Grazie Vaughan

I haven't been to Grazie in maybe, 5-7 years? I'm, of course, talking about the original Grazie location at Yonge & Eglinton. I remember that location was always so packed and crowded. I also remember I needed to yell just so that the person sitting across from me could hear me.  I guess I haven't been back because I hardly hang out in that neighbourhood anymore (I used to work close by) and it's also not the easiest to find street parking there (I know there's a Green P beside it but still). Basically, visiting Grazie again was never a priority for me especially now that I work in downtown.


I was happy when I found out Grazie opened another location at Vaughan Mills awhile back. Although I wanted to go try it out I never got around to it. Long story short, I finally went to Grazie Vaughan on Tuesday because my friend Dan (@deguzzi) organized a dinner there.


Dan really likes Grazie Vaughan (he is currently the mayor on foursquare) and I think it's safe to say that all 9 of us who were there on Tuesday really liked the food too.


The long table there was reserved for us.

I was overwhelmed by their huge menu. So many choices...

Zenato Ripassa - Full bodied dry with rich & velvety fruit flavour ($55)

Several people had wine while I had my extra spicy Caesar.

A basket full of bread for our 10 hungry stomachs.

Chili oil for dipping.

As usual, I can only comment on what I had and show you pictures of what other people had.

APPETIZER

Bruschetta Pizza - Olive oil, fresh garlic, mozzarella, parmigiano cheese, fresh tomato, garlic & fine herbs ($10.75)

We all shared this appetizer. I've never bruschetta pizza before but I thought this tasted just okay; I would've liked a bit more herbs and cheese. I also prefer the traditional bruschetta on open slices of grilled bread because the toppings-to-bread ratio is better this toppings-to-pizza ratio (i.e. too much pizza for the amount of toppings).

Baked Goat Cheese Salad - Goat cheese, roasted peppers & grilled eggplant wrapped in phyllo pastry served with an arugula salad in a sherry vinaigrette ($12)

Graham (@beachrockinc) had this salad all by himself. He really liked it and polished it off within within minutes. The presentation was beautiful; each slice of tomato was cut exactly the same and lined up perfectly.

Viva Frida!

It's Tweetup timeeee! ^_^  I've heard so much about Frida Restaurant (@FridaRestaurant) on Twitter that I knew it was just a matter of time that I went and got myself some Mexican deliciousness. So last month when Mack (@M3foods) and I were brainstorming on our next possible Tweetup location (we take turns organizing hehe) I suggested Frida. And one thing led to another, the next thing I knew I was sitting with 10 others at Frida last Tuesday, having a great meal along with non-stop conversation, thanks to Troy (@OakleyInc) (sorry I had to add that hehe).


OK guys, Frida is not Burrito Boyz. Nothing against Burrito Boyz of course, just trying to make a point that Frida is not a fast food Mexican joint, far from it actually. First of all, Frida is located in Forest Hill and is a more upscale Mexican restaurant. It is small; the decor is very contemporary, mellow, and relaxed yet elegant as well. I personally really like the modern feel of the red accent seating and the blue and white tiled wall. 


There's Alfonso (@msgfonz) and Ed (@phoenixrageZERO) on their phones :)

I also like the black and white photographs by the entrance; it ties in really well with the black tables and chairs and the white napkins.

Secondly, besides the decor, Frida is different in that it offers more of a refined and modern take on Mexican food but still keeping it authentic. It is upscale and sophisticated unlike that of a taco parlour for sure.

CityLine Blogger Special

I was invited to be an audience member for a CityLine show that focused on women who blogs and tweets. The show was aired last Tuesday, March 29th, at 9AM and repeated at 2PM the same day (the show was not a 'live' show and was taped prior to that day). The show can also be found online as well. I didn't get a chance to watch the show on TV as I was studying for an exam; well, even if I didn't have an exam I would've been at work anyway. Here's a blurry screen shot of me clapping (we had to clap a lot, and I mean, a lot) ^_*

We were seated according to what we blog about. There were four types of bloggers who attended that day: decor, beauty, food, and mommy bloggers. If you watch the show at around the 1:08 minute mark, you will notice that there were very few food bloggers compared to decor, beauty, and mommy bloggers. Just an observation ^_^


At the set of CityLine. 

