Sunday posts will consist of a little review of the week at Cafés & Croque Monsieur. Most things will be food related and a few that are just part of the day to day. Most recently, I went to Toronto and Montreal and got to visit a few of my favourite stores: Indigo… can anyone ever have too many cookbooks??? The answer to that question is no, by the way. I also purchased a new digital cookbook following my visit (I do like to have some of my cookbooks online as it would be impossible to house ALL of my cookbooks in our condo… my bookcase is already straining… oops! Sorry hubby!)
BOOKS
I purchased a couple of cookbooks by local Québec authors: The latest Trois Fois Par Jour cookbook by Marilou entitled “Mes Recettes à Petits Prix” translated into “My Small Price Recipes”. With so many recipes I want to try, including the Green Salad & Pear and Garlic Vinaigrette. The Black Bean Crispy Tacos also sound super delicious and, as the theme of the book says, is easy on the wallet. The Goat Cheese & Herb Frittata would also be an amazing and quick go to mid-week meal. And the Orange Cake in the dessert section would pair so well with an espresso… and may even be delicious for breakfast! (Yes, I am a “dessert for breakfast” kind of person! Let me know if we are friends in this little morning’s pleasure…)
My second book purchase was the K pour Katrine cookbook by Katrine Paradis and Margaux Verdier entitled “Gourmet Autrement” meaning “Gourmet Differently”. And again, so many recipes I want to try here such as The Tomato, White Bean, Strawberry and Sumac Salad (Hello flavours!!!) on page 66. The Antipasti Salad (The colours alone!) on page 82. Then there’s the delicious-looking Moroccan Merguez, Apricot and Pistachio Pasta on page 164 or the Scallops, Capers, Chili and Feta Spaghetti on page 172 that sounds absolutely mouth watering and perfect for summer outdoor entertaining.
My third cookbook purchase was the digital version of Life-Changing Salads by Danielle Brown (It’s almost summer, you can never have too many salad recipes, am I right?). And the 2 that jumped out at me first were the Hormone Helper (I need all the help I can get in this area of my life right now… lol). It involves carrots, apples, fennel, arugula and walnuts so not only is it healthy but sounds delicious! And the second salad on my “must try as soon as possible” list is the Healthy Goddess Orzo salad comprising spinach, strawberries, avocado, red onion, radicchio, radishes, so many greens and herbs, orzo (duh!), feta and a delicious raspberry vinaigrette… This will become a go to lunch I feel.
KITCHEN TOOLS
My shopping escapade also brought me to Crate and Barrel (Disney for foodies, am I right?) where I bought the cutest espresso cups and saucers. I love finishing a meal with an espresso (decaf please before bed!) and it must be in an espresso cup, totally enhances the experience.
I also found such chic ramen bowls that I just had to have (my son being a huge fan of ramen soup… he is our foodie out of our kids and was just as excited about the bowls as I was… note to self: never bring him to a kitchen store, could get to be expensive!)
And finished my Crate and Barrel trip with 2 wooden napkin rings, rectangular that will bring so much interest and texture when setting my table for guests or for photographe purposes. Was quite proud of myself.That was all I walked out of the store with when there were so many treasures I would have loved to add to my kitchen.
RESTAURANTS
We also tried a couple of new restaurants: The Amsterdam Brewhouse in the heart of Toronto’s waterfront with the backdrop of Toronto’s breathtaking skyline.(Awesome view! Although chili evening in may… sorry again hubby!) We started with the Korean Fried Calamari, which was absolutely delicious, so perfectly crispy and the dipping sauce was the perfect combo. We proceeded with the Smokehouse Burger which is glazed with their Amsterdam Beer-B-Q sauce and stacked high with sliced bacon and all the groceries, a giant spent grain onion ring and Awesome sauce on a toasted potato roll (I love their menu description!) And I gotta say it totally delivers on flavour between their signature sauces and potato roll = it did not disappoint!
For lunch while roaming the mall and investigating my options, I chose Michel’s Bakery Café for a ham and cheese croissant (delish!) and shared the most tender and delicious cinnamon roll I have ever had!!! No regrets here! (Just be ready for a bit of a wait in line since this place is well known and much loved). We also tried The Joey Yorkdale Grill/Lounge for drinks and bites… I highly recommend their truffle fries. Their blend of herbs was absolute perfection and a must try! A friend of mine said the margarita was the best she ever had (gotta say the froth on top was a nice addition to the classic margarita). For myself I enjoyed a delicious G & T and hubby was in the mood for a “Cold Stella” (do they serve warm Stella??? Lol) which he said went really well with those amazing fries.
On the way home we stopped at the Souvlaki Bar for some chicken gyros, again we waited as everyone in town was there enjoying their Friday night. But those tacos were well worth the wait. Their spice blend was fantastic and their Tzatziki sauce was oh! So yummy! The perfect way to finish our foodie trip! Looking forward to sharing these recipes here with you as well as the many ramen soups we are looking forward to filling our new bowls with!
Where will next week take me?… Stay tuned!