Vosges Boutique, Chicago O'Hare Airport

En route to San Diego, I had a 3 hr layover at the Chicago airport yesterday. Sick with a cold, I was antsy to get to my destination, and spent the entire time circling around and around the airport. I was tired of the countless bookstores, and mediocre food joints I encountered, so when I saw this beautiful purple + white Vosges Boutique full of chocolate goodies, I got excited. Vosges Boutique, O'Hare Airport Vosges boutiques are steadily...

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The Black Tomato, Ottawa

P and I dropped in at The Black Tomato, which recently closed down for 3 weeks for renovations. They took over the vacant spot beside them (used to be a Timothy's cafe), and expanded both their kitchen and seating area. We snagged a table outdoors in the cobblestone courtyard, and enjoyed our meal. Eating in the courtyard is one of the great charms of this eclectic restaurant.We started with 2 warm dinner rolls served with a red wine + sage...

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Spotted - Atelier, Ottawa

For this month’s Spotted interview, I got the opportunity to interview the talented team at Atelier. Atelier is one of Ottawa’s most cutting edge restaurants, offering molecular gastronomy cuisine. What is that? You’ll have to find out for yourself. Can’t get there? I’ll be posting my meal from Omnivore's Ottawa Supper club at Atelier soon, but in the meantime, check out my dinner from a couple of months ago at this link. I couldn’t decide which...

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Dragon Beard Candy

I just had two lovely boxes of dragon beard candy delivered to my door! On a recent road trip with my family to Toronto for a family reunion, I spent a good portion of the car ride talking about dragon beard candy and how it is becoming so hard to find. I remember going to Pacific Mall every time I visited Toronto, in search of dragon beard candy, and was SOL every time. My uncle told me that it is very easy to find in Montreal, and the guy who...

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Brunch at Stoneface Dolly's, Ottawa

I feel a little ashamed today. Instead of running in the National Capital Race Weekend like I have done the past 3 years in a row, I chose to eat instead. Food, running, running, food? FOOD! Those were the thoughts that kept running through my head. I went to brunch with Beebs and a few friends at Stoneface Dolly's, an establishment named after the original owner's mother's "stoneface" poker face. In 1999, Bob Russell took ownership of Stoneface...

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Masami Takahashi Ramen Spoon + Fork

Ladies and gentleman, I present you the Ramen Spoon + Fork (aka ramen spork). This is no ordinary spork my friends. This spork was designed exclusively for the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) by Japanese designer Masami Takahashi. My sister-in-law, Hals, recently returned from a trip to New York City, and brought this spork back for me as a souvenir gift. I was totally stoked when I saw it, and thought it was one of the coolest gifts ever. I...

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The Chip Maker: Microwaved Chips

  Believe it or not, the chips pictured above were made by microwave. Yes, like you, I thought it was a gross idea... until I tried them *blush*. Wals' sister was recently in Taiwan, and bought him a "Chip Maker". Being too lazy to make his own chips, he figured I would make better use of the contraption. Being the food dork I am, I was excited by the gift, and ran home to use it. In reality, this chip maker really isn't a chip maker....

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Beurre Marchand de Vin

As mentioned in my last post, I absolutely loved the butter Chef Ashlee made for her Mother's Day dinner. It was so good, I decided to share the recipe with y'all. A shallot red wine reduction is added to the butter, creating a pretty pink color, and an OOSOME flava (my attempt at an Aussie accent). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. As my father-in-law always says, "Bon Appétity!" Beurre Marchand de Vin (Wine Merchant Butter)- 2 brs persil/parsley-...

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An Afternoon with a Le Cordon Bleu Chef-To-Be

I spent this past Mother's Day with my friend’s niece to help her cook a great French dinner for her family. Ok, so I can't say I helped cook the meal, but I did take a lot of photos and peeled some potatoes and carrots :-). She recently enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, and decided to cook for us to practice for her upcoming exam. Everyone, meet Ashley, aka Chef Ashlee (pronounced in a heavy Frech accent). She is a funny and personable 18 year...

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