The Cider Social

I thoroughly enjoy cider but most bars in Toronto either don't carry it in the first place, or only have one or two on offer. One is better than none, but, well, I like trying things. So when I heard about the March Cider Social with its promise of extensive cider selection, I booked it into my calendar without a second's hesitation. In pen.


The Cider Social was organized by Andrew Ennals, who apparently loves cider and would love to see more of it on offer in local watering holes. The March edition took place at Tequila Bookworm and offered up 12 different choices in their upstairs space. The place was quaint and cozy, the bartenders were friendly, and the cider was delicious. I went with a few friends, so we started up a tab and started working our way through the list. Since we were actually drinking full glasses, we only made our way through 4 of the 12 different ciders on offer but apparently that's not a problem because Tequila Bookwork has the same extensive selection (the largest in the city!) on a regular basis and are working on getting a couple more. I would have loved to taste all 12 in one night, but my companions were in more of a drinking than tasting mood and the cider was in bottles, not on tap, so we took more of an in-depth tasting approach. I would love to see a cider tasting event happen here that samples the entire selection but in the meantime will contend myself with going back repeatedly to complete my exploration.

In addition to Andrew being on hand to plug Ontario cider, there were books scattered around on cider and cider production, which was kind of cute. And the owner of Pommies was making the rounds with free samples and friendly chats. Overall, we had a great time and after splitting the tab 4 ways (after several hours of continuous "tasting"), the bill came to only about $16 each including tax and tip. Definitely worthy of a repeat performance.

WHAT: March Cider Social

WHERE: Tequila Bookworm, 512 Queen St. W. (upstairs bar)

WHEN: March 14, 2013 - 7:30 pm

COST: Reasonable (pay as you drink; no admission fee)

INSIDER DETAILS: Keep an eye on Andrew's activities - he's planning more of these and possibly some trips out to the producers. Also check out Tequila Bookworm if you like cider - they really do have the most extensive selection in the city. Bring a few friends and split some bottles to taste several kinds and still be able to walk in a straight line. Be sure to try the Spirit Tree Apelager - it was a unanimous favourite in our group. I would also recommend following @CiderToronto on Twitter to stay in the loop on upcoming events.

Getting Down to Business - The Promotional Side, That Is

I am going through another career transition and a sleepless night a couple of weeks ago saw me propped up in bed ordering business cards online at 3am. When these arrived in the mail, included in the package was a discount coupon for other products on the site. That is how I came upon the idea of ordering postcards for my blog.

While I initially started the blog for myself and my friends to help us remember the awesome things we get up to, I now get a lot of questions about it. So when the idea of limited promotion presented itself and took hold in my brain, I hopped back online and started browsing card designs to see if there was one I could make work without too much effort. The postcards (along with envelopes and matching return address labels) arrived today and I couldn't be happier. I have a feeling I will be returning to this site many more times in the future.

For those looking for personal or business promotional materials, or personalized stationery and gifts, VistaPrint offers a wide rage of affordable options. With hundreds and even thousands of customizable templates, it has never been easier to get creative on a budget. My box of shiny new business cards set me back less than $10 (cards were free; I just paid for shipping) and the set of postcards, envelopes and address labels came in at under $30. And playing around with the designs online was just about the most fun I've had all week. Highly recommended!

WHAT: VistaPrint - promotional materials

WHERE: Online

WHEN: 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year

COST: Incredibly affordable

INSIDER DETAILS: I know more than one person who has used their services (and were very happy with their experience), so you probably do to. Most of the shipments come with discount codes to be used for future orders, so ask around and you might be able to save even more money. 

Winter Bites - Bite Harder (wtih O&B)

Oliver & Bonacini hosted a Winter Patio Party this evening and I cannot say enough good things about it. Free food, free drinks, great music, and a fantastic atmosphere - what more can a girl ask for?

I have a class on Tuesday nights, so I could only stay for just over an hour before I had to leave. In the time that I was there, mt friends and I drained numerous glasses of tasty libations and intercepted more than one tray of food. On the drink front, there were 4 different kind of wine available, spiked cider, fancy vodka, Stella Artois, and 3 kinds of Muskoka Brewery craft beers. These were all full-size servings (none of that taster business at O&B!) and we could go back as many times as we wanted to (which we did!).

On the food front, there were oysters with chorizo on the grill, fresh oysters at a shucking bar, curry, ribs, pulled pork sliders, deep fried calimari, fancy fries, and yummy bread sticks wrapped in smoked salmon. YUM-MY. In addition, both Stella Artois and Muskoka Brewery were giving out some freebies, and fleece blankets were always up for grabs.

The various food and drink stations were spread out throughout the space and there were plenty of space heaters available to keep the party goers happy. When I got there shortly after 5pm, the party was already hopping. I'm not sure how crowded it got after I left, but while I was there, service was fantastic. Food and drink offerings were plentiful and we didn't have to line up for anything. Well thought out, well planned, well executed, generous, and a pleasure to be at - this one is definitely a winner in my books!

