Category: Travel

Fatboys Southern Smokehouse

As crazy as it seems, yes I went to Canada and craved southern food. Let me start off saying, don't go to Canada for American southern food. I just wanted to see their interpretation of it. Just like how I went to France and tried and American burger, what am I thinking. Don't judge me…too cruely.

Food aside, Fatboys was fun. There is out door seating, there is a market, and Harley themed decor. Right down to the bathroom sinks resembling motorcycle handlebars. As with most places in Canada, the service was friendly. There was also a stage that the babies found their way to, which just received smiles from the staff (where if it happened in America someone would have told us to get handle on our kids).

 

The boo and I shared a Kentucky Trio, we chose dry rubbed ribs, chicken and brisket. We had sides of cornbread, baked beans and bacon Mac n Cheese. It was satisfying but nothing to write home about. But because I love barbecue, I will still probably go to a BBQ place in Canada again, just not this one!

 

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Baja Burger Shack

When you think of Canada, beach doesn't come to mind. But what is crazy is, when you walk around the corner from my cousin's house…there's a beach. A real beach. Sand and everything. However, it's a river. But a beach nonetheless. There's a volley ball set up. Lifeguard shacks. Happy almost naked people. The best part of the beach, other than the awesome rock point?

Baja Burger Shack.

It really is a shack. There's a stand with outdoor seats around it. I'm guessing that it is only open when it's warm. Can you imagine sitting outside eating a burger in a Canadian winter? Hahaha. I pictured the same thing.

The place is cash only, ATM conveniently located right next to the register. We ordered the bacon cheeseburger, and a beach dawg. They have fun fruit squeezes, which are just fruit slushees. We each got one of those too. And french fries. Oh and guess what, they have poutine there too!

The burger was fresh, moist and medium well. There's some kind of sauce in there, you didn't even need to add ketchup or mustard. They're regular fries were awesome. Sprinkled with their all season (pretty much old bay for us DC/VA/mD'rs minus the spice) and a little ketchup it came together pretty nicely. I enjoyed sitting out there with my family, on the uneven table, then walking it off at the beach!

 

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Brewer’s Park Farmers Market

What is it about farmers markets? I love checking out all the local produce, jams, and handmade stuff. Oh, and eat at all the local vendors. It’s always fun to be outdoors and shopping. Unfortunately, we wouldn’t have been able to take anything home, so we opted for just enjoying the local eats.

For my breakfast, we shared a ham and cheese crepe from Crepe Joy. Delicious ham and cheese in a perfect crepe, with honey drizzled on it.

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Then to wash it all down, I had my first Arnold Palmer. I always thought it was an alcoholic drink. Alas, I was DELICIOUSLY wrong. It’s half sweet tea mixed with lemonade. New favorite summer drink. AND, did you know that iced tea in Canada IS sweet tea. My cousins were definitely surprised when they came to the states and realized that iced tea is unsweetened unless asked for.

We originally wanted to go there for the ribfest… but getting there at noon was too late! All the cooked ribs were gone. We could have purchased already marinated ribs to take home, but where is the fun in that? Oh well!

 

 

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Burgers: The Works

I wish burgers were healthy, and good for you. I like eating them, a lot. As seen here, here, and here. So of course when I visit Ottowa, I had at least two kinds of burgers.

The Works is a chain, they call themselves a gourmet burger bistro. I can see that. There are A LOT, and I mean a lot of things to choose from, to build your ultimate burger. First you choose your patty, Gourmet Ground Beef, Whole Chicken Breast, Ground Turkey, Gourmet Veggie, Portobello Mushroom Cap, or Lean Domestic Elk. Then you choose what KIND of burger and toppings you want. There are 71 combinations. After that you choose your sides.

We started off with 3 towers of onion rings. They came with 4 different dipping sauces, some spicy, some creamy, some tomatoey and some all of the above. I don’t like onion rings in general because they usually slide out of the crispy crust, and I don’t like onions enough to eat it straight up like that. But these didn’t do that. They were the best onion rings, I’ve had in my life. That’s not saying much though, I haven’t had that many. But it was good!

I’m pretty boring when it comes to burgers, so how fitting that my choice in burger was called “Ho Hum #5”. It was mushrooms, cheddar and bacon. I also got a classic poutine as my side. I was pretty full already full from the onion rings, and my pyrex measuring cup full of ginger ale (yes they use measuring cups as their mugs). The burger was just a plain patty with no seasoning. It was dependent on the sauce and toppings you chose. Verdict? I’ve had better. 

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Oh, CANADA!

The last time I went to Canada, I think I was 16. My mom and I took a road trip together, for me to learn how to read a map to get to my destination, and also for me to be comfortable driving long distances in places I don't know. This was clearly before mapquest, google maps, and apps! We went to Toronto and Niagra Falls.

This time around, the boo and I took a road trip to Ottowa. It was a much needed reunion, and a great one! I had an amazing time, full of love, laughs, food and family. I also got to peek in on their culture and learn a few fun things.

  • They have pretty colorful money

  • Their single dollar is a coin called a loonie

  • They have a two dollar coin called a toonie

  • “Eh” and how they pronounce about …is really like the movies/tv
  • They don't use pennies
  • There are higher taxes on alcohol, this makes sense because of their universal healthcare system. If you are going to drink, you are going to cost the government more, so they will tax you more!
  • They created hockey
  • Tim Horton was a hockey player… He would.

