I really liked was the mango bits that the chef included to add a little zest to the dish as well as the red pepper coulis (puree). I give it an "A" both for taste and for presentation.

For mains, we both opted for the Metropolitan Mixed Grill, which contained alligator and apple sausage, flat iron steak, lamb chop and mixed vegetables. First off, the alligator and apple sausage was good, although again, for me it was a little too salty. The flat iron steak, I did not enjoy so I gave it to my partner who seemed to like it even though it was slightly tough and over cooked (it was medium and I was surprised that he didn't ask us how we liked our meat). The lamb chop was good, but again, I would have preferred it to be a little less cooked, it was tender enough though that I could cut it with the non-sharp steak knife. What I thought this main excelled in was the amount of vegetables that it came with, unlike Truffles. A nice balance of meat and veggies! The 3 brandy sauce was perfect and nicely complemented the meats. For wine, I chose the Pinot Noir and our waiter (we'll call him Trevor) recommended a Red Zinfindel to my partner.

At last, dessert time. I was watching the pastry chef prepare some of the desserts through the glass window and I couldn't wait for mine. For dessert I ordered a classic New York cheesecake with sherry macerated berries and icing sugar. What can I say, it was creamy soft and I would have inhaled it if I wasn't in a public place. One negative: the two pieces of chocolate on top tasted a little waxy. The coffee was nothing special, but it did nicely end my meal.

My partner ordered the the Chocolate Daquise with Rum Pot Cherries. This was an amazing dessert as well. You can definitely taste the rum in the cheeries and the chocolate mousse just melted in your mouth. As can be seen below, it was very nicely presented with a wintery theme (notice the silver balls and gold leaves), almost a pity that we had to eat it...almost.

All in all, I enjoyed my experience at Hemispheres much more than Truffles. Not only was the food better, but so was the service. At the end of the night, Trevor waited at the coat rack with our jackets before we got there and helped us into our coats. I would definitely come back here, Winterlicious or not. Next stop: Pangaea.

A final picture...

Winterlicious - Truffles

We pulled into Cumberland St. and parked the car before taking a short walk to the Four Seasons.

Truffles at The Four Seasons Hotel
21 Avenue Road
"If only the food tasted as nice as the place looked..."

We went up to Truffles where we were greeted by the Hostess. A man came by to take our coats before we went into the restaurant. Very nice so far. We were then shown into the Private Dining room where a table for two was waiting for us. I have never been into the Private Dining room before but as Andrew said, it had a very aristocratic feel to it. The walls were decorated with numerous paintings in gold coloured grids. Mirrors were plenty so as to make the room feel larger than it is and allows you to discreetly look around the room without turning. White table cloths draped over the table with another gold heavier table cloth underneath to contrast. Each table had its own candle and flower display holder, which added a nice, romantic touch. There was a new Executive Chef (Rob Bartley) at Truffles since Lynn Crawford moved to New York to become the Executive Chef of the Four Seasons there. Lets see how good of a replacement he is.

We made our choices and ordered a Californian Merlot with our mains. The maitre'd brought us a nice basket of mixed bread and we munched on that while we waited for our food.

For entrees, I ordered the Winter Greens, which was good. Croutons were made of beet and blue benedictine (tastes like blue cheese-ish) and very thin, dry pieces of fruit (?) added a nice sweet flavour to the mix. Apparently the salad came with a horseradish vinaigrette but it didn't really taste like it as the dressing was more thick and creamy than I expected - almost like a ranch. Then again, I'm not a chef, I only know what tastes good :p Andrew ordered the soup - Roasted Cauliflower Veloute, which was good. It had a nice creamy texture (not too thick) and did not congeal at the top (unlike the soup at Nectar apparently)!

We waited...and waited. Neither our wine nor our mains came. Finally, our maitre'd realized that he forgot to bring us our wine and apologized and offered to not charge us for one glass. As he poured our wine, a few drops dropped onto the table cloth, which I have never seen before in a nice restaurant. As we sipped our wine, our Lamb Shanks arrived. The portion was huge. But I have to say - the shank wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was quite average that I didn't even bother taking a picture of it. The shank was quite tender however and it really wasn't bad at all. Just wasn't up to par with my expectations. Andrew enjoyed it however. The maitre'd came by later to clear the table of crumbs which he subsequently brushed onto the floor with his hand...very un-four star like...

For desserts, we ordered the Caramel Apple Mousse with Calvados Anglaise and the Blood Orange Cheesecake with Chocolate Sorbet. For me, the dessert was the highlight of the meal (pictures below). The caramel was made into swirls and hardened (like candy apple) and was paired nicely with the apple mousse. Pieces of apples were put inside the mousse, which added more texture and taste. Calvados as I found out is fermented apples (like fermented grapes for wine).
The Cheesecake was very good as well although I only had a bite. Of the two though, I enjoyed mine more :p
We asked for the bill and it came shortly after. The maitre'd pointed out that he only charged us for one glass of wine because of his mistake. So I opened the bill and lo and behold...there was a charge for just one ... BOTTLE of wine! We pointed this mistake out to him and he apologized again and returned with a new bill. This time it was just for the meal. He didn't charge us at all for the wine because of his mistake. Fantastic. I tipped him well enough, mistake and all and we left.

All in all, it was a nice night out - although I would not rush to go back to Truffles anytime soon. Next stop: Hemispheres at the Metropolitan Hotel.