EATING MY WAY THROUGH TORONTO
Every year at this time, I am in Paris to celebrate my birthday. Not only was I dreading the landmark age I had hit but that this year, I would not be in Paris. With the new house and less funds, I decided I would spend this birthday enjoying my new city of Toronto.
No Eiffel Tower but there is the CN Tower ....
My lovely man surprised me with two fun filled days in this fair city ... one to mark the last day I would be 64 and the next day to celebrate becoming 65.
My first meal was to a new hot little restaurant in an up and coming area of Toronto ... Black Skirt. What a way to begin. It is a combination of Sicilian and Calabrese cuisine. I had the day's special which was a pistachio nut pasta. Oh dear Lord ... I thought I had died and gone to heaven. And the wine was served in those small tumblers that always insure you are getting your just due. Dessert ... this place is famous for it's cannolis. I've never had one. Maybe it's the kind of dessert you should wait until you are 65 because you'll probably die soon after but what a way to go.
Black Skirt is a quirky little restaurant just a tad distance away from the Little Italy section of Toronto. This gem is a definite "go to" for lunch or dinner. The decor is fun and you sit in old school chairs that actually were quite comfortable.
That night, we stayed at the Park Hyatt in midtown Toronto and had drinks and dinner at the Roof Top Bar that overlooks the CN tower and the lights of this great city. The dirty Martinis are lethal but that's the reason you have them, isn't it? It was the only way to say goodbye to 64.
The next day being my birthday, I was served breakfast in bed. I guess I'm too old now to go to the restaurant downstairs but I really enjoyed being pampered. I had the healthy special and just loved the sauted grapefruit and onions with the smoked salmon and poached eggs. My one nod to Paris was a café au lait.
For lunch, we headed to the Café at Holt Renfrew which is Canada's nod to the high end shopping experience. Sometimes, you get to see the "beautiful people"
but we ate later and they must have left ...
What I did see was a color on one of the walls that I decided I just had to have somewhere in my new home. Hard to tell in the photograph but it is a beautiful rich marigold hue. Food was okay ... color was great.
Finally that night, we just had to eat one more meal. Twist my arm. I know that's hard for you to believe but once you stretch your stomach, it just wants more. So 2 blocks from my home is a great little local find called Messis that is always packed to the rafters with neighbors and University of Toronto profs and writers.
In the summer or when it's not raining, this great restaurant has a cozy outside patio where you can enjoy this Fusion food and great service. The price is quite reasonable and will definitely be one of my local drop-in places this summer.
I ended my birthday next to a table with the most lovely older woman and her husband. I would suspect she was in her late 70's and she was absolutely beautiful. I said to Tony that I felt that they were celebrating something special as she was so happy and alive. Then, they brought out a piece of chocolate mousse cake with a candle for her. It was her birthday as well and it hit me that....
age is not a number ... it is definitely an attitude.
Thank you fellow birthday girl for teaching me that
and
thank you Tony for a most wonderful birthday.
