I procrastinated making my video so much last month that it seemed to make more sense to wait until the end of June and do a double video. So here it is, the latest instalment of my 1 Second Everyday project for 2014.
Ripleys Aquarium in Toronto
The Ripleys Aquarium in Toronto is really cool! The best part is that there is a really long conveyor belt that goes through the main part of the aquarium, including a tunnel section, so you don’t even have to walk. You can put your bags down and just relax for twenty minutes while gliding past tons of sharks and fish and rays. Rosemarie and I did the conveyor belt twice. :D
That was the first time I have been in an aquarium tunnel. When we were in the dark part you couldn’t see the glass and it looked like sharks were just floating through the air above our heads. Really cool effect.
Rosemarie and I really liked the aquarium. We had perma grin the whole time. Also if you go after 7PM it’s $5 cheaper (and less crowded!).
Long Weekend in Listowel
Last weekend Rosemarie and I went to Listowel thanks to a super awesome Sunwing sale. Dad and Kate decided last minute to join us so we ended up having a really nice impromptu family reunion!
I was really happy not to have to drive to Listowel from the airport. I think I only got ~1.5 hours sleep on the plane.
After lunch and a house tour at grandma and grandpas we all drove out to Lake Huron to my aunt’s cabin. We had margaritas and dinner and a campfire. It was fun!
That is Rosemarie getting coached by 10 people on how to make a campfire pogo. We used homemade Italian bread and a hotdog and it tasted awesome. I need to get one of those things because the possibilities are endless… cheese… chocolate?… yummm.
Uncle Terry kept our wine glasses FULL. :)
The next day we took the scenic way to Aunt Joanne’s house via a beach near Inverhuron and my cousin’s new house. The sun was nice and warm but the water was super cold.
Dad cooked a big stir fry and Kate made a chocolate cake for grandma’s birthday.
There was a gust of wind, OK?? :P
We came back to grandma and grandpa’s house to sleep that night, and then just relaxed and chatted the next day until we had to leave. Dad and Kate braved Toronto rush hour traffic to drop us off in the city. Rosemarie and I explored Toronto on our own a bit but I’ll leave that for its own post.
While I don’t think I slept properly any of the nights, I’m so glad Rosemarie and I were able to take advantage of that sale because the trip was worth the pain. It was great to see everyone after not visiting for so long. I would do it again for sure.
Tasting Plates Latin Flavours
OH MAN, so much food. The latest Tasting Plates event was the most generous one yet. So much deliciousness.
The evening started at A.G.R.O. Roasters for registration and coffee but I didn’t take any pictures there because I don’t care for coffee. We basically just took the coffee samples and ran back to the car to get to the next restaurant anyway.
La Mezcaleria
My plan was to have a margarita at each restaurant, semi-serious. It started off well, I had margaritas at the first two restaurants, but then the rest of the places didn’t have them, so my crazy margarita crawl ended up being pretty responsible. Haha.
La Mezcaleria drinks are really really good. I love lime.
Red snapper ceviche, guacamole, and a chicken tinga tostada.
Everything was awesome. Very fresh and nicely put together. This plate of food was almost enough for a whole meal on its own! We started to realize we were in trouble.
The combination of the tasty food, the live band, and being able to watch the chefs cook made this our favourite stop of the whole evening. I’ve been there before and I definitely will be returning again.
El Azteca
Margarita #2. Half the price, but too sweet.
Ceviche, guacamole, and cochinita pibil.
This plate was fairly similar to what we had at La Mezcaleria. So much food! The ceviche wasn’t as nice (the strange sweet red sauce ruined it) but we thought the pork tostada was really good. And the chips were nice and extra crunchy.
Las Tortas
Cochinita pibil torta (sandwich), chips and salsa, and a churro.
The sandwich was pretty good, but I think we were already so full we didn’t enjoy it as much as we might have on an empty stomach. My sandwich was ULTRA spicy, but the rest of the group didn’t seem to be. My lips were tingling!! The salsas had great flavour. The churro was kind of dense and not great. I’m sure they would be better if they were prepared fresh.
Chicha
Quinoa salad with mango, cheese and chili croquette, calamari and chorizo skewer, basil mashed potatoes.
I had been wanting to try Chicha for a very long time. It’s right across the street from where I change buses on the way to work and I think their restaurant sign is very visually appealing, plus I knew they had great reviews on Urbanspoon. It did not disappoint, this was a great plate of food.
Chicha is a Peruvian restaurant so the flavours were different than everywhere we had been so far. The salad was refreshing, the croquette was indulgent, the skewer was intriguing, and the mashed potatoes were comforting.
Guanaco Food Truck
Horchata while waiting for our food. Sweet but not tooooo sweet.
Pork and chicken pupasas and fried cassava.
Cheesy corny goodness. These were nice but I was basically exploding at this point so I didn’t have that much.
Sal Y Limon
Last stop. Shrimp ceviche, and chicken tinga tostada.
The ceviche was actually not very nice. But the chicken tostada was pretty decent. Again, I was pretty much in a food coma so I just had a bit of each and gave the rest to Lauren.
Lauren basically thought it was the best night ever because he got to eat all his food plus all the food Rosemarie and I couldn’t finish, hahaha.
Their horchata was very sweet.
SERIOUS FOOD COMA. A great night of eating. It was the best Tasting Plates event yet, I think.
Not Much
I haven’t blogged in 5ever again. I really don’t have a lot to talk about though. All I’ve been doing is going to appointments, working, and sleeping. In one week I got my hair cut, donated blood, and had three different doctors appointments. And I have been working A LOT! <– this is good though
This weekend is Rosemarie’s and my trip to Listowel. I am looking forward to it, but I also know it is going to be very tiring. I’ve done that overnight flight to Toronto too many times already and every time I tell myself that I will never do it again. A 4 HOUR FLIGHT IS A TERRIBLE OVERNIGHT FLIGHT!! But….. that Sunwing deal was just too good to pass up. Pass me 1,000 melatonin please.