Greeting the Year of the Snake at Harbourfront

Pawsway exhibit

Apart from eating rice cakes (which I totally love!) we have not been able to attend a lot of Chinese New Year celebrations.  DD#1 had been taking up traditions and celebrations in school so I decided to expose her to more culture. This took us to Harbourfront on Chinese New Year.

We started our adventure at Pawsway where there was a Chihuahua meet. Now, I much prefer medium to large dogs, but the girls were thrilled to see so many of these little creatures. We also enjoyed looking at the exhibit showcasing beloved pets and their amazing stories and the girls had a bit of time to do some crafts.


Harbourfront Centre

Then, we walked over to the Harbourfront Centre straight to the Dumpling fest (we had to eat first, you know!). We ordered a variety of Asian dumplings—Chinese wonton, Japanese gyoza, and Korean dumplings! Yummy, but not cheap. It was a quick lunch but it gave us sufficient fuel for the activities ahead.

Dumpling fest

 First, we went to the Lantern Jungle. The lanterns, made of jungle animals, were fantastic! These were very colorful and the characters were fun. The girls enjoyed the different activities—from ring toss, to talking parrots, to frogs with drum tummies.

Lantern Jungle

 Next, we caught “The Road to the Imperial Palace” show. The girls were concerned that it would be in Chinese and that they would not understand it. But between acts (there were three), there was an English translation so I just explained to them the gist of what the kids were about to do. The performing kids were amazing. They had all the words memorized—songs and poems, among others. In my mind, my girls began to appreciate the value of learning another language and having talent to showcase them onstage. But then again, maybe it was just me, because after the show, they didn’t talk much about it.  I will continue to hope, though, that this learning is in their subconscious somewhere.

Lunar fest show

We then headed to the crafts and games area where we made some snake hats which lit up--such a delightful craft! They also played some marble and “fishing” games while I tried to learn to write the word, “school,” in Chinese.

It was a nice way to celebrate the New Year. Gong Hey Fat Choy!

Rodizio at Rodeo Brazilian Steakhouse: our Winterlicious dinner

Sirloin

This Winterlicious, hubby and I decded to try out this Brazilian steakhouse over at the Danforth. This would be our second experience with rodizio, a Brazilian-style service wherein food is brought to your table until you’ve had your fill. In churrascarias (traditional Brazilian-style steakhouses), servers come to the table with knives and skewers of various kinds of meat.

At Rodeo, we started off with some self-serve appetizers where all kinds of salads were prepared. I had some slices of smoked salmon and prosciutto as well as Caesar salad. The smoked salmon was buttery and fresh and the prosciutto was delightful. 

 

appetizers of smoked salmon, proscuitto, stuffed grape leaves

But what hubby and I really enjoyed were the garlic shrimps and steamed mussels. These were juicy and sweet, and the garlic sauce was just plain yummy! However, we needed to save space for the meats to come, so we settled for a few pieces and refrained from having second and third helpings.

Yummy shrimp and mussels!

For the main course, we were first served side dishes consisting of a rice dish called farofa (with beans and topped with cassava), fried plantains, mushrooms and mashed potatoes. The server also gave us the red/green cards.  Green indicated that we wanted to be served.  And for as long as you had your green card out, the meats would continue to come.  Once you have had enough, you flip the card to red.  

side dishes including farofa

 With our glass of Tempranillo, the meat started to arrive. We had sausages, boneless chicken, sirloin, filet mignon, rump roast steaks, roasted pork and many more. We skipped on chicken legs, chicken hearts and bacon-wrapped turkey. I really enjoyed the picanha (rump roast) with its slivers of fat making the meat tender and juicy. Hubby liked the porchetta (roasted pork butt). The garlic beef and parmesan-crusted pork loin were tasty as well. I did find the top sirloin on the salty side and hubby said the chicken was bland. I smothered it with chimichurri sauce, so I didn’t notice. I would say, though, that the chimichurri sauce we had at Parilla Patagonia in Bogota was spicier and tastier! Could this have been mellowed down for North American tastes?