Globe Bistro - "Think Global. Eat Local"

Joel (@foodie411) and Jessica (@Jessica_Dexter) organized the first ever Brunch Tweetup last Sunday (#BrunchTO) at Globe Bistro. I haven't had brunch in ages so I was pretty excited about it. Thanks for organizing guys ^_^ And of course a special thanks to Ed Ho (@globeho), owner of Globe Bistro and Executive Chef Kevin McKenna (@ChefMcKenna ) for having us~

The last time I was at the Danforth was a couple of weeks ago when I went to Messini, my favourite place for gyros. I never noticed Globe Bistro before as it is located closer to Bloor and Broadview which I usually just drive by there to get to Messini =D

Initially, I was thinking of parking at a Green P since I hate parallel parking but to my surprise, I found street parking right across from Globe Bistro. 

Globe Bistro may look small from the outside but it is actually really spacious inside; although it is narrow, it is very long and deep with a very high ceiling. This dining area is where we sat; it's at the back of the restaurant (there is another dining area at the front). I think this space is beautiful.

Cheese School 101

When Jo (@clickflickca) asked me whether or not I would be interested in going to #CheeseSchool at School Bakery & Cafe (@schoolville), a tweetup event where cheeselovers get together to learn about cheese and eat like a king in the process, I was thrilled. Not only do I love cheese, but School happens to be one of my favourite, if not the favourite, brunch places in Toronto (check out my blog post about School brunches). I've also been to School for dinner recently and it was just as fabulous (I haven't posted about the dinner yet because as usual, I'm backlogged). I was probably the first one to to RSVP for #CheeseSchool, being the keener that I am. I also invited my friend Cindy along too.


I had a so much fun at #CheeseSchool - it was great seeing familiar faces and also meeting new tweeps. Thanks again to Reggie (@reggieramone), Sarah from School, and Jo for organizing such a fun and successful event. Also, a special thanks to David from The Village Cheesemonger (@TOcheesemonger) for providing all the delicious cheeses. Oh, and our server was also very nice and attentive so a shout out to her too (I didn't get her name).


School had set up a special section for #CheeseSchool at the back of the restaurant. Here we are waiting for #CheeseSchool to start. What is Jo is taking a picture of?

The cool chandelier made of sheets of paper held by paper clips, of course.

I had to take a picture of this. So true. Don't feed supermodels. Feed me instead!

DumplingMe

I blogged about Ding Tai Fung previously as it is one of my go-to place for Shanghainese food. When Mack (@M3foods) suggested doing a Tweetup there (#DumplingMe) I was all for it . It is rare that Tweetups are in uptown (like Markham or Richmond Hill) so initially I wasn't counting on a big turnout....but whoa! This Tweetup was full in record time - I think after 15 minutes or so it was already full. I guess a lot of people like dumplings, either that or a lot of people like Mack =P

My first post about Ding Tai Fung can be found here, in case you want to read about what I had there that particular time. I have also included some background information about the restaurant on that post, and how it is actually different from the restaurant chain in Asia (even though they have the same name).

Having said that, I'm going to go right into the food. Mack and I were pretty much in charge of ordering food, with a few suggestions from Evie (@eviechiu) and Ben (@LauBenedict). We wanted mostly dim sum with a few noodle dishes on the side. 

Have you tried ordering dim sum for 13 people? It is not an easy task as it is hard to gauge whether or not we are ordering enough or ordering too much. It was quite a daunting task as I have never had to write down "5" besides "pork dumplings" on the order sheet before (each order has 6 dumplings)! Well I don't know, maybe it was just me who felt it was daunting since Mack was just like "yeah order whatever and as much as you want" =P Anyway, we had 3 to 5 orders of each dim sum dish to ensure that everyone got to try everything.

So here goes! 

Jellyfish and Shredded Turnip 

Savoury Soy Milk with Fried Dough Sticks

Fried "Man Tau" with Condensed Milk 

BEAST ME

Organized my first ever Tweetup last Thursday at Beast Restaurant (BEAST ME was the name of the Tweetup, #BeastTO was the hashtag). It was a success as everyone had a good time (or I hope everybody did because I certainly did haha). I finally got to meet several foodies who I've interacted with on twitter for awhile now, so that was great =) and of course, it's always nice to see my usual group of foodies~ It was a night of great food, great company, and great conversation. Actually, to be honest, conversation could've been better; I didn't get to chat with a few tweeps as much as I wanted to. Our group of 13 was split into two tables - although the tables were side by side, it was hard for me to engage in conversation with people sitting at the other table. This is precisely when I miss those big round tables at Chinese restaurants.


