January 2020

  • 10-Day Ireland Foodie Adventure

    10-Day Ireland Foodie Adventure

    When my wife first approached me about taking a trip to Ireland to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary I thought, wow, that’s an expensive gift! However, after I got over the initial shock I said to myself, “hey, Ireland has Michelin-starred restaurants“, and I was all in. You see, although we have very high quality…

  • Sophisticated Super Bowl Charcuterie

    Sophisticated Super Bowl Charcuterie

    We’ve been thinking about putting this one together for a while now, and with the big game right around the corner we figured why not? Let’s do a “sophisticated” Super Bowl charcuterie specifically geared to sports fans and/or major sporting events. The idea was go beyond the normal pizza, chicken wings, and chips, and pull…

  • Next Level Specialty Tools

    Next Level Specialty Tools

    In putting together my list of Essential Kitchen Tools my thoughts turned to some of the next level chef tools that I have in my kitchen. These tend to be “specialty” items that serve very specific purposes, but without which I would be deprived of the ability to take my cooking to the next level.

  • Dinner for Six – February 2017

    Dinner for Six – February 2017

    This one holds a special place in our hearts because it’s what could be called our first “formal” dinner party. Sure, we had hosted other get togethers with friends and family, but this was the first time that we put a lot of focus and energy on the experience.

  • Supply and Demand – January 2020

    Supply and Demand – January 2020

    Experience Rating:  4.8/5 It’s been more than 2 years since we’ve had the opportunity to visit Supply & Demand in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood and I’m pleased to say that the product has only gotten better with time. Our return visit was outstanding – same great service; innovative menu selections; and a cool vibe.

  • Tea Parties are for Kids, Right?

    Tea Parties are for Kids, Right?

    My love of tea parties and fine china teacups began as a six year old aspiring princess, huddled around a make shift table sipping imaginary tea and eating imaginary scones with my friends (the human, stuffed/plastic, and imaginary kind). This was a serious affair. Choosing the friends to invite, and those that would have to…

  • Christmas Inspirations 2019

    Christmas Inspirations 2019

    For as long as we can remember it has been a tradition of ours to gather with good friends and family on Christmas Eve to celebrate the holiday season. This goes way back to our teenage years when an annual trip to Uncle Art and Aunt Billie’s house was the main attraction. There was always…

  • Essential Kitchen Tools

    Essential Kitchen Tools

    I wanted to share some thoughts on what I consider the essential tools that every home cook (or wannabe chef) should have in their kitchen. To many, these may seem obvious, but without them even the most basic recipes could prove difficult.

  • Stofa – August 2019

    Stofa – August 2019

    Experience Rating:  4.7/5 I had the opportunity to visit Stofa restaurant with my family for a second time in August to celebrate my 50th birthday. Once again, the restaurant – ranked #2 on the 2019 Top Ten Best New Restaurants List from Ottawa Magazine – didn’t fail to impress.