Canlis Salad

I recently went to Seattle (oh there's a post coming soon about it) and had one of the tastiest salads of my life. As I was eating it, I commented to the waitress how much I loved it and then she came back with this handy little postcard that had the recipe on it. How great is that?! I wish more restaurants would adopt this policy.

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It sounds so simple, but I promise you it's ridiculously good. Especially if you're a fan of lemon.

“As a waitress, I’m telling you: tip whatever you want. It’s your choice, always. Anyone who tells you 15% is a minimum can go right to hell.”

Jamie Oliver to Open a Restaurant in Mississauga, ON

Of course Mississauga gets cooler when I leave it. OF COURSE.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver will open his second Canadian restaurant sometime this year in Square One. Jamie's Italian will feature "fresh, authentic dishes using seasonal ingredients in Chef Oliver's signature rustic style." Menu items will include artisan breads, pasta and pizza made fresh daily on-site, Italian mains and desserts, an antipasti station with cured meats and an open-concept kitchen. Jamie’s Italian originally launched in 2008 in Oxford, England and has expanded globally in Great Britain, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The brand is opening Canadian locations in partnership with King Street Food Company - a Canadian premiere restaurant group with well known Toronto brands under its belt, such as Buca Osteria and Enoteca, Bar Buca, Buca (Yorkville), The Saint Tavern and Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse.

Can't wait to try this place out.

Colette Grand Cafe in Toronto, ON

There's a (relatively) new restaurant in the Thompson Hotel in Toronto that has the most eloquent dining area I've seen in ages. Not only is it a gorgeous place to eat lunch, but the food was spectacular. 

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Grilled Turkey Club

There's also an added on bakery section to the restaurant that handles their to-go pastries. The macarons are ridiculously good - and that's coming from a person who doesn't really enjoy or understand macarons but they are so, so good. I will definitely return here as soon as possible. Thanks for introducing me to this place, Marla!

Food For Thought

Do you have any idea how much I love it when someone I know (ie. an acquaintance or higher) eats off of my plate without asking? DO YOU KNOW? I understand why some people might be aggravated by such an act since it might be considered rude - but I love, love, love it. It's so bold and almost, like, a friendly kind of bold. I really think that we, as a society, need to stop viewing this act in such a negative light. Why? Here are some reasons.

1. Sharing is caring. We learned that a long time ago, let's bring that phrase back.
2. When someone is too hungry to ask for a bite, it's a lot faster to just take it - we've all been at that level of hunger before.
3. It's so loving! I might have germs, but does this food-snatcher care? Nope! Not a care in the world! If I've got a cold, well, now you've got a cold, bud. Doesn't bother me, we're friends!
4. Offering someone a taste of your meal with the hope that the person you're with will offer you some of their dish is almost MEDIEVAL at this point. JUST GRAB IT AND EAT IT. 
5. If I've made a bad decision when ordering my meal, I need a backup. Your meal is my backup. Get on board with this. If you find that to be selfish, please keep in mind that this is a two-way street. 

Do you need more reasons that that? Seriously, I will email you more reasons if you ask me. 

In any case, if you and I are ever in a restaurant together - be prepared to have your food eaten by me. It's 'cause I love you.

Red Pony in Franklin, TN

I recently visited Nashville (more on that in an upcoming post) and this restaurant was definitely the highlight of my trip.

I don't know how to write about this place. I really don't. Everything I say will be superlative and you won't believe me since people don't often believe in magic. 

Can I say with certainty that this is the best food served in Tennessee? Of course not, I haven't been to 90% of the restaurants here. But I can say that this was one of the top three meals of my life, thus far. If you find yourself ANYwhere near Franklin, TN - it would be considered a sin not to eat here. I went here for the first time recently with a loved one and our entire dinner conversation was based on what we ate. Is that normal? No. Is that what had to happen? No question.

We found ourselves thinking thoughts like, "How dare SHORTS be worn and allowed in the presence of this kind of food?" and "If there's a witch in the kitchen right now stirring an enormous caldron full of potions, I would believe it" and "There has to be drugs in here. What is happening."

The menu changes seasonally and if you go this season, I beg you to get the sausage pizza as a main, the Nutella mousse panna cotta, the crème brulee, the beef tenderloin, the burrata bruchetta, THE BEEF DUMPLINGS. 

It's abnormal that people don't cheer or give applause on their way out the door. It's almost insulting that they don't, to be honest.

Fuck your Goo Goo Clusters, Nashville. This is the only place you need to visit.

The Beauty of Yelp

Do you use Yelp? 'Cause you should. Reasons?

