So today I went to pick up my free pizza care of the blue jays and pizza pizza. It was an uneventful outing as I usually go early to avoid the crowds. While eating my pepperoni slice, these two guys came in after me. Nothing noteworthy except that these same guys were behind me in line at the McD's a few blocks away when I went for my post pizza sundae. I don't think I'm stalker worthy so it seems like this Pizza Pizza to McDonald's route is actually common.
While on the topic of sundae's I thought I should complain about the fact that McD's now charges 1.69 for a sundae. Outrageous. What happened to the 2 for 2 dollars promotions that I used to be so fond of
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
PC 100% Purée & Juice Mango Orange Blend
The new insider report from a few weeks ago was a mild disappointment. Aside from the pineapple upside down cake reviewed previously, there weren't a lot of new and exciting items. One other exception however was the PC 100% Purée & Juice Mango Orange Blend. We picked some up yesterday and it is terrific. The fools on the internet rate it only a 4.1/5.0 but I think it should be more like 4.7. The thick juices really don't get enough credit. Janice disagrees with my assessment but I view that as good news - more juice for me!
Black Creek Pioneer Village
The price was right (free) for Doors Open Toronto so we went for an outing to North Toronto yesterday.
The village was rather large and moderately impressive. Not quite as fun as Westfield Heritage Village (Hamilton) Maple Syrup Festival, but then again, it's hard to compare in fun-ness to that event.
Ian says...Mmmmm...bacon. Janice thinks the pigs are cute, but somewhat agrees with Ian's assessment of "tasty".
Mmmm...butter.
Janice goes to church!
Apple press for cider
Barrels for storing stuff
Old style muffin tin. Apparently the pioneers liked to use yeast in their muffins.
Water wheel at the flour grinding mill
Mystery fowl animal
Perhaps a good job for Ian??
The village was rather large and moderately impressive. Not quite as fun as Westfield Heritage Village (Hamilton) Maple Syrup Festival, but then again, it's hard to compare in fun-ness to that event.
Ian says...Mmmmm...bacon. Janice thinks the pigs are cute, but somewhat agrees with Ian's assessment of "tasty".
Mmmm...butter.
Janice goes to church!
Apple press for cider
Barrels for storing stuff
Old style muffin tin. Apparently the pioneers liked to use yeast in their muffins.
Water wheel at the flour grinding mill
Mystery fowl animal
Perhaps a good job for Ian??
Monday, May 19, 2008
PC Pineapple Upside Down Cake
The good:
- sugary & sweet
- PC website people rate it 4.7/5
- Janice & Ian rating - 4/5
- foolproof and easy to re-heat
- Price is right at about $5 for 4
The bad:
- sugary & sweet, possibly causing cavities within minutes
- Calorie laden & a frightening amount of fat!
- Definitely need some sort of frozen yogurt to cut the sugar
- Not enough real fruit on there (was basically just white cake, a ring of pineapple & caramel sauce)...although I suppose that is the essence of pineapple upside down so I should stop complaining and maybe put this in the "good" list??
- Texture was a bit odd - the cake was a bit pasty and was over-saturated with sugar sauce
The final word - go with PC sticky toffee pudding instead!!! That's some serious tastiness per unit of un-healthiness!
Misc Cooking Over Past Few Weeks
Ian goes crazy with some watermelon...
Janice is classy and actually cooks something for dinner...stir fried rice & greens from the Mollie Katzen's "Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without" Cookbook. Eggs, tofu & almonds to come later.
Also, from the same cookbook. Avocado saladita with cilantro, corn, lime, red onions, tomato etc. Was supposed to have some black beans too, but we did not plan that far ahead. It was still tasty! Ate on top of a veggie burger (Yves).
Janice is classy and actually cooks something for dinner...stir fried rice & greens from the Mollie Katzen's "Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without" Cookbook. Eggs, tofu & almonds to come later.
Also, from the same cookbook. Avocado saladita with cilantro, corn, lime, red onions, tomato etc. Was supposed to have some black beans too, but we did not plan that far ahead. It was still tasty! Ate on top of a veggie burger (Yves).
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bruschetta's (Pittsburgh)
I went out for some Italian tonight in Pittsburgh. My one co-worker seems to enjoy this place, but the Internet had mixed feelings - mainly related to service.
