Scandal Queen by Fairdrops

dance the minuet

:LashStash Buy:

I heard about Fairydrops back in 2009 while I was in Asia.  I am telling you, some of the BEST products come out of the Orient and the world has caught on. 

Fact: The MAJORITY of mascaras do not play nice with Asian eyes.

Fact: This was lost on most people in the industry.

Fact: The industry changes. 

Fact: Change happens.  The proof is in the pudding: Sephora started carrying Fairydrops in February 2011.  (Although admittedly I didn't rush to pick up a tube.  I have stockpiles of MJ and Benefit in my vanity.)

Now imagine the happiness I felt when I open by LashStash and there it was.  What makes Fairdrops so special?  Personally, I think it starts with the bling packaging.

It also the most unique brush I've ever seen:

 

Three puffs.

Bare lashes

Tada! Fairy-ed.

How she delivered overall:

Water-resistant - check

Lengthening - check

Volumizing - check

Curling power - soso

Longevity - soso

I'm a fan (perhaps not a superone).

Like it.

Toronto: Real Sports Bar

no love in this club

:Lakeshore:

Don't you love that I can go from eating a $200 meal on a Thursday to munching on footlong hotdogs on the Friday.  It's how I roll.  You want to roll with this.

So, a few weekends ago I rolled into North America's #1 sports bar.  We Torontonians thought it would be superfun to show some out-of-towners Real Sports before the game.

Unfortunately, as soon as I walked in I realized I should have done my due diligence.  It seems sometime in the intervening timeframe since I was last there, Real has turned into a club.  No, not literally, but you wouldn't know that just by walking in. 

My senses were expectedly overstimulated, but my ears, my poor ears - tremendously overwhelmed.  It was so loud the hostess couldn't even hear me.  When I finally made it to the table, my ears were ringing.

I'm not pulling a Debbie Downer, the music was legitamately too loud for a bar; screaming across the table doesn't really work at 6 pm on a weekday. 

Now, other than that, the service was average and the food was tasty.  I especially enjoyed my hot dog:

Footlong goodness of weiner, pulled pork, coleslaw and a bun
(with fries...always with fries)

Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara by tarte

:Lash Stash Buy:

I'm not here looking for absolution

I know I've already called out the "best" mascaras (right sidebar), but they're facing some stiff competition.  I feel the need to have another mascara throwdown.  Oh this could get dirty.

The other obvious fact could be that my lashes have just grown.  If they have, I owe tarte for that.

For now, I will just expand my list of loves, and leave the "best" intact because truly, MJ and Benefit still rule.

I'm making my way through the LashStash, slowly.  I am 2 for 3.  (Loved Lashgasm and will post all the misses in one.)

Tarte's Gifted Amazonian Clay volumizes your lashes and has longevity.

I love it even more now that I know it repairs your lashes.  The Amazonian clay hydrates and replenishes to prevent fallout (a natural daily occurrence).  The clay also absorbs oil which helps keep the volume in your lashes without the mess.

I'll also point out the obvious: what a pretty tube...I'm a sucker for presentation/packaging.  Love it.

Time elapsed: 5 hours
Elements encountered: Wind and a wee bit of snow

Love it.

Toronto: Spring Rolls

you can't make your heart feel something it won't

:Yonge + Bloor:

I'm not a Spring Rolls eater.  I make the odd exception for newness - they started serving all-you-can-eat lunch for about $15 (Monday to Friday) per person.  Bana was excited about ordering some gyoza and cheese dumplings.  I was excited to see Bana. 

The menu has a wide assortment of dim sum, thai, chinese, and sushi.  No wait, I take that back, they don't actually serve sushi.  The spicy tuna roll had some random hot sauce, and the dragon roll had smoked salmon.  It's highly offensive.

Calling this sushi is like saying Madonna is humble.
You got that right?

Nevetheless I am still taking five minutes out of Monday to tell you that about their lunch buffet because it was 50/50.  50 percent of me didn't mind it, and the other 50 percent of me wants to delete his post.

The shrimp rolls were yummy. Shrimp rolls are always yummy.

But like all 50/50s, if you order with a crtitical eye, you can have a decent meal.  Stay away from the sushi, expect less than authentic and you're guaranteed a quick, diverse meal. 



Mango salad
Shanghai noodles



Toronto: Splendido

like a shooting star

:The Annex:

I don’t 'fine dine' as much as I’d like because it’s terribly costly. Not to mention that most of my friends who appreciate food snobbery (in all its ostentatious  glory) don’t live in Toronto. That said, I do it enough.  I've tried Auberge, once, Canoe, once, Sotto, once...and so on and so on.