WHAT: Oliver & Bonacini Winter Patio Party

WHERE: Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill, 33 Yonge St

WHEN: March 5, 5:00-9:00 pm

COST: Free

INSIDER TIPS: I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you can, get there early! Although with this party, it looked like they were well prepared and weren't going to run out of anything soon. All the same, once those present started frantically texting their friends to come down to this amazing event they were at, the space started filling up more, which made for a slightly longer commute between the various food and drink stations. So to be on the sage side, get there early and be prepared to stay late if the going is good (which it certainly was here!).

A Little Kitchen Inspiration

Winter getting you down? It's that time of year when spring is around the corner but, ironically, it's hardest to make it through this last little bit of cold weather, short days, messy commutes, and never quite knowing what to wear. Over the winter months, many people fall into a rut consisting of actions that require minimal effort and it can be difficult to climb out of that hole. The good news is that you don't always need to leave your house to spruce things up. And one easy way to do this is by changing up your cooking repertoire.

I love cook books, especially ones with lots of pretty pictures. They make me happy and I keep bringing new ones home (although I have gotten quite particular and pick these very carefully). But in this day and age, you don't need to spend a dime to discover a wealth of cooking knowledge that is out there. In fact, most of my cookbooks are used for browsing and inspiration. When I need to find a recipe for something I have in mind, I hit up the internet.

One of my favourite sites is AllRecipes. The content is user-created and peer-reviewed, so you are browsing family favourites that you would likely never come across otherwise. The recipes are usually very simple and you know what others have thought about them so you know what to expect. In addition, you can search by ingredients, save your favourites, create shopping lists, and more. There is no fee to sign up and I couldn't sing more praises to this site if I tried.

I also recommend checking out some of your favourite cooking TV shows online as well. These often have extensive video collections of previous episodes, so it's easy to wile away an hour (or five!) glued to your computer monitor. I always find that watching a previously intimidating recipe made by a trained professional makes me want to try things I would normally not attempt from simply reading a recipe in a book (you know how long and complicated those can get!). They just make it look so easy and once you've seen the process, you're not spending an hour trying to anticipate disasters and second-guessing what the author really meant. The Food Network has an extensive recipe and video library, as does Best Recipes Ever. I also like keeping an eye on CBC's Steven and Chris, who often have health-conscious chefs on the show offering alternatives to favourite dishes. The recipes are listed online and are usually fool-proof.

These are just some of my favourites but there is a ton of easily accessible information out there. And the best part is that it's nearly always free! So get online and start exploring. Even after days of searching, you will barely scratch the surface of that iceberg. We all fall into a routine of making the same dishes that we know are quick and easy to make, but I find that once I get excited about food again (and I always do about new things to try), I get more energy to get things done and it creates a snowball effect that extends to other aspects of my life. Dust out those aprons and get crafty in the kitchen! 

Focus on Sustainability Film Festival: Food

Planet in Focus partnered with York University to present the 2nd annual Focus on Sustainability Film Festival, with this year's theme being food. The event consisted of five documentary screenings, as well as a panel discussion on the subject and an interview with the director of "The Global Catch". A mere $2 got you in for the entire day, which included free popcorn and a chance to win some prizes generously donated by food-consious sponsors, such as Big Carrot, Farmhouse Tavern, Free Times Cafe, Fresh Restaurant, Front Door Organics, and Mama Earth Organics.

The event was fairly well organized, all things considered. First of all, it was a steal as far as cheap thrills go. Venue was comfortable, door prizes were fantastic, staff were friendly, and the event progressed smoothly and according to the schedule. I wish it had been in a more central location so more people could attend, as the content was quite excellent. Being at York (and not entirely easy to find once there), it did not draw a huge crowd (although it was fairly sizable considering the location and the fact that it took place during the day on a Friday). I also did not see any promotion of this event on social media sites (with the exception of a tweet by one of the door prize sponsors, who I happen to follow on Twitter). In fact, I don't even remember how I learned about the event in the first place. A social media presence would definitely have been appreciated. Finally, it was impossible to step away to get some lunch/snacks without missing part of the programming, so a refreshment break would have been appreciated; and the incessant picture-taking was distracting and rather off-putting. Nevertheless, the festival staff were very friendly and responsive to comments (e.g. request to tone down the picture taking) and both the film selection and the panel members were excellent. I also appreciated the obvious attempt to balance out the often depressing topic with messages of hope and inspiration. Thumbs up.

Film selection: Bitter Seeds, LoveMEATender, Urban Roots, Teo in Toronto, Sushi: The Global Catch 

Panelists: Michael Stadtlander (chef and activist), Lawrence Andres (Harmony Organics), Carly Dunster (food lawyer)

WHAT: Focus On Sustainability Festival: Food

WHERE: Nat Taylor Cinema, York University

WHEN: March 1 - 9:00am-4:30pm

COST: $2

INSIDER DETAILS: I love checking out relatively obscure events. Not only is the audience usually fairly engaged and committed, it's also usually small enough to give everyone a good chance of snagging one of the door prizes (which I did!!).