Things started off a bit poorly with no wine list by the glass. I ordered a pino grigio and hoped for the best. It turned out well, but was pretty expensive at over $7 for the glass.
For appetizer, I went with wedding soup. Really only adequate.
For main course, I went light with grilled veggies & bruschetta + side salad. Very high marks for tastiness! A whole pack of grilled veg - zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, portabello etc. Toast was garlic-y and tasty. On the toast was a delightful sun dried tomato type spread.
Since I was reasonably healthy so far, I went with a the peanut butter - chocolate tart! This was the star of the night.
The service ended up being ok. I was a bit freaked out by my waiter - he looked like a slightly pudgy George Stomombopolous (spelling??) and even more freaky - he totally talked like the guy!
Things started off a bit poorly with no wine list by the glass. I ordered a pino grigio and hoped for the best. It turned out well, but was pretty expensive at over $7 for the glass.
For appetizer, I went with wedding soup. Really only adequate.
For main course, I went light with grilled veggies & bruschetta + side salad. Very high marks for tastiness! A whole pack of grilled veg - zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, portabello etc. Toast was garlic-y and tasty. On the toast was a delightful sun dried tomato type spread.
Since I was reasonably healthy so far, I went with a the peanut butter - chocolate tart! This was the star of the night.
The service ended up being ok. I was a bit freaked out by my waiter - he looked like a slightly pudgy George Stomombopolous (spelling??) and even more freaky - he totally talked like the guy!
Kassabs Pittsburgh
Kassabs is another co-worker fav so I checked it out on Tue night. Things started poorly when they would not let me make changes to the veggie combo plates without charging me horrendous amounts of moola. It was not exactly unreasonable either - I just wanted 3 instead of 6 falafels & a hit of hummus instead.
They are pretty much the soup nazi's of the middle eastern Pittsburgh scene. Apparently, it is not just me. My co-worker one time wanted some fatoush salad instead of tabouli and apparently it was a no go!!!
In the end, I went with a the hummus & pita and the tabouli salad. All were reasonable good, but seemingly overpriced for about $11.
The joint was rather busy, so I guess most are satisfied with the menu choices as is??
They are pretty much the soup nazi's of the middle eastern Pittsburgh scene. Apparently, it is not just me. My co-worker one time wanted some fatoush salad instead of tabouli and apparently it was a no go!!!
In the end, I went with a the hummus & pita and the tabouli salad. All were reasonable good, but seemingly overpriced for about $11.
The joint was rather busy, so I guess most are satisfied with the menu choices as is??
Nakama (Pittsburgh)
My co-workers are obviously in the know in Pittsburgh - they took me out to a joint that is apparently #1 in sushi as well as the best restaurant in the Pitt....at least according to their website...
We got to Nakama about 6:30 on a Wed night and it was already rather packed. The host basically thought we were complete fools for showing up without a reservation. She did manage to squeeze us in at one of 10 hibachi grill stations. We started with a Majic Hat #9 beer and some edamame. I also had one of my boss's spicy california roll. Everything very very deelightful. I then ordered the grilled flank steak. With the meal, I got brothy soup, green salad, grilled mushroom appetizer, grilled veg, choice of steamed or fried rice and my meat.
The dude doing the cooking had all sorts of little tricks and it was a very entertaining show!
The flank steak was delicious when dipped in either the ginger/sesame/soy sauce or the thousand island dressing type thing.
My entree was $21, so not terrible value either!
We got to Nakama about 6:30 on a Wed night and it was already rather packed. The host basically thought we were complete fools for showing up without a reservation. She did manage to squeeze us in at one of 10 hibachi grill stations. We started with a Majic Hat #9 beer and some edamame. I also had one of my boss's spicy california roll. Everything very very deelightful. I then ordered the grilled flank steak. With the meal, I got brothy soup, green salad, grilled mushroom appetizer, grilled veg, choice of steamed or fried rice and my meat.
The dude doing the cooking had all sorts of little tricks and it was a very entertaining show!
The flank steak was delicious when dipped in either the ginger/sesame/soy sauce or the thousand island dressing type thing.
