Wedding Venue

Here's a blast from the past! I've been writing these posts since the beginning of the year by jotting down my thoughts in hopes of helping those who might be planning a wedding. So it's a combination of things I drafted months ago and thoughts from today.

I think choosing the venue was the hardest part of the wedding because everything else falls in place once it's decided. You might have read an earlier post where I was feeling the blues because we didn't know what to do. Did we want to do a destination wedding or a wedding in our city? There were so many pros and cons and we debated for a long time. In the end, we decided to have the wedding in our home city with the following requirements:

1. We had to stay within a budget.
2. There had to be good food (right? We have a food blog of goodness sake).
3. Ideally, it could host the ceremony and the reception.
4. Free parking for our guests.
5. Someplace easy to get to.

One of our earlier plans was to go the route of a hall rental like everybody else. We wanted the ceremony and reception at the Toronto Botanical Garden because it was adjacent to Edwards Garden. This was when we thought we should continue our park theme (having met on the job while working for Toronto Parks and Rec and being engaged at Central Park in New York). But bringing in a caterer, renting furniture, and all the fees associated with the space meant we would be doubling our budget. *faint*

Another idea was to do a really simple wedding by getting married at City Hall and then having dinner at a restaurant. Then we found out that those wedding chambers at City Hall weren't included, there was a rental fee! And we'd have to pay for parking. If I was going to be spending money on renting a space for the ceremony, I might as well find a prettier spot!

And a prettier spot we did find! We were so happy to learn that Auberge du Pommier was available (do book ahead, we reserved it a year in advance). This charming French restaurant includes a terrace space for ceremonies. It's covered in case there's rain (which it did) and includes heaters if it gets a bit chilly (which it did). We also still get the greenery with the trees, shrubs, and plants - so we're still with the park theme here with it being airy with fresh air.

The lower terrace was transformed by the amazing staff who arranged the chairs in theatre setting and for hanging our decorative bunting at the front. Unlike other venues, you don't have to rent chairs or tables! The area is also completely private and not visible from the road or parking lot. Bonus, the aisle isn't too long so I didn't have to walk too far to get to the front (was seriously stressed about walking in heels in a gown. A simple thing like walking, geez)!

We wanted a small wedding, but we still ended up booking the largest private room that Auberge du Pommier had - which seats 48. The Oscar room had the perfect set up for us, there were six tables of eight, a fireplace, a cake table, and a hutch.

We had the option of reserving the second private room for late night dancing and food too, but they weren't next to each other so it felt disconnected and we declined the space. Another small wedding group was there that night, but we didn't see much of them since we were separated by the concierge. If you're wondering about the main dining room space, Auberge du Pommier doesn't offer full restaurant buyouts on Saturday evenings, only during lunch or on Sundays.

It was tricky narrowing down the guest list to 46, but we did it. You know what's trickier after? The seating chart! We actually had our head table split in two, so the ones in the middle were for us and our wedding party. Then Howard's family and friends on the left and my family and friends on the right.

Now that we've had our wedding, we only have praises and good things to say. The event specialists at Oliver & Bonacini are courteous, helpful, and so great to work with. We were so lucky to have Jessie along the way to answer our questions and organize our ceremony and reception schedule. The on-site manager and staff that day were also top notch. We felt that they went above and beyond with our requests and even on things we didn't ask for or think about. They were all truly professional and thoughtful in presentation and interacting with our guests.

If you're thinking about an event or reception at a restaurant, I highly recommend it. Auberge du Pommier included candles, linens, printed menus, cake knife and lifter, booster seats for kids, card vessel, bouquet vases, coat check, parking vouchers, and reserved signs. And if you have elders or children, they have accessible washrooms on the main floor. Not to mention all the charm of a rustic woodcutters' cottages!

Venue: Auberge du Pommier, Lower Terrace and Oscar Room | Photography: Ikonica | Bunting: Samantha Swenson

Chicago 2015: Day 4

Remember how it snowed and snowed on our previous day? Turns out Chicago was was hit by the fifth largest blizzard. My day at the convention center was slow as flights were cancelled and attendance dipped. It was difficult to travel anywhere in the city. Taxis were scarce and those that were available were charging exorbitant fees. By the luck of the blizzard, we were able to get reservations at Girl and the Goat for dinner. We had been trying all week to secure a table at this restaurant, Little Goat Diner, and other places in Chicago. This blizzard wasn't going to stop us, we went out as planned and I'm so glad we did!

There were so many items on the menu that sounded intriguing and it was difficult to narrow it down - which shared plates were we going to try? To start, we had the hamachi crudo with crisp pork belly, chili aioli, and caperberries (photo above). Beautiful and light, I only wished there were more. Next, the roasted cauliflower with pickled peppers, pine nuts, and mint. I love roasted cauliflower but Howard does not - until he tried this dish!

I ordered this because I was curious about the brown butter kimchi. These are celery root and cheddar pierogies with brown butter kimchi and cara cara orange. My two dinner mates weren't loving this dish, so I got to finish it. The pierogies didn't stand out, but I enjoyed the sauce and oranges that were garnished on top.

Another mix-reviewed dish was the grilled marinated pork belly with castelfranco, sauce green, and blood orange. This one went to Howard as my boss and I didn't care for it.

Now for the group favourites: the crispy beef short ribs with avocado, ruby red grapefruit, and chermoula. I could eat this every day. It was so delicious and the pairing was perfect. The short ribs were truly crispy and the sauce in this bowl was absolutely drinkable. I mean, I would drink it because it was that good.

We also couldn't eat here without trying a goat dish! We decided on the goat shoulder with goat​ xo,  root vegetable caponata, hazelnuts, and spaghetti squash. The table beside us had ham frites and after eyeing them all night, we ordered one. They're served with smoked tomato aioli and a cheddar beer sauce. Without the dipping sauces the frites were amazing because they were dusted with ham.

Now to the grand finale! Were we full? Yes! Should we try a dessert anyways? Yes! The citrus pavlova blood orange-vanilla semifreddo with yuzu curd and kumquats was a good choice to end the night. Chewy, crunchy, sour, and tart, this frozen treat had it all.

Time to find a taxi and brave the ride back. Tomorrow will be a better day . . .

Chicago 2015: Day 3

Our last few days in Chicago didn't include a lot of sightseeing. I was at the convention center from nine to five and Howard chilled at the hotel and ventured out to walk the city. Sure, I had booth snacks like Garrett's popcorn to munch on, but my lunch that day included a small bowl of soup and a salad (trying to be healthy, especially when we're eating out so much!) from the McCormick Place food court. Pretty sad compared to Howard's lunch at Portillo's. He was actually on his way to Slurping Turtle for lunch when he saw a traffic jam and realized it was a line up for the drive-through! Curious, he went inside and decided to line up among the crowds to try the hot dog (with mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle, and sport peppers piled onto a steamed poppy seed bun) and sample their famous Italian beef sandwich. Mmm Mmm good was his mockery because he obviously won in lunch that day.

For dinner, we put our name down at the Purple Pig and went back to our hotel to wait for the call. It was roughly at an hour and a half wait, which was an accurate estimate giving to us by the hostess. We were seated at the banquet table by the bar among many other couples and groups having their dinner. The place is loud and crowded, the aisles are narrow and there are others waiting for their name to be called standing anywhere there's space.

This cheese, swine, and wine place has a large menu and our server helped us navigate with her favourites and recommendations.

To begin, we tried the roasted bone marrow with herbs. It also comes with toast for you to smear the bone marrow on and garnish with herbs yourself. I found the herbs the star of the dish, helping balance the buttery and oily bone marrow.

Next up, recommended by Howard's sister-in-law, the pig's ear with crispy kale, pickled cherry peppers, and fried egg.

We give it a good toss and mix. The pig ears are crunchy and addictive and the kale add another layer of crispiness. It's a bit salty overall but as a shared dish, it's manageable to finish with a glass of water.

Squid stuffed with prosciutto and bread crumbs with a santorini fava purée and charmoula. I found this dish tasty, but Howard did not like it one bit, which surprised me because he loves proscuitto!

The Wagyu sirloin tip with fingerling potatoes, cippolini onions, olives, and a bone marrow vinaigrette. Now this was a dish I found nothing special with (compared to the squid above), but Howard enjoyed it. Just goes to show, you can't please everyone.

