Five Great Perks of Having a Foodie Friend

Last month, we talked about the “Five Troubling Signs You Are Eating Out with a Food Blogger”. This time I decided to cut our foodie friends some slack. So, let’s talk about five reasons we love having them around!

1. New Places to Eat

When you are friends with a foodie, you will almost never eat at the same place twice. The only exception is if the restaurant in question happens to be a personal favourite. Every eating experience will be sure to delight your taste buds…well mostly. One thing is for sure, it’s never a dull day when you go out to eat with your foodie friend.

2. Foodie Perks

If your foodie friend’s Instagram account has made it big, chances are they get invited to some pretty cool events. So what happens when they need a plus one? That’s right! It’s you! You get to tag along and have the experience of a lifetime. I’m talking mixers, phone launches and even private dinners with chefs. Cool by association anyone? You bet I milk those experiences!

3. Instagram Michelangelo

After having been around your foodie friend for a while, you suddenly realize one day that you are slowly morphing into them. You find yourself constantly searching for new places to eat, worrying about lighting, arranging table settings and dare I say it…taking pictures before you eat! That’s right, you too will become an Instagram Michelangelo.

4. Leftovers

Okay, let’s be real, who doesn’t love leftovers? I’m not talking about your grandma’s five-day-old meatloaf. I’m talking about fresh cupcakes, pizza, chocolate – the good stuff. When companies send your foodie friends items in bulk, it’s inevitable they won’t be able to finish everything. So, are you really going to say no to a dozen cupcakes at 10:00 at night? That’s what I thought!

5. Foodie Gifts

I love receiving presents, especially if they happen to be food. Don’t confuse these with leftovers. When your foodie friend gives you leftovers, you love them for it but you know you only got the food so they wouldn’t have to waste all that goodness. Things are different when your foodie friend gives you food as a present. This tells you that they thought about you, appreciated your support, and knows nothing makes you happier than food. My foodie friend gave me cookies last Christmas. What did yours give you?

The Five Must Haves at Aroma Espresso Bar

Coffee. My best friend on Monday mornings. Who am I kidding? It's basically my best friend every single day of the week. My caffeine fix is either at home on the weekends or at a nearby coffee shop near work. Coffee is in fact what led me to Aroma Espresso Bar in the beginning a few years ago. I was growing tired of the same old routine in getting a fresh dose of caffeine in me, and with the word "Espresso" in its very name, it's no wonder for many people including myself coffee is what drives them through the front door of Aroma for the very first time. Little did I know that Aroma Espresso Bar was and still is so much more than just a cup of coffee.

Aroma Espresso Bar was founded back in 1994 in Jerusalem. I admit, I always thought it was just another North American franchise, but if you actually look at their menu more closely, you will actually find a lot of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences in the food and drinks they serve. It wasn't until 2007 when the very first Aroma Espresso Bar Canada was opened and since then it has expanded to other locations across the GTA and beyond. Aroma has locations in Markham, Mississauga, Niagara On The Lake, Oakville, and just recently opened up a spot in Ottawa.

Like I said earlier, Aroma Espresso Bar's menu is more than just your average cup of coffee. They offer a wide variety of gourmet sandwiches, freshly baked bread and pastries, soups, nutritious salads. Aroma even serves alcohol at some of their locations. Friendly customer service is personalized with each order, and its iconic red leather chairs and inviting decor creates the perfect ambiance casual space to catch up with friends and loved ones.

To make your life a little easier when visiting your neighbourhood Aroma Espresso Bar, here are five of my personal favourites and must haves in no particular order.

1) Power Breakfast

I find myself coming back to this dish over and over and over again. It probably also helps that this breakfast dish (just like all their other breakfast options) is served all day! That's right, if you want to eat this for your dinner go right ahead. This delicious meal consisting of 2 eggs (any style), mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, carrot, olives, feta cheese, cream cheese, avocado spread, and bread is the perfect healthy combination of ingredients to give you enough energy to power through the the day (see what I did there?). That avocado spread alone is worthy of all my attention.

2) Marshmallow Hot Chocolate

This is the epitome of what all hot chocolates should be like. The gold standard in hot drinks on a cold winter's day. The benchmark in presentation and looks. Chunks of premium milk or white chocolate, steamed milk, cocoa, and marshmallows is what makes this drink one of the best and most delicious things I've ever had. For a lot of people who do not like coffee (and surprisingly I know there is a lot of you out there), this is the drink for you. For the rest of us who enjoy caffeine on a daily basis, I challenge you to swap your coffee out for a day and try this. You just may find yourself coming back for more.

3) Aroma A.C.E. Premium Sandwich (on a croissant)

There are tons of choices when it comes to their gourmet sandwiches, but my all time favourite has to be Aroma's A.C.E. (avocado, chicken, egg) with arugula and special Aroma sauce. It's healthy, it's hearty, and the perfectly cooked egg provides a runny yolk that when you cut or bite into it, it gushes out this liquid gold ready to soak up all the flavours the sandwich already entails. My suggestion is instead of having the sandwich on its normal bread, upgrade the bread to a buttery croissant for just $1 more. You won't regret it. Trust Me.

