[Toronto] Cafe Bar Pasta

Location Review
1588 Dundas St W
Toronto, Ontario
(416)534-4794
Website


Cafe Bar Pasta (@Cafebarpasta) is located just at Dundas and dufferin, in a welcoming little space. Just as the name would lead you to believe, their modus operandi are coffees, pastas, and drinks. Luckily for me, I got to experience all three at a media preview dinner!

Passed around before dinner were sample offerings of on-menu appetizers. The Two Tartar consisting of an Ostrich and Seabream tartar were particularly memorable.

Tuna Tataki - grapefruit chilli marinade, lemon aoili

Two Tartar - citrus, frisee, puffed caper ostrich, grainy mustard, toasted walnut, wild boar crisp

[Niagara] Trius Winery - Harvest Table Lunch

Location Review

1249 Niagara Stone Rd
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Menu



If you just so happen to land on my blog the past week, then you'll notice that I was in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region recently for the Days of Wine and Chocolate festival (read my Day 1 and Day 2 adventures here!), sampling delectable desserts and local wines. Somewhere during the day my boyfriend rob and I decided it was time for some real food, and we headed to Trius Winery (@TriusWinery) which was formerly known as Hillebrand, for lunch. The winery restaurant offers regular lunch service, but we opted to partake in a special lunch Trius Winery hosts. The Harvest Table Lunch is a seasonal event offered each Saturday during the months of February and March, to the first 12 patrons to make a reservation. This intimate lunch is hosted by Trius Chef Frank Dodd's culinary team, who are knowledgeable in both food and wine. For us, this multi-talented individual would be Brad.

Trius Winery

So our Harvest Table Lunch experience starts when Brad leads us from our coatcheck to a glass wine cellar, where a reception consisting of charcuterie and sparkling wine awaits. We got acquainted with the four other individuals attending the lunch, which Rob and I would soon realize were the loveliest individuals to share the table with.

Helping ourselves to charcuterie

[Niagara] Days of Wine and Chocolate - Day 2

After having such a great experience from Day 1 of the Days of Wine and Chocolate festival (read about it here!), My boyfriend Rob and I continued onto the mission to visit as many participating wineries in the Niagara on the Lake area. Long story short, we would fail at this mission, but it was a great time regardless!

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PELLER ESTATES WINERY
Andrew Peller Signature Series Ice Cuvée | Candied Bacon and Chocolate Sponge Toffee

Peller Estates Winery

Peller Estates is a rather common wine found in the LCBO, but actually seeing the winery was quite a memorable experience. Even with a blanket of snow covering most of the property, pulling up to the winery was breathtakingly grand. I got a tingly sensation just driving up the long pathway leading to what could only be described as a castle. Well worth a visit!

[Niagara] Days of Wine and Chocolate - Day 1

Niagara on the Lake is definitely one of my favourite places to plan a spontaneous getaway to. Sitting on a perfect escarpment for growing wine grapes, the area is abundant in local wineries both big and small. I've been out here a couple times, but only ever in the summer where the open vineyards are so scenic and inviting. That got me thinking, what exactly happens here during the winter time?

Turns out there is much to do in the winter, even when there aren't grapes growing anymore! In the spirit of Valentines day, 28 wineries in the Niagara on the Lake region (@NiagaraWine), collaborate to bring a Days of Wine and Chocolate event. For $35, a touring pass is provided which gives you access to each of the wineries during the weekends of February. In exchange for a stamp in your touring pass booklet, you'll receive a small chocolate inspired treat, along with a carefully selected wine pairing. Each pairing allows the winery to showcase the flexibility of their signature wines. I initially thought it would be a lot of desserts to consume, but the portions are quite manageable. Not to mention, they aren't all sweet, either! There A handful of wineries decided to make savory chocolate treats. One even cooked up a pot of peanut butter pulled chicken! More on that later.

Days of Wine and Chocolate

If I lived closer to the Niagara region, I would probably return every weekend with my touring pass and attempt to visit every winery. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. With 28 tastings, one car, and only 2 days, we settled on cruising down one street per day, crossing off as many wineries as we could.

And so, here are the samplings from Day #1 of Wine and Chocolate.

[Toronto] Lucien

Location Review
36 Wellington Street East
Toronto, ON, M5E 1C7



I'd like to think I'm pretty honest about my reviews. I usually just say things as it is, so I'm going to come right out at the beginning of this post and express my dissatisfaction about this restaurant. In fact, If I had a list of most disappointing restaurant experiences, this one might be a chart topper.

The beginning of this story begins with a Groupon purchase. $60 of food from  Lucien (@LucienToronto) for $30. What an amazing deal! It has received praise from many recognized magazines saying that it is one of the best wine and dine restaurants in Toronto, so I snatched up the deal without even thinking twice.

Mavrik Wine Bar Tasting

Review Location:
676 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
(416) 214-9429


Last week Grace and I were invited by Tim (@mrtimchan) to Mavrik Wine Bar (@MavrikWineBar) for a wine tasting event. Not being much of a wine person, I was pretty intimidated. I don't know the first thing about wine, except the fact that it's made from grapes, right? Well lucky for me, once a month Mavrik invites professional sommelier Alexander Hamilton to educate on the art of wine tasting to whoever would like to drop by. And if you ever have a chance to talk catch a conversation with owners Liz Choi and Joanne Park, they will be able to tell you how Mavrik came about. I'll elaborate more later, but it's an interesting and inspiring story!

[Chicago] The Purple Pig

Location Review:
500 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

MENU

After an early morning architecture boat tour of Chicago (which by the way was AMAZING), I went along with my sister, Nelson (@BiteMeFoodBlog), and a couple of friends, for some lunch at The Purple Pig (@thepigchicago). This award winning Chicago restaurant is located right on the Magnificent Mile, only steps away from the beautiful river where we had our boat tour. The pathway leading up to the restaurant entrance iis guarded by a large black gate, proudly displaying their motto: "Cheese, Swine, & Wine". And it really doesn't get much more straight forward than that. The restaurant is a collaboration of three well established Chicago chefs, bringing some of the best home made cheeses, pork dishes, and fine wines.