I was invited to a #TasteTheSeason dinner hosted by Sweetgreen to showcase their Autumnal seasonal menu. Over to Ward's Berry Farm we went, where we were introduced to farmer Jim Ward who took us on a hayride through the fields where many of the ingredients of Sweetgreen's menu are sourced.
Boston: Nova Scotia Kitchen Party
It's not every night you get to experience a traditional Nova Scotia Kitchen Party with a gourmet menu, cocktails with blue noses on them, fiddle music and square dancing under a tent on the Charles River with a sunset viewof the Boston skyline.
Rockport, MA: Roy Moore Lobster Co.
A recent trip to Rockport immediately made me crave lobster rolls, which, in the past in Boston has been good but not as exciting as I would have anticipated.
Savannah: Paris Market Cafe
Savannah is one of those places that has incredibly delicious food, the most friendly of locals and lots of lovely quaint shops. I'd never heard about The Paris Market before, so visiting the shop was a special treat. I think I might have spent a good afternoon perusing the beautiful merchandise and sipping tea (and of course, a cookie) at the lovely little cafe....
Savannah: Back in the Day Bakery
Location:
2403 Bull Street
Savannah, GA
31401
One thing at the very top of my Savannah list of places to visit was the Back in the Day Bakery. I'd seen it on Jamie Beck's blog and she highly recommended it on the list of must-sees she gave me.
On a rainy day it was an amazing, indulging breakfast pit stop.
I mean, biscuits and jam? I could have those every day.
(Also, who knew that I could have been sitting so close to one of my Instagram connections - wow, small world!)
Vancouver: Nuba
Location:
207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
When Melanie recommends something (like best poutine in Montreal), she's right on the money. Nuba was no different.
Scrumptious down to the last swipe of hummus and I guarantee you, there was a final sweep of that hummus!
You can create your own juice combo from Orange, Lime, Apple, Beet, Ginger, Carrot, Celery or Grapefruit. Ours consisted of Apple, Ginger and Celery and was deeeelicious. I'm always a little wary of what is claimed to be "fresh juice" especially when it involves ginger which as you know, aids in digestion, sometimes a little too well, if you get my drift?
I digress.
Everything was fresh, the meat is halal, there are vegetarian options and vegan options, making the food a healthy alternative while still being incredibly filling and satisfying.
Yikes, my mouth is watering. Again.
Vancouver: Granville Island's Public Market
I love a good market. Vancouver's Granville Island's Public Market is ah.mah.zing. The only snag, not being able to buy fresh produce that I could actually take home. Hmm...although, I did buy the most insanely divine Ice Wine Chocolates from Rogers' Chocolates and beer from Granville Island Brewing Company (so my priorities may be questionable) BUT I must say, the beer served us well during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the public market....where the selection is vast and the freshness, out of bounds.
For lunch, I had fish and chips (obviously) from Celine's and I had to make a stop at the famous Lee's Donuts (as seen on tv) after which I parked myself at the Granville Island Tea Company with a pot of Earl Grey admist a crowd of market goers.
Come with me to smell the peonies, maneuver pyramids of fruit while oogling the abundance of fresh fish...
Chicago: Giodarno's Deep Dish Pizza
Location:
730 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Pizza is definitely a weakness for me...I could eat it all day, son. All. day.
A deep dish pizza, I've never had though, and it's obviously the thing to do in Chicago.
While asking around for the BEST deep dish pizza joint, we were referred to Giordarno's FAMOUS deep dish.
Kate of
said that a deep dish 'za is like eating a lasagna...and she was correct.
This was LIGHT cheese, you guys.
LIGHT cheese.
Deep dish pizza is not for me, but I'm glad I tried it....see the left over cheese?
NEW: Little Nicky's Coffee
Location:
375 Queen St. W. Toronto
Open only 4 weeks now, Little Nicky's already seems to have a cult following of donut lovers.
Mini donuts, that is.
Made on a cute little mini assembly line.
Old-fashioned, little, powdery-sugar-and-cinnamon-covered deep fried goodness.
We love the retro, dinery vibe, and with Ray Charles playing in the background, "A.Mat" said it reminded her of The Cosby episode where the family performs Ray Charles' "Night Time is the Right Time". See video here.