My entree was $21, so not terrible value either!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Taco Bell
Sunday after dropping Janice off at the airport I decided to go out for lunch. My first thought was Ikea of course so I stopped by. Unfortunately their three course mother's day meal (for 7.99 I believe) had a mushroom sauce as its central feature. So I took off down the street to Taco Bell instead. There I had the delightful "Bacon Club Chalupa" for $2.99. I would have liked to get something else but everything seemed to be more than a dollar which would have pushed me over the dreaded 4 dollar PST threshold. So Chalupa alone it was. I had never had a chalupa alone so I didn't know quite what I was getting. It's basically a funny taco with chicken and bacon + sauce with lettuce etc. The funny taco was really the highlight, it's what I'd call a soft hard taco. It has the shape of a hard taco but it's softer.
For Taco Bell history buffs (and admit it, you love Taco Bell history) the BCC first appeared in 2004 as the Club Chalupa. The addition of Bacon to the name has not changed the contents of the item.
For the health conscious, the taco bell web site does not list the nutritional information for the BCC. I'll take this to mean that it's so healthy you can't go wrong a BCC. Now that I think of it perhaps that's why the expression "A Chalupa a day keeps the doctor away" became so popular.
For the people who like random stories, the person in line in front of me was in a Taco Bell uniform which was a little odd but that wasn't noteworthy until he asked to talk to the manager. Apparently another Taco Bell had sent him to come "borrow" some chicken. After a lengthy discussion they finally agreed to something and off he went with three bags of chicken.
For Taco Bell history buffs (and admit it, you love Taco Bell history) the BCC first appeared in 2004 as the Club Chalupa. The addition of Bacon to the name has not changed the contents of the item.
For the health conscious, the taco bell web site does not list the nutritional information for the BCC. I'll take this to mean that it's so healthy you can't go wrong a BCC. Now that I think of it perhaps that's why the expression "A Chalupa a day keeps the doctor away" became so popular.
For the people who like random stories, the person in line in front of me was in a Taco Bell uniform which was a little odd but that wasn't noteworthy until he asked to talk to the manager. Apparently another Taco Bell had sent him to come "borrow" some chicken. After a lengthy discussion they finally agreed to something and off he went with three bags of chicken.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh
Last time I went to the Hard Rock was about 10 years ago...when I first knew Ian and we went skiing to Banff. I went with some nachos and found them to be soggy and not so tasty. Not one to hold a grudge, I decided to go back 10 years later and visit the Pittsburgh station square version.
This time, I went with a bbq brisket sandwich with fries, coleslaw & beans. The brisket itself was dry and no where near enough bbq sauce. Basically dried out roast beef. I could cook that at home - why go out for that??? No problems with the bun. The hard rock crew should buy a PC package of brisket and use that as an example.
Coleslaw was boring, but edible. Baked beans basically tasted like ketchup. Fries were the one high point of the whole meal, but in an effort to be somewhat healthy I only had a few of them. The price was right - $19 for the meal including a pint of beer, tax and tip.
This time, I went with a bbq brisket sandwich with fries, coleslaw & beans. The brisket itself was dry and no where near enough bbq sauce. Basically dried out roast beef. I could cook that at home - why go out for that??? No problems with the bun. The hard rock crew should buy a PC package of brisket and use that as an example.
Coleslaw was boring, but edible. Baked beans basically tasted like ketchup. Fries were the one high point of the whole meal, but in an effort to be somewhat healthy I only had a few of them. The price was right - $19 for the meal including a pint of beer, tax and tip.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Calabash (Mississauga)
I went out for some Friday lunch action/b-day celebration with Gordie to Calabash roti joint in Mississauga. I am generally somewhat disturbed by the complete lack of seemingly Caribbean origin people at this place, but the roti seems to be as authentic as the rest of the T. roti huts.
I went with veggie with chickpea & potato. As per usual, it was gigantic and tasty. My only complaint is that squash is not an option for the veggie. I think that pretty much the whole world loves squash - or at least I do.
I went with veggie with chickpea & potato. As per usual, it was gigantic and tasty. My only complaint is that squash is not an option for the veggie. I think that pretty much the whole world loves squash - or at least I do.