4) Shakshuka

The Middle Eastern flare really comes out in a dish like this, and in Israel the word "shakshuka" is synonymous with breakfast. Hugely popular in Jerusalem and all over Israel, this comfort food of 2 eggs in a warm tomato sauce served with tahini and bread. It's simple and refined. There is nothing fancy about this dish, but for many things the charm is in its simplicity, taste, and cultural relevance. It's a recipe and dish passed down and enjoyed through generation after generation, and a staple in one country's history. I recommend you use the bread to dip it into the warm tomato sauce. It's divine.

5) Spiked Signatures

Select Aroma LLBO locations - Yonge and Eglinton, Shops at Don Mills, Forest Hill Village, Liberty Village, Avenue Road, 562 Bay Street (at Dundas), Niagara on the Lake, Rutherford

If alcohol is what you crave, Aroma has that covered too. At select locations an array of spiked drinks that all contain 1.5 oz of alcohol is yours for the choosing. Ice Mojitos, Ice Aromas/Light, Iced Berry Tea Lemonades, Affogatos, and Irish Cream Lattes are all drinks that you can order with a spike of vodka, rum, or Bailey's mixed into it. The presentation of these drinks is also sensational. They are great additions to the already stellar drinks menu offered at Aroma.

With the five recommendations above, it is definitely a good starting point on their menu if you are at all confused at what to order. You can't go wrong with any of my choices, but I also won't be offended if you stray away from this list and pick something else up on their menu as there is literally something for everyone to enjoy.

Coffee, my best friend I never really wanted. I actually owe it all to you in paving the path for me to Aroma Espresso Bar. I even hear there is a new coffee blend in town called the Aroma Bold. I think you'll know where to find me now come Monday morning.

Five Troubling Signs You Are Eating Out With A Food Blogger

I love to eat. So, you might assume that having a food blogger as a great friend is perfect for me. Think again!

Here are FIVE troubling signs you are eating out with a food blogger.

1. Choosing a place to eat requires meticulous research.

When eating out with a food blogger friend, one cannot simply walk into any old restaurant. No. One is required to scan all menus, either online or in person before making an informed choice. Once said choice has been made, be prepared for your foodie friend to change their mind and have you consider a new diner that has recently opened.

WARNING: Always check to see if a restaurant requires reservations! Otherwise, one will find themselves freezing their asses off while one’s food blogger friend begins the search for a new place to eat.

2. Finding seats becomes a perilous mission because lighting matters.

As any good friend of a foodie knows, the camera eats first. Always. Therefore, when choosing seats one needs to be strategic. The lighting must be on point. Otherwise, what will happen to the quality of the Instagram pictures?

3. The menu. Enough said.  

When ordering food from a menu, your food blogger friend will require you to choose items that are both aesthetically appealing as well as delicious. While you sweat profusely at the daunting task at hand, your food blogger friend is busy inquiring the waiter/waitress regarding the nuances of each dish so much so you can’t help but wonder if you are watching a live taping of Master Chef. By the time you finish placing your orders, you never want to see another menu for as long as you live.

4. Never expect to eat your food while it’s still warm.

As soon as the food arrives, your food blogger friend instantly leaps into action. The table must be a clean canvas. You are promptly instructed to remove your cellphone, wallet, hand etc. from the immediate vicinity. You might even be asked to sink down in your seat because your head is casting a shadow over the table. Sinful! While your foodie friend channels their inner Picasso as they accessorize their pictures with salt and pepper packets, you channel your inner Buddha as you resist the temptation to snatch your food and stuff it down your throat.

5. Be prepared for the modeling job you never knew you wanted.

WARNING: If your food blogger friend asks you to accompany them to a bakery or any place where a sit-down option is not available, run. RUN!

At times, you will be required to become a makeshift table for any over the counter purchases. You will be instructed to hold a box of scrumptious desserts at various angles while your foodie friend snaps several pictures, hoping at least one will be satisfactory to post. Although for a second you are content with your fame when your hand appears on your food friend’s Instagram post, your self-esteem soon takes a hit when you bitterly realize the likes are all for the chocolate eclair. Crushed, you wonder if it was even worth it to moisture your hand beforehand.

I’m sure those of you who have ever eaten out with a food blogger can empathize with my sentiments above; however, I am also certain that none of us would ever change the experience for anything. 

Parlor Foods & Co.

King Street West in Toronto has now become one of the most reliable streets when it comes to discovering the best and trendiest restaurants this city has to offer. With top restaurants lined up side by side as far as the eye can see it is no wonder why this street has been notably coined “Restaurant Row.” I was recently invited to try the food at a fairly new restaurant called Parlor Foods & Co on this very street around the corner of Blue Jays Way and King Street West and my experience there was nothing short of amazing. 

Closing in on their 1 year anniversary this coming November, Parlor Foods & Co specializes in local cuisine with an ever changing ingredient driven Canadian menu. Their slogan is even “True North Strong” so as soon as you step into this barn boarded restaurant with a tree trunk inspired doorway, you know you will be in for a real treat that only Canadians will know and truly appreciate.