Tim Horton's is awesome. I love it. They have cookies. They have timbits, and they have XXS. What's up with all these giant smalls in America. This is why we are fat. The first thing we did when we crossed the border was drive through a Tim Horton's for some french vanilla coffee. *sigh. Other than my family, this is what I will miss the most.

The weekend consisted of eating out, bbqing, walks on the beach, catching up and photo ops with Avairy. There was happy news of engagement, and brainstorming bachelorette shenanigans. We've decided to do this every summer, so that our future children can have each other as they grow too! I can't wait to see them again next year…because clearly I can ONLY go to Canada in the summer.

 

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Poutine

 

I spent a few days in Ottowa, Canada this past weekend. It was a well deserved weekend getaway. Spent time with my cousins, who I haven’t seen in forever, and got to play with the not-so-new additions. P.S. My niece Avairy is the cutest baby in the world. Believe me. And she has a great personality.

Like usual I will break it all down in a couple of posts, and of course my first post is about food. I couldn’t go to Canada and not have poutine. What kind of food blogger would I be? So yeah, I had two different kinds of classic poutine while I was there.

This is something I will crave here. Delicious hot gravy, and melty cheese curds over crisp fries. Oh yes. However, I can only eat them when they first come out. Soggy is not a texture of my preference. If I were to make this at home…which I will probably try to one day if I miss it that much. I would probably have to dip my fries into a curd filled gravy. OH or maybe I’ll try it with TOTS! Sorry Canada for thinking of ways to bastardize your already delicious concoction.

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My Road Trip Bag

Road trip

I’m excited for my upcoming road trip to Canada. I haven’t seen my cousin AMY in forever, and even though we’ve been physically apart forever, I love talking to her every day. It’s like we aren’t that far. Its going to be a 10 hour drive (I know, crazy). So I definitely need to be prepared.

I’ve been planning what to wear, and what to bring for the ride up there. And here’s what I got so far. Tom’s for easy slip on slip off in the car if I wanna air out my toes. A chambray shirt to wear over my tee if the AC is too cold. And jeans because that’s comfortable for me. I have to have a purse separate from my weekend bag, so that I can keep things in it to keep me entertained.

Travel Purse

I will probably be sleeping if I am not driving. The ipad will be loaded up with my magazines. The iphone will probably play music and be our gps. Gotta have a charger for both! Pen and journal for any notes or sketches I want to remember along the way. And lip stuff because that air conditioned car will wear you out!

What do you need to keep on hand on your road trips?!

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Emerald in the Woods

 Our friends came up to visit this past weekend, and they wanted to go “camping”. The boo and I were like, alright! We have a 3 bedroom tent, let’s do this. But then other people in the group made the requirement of…running water and electricity. WOMP. So somehow we ended up in a beautiful log cabin (mansion) in the woods. Definitely check out Emerald in the Woods. It’s spectacular.

 This place could sleep I believe up to 20 people, but there was only 10 of us. We brought enough food for the week..but we only stayed two nights. It was fully equipped. TV, WiFi, game room with air hockey, hammock, grill, wrap around porch, giant kitchen, two car garage, 4 full bathrooms. This place was stocked. Linens, towels, toilet paper, everything was included. Basically we were in a luxury hotel in the woods with no made service.

 

We were definitely not “camping”. It was a weekend getaway, wrapped in the silence of the woods and dark lit sky of stars. I had a great time cooking in that kitchen, and have big meals together with our friends around the dining table. We ended our last night there around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.

I really enjoyed the peace and quiet and not having to think about my “fast paced” life at home. But now its Monday and we are back on the grind!!!

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La Diplomate

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I finally got a chance to taste La Diplomate. Paris was an amazing experience for me last year. After having tasted a REAL baguette and croissant my palate has been in search of the perfect baguette here in the good ol’ states. I found ONE place that I can pick some up at for home nearby.

It was a hot cloudy day when we went. There were no reservations available for sunday, so we decided to try our luck and wait for a patio seat outside. So french. Other than being a fairly large place on the corner of the street, decor wise, it did remind me of Paris. I loved it.

20130604-141656.jpgWe sat outside, facing the sidewalk, and watching the street. I had an Orangina, and ordered the duck terrine. I was sad that they lacked the standard charcuterie board, which is my go to whenever I go to a french restaurant. But Ben, our wonderful server suggested the duck terrine, which was on point. The boo had the macaroni au gratin, which was made mostly of gruyere, his favorite cheese, and cavatappi noodles.
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Then it started to rain. HARD. Luckily we were finishing up and didn’t have to find an alternate eating situation. The service was great. He even threw in a baguette with my to go food because I loved it so much.

Definitely gotta go back there with someone who will share mussels with me, and again for brunch!

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SUMMER 2013

PondPond by Te Whiu, on Flickr

I know. It’s not officially summer yet. But it’s hot outside, and its starting to be steady. At this point I am usually planning out my travel destinations for the next few months. This year though, I think I want to stick around. Road trips, and dog friendly activities. The only two out of state trips I foresee is a road trip to Canada to see Amy and an Orlando trip to visit our friends who’ve recently moved.
Mr Bento's inaugural picnicMr Bento’s inaugural picnic by Erica Nofi, on Flickr

That being said, I am on the hunt for 2 hour max radius adventures. I want picnics, and hikes, and beaches!

What are you looking forward to this summer?

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