Baton Rouge (Convention Center)
The wood burning fumes emitted from the roof have nearly lured me in many times, but Ian has generally put on the kibosh on in favor of Aroma or East. This time it was for my birthday, so Ian did not have much say.
We both went with 1lb of baby back ribs. For $23 each, it was a humongous plate of ribs! Like 1.5 racks perhaps?? The meat was so fall of the rib, that I didn't even really need to get dirty and I just ate with a fork. Ian did not let that stop him from making a rather large mess.
The bbq sauce on there was pretty tasty too. My sides were coleslaw & baked beans. Both about average, but in sufficient quantity to make up for it!
Ian went with fries and cinnamon apples - also pretty decent and in sufficient quantity.
By the time dessert rolled around, we were both pretty stuffed up so we skipped it.
The last pleasant surprise was the bill - my pint of Canadian was only $4.25! Sure, it didn't appear to be a full pint - but at least they didn't charge me as if it was.
Service was fine.
The room was HUGE and hardly full for a Friday night. Maybe when summer hits and the tourist crowd descends on the world's second tallest tower, this joint will fill up.
We would definitely go back for another plate of yummy ribs at an ok price.
We both went with 1lb of baby back ribs. For $23 each, it was a humongous plate of ribs! Like 1.5 racks perhaps?? The meat was so fall of the rib, that I didn't even really need to get dirty and I just ate with a fork. Ian did not let that stop him from making a rather large mess.
The bbq sauce on there was pretty tasty too. My sides were coleslaw & baked beans. Both about average, but in sufficient quantity to make up for it!
Ian went with fries and cinnamon apples - also pretty decent and in sufficient quantity.
By the time dessert rolled around, we were both pretty stuffed up so we skipped it.
The last pleasant surprise was the bill - my pint of Canadian was only $4.25! Sure, it didn't appear to be a full pint - but at least they didn't charge me as if it was.
Service was fine.
The room was HUGE and hardly full for a Friday night. Maybe when summer hits and the tourist crowd descends on the world's second tallest tower, this joint will fill up.
We would definitely go back for another plate of yummy ribs at an ok price.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Queensborough Pie Ladies
Every April, Ontario & Quebec kayakers flock to Queensborough to run the Upper & Lower sections of the Black river. For those that may not know where this is (Ian) - it's near Madoc off of highway 7. For those who still do not know where this is, it's 3 hours North East of T.
A pack of locals put together a pie/bbq eating event as a fund raiser for misc playground building activities.
This year, I've partaken in the bumble berry and cherry pies. Both were very tasty and highly recommended for a mere $2 or so per slice.
Other years, I've eaten the chocolate cupcakes & cinnamon buns...mmmmmm.
A pack of locals put together a pie/bbq eating event as a fund raiser for misc playground building activities.
This year, I've partaken in the bumble berry and cherry pies. Both were very tasty and highly recommended for a mere $2 or so per slice.
Other years, I've eaten the chocolate cupcakes & cinnamon buns...mmmmmm.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Random Cookbook Arrival
A delightful looking book arrived today via mail...
Thanks to my mysterious gift givers!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Pineapple
If you have not noticed the $2 fresh pineapple bonanza that has been happening for the last two months, run out to your local no frills now!!!!
Quizno's Portabello Mushroom Action
While waiting for my tires, I did a little shopping and walked over to Quizno's for dinner. I enjoy Costco, but their fast food dinner options were not so appealing to me!
I was a little taken aback when they asked if I wanted "chicken" or "steak" with my portabello sub. Good thing I'm no longer veggie - so I went with steak on whole wheat.
So basically the sandwich consisted of:
- Steak
- Mozza cheese
- Portabello
- Peppercorn sauce
The whole concoction was really yummy, but I wish that I had asked for a few more veggies thrown on there (peppers, tomato, lettuce etc).
I was a little taken aback when they asked if I wanted "chicken" or "steak" with my portabello sub. Good thing I'm no longer veggie - so I went with steak on whole wheat.
So basically the sandwich consisted of:
- Steak
- Mozza cheese
- Portabello
- Peppercorn sauce
The whole concoction was really yummy, but I wish that I had asked for a few more veggies thrown on there (peppers, tomato, lettuce etc).