My guest and I arrived at our designated time and were sat at a table just in front of their outdoor patio where we were were then immediately greeted by the bartender Japhet Bower and one of the co-owners of the restaurant Jason D'Anna who both graciously took care of us the entire night.

What came out first to start our dinner were two of their signature cocktails, the Smoked Maple Manhattan ($14.25) and their Sangria ($11). The Smoked Maple Manhattan was a complete joy to receive as the cocktail is quickly put together right in front of your eyes at the table. The concept of an open campfire comes into play where pieces of dry wood are torched and then the cup is placed over the smoke to create the smoky, nutty flavour this Manhattan has (check out my video below!) Their Sangria on the other hand was a nice compliment to the smoky, hard liquor of the Smoked Maple Manhattan where this brought a refreshing and colourful cocktail to the table through the cucumbers, watermelon, sprite, dried Ontario Rose, and shaved fennel that topped it all off.

How to get the smoky taste infused in your cup for a cocktail.

Next up was their signature Charcuterie Board ($19). I admit, I came in that night not a huge fan of charcuterie. To me eating essentially cold cuts was not exciting nor something that blew my mind taste wise, but boy was I ever proven wrong here at Parlor Foods. The charcuterie was presented to us like a piece of art, placed on this beautiful slab of wood where all the meats, pickles, breads, and sauces all served a purpose, not one ingredient out of place. Their selection of in-house cured meats included Nduja, Veneto Salami, Mortadella, Horse & Pork, finished off with some pickles, smoked maple syrup, grainy mustard, and fresh bread. It was fun to also try to pair different ingredients together, different combinations with each bite creating various flavours in your mouth time and time again. This is the one dish I have been recommending to all my friends now over and over to order here. Loved it!

Up until that night I have never eaten bone marrow or horse before. This quickly changed when we were served with another signature dish of theirs, Horse and Bones ($25), a dish that has been on their menu since their opening. The bone marrow is accompanied by a horse tartare on top where the escabeche and egg marries all the ingredients nicely together creating a very unique dish I have yet to see anywhere else. Potato crisps are served on top of the tartare and should be used as a vessel to eat all of the ingredients together at once. It took me a quick second to wrap my head around eating horse meat, but that skepticism quickly faded after the first bite with delicious flavours all around.

The Street Meat ($18) came up next to our table and it was a duo of savoury summer sausages on buttermilk buns, fresh slaw, pickles, pickled jalapeno, and ball park mustard. This is not your average hot dog you can find outside at the street vendors and it really packs the heat. If you cannot handle spicy, I would recommend you avoid this dish as the pickled jalapeno really brings the heat and spiciness to this dish. Of course you can always pick them out yourself with your hands after so do order this at your own risk for all the spicy averse people.

The last main course that we were served for our dinner was their BBQ Short Ribs ($26). This dish was perfection. The short ribs fell very easily off the bone and beaming with flavour from the peach and rye glaze. My favourite part of this though was the corn & scallion grits layering the bottom of the plate which was creamy and smooth with each bite. My version of comfort food right here. This dish was then finished off with sauteed broccoli, Iceberg lettuce, and crispy onion strings.

Last but not least came the dessert and it was certainly worth the wait. Their Daily Doughnuts ($8) came out fresh from the oven as it was still very warm to the touch with a crunchy, outer exterior. Depending on the day and what the chefs at the back end of the restaurant are inspired by, the flavours of the doughnuts do and will change. Ours that day was a play on peanut butter and jelly and it was superb! We were also then given a scoop of their made in-house Parlor Ice Cream ($5) with the most creative, tasty, and awesome of flavours, whisky! Right? I couldn’t believe it either. It has a very settle alcoholic taste to it so don’t worry about getting drunk off of this, but the whisky flavour is there and it tastes incredible and surprisingly blends in perfectly as an ice cream flavour. I really hope one day they start selling their homemade ice cream in take-home containers for us because I will be the very first person in line to buy it.

Parlor Foods & Co just hit all the right notes for me. It’s just simple Canadian food done right. A fine dining experience in a casual, laid back atmosphere. I mean where else can you eat bone marrow and horse tartare while sipping on the finest cocktails all the while cheering for the Blue Jays to win the World Series on their big screen TV. It just doesn’t get any more Canadian than that. When I get asked to recommend a Toronto restaurant to either family, friends, or other foodies, there has always been one restaurant on the top of my list which was Richmond Station. With this past experience here at Parlor Foods & Co, I think it is safe to say that a new player is in town which has sky rocketed to the forefront of my list of favourite Toronto restaurants. Don’t be surprised if you hear Parlor Foods & Co come out of my mouth when you ask me for a restaurant recommendation. All you have to do now is just go. You won’t regret it.

333 King Street West

M Closed T-W 5:00p - Late
Th-F 11:30p - Late
Sa 3:00p - Very Late
Su Su 4:00p - 11:00p