The exceptions to the "once" rule are what I consider the best, because I walk to the beat of my own drum.  Perhaps I just don't understand the rating systems or the opinions of arrogant know-it-alls who work for some publication (unless, of course, said know-it-all is Andrew Knowlton or Jeffrey Steingarten, my two critic crushes).

Splendido is such an exception. I have eaten here three times. My favourite item on the menu is the lamb. It's always amazingly spectacular.

Generally I find it difficult to write about restaurants in this category because there is only so much one can say without sounding repetitive or pretentious. I have read enough reviews about Toronto’s “top dining destinations” to know that reviews are often hoity-toity, difficult to understand and occasionally have an air about them – “subtle and pleasing flavours...smoky and texturally appealing with a soft finish...lingers on the palette...", etc.

I will keep mine as monosyllabic as possible.

Let me set the stage.  Last week a group of us gathered in the private dining room and prepared ourselves for pre-set menu 3. Do keep in mind that the opinion expressed herein includes feedback I received from everyone, and I was eating in the company of some serious foodies. They’re all about Michelin Stars and Red Hats and other ranking systems I know nothing about.

Canapés

Vickie’s Veggies Early Fall Greens Salad

Apple, Walnuts & Blue Cheese

British Columbia Chanterelle Mushroom Salad

Celery Root Puree, Truffle Vinaigrette, Triple Crunch Mustard

Roasted Sunchoke Soup

Black Truffle Coulis, Pickled Sunchoke, Sunflower Oil & Granola

Victor’s Foie Gras Parfait

Niagara Bose Pear Puree, Walnut Oil, Pickled Mustard Seed & Chayote

Agnolotti

Pumpkin & Ricotta, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds & Amaretti

Linguine

Parmigiano Reggiano & Burgundy Black Truffle

Pastured Veal Tenderloin and Smoked Brisket

King Oyster Mushroom, Cippolini Onion & Bone Marrow Jus

Mediterranean Sea Bass

Roasted Endive, Confit Grape, Verjus & Pine Nut Vinaigrette

Papparadelle

Wild British Columbia Mushrooms

Chocolate & Caramel Verrine

Peanut Ice Cream & Caramel Espuma

Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Cranberry, White Chocolate and Concord Grape Granite

Each guest orders one item from each group. Amongst all of us, we pretty much covered the whole menu, save and except the Fall Greens Salad and Pappardelle. Personally I love pappardelle, but if I see bass on a menu I get tunnel-vision.

Service was excellent. Charming and relaxed, instead of pompous and polite.

The canapés were stellar. The oysters blew my mind. I generally prefer my oysters plain but their apple-garlic mignonette was a perfect pairing.



Poseidon's present to mankind, gingerly prepared by Splendido

The potato-leek soup with rosemary biscuit and parmesan tuille (cheese baked into a chip).

Warm, subtle and creamy.

Victor's Foie Gras Parfait was plentiful and served with a nice buttery brioche. 
 

I love foie gras.

The linguine was rich and earthy.  The general consensus was that they could have been less generous with the truffle.  There was so much it was a bit overpowering. 

Linguine - I slurped it up in about a minute

Agnolotti - Sweet & Cozy

I stole bites of the tenderloin where I could, much to the chagrain of my friends.  I can't help it - I steal food.  Both the tenderloin and bass were perfectly cooked and delicious.

Beneath that skin was beautiful, tender, soft, milky white meat.

Panna cota.  Didn't quite reach the bar that Buca set.

Think Peanut Butter Parfait to the Power of 100

Everything was amazing. Beautifully plated, perfectly cooked, well-seasoned, and a nice mix of traditional flavours and contemporary ideas.

The average cost was about $200 per person, including wines and drinks.

Applying my system,I asked myself was it worth the money? My response, absolutely.

Will I be going again? Yes, but not this year. I can only wrap my head around spending that much at one restaurant a year. It’s how I stay accountable for the things I choose to spend money on.

Splendido has been a fixture on Toronto’s fine dining scene for a long time. They focus on locally sourced, seasonal, high quality food. They have had a few changing of hands (the last time I went, in 2009, David Lee was the co-owner and Chef), but whether there are new faces front or back of house, the food and experience has remained consistent. Fine dining should start at Splendido...

So you can end here.
Food heaven.