One thing they might want to add to their menu however, is Earl Grey tea. Orange Pekoe (from Tealish) just won't cut it, even if IS loose-leaf and IS quite delish!
Still, with lovely iced lattes and happy little donuts Little Nicky's is already becoming a definite favourite at work this hot summer.
Vermont: Stowe, Black Cap Coffee
Location:
144 Main St
Stowe, VT05672
On Main Street, is the Black Cap Coffee shop, a quaint, picturesque coffee house, exactly how you would imagine there to be in a ski town.
For coffee, teas, hot chocolates, you can't go wrong. I didn't try any of there delectable delights, although the Easter sugar cookies were calling my name...
A tea to go and ready to explore a bit, although everything was closed for Easter...except Shaw's General Store...still, it made it easy to go back to our hotel.
Vermont: Stowe, Ben & Jerry's, Cabot Cheese
Locations:
Ben & Jerry's 1281 Waterbury Stowe Rd, Waterbury, VT 05676
Cabot Cheese 2878 Main St, Cabot, VT 05647
Who knew that the Ben & Jerry's factory was in quaint and picturesque Stowe?
Not to mention Cabot Cheese? I literally ran out of Lactaid, but that may have been TMI. And while the lactose-free MILD cheddar I got is incredibly sharp, I'm always just happy to find lactose-free cheese.
And hey, I didn't really spill my ice cream!
Don't forget, TODAY is Ben & Jerry's FREE CONE DAY!
Love this fake ice cream spill!
This is London: Harrods
Location:
Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 0NA, United Kingdom
An afternoon at Harrods means afternon tea at Harrods, which is something to be savoured, not devoured. Macarons from Laduree were the best part, much better than the first time I had the french confectionery.
As elegant and sohpisticated as the dining experience was, something (perhaps the lobster rolls or salmon sandwiches?) didn't sit quite right afterwards with us and I realize it's not "proper" to say so, but there it is.
A feast for the senses, I especially liked the food halls on the ground floor, which we couldn't leave without buying armfuls of marmalade (how could you not?)
Christmas time at Harrods can't be missed, if only to take in the beautiful window displays outside, which Liberty London also does so well!
Here, a glimpse into the flurry that is Harrods starting, of course, with tea...
New Haven: Bella's Cafe with Dela Chic
Location:
896 Whalley Avenue New Haven, CT
New Haven for a day, how better to spend it than breakfast with my friend Dela Chic?
She also comes bearing gifts; awwww, thanks Christine!
Miami: Fontainbleau Hotel: Hakkasan
Location:
4441 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach
http://www.hakkasan.com/miami/
You know when you're sunburned and so relaxed, that even though you want to get dressed up and go out, you really don't want to go too far?
That's when dining in one of the hotel's restaurants is the best idea, ever.
Hakkasan fit the bill. Although they were fully booked, they were gracious and got us a table after a short wait.
The dumplings were the highlight for sure. Incredibly moist, and with abundant flavor and texture, we held that as the standard. Alas the fish dish was not up to par. Am not a fan of bland steamed fish with sauce poured over it. The eggplant didn't have too much oomph and the fried rice was forgettable.
Redemption came in the form of chocolate (naturally) and won us over again. If you're staying at the Fontainbleau Hotel, I highly recommend dining there. If you're not, I wouldn't bother with the trek.
Miami: 5 Napkin Burger
Location:
455 Lincoln Road
Miami , FL 33139
http://5napkinburger.com/locations-menus/
Have you been to a 5 Napkin Burger? New York has the most number of them, and there's one in Boston's Back Bay, which I haven't visited, yet.
The one in Miami is stellar especially when you're looking for fish tacos in Miami and you'd think it would be easy to find. Not on Lincoln Road, it's not. So who woulda thought a joint with 'burger' in the title would serve fish tacos?
Well they do, and they do it well!
The only thing they don't do as well is their brownie sundae. Athough exceptional in size, the brownie bits were hard and not as moist and gooey as should be in a sundae.
Overall, a good meal. And next time I'll go for a burger!
