Discovering TO #9: Yours Truly

Friday, July 27th was my 3-year anniversary with my girlfriend.  Being that we both love trying out new restaurants, we decided that our gift for each other would be to treat ourselves to a special meal at Toronto Life's #1 rated restaurant of 2012: Yours Truly.  I'd been dying to try out YT, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.  I booked well in advance, and on the big day, I picked up K from work and off we went to Dundas/Ossington to celebrate!

We had a relatively early reservation, but we still arrived in the neighbourhood with over an hour to go, so we started by walking up and down Ossington a bit to see what was going on.  That's when we spotted Bellwoods Brewery, an awesome bar/restaurant/microbrewery.  The spot had such a relaxed, community feel.  There were picnic tables scattered around their patio, and if you were in a group of two, you might just end up sitting with another pair and even get to chatting with them.  K and I kept to ourselves, but I loved the vibe and it having a beer outside was the perfect way to start the evening.

Around 6:00 (I told you it was early), we walked up to Yours Truly for the main event.

The restaurant itself was nice - dim, simple, stylish.  We were seated at a table somewhat cramped in the corner, but it was good enough.

The draw of YT is that they do things so differently.  It's my understanding that they have two dining experiences available - they have two or so seatings of their Yours Truly experience, which is what we took part in.  It's a $45 4-course prix fixe.  The second experience is the Carte Blanche, which is something like 10 courses around $100 all-in.  It was a celebratory day, sure, but we've gotta be fiscally responsible.  So our prix fixe worked like this: you got a menu with a matrix - 4 rows and 3 columns.  Each row represented a course, and each item in the columns was the main ingredient of that course option (all unique and seasonal).  So basically you pick four ingredients, and those are your four courses.  I'm an adventurous diner because I've basically never met a food that I didn't like (except I don't really like cold cuts), so this was a fun and easy experience for me.  I chose lox, bream, chicken, and cheese.  I won't go into detail describing each course, but I will say that each was extremely delicious.  Each course was also extremely creative, consisting of some ingredients that I'd never heard of, and also combinations of ingredients I could've never imagined.  It was the kind of meal where you almost had to close your eyes when you took your first bite of each course, to experience every flavour and let it all roll over your tongue.  It wasn't just about nourishment; it was about a total dining experience, trying new things, and treating ourselves!

One other thing - as if four courses weren't enough, we also enjoyed a signature YT cocktail each (I had the "John Candy" and K had the "Cibelle"), as well as three amuse bouche, which were delicious!


I also want to add that one of my favourite parts of the Yours Truly experience was the service; it was top-notch!  All the servers had clearly bought into the mission of YT in its entirety, fully knowledgeable on every course option, flavour combination, and even the strangest of ingredients.  They were friendly, attentive, and not at all overbearing: my favourite qualities in serving staff.

And that wraps up my 8th edition of "Discovering T.O.".  Let me know if you ever check out Yours Truly and tell me what you think!


Currently reading... In One Person by John Irving
Posts to come... full rc-4 update!

Discovering T.O. #4

The 4th "Discovering T.O." post (preceded by this one and that one... oh, and that one, too) comes in perfect time as it can be paired with an exciting announcement:

I'M MOVING BACK TO TORONTO!!!
WOO HOO!!!!!!!

Where am I moving from?  Well, I've been living in the wee town of Port Hope, Ontario for the past (nearly) two years.  I moved here for work and it's been quite the learning experience -- I've definitely enjoyed elements of it, but the small town life is decidedly not for me... at least not long-term... but more on that in another post.

What do I mean I'm moving back?  Good question, because I haven't been living in Toronto for the entire time I've been keeping this blog.  I haven't actually lived in Toronto for nearly 7 years now.  Wow... time flies!  I lived in Waterloo for 5 years, and now Port Hope for 2.  I've spent tonnes of time in Toronto in between -- summer of '06, holidays, and every weekend since I moved to PH -- but I haven't really lived there.  As of July 1st, I'll be living there.  For real.

Beyond just living there, it'll be my first time living in Toronto on my own.  Any time I've lived in TO up until now it's been with my parents.  This will be Sugar & Gravy's first place of her own in Toronto.  That's about a million times better.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted during the moving process, but moving on...

Discovering T.O. #4

I get the sense that even if I live in Toronto for the rest of my life, there will always be places to discover.  My dad has lived in Toronto for almost his whole life, and my Mom for over 30 years, and they still find new places, so I'm optimistic.

Not this past weekend but the one before, I found two new spots I would recommend:

(1) Bar Volo -- as you likely know already, I'm an avid reader of Toronto Life.  In this wee town I live in, it's my little slice of Toronto, and it helps guide me in making my weekend plans.  They recently put out their annual "Where to Eat Now" issue, which includes a Restaurant Guide.  I love this guide.  I kept my 2011 edition at my office year-round and would mark it up with a highlighter (for the ones I'd been to) and mark with pencil the ones I wanted to go to.  

