Author Archive for leah

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Baco Noir Nuit

Published on December 14, 2007 in Chris and Leah and Food & Wine. 0 Comments

Ever since I saw the movie Sideways, I’ve held to the notion that any day is a good day to enjoy a great bottle of wine. So on Wednesday night we sat down for some pasta and a glass of Henry of Pelham’s Baco Noir 2005 Reserve. Both of us are fans of this wine anyway – but I don’ think either of us was prepared for just how good this particular bottle was.

One reviewer described it this way, “Very deep intense purple colour. Spicy, slightly cedary, plummy, red pepper nose with vanilla stick notes. Dry, very tangy, bright, ripe, plummy, gently juicy, black cherry flavours with a lingering cedary finish.” Now I don’t know about the red pepper and vanilla but the gently juicy and bright are perfect descriptions of this delicious and complex wine.

If you happen to find a bottle of the Baco Noir 2005 Reserve, buy it without hesitation and treat yourself to a truly fantastic wine drinking experience. It’ll be the best $25 you’ve spent in a long time. Any other bottle of Henry of Pelham’s Baco is also a good choice, but the reserve is really something special.

Making science interesting

Published on December 4, 2007 in Leah. 0 Comments

I stumbled across an article on Fredrick Banting today that I found very inspiring – as lot of my work day is spent trying to find ways to make science interesting to the average person. While this isn’t exactly a marriage of scientific discovery and art, I still loved the idea of a great Canadian scientist influencing the work of one of our country’s greatest artists:

“And most surprisingly, you see Banting’s work as an artist, influenced by Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson, who was one of the doctor’s best friends. Even then, Banting’s inventive mind was at work. Using matchsticks, he devised a method to carry wet paintings from the woods so they wouldn’t smudge – a technique Jackson used the rest of his life.”

How to Spend a November Weekend

Published on November 6, 2007 in Chris and Leah. 0 Comments

OK, my editing class is calling me but I want to get in a quick review of our weekend. On Saturday, we headed out to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a romantic weekend at the Harbour House. After a rocking start to the day (Acura Sherway really needs to employ people who know what they’re talking about) we packed the rental car and hit the road for the 75 minute trek around the Golden Horseshoe. Even though we weren’t in our own car, I did enjoy playing with the satalite radio! You gotta love an entire station devoted to Broadway! :-)

The hotel is beautiful. And the friendly, welcoming and helpful staff make the Harbour House Hotel even better. We were able to check in early and even had a bag of personlized cookies and personlized hotel stationary waiting for us in the room. Sean, the front desk guy on duty, booked us in for lunch and our complimentary wine tour at Peller Estates. The winery is beautiful and, for the most part, we liked all the wine and food we tried. The highlight of lunch was the sweet potato soup. Yum!

We left the winery full and headed back to the hotel for more snacks, wine and conversation in the lobby. Harbour House hosts a wine and cheese tasting for guests from 4:00 to 5:30, and it was really nice to relax by the fire and chat with other guests.

After quick shower and change of clothes, Joseph from Harbour House was waiting with the van to drive us to the Charles Inn. Built in the 1800s, this beautiful historic house is transformed into an elegant and inviting restaurant. The food, service and wine were all fantastic.

It’s the perfect place for a quiet dinner with someone you love.

Back at the hotel, we snuggled into the delightfully soft white sheets and tried to watch “Dirty Dancing”. We only made it about an hour into the moving before conking out for the night.

Breakfast at the hotel was good, offering a better variety of food than you normally get at a hotel. After a quick tour of the main drag (with purchases from the Christmas store and a new hat for me!) we headed back to Toronto.

If you get a chance, check out the Harbour House and/or the Charles Inn. We received this package as a wedding present (it was a Life Experience) and it was great.

Today’s Head-scratching Moment

Published on October 30, 2007 in Funny. 0 Comments

While in the corner store today, I couldn’t help but notice the purchases of the woman in front of me. She was not only buying Gravol and a hotdog simultaneously, but also popping a pill from the opened but unpurchased box of anti-nausea drugs.Now, a hotdog is never my first choice for lunch – especially from 7-Eleven – but doesn’t this combination of items seem a bit strange?

My favourite things

Published on October 25, 2007 in Chris and Leah. 0 Comments

In light of the post below, this thought feels a bit frivolous…but I this site never fails to provide a little pick-me-up and perspective on the world outside of my own life.

