prairie girl musings

Category: Food and Drink

  • Twenty Reasons I Love Summer (Toronto Edition)

    Twenty Reasons I Love Summer (Toronto Edition)

    Image(Photo by Kimberly Pesch)

    1. Fashion is simple and baring one’s legs is perfectly acceptable.

    2. Pool parties with copious amounts of beverages and floatation devices are a thing.

    3. Havaianas are the closest I can get to walking around barefoot.

    4. I’m allowed to eat as much ice cream as I desire.

    5. Running outside (to counteract said ice cream) is far more pleasant in the (spring, fall and) summer months.

    6. There’s always something going on. Toronto comes ALIVE in the summertime.

    7. I’m allowed to laze by the lake for at least a week, maybe two.

    8. OSHEAGA Music Festival is the place to be during August long. And festival fashion is my kinda fashion.

    9. Exhibitions, fairs, carnivals (whatever you’d like to call ’em) are an excuse to eat mini donuts and candy apples, then scream your lungs out on rides called Vertigo and Gravitron.

    10. Dining outside is a daily occurrence.

    11. Baseball games are an affordable and fun way to spend an afternoon.

    12. The sunsets are breathtaking.

    13. TIFF in the Park is re-inventing and urbanizing the drive-in movie theatre.

    14. BBQs. Need I say more?

    15. It’s the perfect time to wear your favourite Karen Walker sunglasses! Harvest are my personal faves!

    16. Everyone is out and about, making the most of the season.

    17. Road trips are much more pleasant (and safe) in the summertime!

    18. Rooftop patios are a weekly (sometimes thrice weekly) thing.

    19. There’s nothing better than whiling away the afternoon at The Toronto Islands.

    20. Torontonians sport an abundance of amazing, well done tattoos, that are more visible in the summer months.

  • The never-ending hunt for good coffee

    The never-ending hunt for good coffee

    My first order of business, whenever I re-locate to (or merely visit) a new city, is to find all the good places for a cup of joe. This has been my mission since my barista, coffee connoisseur, and coffee shop owner cousin temporarily lived with us when I was in high school. I started drinking coffee at a young age (16?) and can now not begin my day without that liquid gold. So, without further ado, I introduce you to my favourite local haunts to grab anything from an espresso to a frothy cappuccino.

    1. Dark Horse Espresso Bar
    Large, wooden communal tables and lots of light. Need I say more? One of Dark Horse’s owners came across the communal table idea in Europe (it’s also a popular trend in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa…) and decided Toronto residents could use a little more encouragement to talk to strangers in an intimate setting. This place has the ambience down to an art and their cappuccinos are likely the best I’ve had in Toronto. I love that there are four locations yet each still retains it own sense of identity. As an English major, I also love the name.

    2. Fahrenheit Coffee
    Perhaps the friendliest service I’ve received thus far in Toronto. Extra points because it’s a two-minute walk from my office, and even more points because they make a four-shot cappuccino and have called it the “Henry” after an old regular. I absolutely love this drink on Monday mornings. I’m also a big fan of their aeropress coffee. It’s like french press, only better!

    3. Little Nicky’s
    One bite of their mini donuts and you’ll know what I’m on about! They are some of the best in the city! Their location on Peter Street is also about a two minute walk from my apartment.

    4. Bulldog Coffee
    Can’t decide on your order? They have a coffee entitled, “bulldog” that’s half latte and half cappuccino.

    5. Black Canary Espresso Bar
    With two downtown locations, this coffee shop is full of personality. Their full-bodied coffees are superb, but what they’re truly known for are their Nutella lattes. Nick is impartial to their cortados. I’ve been to both locations (one is close to work, the other close to the Eaton Centre) and they both give off entirely different vibes. Definitely worth a visit!

    Those are my top five cafés thus far, but I’m hoping to visit the following ones in the upcoming weeks:

    6. Crema Coffee

    7. Sam James Coffee Bar

    8. The Aro
    Named after a Wellington suburb, how could I resist?

    9. Manic Coffee
    I’ve walked a few times and it looks like my scene. I’ve heard only good things.

    10. Voodoo Child
    Their weekend brunch is supposedly one of the best in the city.

    Now, to find a decent cappuccino at the YYZ…