One of the hot spots according to the 2012 edition is Bar Volo, which I'd read about on websites and in other mags, so I figured it was worth checking out.  I went there for a few beers with a new friend and absolutely loved it.  It's obvious that beer and other alcoholic beverages is "their thing" because the options are endless.  It had a good vibe, relaxed atmosphere, and I really enjoyed myself.  Check it out -- on Yonge, between Bloor & Wellesley.

(2) The Power Plant -- This is another Toronto Life-inspired visit.  Way back when (November or December, I think), I saw an item in the TL events pages for an exhibition called: Coming After.  You can click the link to read more about it, but in short it focusing on artists who grew up in the shadow of the mid-1980s to early 90s' queer experience.  Artist Sharon Hayes puts it best: "What marks me generationally is that ... it wasn't my friends who were dying, it was the people I was just discovering, people I was just beginning to model myself after, people I longed to become."

The exhibition sounded great to me, so I snapped a photo of the ad and forgot about it.  

Later I was flipping through photos on my iPhone and found the ad.  I realized then that the exhibition was ending in about a week's time, so I asked a friend to join me, and on Saturday, March 3rd (the second-last day of the exhibition), we headed to The Power Plant (contemporary gallery) on the harbourfront to see what it was all about.  It was a really great exhibition; diverse media, powerful imagery, and some incredible video installations.  My best way to describe it is that I had never seen anything like it before.  I was very engaged, and would very much recommend it... if it wasn't already over.

Posts to come -- my experience living in a small town & two films I saw recently that I think are important.

Viva México!!!

As I mentioned in my last post, I was just in Mexico City for my first international business trip.  I spent just barely 48 hours there, which I guess is the first thing of note.  What?!  Who spends 48 hours in Mexico City?!  I know.  I guess that's the thing about travelling on business: you go for the business and when it "runs dry", so to speak, you go home.  No dilly-dallying; just business. 

[SIDE NOTE: I don't think I've ever actually written the word "dilly-dallying".  Now I've written it twice.] 

That being said, it was a wonderful and successful trip, both professionally and personally.

We flew from Toronto to Mexico City direct on Air Canada.  The flight was nice n' easy: I finished What the Dog Saw, read some Toronto Life, did a little work, and watched some on-demand TV: "Portlandia".

[SIDE NOTE #2: I had seen a clip from this show, and had heard great things from my girl Sains, but had never seen it.  I've now seen all the episodes Air Canada has to offer (which I now realize is the entirety of season 1) and I can now say that this show is AMAZING!!!  Seriously.  Brilliant and extremely clever television.  Love it!]

Anyway, t'was a great flight! 

We arrived to a very clean and organized Mexico City airport.  Customs was quick n' easy, and guess what?!  We saw the one and only Margaret Atwood in line at customs.  Seriously.  She was looking very snazzy in a pink jacket. 

We then hopped into a cab to go to our hotel to check in, freshen up, and have our first meeting of the trip.  We stayed at the Hotel Galería Plaza in the Juárez district in Mexico City.  We stayed in the executive suites, and my experience at the hotel was really fantastic from beginning to end.  The staff were attentive, professional, hospitable, and all spoke fantastic English.  My room was great albeit a slightly firm bed (not my taste); clean, well-kept, and comfortable.  Since we stayed in the executive suites we had use of the executive lounge for a complimentary breakfast as well as wine and canapes in the evening.  I never had the wine and canapes but the continental breakfast was pretty good.  I say "pretty good" because continental breakfasts never fully satisfy me.  That being said, the woman who oversaw the breakfast made me a delicious coffee, so I was just fine.  The executive lounge itself was nice, too; there was the breakfast area and then a more loungey area where you could use the computer.  I was able to print some documents I really needed there, too, which was great.  The hotel also had a rooftop pool with a great view of the city, and an exercise room close by.  On my third and final morning I went for a quick dip early in the day and enjoyed the view.  That was a nice little touch.  In fact, there were lots of nice little touches -- fresh fruit and a card waiting in my room when I arrived, chocolates waiting on the bed and the sheets turned in the evening... that stuff definitely enhances my experience.  Finally, on our second night there we held a reception in one of the event rooms at the hotel.  Once again, fantastic service, great spot for a reception, good food, good wine, and a good experience.  Thank you, Galería Plaza!!!  

So, that's the hotel.  What else?!  Meeting #1 went very well, and when it was over my colleague asked the person we were meeting with where we should eat for dinner.  He suggested a restaurant called Anderson's.  We thought, that doesn't sound very Mexican, but as it turns out it's been around since the 1960s and has really authentic and delicious Mexican food, so we went for it!  [SIDE NOTE #3: Grupo Anderson also owns the very popular Senor Frog's restaurants and bars, that are located all over Mexico and elsewhere.]  Once again, the service was top-notch, and the food was delicious.  I can't remember exactly what I had, but there was lots of yummy spiciness, a little guacamole on the side, and the margaritas were delicious... and very strong.  I highly recommend. 

After our wonderful dinner, we headed out in search of drinks on a rooftop outside somewhere.  We tried the Four Seasons first but they didn't have what we were looking for, so someone recommended we go to the St. Regis hotel.  It was there that we found a beautiful 3rd floor patio where we could enjoy all the margaritas we wanted.  It was a slightly chilly night, but we stayed there until we were too tired to talk, and then headed back to the Galería Plaza. 

