Michelle V.'s Profile

For those looking for a good date spot, this might be one of them.

The atmosphere is perfect. The food is excellent (I had the gnocci which is a dish I rarely choose off an Italian restaurant's menu but here we are). The price? Very friendly to the wallet given the area, so much so, I treated myself to a crème brûlée afterwards which was like going down on silk.

Speaking of service, it was so attentive and they didn't miss a beat, masterfully doing so as to not interrupt the conversation or be pushy -- this, I can say, is a true skill of a good server.

It is both a blessing and a curse when you sit down at a restaurant for the first time and you can already tell you will be back based on the fact that everything seems to appeal to you before you've tasted anything. Such is the case with me and Three's Company Catering.

Did you get all your Furly and Roper jokes out of the way? I'll wait and then we can move on...

Good. Instantly the Cream of Tomato Soup with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich jumped at me - the perfect comfort lunch that doesn't weigh you down no matter how much butter is used to crisp that bread. It felt weird going to a new brunch place and not ordering my standard brunch dish (eggs, bacon, home fries and such) but like I said, there will be other visits! I just couldn't resist the allure of the grilled cheese.

The place is very cute - small and decorated with what I can only assume are the professional photos that come with frames when you buy them from Blacks, but the nice ones not the dated graduation portrait ones. The server was very pleasant despite the Saturday 11am rush that comes with all brunch spots.

This place has definitely reserved its spot on my brunch rotation. Welcome!

There are some stores that just intimidate the crap out of me. This is one of them... at least at first. How silly and very 'Pretty Woman' of me (you know the scene I'm talking about, where Vivian is turned away from the boutique - not that I'm comparing Anthropologie to a high-end couture shop or me to a whore with a heart of gold...)

So what made me go in here? Well, my friend raved about buying a very cute top from here (despite fretting about the price). Then her next mistake was forwarding me a link to the website. I instantly fell in love with the garments but at the time it was a mere 'admire from afar' so I decided to check out this new location.

Granted, I had low expectations: 1. they would not have half the selections that were featured on the site and 2. no way would anything fit me. Well, looks like I owe the universe a Coke because I was proven wrong on both accounts.

The store itself is huge and a bit overwhelming to the point I'm not sure if I've raided that rack yet.

As for the prices... it is not cheap but some days you gotta say to yourself "What the eff. I think I deserve a little treat today". And right now with the changing season, their summer stuff is on sale (40% off the lowest marked price - seriously, throw some leggings under that skirt and you're ready for fall wear!) But don't make a sale be your only reason to step into this store - give it a whirl and you might find something that is worth its price in gold.

Being someone who bakes religiously, I was often chastised for not going to The Queen of Tarts for a hit of sweet since I moved to Toronto. Truth be told, I wouldn't call myself a tart fan or a fan of traveling all the way to the west-end just to sample a dessert. So when I found myself in the neighbourhood, I went in to see what all the fuss was about.

Their display case was impressive to say the least - colourful, seductive and hard to decide. I asked the owner which tart was most popular and she was very helpful by asking me what I was in the mood for ('a classic twist to chocolate' was my answer). She then proceeded to make suggestions that enticed me and Lord know with how delectable those looked, I could only handle one. What I liked most of her descriptions of each tart suggestion was her clear passion for her craft. I respect that.

The Turtle Truffle Tart was what I went with (which almost lost a battle to the chocolate raspberry ganache one). It was a perfect blend of rich and creamy chocolate and caramel with pecans to boots. A sheer decadence!

Despite the long trek I have to make to get there, I will most likely be back (oh chocolate raspberry ganache, I'm looking at you!) but frequent visits cannot become a habit of mine.

When it comes to writing individual cupcake assessments, which I'm prone to do, I tend to dive into the same word bank over and over again. Words like moist, light, fluffy and dense seem to come up frequently and become, like the cupcake itself, dull in my mouth. Life Is Sweet inspires both my palette and my vocabulary to venture beyond the norm for better or for worse.

Vanilla Bean:
There's something about vanilla bean that, when you breathe it in, you can smell and taste the difference between vanilla bean and your run-of-the-mill vanilla extract. This cupcake lacked the essence of vanilla bean leaving nothing more but a basic pound-like cake in my mouth. The frosting was a sugary buttercream and one that I can and have easily imitated.

Trust me, they get more positive as I go...

Mint Chocolate:
One of my favourite flavour combinations, this cupcake did what most mint chocolate cupcakes do and that's rely on the frosting to carry the mint and just pipe it on a chocolate cupcake (which was lovely by the way). I would've like to have a hint o' mint mingled in the cake.

Seriously, praise is soon to be distributed...

Lemon Drop:
This cupcake did not hold back on the lemon. In most cases, I prefer a tiny slap on the wrist of lemon flavour but this one gives you an unexpected yet completely welcomed spanking of lemon. The citric marriage of sweet and sour is perfect.

White Chocolate:
This might be the only white chocolate cupcake I've tasted that actually captured the rich flavour of white chocolate in both the cake and the frosting. What helps the cake might have been the mini white chocolate chips folded within. The frosting, in contrast to the buttercream used in the so-called vanilla bean cupcake, was much more creamier; the way white chocolate should be. I didn't think it could get better than this cupcake until...