#BeastTO wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Chef Scott and Rachelle Vivian, owners of Beast (@BeastRestaurant on Twitter). Thanks for for taking the time to organize this Tweetup with me (believe me, there were plenty of emails going back and forth between us LOL). So thank you again =) And I also wanna say thanks to all the foodies that showed up at #BeastTO ^_^


You can probably tell from that picture below that Beast is a small place; our group alone took up almost half of the restaurant. From the left: Mack (@M3foods), Chris (@chrisim), and Sandon (@sandviper). Sorry about the blurry head >_<

From the far left, starting from below the window: Matt (@mattmark), Gizelle (@TorontoEats), John (@jchant), Alexa (@alexaclark), Jennifer (@jylui) and Sandon (better shot this time).

Happy Hour Menu - This ends at 7pm. My half of the table ordered one of everything to share (everything above the Beast Burger).

Lobster Feast at OMEI

Last Tuesday, I went to a lobster tweetup which was organized by Mackenzie (@M3foods). It finally came into fruition as it was originally planned for early November but was pushed back due to scheduling conflict. 


Why a lobster Tweetup you ask? Well simply because I was talking about my experience at The Lobster Trap a month or so ago on Twitter, how great it was and all, and it just so happens that at the same time, Mackenzie also posted up a picture on Twitter of two ginormous lobsters from OMEI Restaurant (totally stealing my lobster thunder by the way). And then from that, Chris (@thechrisim) suggested doing a lobster tweetup, and of course within minutes we all chimed in about how awesome that idea was. So Mac, with his connections, was able to hook us up with a 5-course lobster dinner at OMEI Restaurant, with the criteria that we get enough people for it. Let's just say it wasn't too hard finding 10 people for this lobster feast =)


I haven't been to OMEI for probably more than 10 years. I remember going as a kid with my family when we first immigrated here from Hong Kong.  Since I wasn't a foodie back then I have no recollection if the food there was good or not. But OMEI is considered to be a household name in terms of Cantonese cuisine in Toronto, and I'm sure most Chinese people in the area knows about it; it has a good reputation for its consistency and quality.

Tuesday night at Omei: we were the only table there at the time (around 7pm). Here we are waiting for the rest of the gang.

Lobsters in the tank.

Notice that these are not your typical size lobsters.

The Stella Artois 9-Step Pouring Ritual at The Labatt Beer Institute

Thanks to Calvin (@cdot_in_tdot) from Boston Pizza Yonge & Sheppard and The Labatt Beer Institute, I had a great night at #9StepTO last week. I got a chance to attend a brief seminar about beer (while drinking Stella Artois and munching on nachos), sample various domestic and international beers, learned and tried out The 9-Step Stella Artois Pouring Ritual, and also met a several new tweeps =)


All this took place at The Labatt Beer Institute which is located at 207 Queens Quay W. It is a private facility that also doubles as the corporate headquarters for ABInBev (which consists of several merged companies including Anheuser-Busch(AB), Interbrew (In), AmBev (Bev)).  ABInBev is the brewers of brands such as Stella Artois, Beck’s, Budweiser, Leffe, Brahma, Hoegaarden, Labatt, Alexander Keith’s, Bass, Busch, Kokanee, O’Doul’s.


I personally do not know much about beer nor do I drink much of it, but given that my name is Stella, I do tend to choose Stella Artois over other brands when I go out =D However, at restaurants that offer Fruli, there is no question, whatsoever, that I will order the strawberry beer over anything else (yes, I like my fruity drinks).

The events that night took place in this beautiful room. The first thing you notice once you walk in is the huge bright bar.

Everything looked so clean and polished. There was a lot of shiny chrome.

Biff's Bistro Tweetup

A #biffsTweetup at Biff's Bistro was kindly organized by Ben (@LauBenedict) about a month ago. Not sure how the conversation about oysters came up on Twitter (I'm guessing, very likely, that it was from Eugene (@euge_loo)) but either way, I'm sure someone proclaimed their love for oysters, and then one thing led to another, a Tweetup was organized and we all found ourselves gathered together one night for dinner  to enjoy some oysters and food at Biff's Bistro. It was great seeing Summer (@summer_luu) and Evelyn (@eviechiu) again, and an opportunity for putting faces to the names I've been tweeting with for awhile now: Ben, Chris (@chrisunagi), Chelsea (@chelseachoy), Eugene, and finally meeting a new friend, Priscilla (@priscillasam). 


Why oyster at Biff's Bistro you ask? Well, every week night after 5pm they have a raw oysters special, an oyster for $1. That's right, a buck! Can't go wrong with that, right? I guess when it's so cheap, it is normal to start wondering whether you will get food poisioning afterwards but let me assure you that I did not, and nobody else in the group did either. 