Real Food Adventures with Intrepid Travel

I had a fantastic time at last year's City Chase in Toronto, so when the City Guru shared a link to an event organized by their official travel partner, Intrepid, I pulled out my credit card and snatched one of those tickets before they (predictably) sold out. Real Food Adventures invited guests to "explore international cuisines and cultures as we serve up a delicious taste of the world with food, drinks, entertainment, tours of Steam Whistle, prizes and more!" Well, who am I to resist!

First, the (kind of) bad - my friend and I got to the event early (right at the start, really) and there was a rather slow moving line to get in (which the organizers apologized for and promised to be better prepared next time). Also, for an event that placed such an emphasis on food in its title, I expected there to be more, well, food. The mental image I had of the event included international food stations where we could sample of kinds of exotic foods. That didn't really happen. There were trays circulated with appetizers representing three different countries (which were delicious!), but that was the extent of it. If you didn't grab dinner before coming to the event, you would be hungry.



On the bright side, that was the extent of the "bad" and there were many more pluses than minuses. Overall, the evening was a great success and I would gladly attend again. For starters, the $10 admission came with complimentary coat check, 2 drink tickets per person (with additional drinks for a very reasonable $5), food samples, games, draws for prizes, entertainment, and loot bags at the end. Both bar and wait staff service was great, as is the norm at this venue. Guests were given food passports with six different countries to check off the list and were invited to make the rounds and visit the stations representing each country. At each stop, we could either play a game, complete an activity to qualify for a prize draw, or in the case of Mexico, sample delicious chocolate provided by ChocoSol. The venue was popular but not overcrowded and it was a very enjoyable evening.

My friend and I dutifully made the rounds (visiting "Mexico" several times to get our chocolate fix) and took the intellectual activities very serious, which payed off when we took home two of the evening's prizes (!!!). At the station representing China, we had to guess which foods on the list originated from China and which didn't (this was tougher than you'd think!), while at the station representing Spain we had to correctly answer a multiple choice questionnaire about Spain's food history (which was also pretty darn tough!). Both activities involved a good deal of research and educated guesses but were a lot of fun to do and we walked away feeling rather well educated. We also learned quite a bit about Intrepid's food adventure tours, which sound oh so delicious. Overall, definitely a thumbs up for this event.


WHAT: Real Food Adventures - presented by Intrepid Travel

WHERE: Steam Whistle Brewery

WHEN: February 28 - 6:30 pm

 COST: $10

 INSIDER DETAILS: I've said this before and I'll say this again - get to the event early to avoid lineups and get first dibs on samples and giveaways. Also, putting a solid effort into activities where only the correct answers are entered into a draw could score you some prizes, so take your time and use your resources wisely.

Cha (Tea) Launch Party

I love tea. Can't get enough of it (and my credit card agrees!). I first discovered Cha at the Toronto Tea Festival a few weeks ago, so when I learned they were having a launch party, I got my (free) ticket and marked the date down in my calendar. My friend and I had a birthday party to go to, so we only had about an hour to enjoy the launch party. While it was off to a slow start, we still managed to get some tasty treats and have a fantastic time.

To attend the party, you needed to register for a free ticket, as spaces were limited and the event sold out very quickly. However, when we got there, they were not checking tickets/names at the door, so theoretically, anyone could have attended. The event was held at a beautiful yoga studio at Yonge and Eglinton and we both enjoyed the feeling of zen and partying in our socks (in fact, I would love to attend more parties at yoga studios!). When we arrived, the organizers were still setting up, so we grabbed some floor cushions and hung out in one of the empty studio rooms catching up. It was very relaxing and a nice change from the hectic pace of our regular lives. When we had about 30 mins left before we had to head out to our next stop, we popped back into the studio where all the excitement was happening and found a party that was getting into full swing.

The sock-clad crowd was mixing and schmoozing over some tea-flavoured desserts (which were delicious), tea cocktails (which very delicious), and tea sample giveaways (which were adorable!). In order to score a beautifully packaged tea sample, you completed out a 10-question online quiz and the computer matched you with one of the tea samples based on your answers. My friend and I are both very excited to try ours. As we were leaving, the party was just getting into full swing and there may have been more surprises coming later in the evening. Even without the (possible) additional treats, we were very happy with the time with spent at the event and would definitely attend similar events in the future.

WHAT: Cha Launch Party

WHERE: Yoga Tree, 40 Eglinton Ave East

WHEN: February 23, 6:00pm

COST: Free

INSIDER DETAILS: If you miss out on securing a ticket to a small local event, you may still be able to get in. Try going early (I mean right at the start) and let the organizers know that you won't be staying the whole night. Chances are, the logistics will not be quite worked out until a steady stream of people have come through and you will either be able to walk in without having to show a ticket or convince the organizers to let you in to check out the event.