Hola from sunny Puerto Rico. Time to get out of bed and get your booties movin'! Perfect for doing chores around the house. Want more? Hace un clic aqui!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
friday frequencies...Vamos a Vieques!
Vieques es La Bomba! That's all we can say. We've gone this year from thinking we wouldn't be able to make it down there to putting together a quick visit within one week. And that includes nailing down the ever elusive vehicle!
Many years ago we saw this video on a MuchMusic program we used to watch called Clip Trips. Jay turned to Bee and asked "Who IS that boy?" Soon after he became a household name, and now he no longer feels obliged to end his videos by helping a sexy naked woman out of a pool.
We're spending the next week in Vieques and, as usual, we hope to post a little but we're not going to go too crazy- this is recharge time! So we hope you have un fin de semana muy agradable and we'll see you soon!
..and, Puerto Rico, you are in our blood forever!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
In transit...puppies want subways
"Council's decision is irrelevant.
Puppies are telling me- 70, 80% of them- puppies want subways."
The Premier ignores Dog Nation at his peril.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Looking Up...mixed messages
We're not sure of the meaning of the mysterious message added to the one-way sign. The fine print, in case you can't make it out, says Time and Desire. Deep.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Looking Up...dormer time
Time to slow down and look up.
Global Village Backpackers hostel,
King St W and Spadina
Saturday, February 25, 2012
City of Samba- wow!
A big shout out to our gal in Rio, Rachel of Rachel's Rantings in Rio, for sharing this! We just had to re-post it. Carnaval has just wrapped up, and it's timely to take a few minutes to appreciate the stupendous beauty of Rio de Janeiro and the mind-boggling effort (and the results that effort produce) of the annual competition at the Sambodrome. The effects employed by the film makers force you to recalibrate your perceptions every few seconds, and to truly appreciate the magnitude of what you're seeing. Enjoy!
The City of Samba from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.
Friday, February 24, 2012
friday frequencies...Peter, Walter, Whatever
When we first heard this track we thought it was Peter Gabriel, but something didn't sit quite right- it was a little more "modern" than what we might expect from Mr. G., plus the subject was a little ...trivial, shall we say?...for the master. Nonetheless, we were hooked and we had to have it.
Gotye is an Aussie who was born in Belgium. His real name is Wouter ("Wally") De Baker. Apparently Gotye is a play on Gaultier/ Gautier/ Gauthier, which are all forms of the French version of Wouter. Thank you Wikipedia. And for some reason, even though he was born in Belgium, he looks to us like an Australian. Don't ask us to explain, he just does. You go, Wally!
Have a grote weekend, mate!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Date Night at F'Amelia
We were long overdue! Overdue for a dinner out, for some quality time together, and for our little Valentine's celebration. So we booked ourselves a table at a place nearby that we'd been hearing lots of good things about- F'Amelia, in Cabbagetown. A brisk walk on a cool night stimulated the appetite, and when we walked in the door we were warmly welcomed by our hostess, and by the comforting perfume of woodsmoke.
The charming space has hosted many establishments over the years, but this is surely one of the best. F'Amelia is what any good neighborhood restaurant should be- a place that's unpretentious, feels comfortably local, yet serves up very high quality food.
We began by sharing the three salumi/ terrine platter from the Antipasti menu. A moist and meaty prosciutto was the star, but the terrine was no slouch, especially when paired with the pickles, and the spicy Italian chorizo was not only super- flavorful, but it let you know who was the boss on the platter! Two nice cheeses, both on the firm to hard side, were alongside; one from Niagara was similar to Parmesan, the other, an Italian, was a slightly softer Pecorino style. Unfortunately we weren't able to catch the names of either. A rich onion compote came in a tiny jar and a bowl contained cornichon pickles and a couple of wedges of golden pickled beets. Flat-bread and skinny bread sticks were probably not the most practical for transporting pickle-topped cured meats from platter to mouth, but fortunately we also still had on hand some of the bread served with olive oil just after we sat down.