I've never been to Biff's Bistro before; I used to work right across from it on the Esplanade, but somehow I never made my way over there. 


This is the bar area.

Origin Restaurant

Lisa (@HipUrbanGirl) organized a mini all-girls Tweetup at Origin last night. I remember Lisa and I talking about going to Origin a month ago on Twitter, and being as organized and on-the-ball as she is, right away Lisa asked for available dates from everyone and BOOM! Reservations were made =) Thanks to Lisa, last night was a get together between five girls, enjoying good food and good conversations, really can't beat that, especially after a stressful work day! It was my first time meeting everyone IRL too so that was exciting =) I don't know about anyone else but I had a blast - there was never a dull moment as we chatted about work, relationships, school, vacations, food, and other girly things ^_^ Great to meet Aimee (@aimeemabelle), Rebecca (@bexz10), Lisa (@HipUrbanGirl), and Alysia (@blarkness). I cant wait to do another Tweetup with these wonderful ladies =)

I have been wanting to try Origin for quite a while now, ever since it opened a few months ago actually. I think I never got around to going because they serve tapas style, small plates for everyone to share, so to me, it was only ideal if a bigger group of people go (as in, more than two) in order to try as many dishes as possible. 

Drinks menu - we didn't order any booze since it was a school/work night. Also, we really came to Origin for the food only.

The waiter came by and explained to us how the menu works (basically explaining to us that its small dishes for everyone to share). He recommended 2-3 dishes per person, and he highly recommended the 32 oz ribeye steak, priced at $70 (stated as market price on the menu). But we all know that there was no way we were gonna order steak at Origin.

After we ordered, I asked the waiter if it was OK for me to take some pictures of the restaurant, mainly of the open kitchen. He said no problem. I think it is always good to ask, especially when I knew that Claudio Aprile, the head chef of Origin, wasn't too pleased about all the picture taking at his restaurant (or at least with people taking pictures with flash). Anyway, although I was given an OK, I still snapped these pictures relatively quickly. I guess I'm paranoid.

As Aimee knows from reading my blog, I ♥ open kitchens!

Trevor Kitchen and Bar (Summerlicious)

I organized a Tweetup event, with the help of Summer (@summer_luu), during the first week of Summerlicious at Trevor Kitchen and Bar. When the Summerlicious menus first came out online, I was so swamped with work during the day and too tired at night to check out any of the menus or restaurants for this year's event (I usually do so very diligently twice a year during Summerlicious and Winterlicious). Thankfully, Summer had  Trevor in mind so I didn't have to think about anything else and was just responsible for booking the reservation.


At first, we were going to have about 12 people for dinner, but when I called Trevor, they said for any group larger than 8, they require a deposit of $35 per person (basically the cost of one Summerlicious dinner). With that in mind, we scaled down our invite to 7 people since it was ridiculous for anyone to fork out $420 for deposit. Also, it would definitely complicate things if some people decide to cancel last minute. At the end of the day, 6 of us came out for dinner: Sean (@InSeansOpinion), Evelyn (@eviechiu), Jenna (@JennaStothers), Shay (@shalynsays), Summer and I.

Caplansky's Delicatessen

WARNING: THIS POST CONSISTS OF MANY MOUTH-WATERING PICTURES THAT MAY MAKE YOU DROOL - PLEASE HAVE KLEENEX NEARBY IF YOU ARE READING THIS AT WORK. =)


A few days ago, I attended my first ever Tweetup at Caplansky's. For those who do not use Twitter (and I hope that at least you have heard of Twitter), a "Tweetup" is an organized or impromptu gathering of people that use Twitter; so a "tweetup" is a play on words for a "meetup" for people who "tweet" on Twitter. The DeliTweetup wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Jaollore (@clickflickca), Joel (@foodie411), and Zane (@Capalansky) for organizing it, so THANK YOU GUYS! =) 


I had great fun seeing some of the fellow foodies again, several of whom I met from my Stratford culinary trip a few weeks ago. I also met a few new people who I already tweet with regularly but haven't had the chance to meet them in real life. Whether or not they were self-described "foodies", I'm sure each person who attended this DeliTweetup embraces food and good conversation.  


Here's a picture of us taking up the whole patio at Caplansky's . We originally expected around 12 people, but somehow 20 of us showed up. No matter though, the more the merrier! 

Below is Zane Caplansky, owner of Caplanky's Delicatessen. He gave us a brief introduction about himself, his restaurant, as well as what his menu is all about. On the left is Zane in his work attire, and on the right, is also Zane but in his time-to-relax attire =)