Daredevil
When did my little boy become such a daredevil? Where did he get the ‘danger’ gene? I can assure you that it’s not from me! I’m afraid to step on the second rung of a ladder … but Tomi is turning out to be quite the climber. He is an active little character, on the go, discovering , exploring … and leaving chaos in his wake.
Niagara Restaurant Review: Inn-on-the-Twenty
Off to Niagara! My sister and I rented a car for a two-day getaway. Our plan was to stay in a B&B, check out Niagara-on-the-Lake (‘most beautiful town in Canada’!), take a boat tour of the infamous Falls, and enjoy the wines and wineries in the area.
After a lovely meandering drive through the wine region of Niagara, we stopped for a late and light lunch at Inn-on-the-Twenty. It had been recommended to me and received great reviews online, but we weren’t sure if we would make it because it is located on a side street in the small village of Jordan. Fortunately, the timing worked out great, and we were able to stop by.
After several few eclectic, off-beat restaurant meals, our experience at the Inn-on-the-Twenty was the opposite end of the spectrum. It offered the feeling of a high-end place with a corresponding menu and environment. Pristine and every detail considered, it seemed more starched and formal than some of the other places we’d eaten at recently. The room was sumptuous and elegant, with an entire wall of bright windows looking out to beautifully tended gardens.
We shared a glass of sweet Gewürztraminer and had a light meal of salads and sandwiches. The food was lovely and yes, it was a more expensive than your average casual chain meal, but the prices seemed appropriate for the ambiance. The menu certainly was not as innovative or diverse as other restaurants we had enjoyed in the past few days.
All in all, it was a lovely experience. We enjoyed our meal, enjoyed the wine, enjoyed the environment – - – but it somehow seemed to, well, too ‘old’ and formal for us. Give me another 30 years, and I’ll be back.
Inn-on-the-Twenty http://www.innonthetwenty.com/dining.html
Toronto Restaurant Review: Ruby Watchco
As a bit of a treat, we decided to go out to a nicer restaurant with a Prix Fixe menu. After some debate, J and her boyfriend Chris selected Ruby Watchco, a new and eclectic restaurant whose interior offered no clue to the meaning of its name.
Ruby Watchco offers one four-course meal per night. No menu, no choosing. You show up (reservations recommended!), sit down, have a drink and food starts arriving at your table. They do offer alternative options for vegetarians – if you give them enough notice – and were willing to work around my aversion to fish.
Our menu was the following:
Ontario Crunchy Vegetable Salad – Basil Ricotta Crostini with Garden Herb Vinaigrette
BC Salmon with Honey Horseradish Mustard Glaze – House Smoked Salmon, Bacon and Potato Hash, Summer Beans with Toasted Almond Butter, Charred Sweet Corn, Avocado, and Heirloom Tomato Relish
Glengarry Fine Cheese “Big Brother” – Red and Black Currents, Ice Wine Jelly, and Basil Flowers
Summer Berry Napoleon – Lemon Curd and Hewitt’s Dairy Sweet Vanilla Cream
Because I have an aversion to fish, the kitchen was kind enough to offer a perfectly-cooked steak instead, and my vegetarian sister enjoyed Mediterranean vegetable couscous.
Every aspect of the meal was lovely and interesting and satisfying. Of all the flavours and combinations, one of the highlights for all of us was the corn, avocado, and tomato relish, which was perfect both on its own and in combination with the other flavours on the plate.
The other favourite course was the cheese course. The cheese on its own was lovely, but it was offered with charred bread, a sweet jelly, and wildflower honey. I would never have thought to combine the tastes, but we all agreed that they were even better together than they would have been separately.
All in all, a delightful meal at a surprisingly well-priced little restaurant!
Ruby Watchco: http://rubywatchco.ca/
Toronto Restaurant Review: Queen Mother Cafe
J, her boyfriend Chris and I had dinner at this cute little cafe on the first night I arrived. It was very conveniently located on Queen Street downtown, and was quite busy, so it must be popular among those Torontonians in the know. Fortunately we’d reserved a quieter table by the window.