The next morning was a lazy one.  I enjoyed my breakfast with a side of Toronto Life, and then around 11:30am joined my colleagues for a walk along the Reforma (main street) for some sun and souvenir shopping.  We wandered around, stopped at a place called La Pescaderia (that's the only link I could find) for some fish tacos and a cervesa, and then searched for some authentic-looking sombreros for my colleague to bring back.  We found them, and I bought a few magnets for friends. 

Back to the hotel we went to freshen up again before meeting #2.  We held this meeting at a wonderful restaurant in the Polanco district (think Mexico City’s Yorkville) called Casa Anis.  It was on the second floor above another restaurant and was half outside, which made for a great (and breezy!) atmosphere.  I enjoyed a red snapper and it was absolutely delicious.  We also had an amazing Mexican wine there, which I was told was a mix of a chardonnay and something else... it was amazing! 

Then, once again, back to the hotel where we held our big reception, which as I said, was great!  It was about double the turn-out I'd expected, which was great news for me!  There was a wonderful vibe in the air, and it made it feel even more successful than the trip had already been. 

I was exhausted after the reception, went straight to sleep, woke up for a dip in the pool, tidied up, checked out, and headed to the airport.  There we had 2 last cervesas, and then were on our way!  YYZ followed by ZZZ. 

And that was Mexico City!!!

Then, of course, is the obligatory... 

10 things I learned while in Mexico City:

1. I've never been to the Southern United States, so I haven't experienced the famous "southern hospitality", but I have to say that Mexico has hospitality of its own.  Everyone we crossed paths with was helpful, kind, polite, and friendly; not an ounce of snarkiness.  Most people spoke fantastic English, and always made us feel comfortable and at home.  A delight!
2. The rumours I heard about Mexico City traffic were not a myth.  Something that could take 5 minutes to drive in Toronto (and 1.5 minutes in Port Hope) could take 20+ minutes in Mexico City.  Allow for lots of time to get from one place to another, and buckle up because the ride is often not smooth.
3. Being a wordsmith is fun.  My colleague and I played an unspoken game of figuring out what words meant by thinking critically (apparently I'm not the only geek in this way).  He figured out that "extranjero" meant "foreigner" because it looked like "stranger".  I figured out that the restaurant "La Pescaderia" was a fish restaurant, because people who eat no meat but fish are called "pescatarians".  POW!!!
4. Breakfast in Mexico might be at approximately the same time as we have it in North America, but lunch and dinner are a totally different story.  Lunch is usually eaten from/between 2:00-5:00pm, and dinner between 8:00-11:00pm.  We learned that this may have originally been inspired by the siesta style of living, where during the hottest part of the day workers would head inside for their biggest meal of the day, lunch, and then a rest because it was too hot to work.  Our friend told us that siestas don't happen now in quite the same way because most people work indoors, but the tradition continues.  Aside from the siesta, the other reason for meals being the way they are is the altitude of Mexico City (more on that in #4).  To eat your biggest meal of the day in the evening would be too much to digest overnight, so instead you have something light, later in the evening.  I'm sure that's not the most comprehensive explanation, but you get the idea...
5. The gentleman we met with on day 1, after mentioning the altitude in relation to meals, mentioned that we'd definitely feel the altitude change, and in particular on day 2.  I took this with a grain of salt, thinking: "how significant can the change be?"  Then on day 2 I felt nauseous all day - upset stomach and intense headache.  I figured it was because of the few too many margaritas I'd had the night before at the St. Regis, but it persisted in a way very different from a hangover.  My colleague reminded me of the altitude change and I thought, that's it!  Then again, I might be finding a scapegoat for my hangover...
6. This, as I said, was my first international business trip, and so therefore I learned a few non-specifically-Mexican-but-business-trip-related things.  One being this -- even as a woman, you don't have to pack heavily.  I made due on one shirt, a pashmina, a cardigan, a skirt with a matching blazer, a pair of casual shoes, a pair of heels, and a dress.  That being said, I would've done even better with the skirt and blazer, the dress (not mandatory, but necessary considering the reception we held), the cardigan, and three shirts.  I didn't mean to pack only one.  I improvised with the inclusion of the pashmina, but a shirt or two more would've done me good.  Anyway, what I'm saying is -- it's worth it to pack light so that you don't have to check a bag.
7. Margaritas are no joke in Mexico.  They're strong, tasty, and not to be taken lightly.
8. Green salsa is the hottest.  I have been slowly upping my tolerance for spice over the past 5 years or so since I met Waleed, so I can take quite a kick at this point in time, but I should refrain from telling less spice-tolerant colleagues that it's "not that spicy", because they'll hate me the next morning (TMI).
9. As ridiculous as this might sound, I'm going out for Mexican food in Toronto tonight at a great joint on Eglinton West called Frida.  I've been there once before, and this may sound like sacrilege, but after having visited Mexico, I still maintain that Frida serves the best guacamole I've ever had.  And I'll put this out there - I've had a lot of guacamole in my day, so I consider myself a bit of a pro.  Frida -- way to go!!!
10. Home is where the heart is.