When you get the chance, check out the “Day in Pictures” section on www.globeandmail.com

Hair these days

Published on October 18, 2007 in Chris and Leah. 0 Comments

It started yesterday. On the Spadina streetcar I saw a girl sporting skipping ropes as hair accessories. Two lengths brightly coloured plastic were wrapped neatly around the two small buns on this girls head.

It continued today. Not one, but two girls breezed passed me with 4-inch turquoise combs wedged underneath their short ponytails.

Now I’m old enough that at one time I thought a scrunchie was the height of hair fashion. I even wore – and liked – a large faux-velvet bow shaped hair clip. But come on, skipping ropes and combs? Good grief….

Will Education Decide the Next Election?

Published on September 18, 2007 in Leah. 0 Comments

Today’s Globe and Mail says that 71 per cent of those surveyed said they totally oppose John Tory’s suggestion that the province fund Jewish, Muslim and other religious schools – yet 37 per cent of Ontarians think Mr. Tory is the best person to be premier (the survey shows Dalton McGuinty trails with only 31 per cent).

These numbers promted me to actually read part of a politician’s platform – a first for this girl. I’m still a bit undecided on this issue of funding for faith-based schools. If Tory is elected and remains true to his platform, he’ll also tackle issues such as child obesity and special needs students as part of his plan to provide good education. Are these parts of his education plan enough to make me see the benefits – or at least overlook – his funding ideas for faith-based schools? I’m not sure yet….

And do other voters hate McGuinty enough, want a change in power enough, to support public funding for faith-based schools? Over the next few weeks, we’ll see if McGuinty smart enough to keep this unpopular issue in the spotlight – or if Tory figures out he needs to move on and focuse on other issues that might help him win.

Restaurant Review

Published on August 31, 2007 in Chris and Leah, Food & Wine and Goin' Out. 0 Comments

Finally – after months of talking about how nice it would be if our neighbourhood had a restaurant we could walk to – someone finally heard our grumbling! Last night we left the car at home and followed sidewalk to a lovely place called Eden Trattoria. We were quickly greeted on the patio by a friendly staffer and taken to a quiet table in the back. While only Chris had a direct view of the water from our table, it was still nice to turn around and see the sun setting over the blue lake.

Our server was scattered but nice and generally efficient. She quickly corrected a problem we had with the bread basket (open butter packets not being to our liking) and we had no further problems.

Chris and I both started with a caesar salad. The lettuce was crunchy and the dressing had a nice consistency, but it lacked that certain zing we both like in this dish. Fresh parmeasan and lemon juice would really help spice this salad up a bit.

For our main course, Chris opted for pizza while I had penne alla vodka. Both dishes were resonably priced and proved to be good value. At about $10 per dish, we each left full and even had leftovers for lunch today. I’ll leave Chris to comment on the pizza (thought it looked and smelled good!) but I can say that the pasta was great. It had the perfect about of bite to it, and the sauce was plentiful but not over powering. The flavour was a nice mix of creamy tomato with that lingering taste of vodka. I’ve had this kind of pasta with additional ingredients such as mushroom or prosciutto – but I much prefer just the sauce and pasta as Eden served up.

The gelato was good – but still not the same as the delightful cones we had in Italy. One day we’ll find it’s match closer to home!

I was excited to see this good little restaurant also offers brunch. As brunch junkies, Chris and I are both looking forward to a new rendition of bacon and eggs – that we can walk to no less!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Review

Published on August 8, 2007 in Chris and Leah. 1 Comment

Donuts, a $2 admission fee and fairy lights – these are my first memories of the Dream in High Park. On Saturday, Chris and I made some new memories – goat cheese pasta salad, a $20 admission fee and fairy lights.

Along with Dan and Anna, we took in the 25th anniversay edition of CanStage’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As usual, the production was lively and innovative – though I will fully admit my bias towards CanStage productions, and their rendition of this Shakespeare play in particular.

Puck was acrobatic, cheeky and lovable, Hermia’s mother was brilliantly portaryed as country club-going “jewish mother”, and Titania, Queen of Fairies, had coquettish attendents who randomely broke out in song, huffed and puffed like teen-aged girls when annoyed, and seductively teased the donkey-headed Bottom.

A real highlight was the hip-hop version of “Pyramus and Thisbe” – the play the craftsmen put on in honour of Theseus and Hippolyta’s wedding. Hilarious.

If you get a chance, take in this year’s Dream. You’ll like it as much as we did – just remember to bring a cushion and a sweater.

Only two more sleeps….

Published on July 19, 2007 in Chris and Leah. 0 Comments

That’s all I can say…it’s just so exciting….only two more sleeps. Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!