I find myself unable to remember the decor or drink menu whatsoever. The pad thai I had for a main course was tasty and surprisingly filling, but not exceptional. The noteworthy part of our meal was the appetizer starter we shared between us.
Wasabi Guacamole. Intrigued yet? The menu describes it as ‘creamy avacado, mango, wasabi dip, served with crispy taro chips’. Wowza! This description does not to it justice! It was incredibly smooth, with a faint hint of wasabi, and incredibly delicious. Between the three of us it disappeared in an instant, but days later I am still wondering if I can figure out how to make such mind-blowing guacamole.
Queen Mother Cafe: http://www.queenmothercafe.ca/index.htm
Toronto Restaurant Review: Lady Marmalade
We have enjoyed some most spectacular meals during this Sister’s weekend, at the kind of restaurants I rarely have the opportunity to enjoy back home. Not because Vancouver doesn’t have some eclectic and marvelous cuisine, but rather because my very small children don’t have much appreciation for anything that takes more than 0.54 seconds to appear on their trays. And then one of them – not that we’re naming any names here, Tomi – flings food everywhere, which makes us all somewhat unpopular at any restaurant even marginally more classy than A&W.
So, without further ado, allow me to tell you about good food.
Lady Marmalade is a cute, eclectic all-day breakfast place on Queen Street East. It’s an unexpected and fearless little place in an up-and-coming neighbourhood. The decor is sort of scruffy, with mismatched vinyl chairs from the 70s.
My sister and I shared ‘good morning poutine’: baked hashbrowns & aged white cheddar topped w/miso gravy, topped with green onions. An unexpected combination that made my sister’s eyes pop out at the same time I had to close mine. Probably one of the most outstanding dishes I’ve had. Ever.
We also each enjoyed savoury waffles with aged white cheddar & spinach, with a smokey tomato-orange cream, scallions, roasted tomatoes, bacon or avocado & a salad. I had never had savoury waffles before, but let me tell you: highly recommended!
Top the whole meal off with endless cups of hot milky coffee. Now THAT, my friend, is how you start a day.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Lady Marmalade: http://www.ladymarmalade.ca/index.html
Toronto Getaway!
So my sweet husband has sent me to Toronto for a short but marvelous getaway with my sister. J works in publishing in the big city, and we don’t get to see each other nearly often enough.
We spent two days in Toronto, mostly chatting and shopping and eating. This morning we rented a car and have nestled into the lovely town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, wrapped on one side by lakeshore and on the other by endless miles of vineyards.
And tomorrow, after a visit to the grand Falls and a few more vinery visits, I hop onto an evening plane to return home to my beloveds. A bittersweet departure indeed.
The Oshika Gang is Back Online
OK, OK, I know it’s been about a million years since I posted. I’ve been asked about it a lot.
But we’ve finally gotten around to doing some tinkering with the blog situation here at the Oshika Gang, and more fiddling will happen over the coming weeks. Some of this is behind-the-scenes, and some of it will be more obvious to you the reader. Hopefully it will be an improvement for blogger and readers alike. Comments and suggestions are welcome!
Thanks for being patient with us, and I hope you like what you see!
Little Mama
Little Ms. Helpful likes to do everything I do. She is particularly fond of bum changes (complete with wipes and bum cream). Even the famous Green Blanket sometimes wears diapers!
She also likes to help with Tomi’s bum changes!
Happy Tuesdays at Mama Jen’s
Mama Jen let Aili and Shaylee decorate her gingerbread house.
Aili figured out very quickly that the ‘glue’ was not just glue… and spent the rest of the time sneaking tastes!
At the park. Aren’t they CUTE????
Hangin’ in the Bumbo
You can see that Tomi is having some trouble with his skin. We went to the doctor and got some goop that I apply religiously, with some moderate improvement. We’re going back with the hope of getting even better goop next week.
This is what happens when Mommy fiddles with my hair, rather than just letting it go wild:
