Chocolate Salami

purchased from Soma Chocolatemaker in December... a limited edition item made for the holidays... It is not vegan, so I didn't have any, but I did appreciate the workmanship, and the soft "mmmmmm" sounds of enjoyment from those who did....

lazy holiday dinner

We had some family time, but we also had just us time. A super lazy day spent in pj's :) For dinner a bottle of bubbly and take out from Cafe 668

 some steamed brown rice

 pan fried veggie dumplings with red wine dipping sauce...

 Rice paper stuffed with lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, green chives, peanuts, and vermicelli noodles, spiked with spicy and sweet sauce.

 Vegetarian Pho - rice noodle soup cooked vegetarian style. It came in two parts: a container of stuff for the soup...

 and the broth itself...

 

Spicy fried coconut tofu...

 and Hot n’ Sour Vermicelli  soup...

yum it was delish... all vegan... plenty of leftovers for the next day :)

Latte and Cider at Balzac's

I love seasonal drinks. Two of my favorites are at Balzac's coffee shop.

The first one is hot apple cider. A staple for fall in my cup. I usually pick up a jug every single weekend at the farmer's market, warm and sip with the occasional addition of a shot of vodka in the evenings at home. No vodka at Balzac's, but it was still delicious.

The second is their Toasted Almond Latte, made with almond syrup and almond milk... sweet and  satisfying.

Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill

a couple of weeks ago we were in the Distillery District... walking around made us a bit peckish... we skipped lunch but it was too early for dinner... so we decided on a 'snack'... we went to Pure Spirits Oyster House and Grill...

 we both used to enjoy oysters at one time... now it's only one of us...

 a glass of white for moi and a pint of Maudite for Jay...

 he enjoyed the whole list... a couple of times :)

 dips for oysters... the top orange one... was chili based, and it was delicious... my fave

 Jay shared some fries with me...

 and I enjoyed a plate of greens with orange-raspberry dressing... yum

 first dozen...

 something new...

 Anthony... oyster shucker extraordinaire...

 second dozen...

 I miss them... but not enough to eat them...

Ontario Spring Water Sake Company

is located in the Distillery District, they have a wbesite. We went one afternoon last week to sample it's products... we had quite a few samples... some were delicious... some not so much... I find I prefer a dry, clean, crisp sake... I also don't mind something sweet, and warm... but I don't like anything that has a strong fermented flavor... and there were a couple...

Sake is not only available for tasting but also for purchase, along with bottles and cups to serve it in, as well as miso soup bases and sake-kasu (lees of sake making process, which can be used in cooking but also skin care).

Overall, delicious... looking forward to our next visit. Sake is my favorite alcoholic libation :)

Fresh Restaurant

is one of our all time fave places to eat. This restaurant is vegetarian/vegan (you  may add cheese to your dishes).... on one of our visits we enjoyed

a bowl of Caribbean Coconut and Tomato with Hot Chilies & Green Cabbage (well I enjoyed it, it had spice to it, but wasn't too spicy... I enjoyed it very much)

 Jay enjoyed a bowl of Cuban Chick Pea and Potato with Fennel, Lemon & Thyme

 then we shared Indian Dosas - spiced pancakes filled with curried chick peas & vegetables... this was very yummy worth having again

 and Soho Falafel - herb falafel balls, quinoa & adzuki bean tabouleh, flax hummus & toasted pita... mmm it wasn't our favorite.. the first sauce was too sweet, middle too hot, and last too bitter...