As for the main courses, one of us opted for the Celeriac Ravioli with Duck and Root Vegetable Sofrito. It was a knock-out, very northern Italian, and perfect for a winter's night. The pasta was silky, and the celeriac centers were smooth and savoury. And the sofrito was rich and full of duck and dice of carrot and parsnip.
Our other main was ordered from their Pizza Menu. F'Amelia gives pride of place to its wood oven, visible from most of the restaurant, so you can see your pie being baked. Our Quattro Stagioni came with a near-perfect crust-- thin without being paper-like, but not so thick that it wasn't perfectly cooked all the way through. There was no sogginess or sagging. A nice round tomato sauce and creamy fior di latte mozzarella were common to the entire pizza, with the four stations comprised of prosciutto cotto, cured black olives, lightly marinated artichoke hearts, and plump woodsy sliced mushrooms.
We quaffed a house red, the "F'Amelia Red" Toscana Rosso, which was served in an attractive carafe. It was well suited for our meal, and also well priced.
We also shared a dessert, the Brulee Lemon Tart with Rhubarb Compote. As suggested by the name, on top was a layer of caramelized sugar. The lemon filling was suitably tart, and the well sweetened rhubarb provided a nice contrasting flavour kick.
Finally, the true test of a good Italian restaurant for us is in how well they prepare their coffee. We each ordered an espresso machiato, and the house delivered once again. The brew was rich and smooth, all dark flavours without any burnt bean, or worse, acidity. We were happy campers!
A cinque stelle evening. We shall return (most probably on a nice summer's evening so we can enjoy the terrace!)
We began by sharing the three salumi/ terrine platter from the Antipasti menu. A moist and meaty prosciutto was the star, but the terrine was no slouch, especially when paired with the pickles, and the spicy Italian chorizo was not only super- flavorful, but it let you know who was the boss on the platter! Two nice cheeses, both on the firm to hard side, were alongside; one from Niagara was similar to Parmesan, the other, an Italian, was a slightly softer Pecorino style. Unfortunately we weren't able to catch the names of either. A rich onion compote came in a tiny jar and a bowl contained cornichon pickles and a couple of wedges of golden pickled beets. Flat-bread and skinny bread sticks were probably not the most practical for transporting pickle-topped cured meats from platter to mouth, but fortunately we also still had on hand some of the bread served with olive oil just after we sat down.
As for the main courses, one of us opted for the Celeriac Ravioli with Duck and Root Vegetable Sofrito. It was a knock-out, very northern Italian, and perfect for a winter's night. The pasta was silky, and the celeriac centers were smooth and savoury. And the sofrito was rich and full of duck and dice of carrot and parsnip.
We also shared a dessert, the Brulee Lemon Tart with Rhubarb Compote. As suggested by the name, on top was a layer of caramelized sugar. The lemon filling was suitably tart, and the well sweetened rhubarb provided a nice contrasting flavour kick.
Finally, the true test of a good Italian restaurant for us is in how well they prepare their coffee. We each ordered an espresso machiato, and the house delivered once again. The brew was rich and smooth, all dark flavours without any burnt bean, or worse, acidity. We were happy campers!
A cinque stelle evening. We shall return (most probably on a nice summer's evening so we can enjoy the terrace!)
top photo from the restaurant's website
lower photo courtesy Cabbagetwonnews.blogspot.com
*******
F'Amelia Ristorante
12 Amelia Street Toronto, ON M4X 1E1
(416) 323- 0666
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
seen...bubbly d'amour
Our "go to" choice for special occasions. (Attention LCBO- half bottles would be appreciated!). We're celebrating Valentine's Day a little late this year, so we topped off the evening last night with a couple of glasses of Piper, along with some completely sinful chocolate shortbread biscuits from Soma. Oh....and of course, since we can't find half bottles, mimosas with brunch this afternoon! (What a hardship!)
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