Anyway, after 9 servings of meat, hubby and I flipped the card to the red. We were stuffed. Time for some palate cleansers! Our plates were changed and readied for our dessert—roasted pineapple with brown sugar and cinnamon. Whole pieces of pineapple were skewered, roasted and covered with brown sugar and cinnamon. These were sliced at our table, too.  This was so deliciously refreshing, I had two slices! I wonder how I can make this at home…I am seriously craving it!

Roasted pineapple

such a refreshing dessert!

  It was a good Winterlicious dinner with good value for money. One can’t go too wrong with grilled/roasted meat, after all. Add to that a great selection of appetizers which included some seafood and a fantastic, mouth-watering roasted pineapple dessert, you can count on me to return! For now, I’m all done, thank you!

 



More Breakfast: pancakes at IHOP

Yummy hot chocolate

I have fond memories of IHOP. Whenever I visit California, I would always look forward to breakfast at IHOP. The pancakes were fluffy and there was a variety of syrups—blueberry, strawberry, butter pecan, and the usual maple. Yum! These days, we have to drive all the way to Niagara (the only locations in Ontario) for some IHOP.

I am glad to note that my girls look forward to having breakfast at IHOP the way I used to. Now I know I said we don’t usually go to breakfast places to order dishes we can make at home. But, while I make pancakes at home, they don’t seem to be as fluffy as IHOP’s and we only have maple syrup.  Is that good enough a reason? I don’t usually order crepes or other breakfast delights at IHOP unless it is our second day to have breakfast there! Pancakes would be the first order of the day! So there, when it comes to IHOP, I take back what I said about breakfast places!

I usually order a short stack of Original Butter Pancakes, which has 3 pieces of airy, flavorful pancakes. This is already quite filling! The kids always have either a Create-A-Face or Funny Face pancakes.

Original Buttermilk Pancakes with a side of bacon

The Create-A-Face pancake is a big, buttermilk pancake with strawberry eyes, a whipped topping nose and a banana smile.


Create a Face

The Funny Face is a big, chocolate pancake with powdered sugar and a whipped topping smile. The girls enjoy eating these cute treats! And while I make cutesy pancakes at home too, they don't usually come with whipped cream or strawberry syrup.

Funny Face

On this trip, Hubby tried some Grilled Chicken Caesar salad, a change from his usual breakfast platters of blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and eggs. The salad turned out to be surprisingly good--for a pancake place! The girls and I stuck with our usuals and were very happy about our choices. I keep saying I will try omelette next time, but some habits are hard to break. And, satiated is a good way to start our day.

A “Never Empty Coffee Pot” (really, that is what they call it!) rounds out a happy breakfast. Good Morning, indeed!

Brunch at Cora's

Kids' French Toast

Hubby and I usually do not get excited over food we can easily make at home. This is why having brunch, for no special reason, does not come naturally. We can make all types of eggs and cute pancakes in our own kitchen, after all! A recent birthday celebration, however, took us to Cora’s.

Since I do not make crepes at home, that is what I ordered. I realized later on that I should’ve opted for some stuffed savoury crepes instead of the plain ones. While I got some fruits and bacon on the side, this meal was not very satisfying. Another thing I could’ve ordered was Eggs Benedict…oh well.

The kids had something from the Kids’ Menu--French Toast.  Hubby actually makes this at home, albeit not as fancy. The kids enjoyed it and finished their meals quickly. Getting bacon from other plates, though, made brunch even faster for DD#2.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Hubby had a Chicken Salad sandwich which he said was just okay. Grandma had a Cora’s Special consisting of two eggs, bacon, ham, sausage and a pancake (replacing crepe). Meals at Cora’s don’t come very cheap as you would expect with simple dishes. However, they were nicely presented—which is what you might be paying for in the end. The ambience is nice and cheery, leaving you with a great feeling to start the day. Bottomless coffee is not bad, but not great either. But hey, if you wanted better coffee, you could get it at Starbucks. All in all, it is a nice brunch place for meeting up with friends, but not necessarily something I will crave. Have a good morning!

Cora's Special