While our meal was good, I can't say I would recommend friends to eat here. My experience was also  dampened because of how crowded it was. I was sitting in one of the aisle seats and every time a server, waiting staff, busser, hostess, or guest walked by, I would be jolted in my seat. Not the best way to eat a meal when you're getting jostled every few minutes. This is a high-traffic area or I should just say the entire restaurant has high traffic but not everyone was getting bumped into. Curious, I tucked my seat in some more and looked behind to see if there was enough space. There was, except a couple was standing by the bar waiting for their table, making the aisle even more narrow. We informed our server who noted our discomfort, but then proceeded to do nothing. She didn't kindly ask the man to not stand in the aisle or wait elsewhere by the entrance. Shrug. Since no one cared enough, I didn't feel like staying for dessert even though I intended to try the bread pudding.

That night, it snowed and snowed in Chicago . . .

Chicago 2015: Day 2

Our second day in Chicago was so much better! The sun was shining and the sky was blue, it was still really cold but the excitement of exploring kept us going.

We stopped at Waffles Cafe for breakfast. Do you know how much I love waffles? It's amazing that I still don't own a waffle maker. I was excited to see all the different flavours on their menu and ordered the green tea waffle with lemon ginger cream and ground pistachio. Sadly, I didn't like this pairing at all. I found the waffle lacking in matcha flavour so much that I kept stealing bites from Howard's egg and chorizo dish.

We also tried the wonut - a waffle doughnut hybrid. Do they use doughnut batter in the waffle maker or deep fry a regular waffle? I don't know how they make it but I did like the light crispy shell that the wonut had before the soft interior. We tried the white ganache with chocolate sprinkles (second tray on the right on the photo above) since it is one of their bestsellers. And the chocolate turtle (bottom tray in the middle) with pecans and a caramel glaze - this was our favourite of the two.

With all that sugar in us, we walked and walked and came upon Maggie Daley Park that brought the kids out of us. There was a skating ribbon and small play areas filled with the coolest equipment.

There's a nautical theme in this play garden (at least I think that's what it's called after searching online).

I'm wondering if this is all new? Everything was still clean, shiny, and a delight to climb on - didn't risk going down the slides in case they were icy or wet inside.

I love this little boat. I want to take it home with me!!!

The beautiful BP Pedestrian Bridge. I loved the shiny plates of shingles and the curves, this is one sexy bridge. One bonus of Chicago in the winter is that there aren't many people out exploring in the cold with us. It felt like we had the bridge to ourselves!

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Most sections are roped off to help preserve the greenery, but we could still admire the design and imagine the music here on warm summer nights.

The bean!!! Technically called Cloud Gate and as I got closer to it, I became captivated by the shape and reflections. I can see why photographers and tourists can spend hours here, just looking at it from different angles and different spots.

Howard sprouted off some facts that he read about, telling me that it was made with stainless steel plates that are welded together. And that it has seams that aren't visible unless you look closely. So we looked closely to see if we could spot the waves and bumps from the seams.

I love how it looks like a giant dew drop.

Crown Fountain in the winter becomes one of the many sculptures as the water is turned off.

Hmm, how about these tiles from Crown Fountain for a kitchen back-splash? Equipped with lighting in the back!

Walking around the park and the loop had us pop into Macy's to warm up and fill up on fuel. Luckily the food court on the seventh floor (Seven on State) had lots of great options. From Frontera Fresco, I ordered short rib tacos filled with wild arugula, cotija cheese, and cilantro crema and a sweet corn and green chile tamale with ricotta and goat cheese, tomatillo salsa, queso fresco, and cilantro. That tamale is so good, the corn tortillas were a bit too dry and rough for the tacos, but the short ribs were tasty and nicely braised.

Howard ordered noodles by Takashi Yagihashi, apparently a hot bowl of made-to-order ramen hits the spot in the winter. I still preferred my lunch over his. =P

CHICAGO, don't think that the Chase advertising was always there. Marina City, what's your take on the cob-like building? Yay or nay?

By the way, don't break in new boots that you bought the night before if you plan on walking everywhere. Ouch. Let's just say that my feet were throbbing for the next few days.

After some booth duty in the late afternoon, my boss and I went to Graham Elliot Bistro for dinner. The place is long and narrow, dim and quite loud. We were seated along the wall, squeezed between two other tables with loud parties, so it wasn't the best place for conversation. I normally take whatever table the hostess gives, but here, we did try to ask for a quieter table to no avail.

We shared a starter called Milk & Honey which consisted of burrata cheese, raw honeycomb, and baby arugula. The salad was light and we wished there was more honeycomb crumbles. I tried the Salmon Filet served with whipped​ parsnips, brussels sprouts, and bacon lardon. My boss tried the Shortrib Stroganoff. The portions were larger than I expected and we skipped on dessert. Overall, we weren't very impressed, maybe we expected more unique and playful dishes. The food was decent but nothing special.