Costco Awesomness
I have never had a membership and have not really understood all the hype regarding Costco. With my need for new tires, I became a member and have now become moderately obsessed.
Some of the awesomeness we have purchased recently:
- 10 pairs of decent socks for $20
- Rechargeable batteries for about 1/2 the price of future shop
- Multi grain triangle shape rolls ($4.50 for 18!)
- Huge trays of strawberries for $4 (probably half of no frills pricing)
- Moderate amounts of blackberries for $4
- Huge bag of pistachios for $9!
I have also spied, but not purchased yet:
-A TV of some sort (ours is pretty much dead)
-Pita break breakfast double wide for about 70% of the price of single packs x 2
-Soy milk x 3 for $8 something (about $3 savings)
-A couple racks of pork ribs for $20!
-Chipotle bbq pulled pork double family size for $12
-Large jar of PB for same as I pay for a medium
Some of the awesomeness we have purchased recently:
- 10 pairs of decent socks for $20
- Rechargeable batteries for about 1/2 the price of future shop
- Multi grain triangle shape rolls ($4.50 for 18!)
- Huge trays of strawberries for $4 (probably half of no frills pricing)
- Moderate amounts of blackberries for $4
- Huge bag of pistachios for $9!
I have also spied, but not purchased yet:
-A TV of some sort (ours is pretty much dead)
-Pita break breakfast double wide for about 70% of the price of single packs x 2
-Soy milk x 3 for $8 something (about $3 savings)
-A couple racks of pork ribs for $20!
-Chipotle bbq pulled pork double family size for $12
-Large jar of PB for same as I pay for a medium
Friday, May 02, 2008
Stormy Outside + Inside at Il Fornello
On my infrequent jogging around town, Il Fornello on Queen's Quay is generally packed with the after work crowd. So we thought we'd check it out.
Dinner started off poorly with some slow service off the top. I ordered a $7 glass of Merlot. It was quite a puny portion and not worth it! Water was somewhat hard to come by too.
Bread was the next ordeal - we waited quite awhile and were somewhat jealous of the people all around us munching on bread. Finally, our waiter asks if we'd like some. Ian of course worries about if this is going to cost us etc etc. In the end, we gave it a yes. Seems kind of awkward - why not just bring us the bread and skip the awkward-ness??? Then, I spy the olive oil and vinegar on other tables, so I ask our waiter for some. Again, why not just give it to us and spare me having to flag him down?
Main courses were extremely quick - they came in about 5 minutes! Ian likes his seafood linguine with tomato sauce. My pasta with mushrooms and sirloin tips was only so so. It was supposed to be cream sauce and cheese - but it was more like runny beef broth. A distinct meaty flavour permeated the whole dish and the cream-y-ness was nowhere to be found. Even Ian, the dedicated carnivore, had to agree that it was too much meaty flavor.
For $56 (including tax and tip) for 2 entrees and 1 glass of wine, I would expect better. I'm not sure why this joint is so popular and why it's a mini-empire in the T.
Dinner started off poorly with some slow service off the top. I ordered a $7 glass of Merlot. It was quite a puny portion and not worth it! Water was somewhat hard to come by too.
Bread was the next ordeal - we waited quite awhile and were somewhat jealous of the people all around us munching on bread. Finally, our waiter asks if we'd like some. Ian of course worries about if this is going to cost us etc etc. In the end, we gave it a yes. Seems kind of awkward - why not just bring us the bread and skip the awkward-ness??? Then, I spy the olive oil and vinegar on other tables, so I ask our waiter for some. Again, why not just give it to us and spare me having to flag him down?
Main courses were extremely quick - they came in about 5 minutes! Ian likes his seafood linguine with tomato sauce. My pasta with mushrooms and sirloin tips was only so so. It was supposed to be cream sauce and cheese - but it was more like runny beef broth. A distinct meaty flavour permeated the whole dish and the cream-y-ness was nowhere to be found. Even Ian, the dedicated carnivore, had to agree that it was too much meaty flavor.
For $56 (including tax and tip) for 2 entrees and 1 glass of wine, I would expect better. I'm not sure why this joint is so popular and why it's a mini-empire in the T.
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