Butterscotch:
Fuck! Put that in your word bank.  It's moist, it's light, it's fluffy, it's delicious, it's orgasmic and it's heavenly. The perfect cupcake that is very delicate with its butterscotch.

Told ya!

Now what can be said about the little bakery on the east-side? Here's its word bank: quaint, adorable, cozy, friendly, lovely and inedible. Thank God there's the cupcakes to eat!

So I heard my neighbourhood was getting some sort of specialty bulk store (ahh, the power of Twitter) but I was not aware it was opening up on the other side of my apartment building. This is a good thing as it means I don't have walk far to find it (the power of Google failed me - could not find its address online).

They specialize in all things organic... chocolate covered almonds are organic, right??? In any case, their junk food section is small and that's a good thing. They focus on different pastas, dried fruits, flours, tea, coffee and a pantload of other stuff.

Now, there's no way it can rival The Bulk Barn in size or quantity but the quality of their product is top notch (so say I as I snack on some honey-roasted pecans). Plus, it's a great addition to this neighbourhood and give it time, it may become a solid staple... oh and the owner is super nice (and cute - teehee)!

Not as great as people have raved but also not as bad as some of the real cupcake connoisseurs made it out.

However, this review is based on two cupcakes: A vanilla and a caramel.

The Basic Vanilla: Very light, moist, fluffy and tasty. Everything I like in a cupcake (I'll wave it artistic merit since it was a very basic cupcake).

Not at all as dry as some warned me, until...

Caramel: Yawn. The cake was a tad dyer than the regular vanilla (though I think it might have been the same vanilla type cake) and instead of a frosting they used a caramel glaze. Not necessarily horrible but I would've gone with a fluffy frosting to offset the bland cake. Plus it was topped with a yellow ju-jube (the hell?!). I would've opted for a candied pecan but that's just me ;)

Writing this review might shed some light as to why I haven't yelped (or I haven't done a whole lot of anything else) in a long while. Long story short: I was in an accident that required home care.

Now this review needs some 'splaining. Also, I haven't written much of ANYTHING so prepare for my ultimate brain-dump. I want it known that I whole-heartedly appreciate the service provided to those who are otherwise left helpless, injured and such. This service deserves that kinda of recognition.

And that is why this 3-star is awarded.

So why was a 2 or lower star rating a possibility? It's hard to say "Meh, I've had better" because, well, I really haven't - this experience was completely new to me. But what isn't new is dealing with administrators, coordinators, customer service reps and the like. The lot working the phones are likely the most unorganized bunch of folks I've come across! It seemed like I had about 3 or more different people acting as my case coordinator and EVERY single time I called, and gave them my required information, I was never in the system. How about after the first time telling me I'm not in the system, you bloody well put me in the system so we don't have to go through that charade again.

For those who do not know, here is how it works: When you're discharged from the hospital, you meet with a CCAC rep or coordinator who have been briefed on your sitch. From there, they hire out agencies who will assign a home care nurse to your case. In short, CCAC acts as a sales rep, promising certain things and not coordinating with the agencies that do the actual leg work.

Oh trust me, much of my disgruntlement lies with the agencies as much as with CCAC.

So in short (which given my ranting is clearly a pipe dream at this point), please just tighten up your organizational skills because you are dealing with people who are under a lot of stress or have been through some sort of trauma and they need you at your A-game at all times!

If you possess these qualities, you should NOT work as a server:
* An inability to make eye contact
* A constant distaste for all humanity

Okay, I'm being harsh. The server was not rude or hateful just... what's the adjective for "does not give a sh*t if you lived or died"? And no, I do not want to say she was indifferent.

I arrived at the table only to wait about 15 minutes (luckily that time was filled with lovely conversation with other members of the party) to just get a drink order in. And it wasn't because she asked, I had to stop her as she cleared away other glasses or was dropping off food for the others. The same went for ordering food. As more people showed up, the less I saw her. I observed as others had to flag her down, to no avail, until they managed to get the attention of another server, This happened more than once.

Here's the thing: you WANT my money! I'm willing to exchange said money for goods and services but that transaction can only occur if you come by once in a while and say "Can I get you anything?" or in the very least the abridged version "We good?"

[/rant]

I ordered the "poutine". It hits the spot like a mother effer. Why the quotation marks? Well, it's to not upset the poutine traditionalists out there. Cadillac's poutine is made with mozzarella and cheddar cheese (not cheese curds) and was baked. Very tasty and very large - best to share... or gorge, whatever.

The amaretto sour was and is the perfect drink for me and my patio. Theirs didn't taste too alcoholic... I'm still determining if that was a win or a fail. It was refreshing nonetheless. Speaking of patio! Holy crap is this one huge. Few patios have as many sections as this place and few can boast the possiblity of actually getting lost on the patio. Dare I say, it was epic.

I won't fault this place completely on the one server. And I'm also sure she isn't like that ALL the time. She couldn't possibly... right?

I am sad to announce that The Friar and Firkin has removed my beloved Chicken Pesto Sandwich from their menu. This deeply saddened me as it brought back painful memories of the removal of the Beef Brisket sandwich during the summer of '08.

Other items have been added including a mushroom ravioli but, like the Mac & Cheese that was added and then removed (only to be a regular weekly special), I fear of falling in love and once again being left behind.

Fare thee well, Chicken Pesto Sandwich! Hopefully I shall see you again on the specials board.

Still the best and most satisfying amaretto sour I've had though :)