Howard, on his own, went for deep dish pizza that night because I said it was probably something I didn't want to try (the amount of cheese and sauce and crust looks so heavy, like it would just sink to the bottom of your stomach). So he ventured over to Giordano's for his deep dish experience. From what I heard, he had to pace himself to eat it and then he had to walk it all off before meeting me back at our hotel.

Chicago 2015: Day 1

This year, I was fortunate enough to be chosen to go to ALA Midwinter for work. The conference was held in the windy city of Chicago (why do they choose places that are cold?). And even though the winter is being icy, cold, and snowy, I was still excited because I've never been to Chicago before! Yup, this was my first trip to Chicago and I wanted to see the sights, eat great food, and pick up a book or two. Howard even tagged along as it was his birthday weekend, aka Super Bowl weekend and Groundhog Day.

Another first was flying Porter! For our first experience, I have to say, it was great! We arrived at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, took the ferry (a little bit of nausea for me, even though the Lake was semi-frozen), and sped through checking in. There were lots of business folks with carry-on bags so they all breezed right through. Which was great for us because by the time we reached the counter and security, there were no line ups. The staff was friendly and the lounge offered free WiFi and complimentary beverages and snacks! We didn't have to spend a small fortune on bottled water, juice, and pop at the airport - and that was so refreshing considering you're not allowed to bring your own beverages any more.

Our flight was delayed for 20 minutes, but at least the estimate was accurate and they kept us up-to-date. It's a pretty short distance from Toronto to Chicago, but they still offered snacks and drinks in flight. Upon arrival, everything was just as fast as checking in. Our luggage was waiting for us and we were on our way to the convention center for setup.

If you think book publishers just sit around all day, you should try setting up a booth. You need to be a seasoned pro to know to wear comfortable shoes, tie your hair back, and peel off the layers. It gets warm and your feet will start to hurt (idea: massage booth in the exhibit floor). But our editorial director and I did it - our booth looked great! Next step: check into the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, leave our luggage, and go eat lunch!

We stopped at Shake Shack because we were so hungry from setting up all those books. We got to try the ShackMeister Burger (cheeseburger topped with crispy marinated shallots and ShackSauce) with crinkle fries (why wouldn't you get crinkle fries?), and my favourite - Shack-made mango lemonade!

Next up, some sightseeing on the Magnificent Mile. Are there twinkling lights along this stretch for the entire year? It's just beautiful seeing the glowing trees, the beautiful buildings, and the stores I can never shop at. I know this section of the city is known for the shopping, but we were perfectly happy window shopping.

We made stops at Eataly, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's. The home decor and kitchen stores were tempting, but there was no way I could bring all that back to Toronto. Of course, we had to stop by to see all the Jordans at the Nike store. Howard was pretty much in love with this wall display.

Speaking of shoes, we both ended up buying a pair. Not from Nike, but a close relative of this global brand: Cole Haan. Pretty boots for me and Chukkas for Howard. We're such huge fans of their foot wear, mainly because they have the Nike Air cushioning without the looks of sneakers and runners. All year round, I stay comfy with my ballet flats, pumps, and boots from them. I was really, really tempted by a pair of ankle boots too, but one big purchase was enough for me.

By the end of the night, we were exhausted. We made it all the way to the Drake Hotel before having to hail a taxi to take us back to our hotel by the Chicago River.

For dinner, we went to XOCO (pronounced “SHO-ko”) by Rick Bayless. It's a more casual dining experience compared to the usual sit in restaurant. You order at the counter, get a table number and are seated, and then they bring the food to you. We tried the Chicharrones with Tamazula hot sauce, queso añejo, onion, cilantro, and lime. This was a large basket, perfect for sharing. Watch out though, it has some heat! We also got the fully dressed guacamole for the table, which means a little bit of each available topping: sun-dried tomatoes, queso fresco (fresh cheese), pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds, spicy roasted poblano, chicharron (crispy fried pork skin), grilled onion, and smoky bacon. Also served with tomatillo salsa, three-chile salsa, and just-made chips.

