Toronto Eats

G & I traveled to Toronto in July and enjoyed a wonderful long weekend. The weather was perfect, breezy and 78 everyday. We explored new areas of the city, took some walking tours, and of course, ate some delicious food.

The trip had several high points. Our first walking tour was in Cabbagetown which has the highest continuous concentration of Victorian houses in the North America. We then walked to the lakefront and toured the farmers' market building. Us being us, we found a wine tasting inside and happily joined in the festivities.

We soon were hungry so we stopped at Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar, a short walk from the farmers' market. The hostess asked us if we wanted to sit at the bar next to where the chefs cooked in the open kitchen. Um, yes please! Once we settled in and ordered our first glasses of wine (starting with a sauvignon blanc), the chef gave us each an amuse bouche; a scallop breaded and fried, topped with a small dollop of tartar sauce and microgreens. One bite and we knew we were in the right place.

We had tempura asparagus that knocked us out and then switched to Shiraz in our glasses. We followed that up with pork belly ravioli.

The next day we took a walking tour of the University of Toronto, a beautiful campus and a backdrop for several wedding photographers that day (I think we saw six wedding parties during an hour's walk). The final stop on the tour was the rooftop bar at the Park Hyatt. What can I say? This quickly became a favorite place that I'm sure G & I will revisit on our next trip. The rooftop bar reminded me of a cozy living room...a fireplace, a few couches and a coffee table, and a few tables here and there. There was a small outdoor patio as well with views of the city, north and south. Then, the bar, of course, with a friendly, knowledgeable bartender. I especially liked him because as he was close to our table, he chuckled at some of my jokes.

G & I ordered two glasses of champagne and the bartender supplied us with snacks of smoked almonds, marinated olives, and edamame. A mouthwatering stop. Two very happy travelers.