1. Everyone goes out to eat.
2. Your opinions matter (but only when they're passionate).

Seems simple enough, doesn't it? Personally, I love Yelp 'cause I wholly encourage overly negative or positive reviews of anything. I used to be the kind of Yelper to give two, three and four stars - but lately I'll only ever give a place either one star or five. There really should be no middle ground. And if the place you're reviewing IS a regular, basic kind of place, then that really isn't the type of restaurant that requires a Yelp review in the first place.

I can't stand it when someone reviews something with phrases like "It was all right" or "The food was adequate." What the hell?! WHO CARES?! How boring of a person are you to think that this average experience you had MATTERS TO ANYONE ELSE? It makes me so mad. Especially when I get tricked into reading those types of reviews. I've learned that the greatly written posts are usually in the one star or five star category, too. And that makes sense! One star/five star reviews elicit passion and/or rage! And that's what everyone wants.

Conclusion? I want you to Yelp. But only when you have an experience that you must inform society about. 

Marta in NYC

This restaurant opened last fall inside the Martha Washington hotel and it's basically an upper-scale pizza place. The sole reason I wanted to eat here? Mainly because anything that Danny Meyer touches turns to gold  - and this place was no exception.

Marta is now officially in my top five pizza places existing in this fine town. (If you're wondering what the others are I would say they're Patsy's/Angelo's, Milkflower, Prince Street Pizza and Juliana's.) I beg you to go and see for yourself. The pizza was thin and the toppings were thick - is there really anything else you need in a slice? No. I'm telling you, no.

Cheapskate Tip: If there's a wait for your table, you should go to the bar next door (instead of the Marta bar) if you want to save some money.

Palm Beach, Florida

My vivacious friend Jenn and I decided to celebrate turning 30 by going on vacation. When deciding where this little jaunt would be, we agreed that we would have just as good a time as Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt if we decided on Palm Beach in Florida. (It's normal to choose your vacation spots based on semi-popular movies from the early aughts, yes? YES!)

Here were our highlights:

The Tideline Resort & Spa

This was one of the very best hotels I've ever stayed at - providing you get a good room. The first room we stayed in had one bed, so we changed that to one with two beds and the second room was EONS more nice (and on a higher floor). The hotel also had direct access to the beach and an outdoor infinity pool. What the hell else could I possibly need? OH! And they made this drink (a Coffee Colada, a coffee version of a pina colada) that I will dream about for the rest of my life. Such a great hotel experience. And it's located right in the heart of Palm Beach, amongst all the ridiculously wealthy homes that line the shore.

Meat Market

We went here solely because of the list of sauces they had on their menu. If that seems like a dumb reason to choose a steakhouse, I don't think you know very much about how to properly eat a piece of meat. The meal was, as expected, amazing.

Rocco's Tacos

We had dinner here on our only night spent in West Palm Beach and the food was ridiculously good. West Palm Beach itself was, well, way livelier than Palm Beach. And by that I mean that it was filled with a younger crowd, a bit rowdier and a completely different experience. I'm happy we stayed where we did since it was a quieter/generally-nicer area where we were, so I'm glad we lucked out in staying at The Tideline. (Did I ever say the word rowdy in my twenties? I can't remember now.) 

Pistache

This French place gave us the best meal of the trip. I had their rock shrimp linguini with a Pernod saffron cream sauce and I'll never forget it. I know a detail like that really doesn't affect you in any way, but I'm noting it here incase I ever find myself in this restaurant again some day. I thought I hated saffron-anything, so you can see why I won't shut up about how good this all was.

Is it acceptable that most of these highlights are food based? Of course, you beast! Great vacations don't exist without exceptional food. 

Le Train Bleu

There's a restaurant hidden in Bloomingdale's (on the sixth floor, to be exact) and it RESEMBLES AN OLD-FASHIONED TRAIN CAR! 

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There's even an overhead compartment for your purse! Is it just me or is this place adorable? I'm a little shocked that I've lived in New York for as long as I have without knowing about it. 

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Harmeet & the menu

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Outside the washroom

To be quite honest, the food was just okay. But honestly, the fact that it wasn't terrible is the reason that I'd want to come back here. Does that make sense? The really great part about the whole place is, obviously, the surroundings. I was also struck by how quiet it was - in a good way. It's kind of nice to know that this little tucked away spot is still a bit of a secret in this city. Definitely the kind of restaurant I'd want to take my parents to if they came to visit me. The next time you're near Bloomingdale's, you should definitely check it out. 

*UPDATE: it closed in 2018! Noooooo!