I also got their famous hot chocolate to warm me up (I'm all about the sugar, so this was a bit too bitter for my liking). Some more comfort food for the cold winter night, their Carnitas Caldos: slow-cooked Gunthorp pork with potato-masa dumplings, chayote, roasted serrano chile, greens, arugula, and avocado. I happily divided this into smaller portions for everyone at the table. It was really good, but really salty at the same time!

We tried two tortas, the one picture above is the Milanesa: crispy Gunthorp chicken, Jack cheese, pickled jalapeños, red onions, Napa cabbage, tomatillo-avocado salsa, and black beans. This was one delicious sandwich. The other one was the Cubana: smoked Gunthorp pork loin, bacon, black beans, avocado, spicy morita, Jack cheese, and chipotle mustard. This was also very good, except it was unanimous that we all preferred the Milanesa! 

At this point of the night, we were so tired that we couldn't even muster another bite or order churros for dessert. After all that eating, we still didn't have the energy to stay awake and walk back to the hotel. You know you're done when . . .

The Chase Fish and Oyster

The Chase Fish and Oyster

10 Temperance Street

Toronto, ON M5H 1Y4

647-348-7000

Birthday weekends are the best! We haven't eaten out and tried a new restaurant in a long time, so Howard did a little research and picked a restaurant for my birthday dinner last week. The only stipulation I gave him was that I wanted oysters. I think it's been more than a year since I've had a good oyster platter!

Oyster platter delivered. Each table is given a card and pencil to mark the amount of raw seafood they would like to order. So I penciled in three Foxley Bay oysters and three Salt Grass oysters after our knowledgeable waiter went through the description. All oyster platters come with fish and oyster hot sauce, cocktail sauce, and migonette. Just so perfect that I could try each sauce per oyster. Maybe eight next time so I can really load up the lemon and horseradish on one.

We tried a bunch of sharing plates and this was by far our favourite. The big eye tuna "nachos" - in quotation marks because it was made with crispy taro root chips, hot mustard saffron emulsion, and sweet onion and shoyu dressing. Delicious and refreshing, it was so good during this chilly winter, imagine how much better it would be eaten on the patio during the summer!

Next up, the hot smoked white fish on toast with caviar and pickles. Great flavours and I don't even like pickles! But everything worked together to form that perfect bite.

Couldn't resist a side of shoestring fries. I love fries.

Octopus with harissa, spiced merguez sausage, mustard greens, and sauteed red onions. We made merguez sausages last summer and I thought they were pretty awesome. But this one was a hundred percent stronger and punchier in flavour. There were only a few slices on the plate, which is a good idea because it can easily overpower the octopus.

We decided to share a main, but thought that the portion was similar to the sharing plates. Regardless, the scallops with pumpkin ravioli, foie gras butter, and arugula was rich and creamy.

I always look forward to dessert, but felt this was too much chocolate and sugar for one person. Did I just say that? Darn, I am getting old! But thank goodness we shared it because it could not be finished as a single serving. The hazelnut bombe with hazelnut whipped ganache, dark chocolate cream, chocolate cake, and candied hazelnuts was like a giant Ferrero Roche minus the thin wafer shell. I can't believe I'm going to say this as well, but dessert was our least favourite dish of the meal!

But that doesn't matter, we are definitely going back and looking forward to trying the other restaurants from this hospitality group: The Chase (which is upstairs), Little Fin (right beside), and Colette Grand Café.

Chayo: Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar

Chayo

Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar

3545 Las Vegas Blvd South, Suite 4,

Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

(702) 691-3773

 

There's a new little strip in Vegas known as the Linq. There's shops, bars, restaurants and an observation wheel! This was our new favourite place to explore and we wandered in looking for lunch. Chayo caught my eye because I can always eat tacos. The space is pretty neat, the bar closest to the patio and indoor seating around a mechanical bull.

We ordered the avocado corn chopped salad with romaine lettuce, hearts of palm, cactus, avocado, corn, pomegranate, and spicy pumpkin seeds tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. Can you tell we're trying to stay healthy on vacation? Salad! This rarely happens. Must be the desert heat, we were constantly thirsty there. With all those ingredients, we just thought the salad would be tastier. But it wasn't. :(

The tacos didn't fare better. The beer battered fish tacos with red cabbage and cilantro mayo in flour tortillas were pretty basic and bland. Howard commented that we made better fish tacos at home.

A little bit better, the slow roasted rib eye with spring onions, radish, lettuce, and cascabel sauce in corn tortillas.

We would recommend eating elsewhere in the Linq or even venturing further for better tacos.