Pink! concert in Toronto (November 30, 2014) During the last weekend of November, my food-and-wine, partner-in-crime girlfriend and I headed down to Tdot for the weekend. The road trip was originally all about seeing Pink! in concert but in turned into an even better weekend because we enjoyed some of the great things Toronto has to offer.
(Side bar: Pink! is has to be one of the best female artist to see live in concert. No joke. The women is gorgeous, has a great set of pipes - she did a sexier version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" than Chris Isaak - and had the crowd of mostly women up out of their seats the whole time. Amazing.)
(Side bar: Pink! is has to be one of the best female artist to see live in concert. No joke. The women is gorgeous, has a great set of pipes - she did a sexier version of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" than Chris Isaak - and had the crowd of mostly women up out of their seats the whole time. Amazing.)
SLK inside Patria. And her new nickname will now be "Slick". In preparation for our road trip, we researched where would we could grab some dinner before the concert. We bounced around some ideas over email, but my girlfriend found a Spanish restaurant less than 10 minutes away by cab to the Air Canada Center. Located on King Street West, Patria (http://www.patriatoronto.com/) had just recently been named #2 of the 10 best new restaurants in Toronto by The Globe and Mail (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/what-was-the-best-new-restaurant-in-toronto-this-year/article15889206/) - and with good reason!
The atmosphere inside Patria is warm, inviting, cozy. Dark wood, soft lights. Two giant paintings hang on one of the side walls, and on the back wall hangs an enormous tapestry (please look for it on their website as it really is a beautiful and original piece or art). We settled in at our table, excited for the meal and the concert, and slightly giddy after having already enjoyed a bottle of wine in our hotel room while getting ready for the night.
The atmosphere inside Patria is warm, inviting, cozy. Dark wood, soft lights. Two giant paintings hang on one of the side walls, and on the back wall hangs an enormous tapestry (please look for it on their website as it really is a beautiful and original piece or art). We settled in at our table, excited for the meal and the concert, and slightly giddy after having already enjoyed a bottle of wine in our hotel room while getting ready for the night.
You lovely Campari and Gin vixen. We started off with cocktails. My girlfriend ordered a Ceasar. I was feeling indecisive and was ready to order a ho-hum Vodka & Soda, but the waiter easily up-sold me on a Negroni. Yes please.
With dinner, my girlfriend very graciously allowed me to pick a bottle of wine for us to share with dinner. I settled on a bottle of red from Ribero del Duero. Since travelling to Spain back in 2012, I've found a love for their reds, and since spending some time in this area, it was an easy choice that we both enjoyed. Smooth and fruity it was a great pairing with all the great tapas to come!
With dinner, my girlfriend very graciously allowed me to pick a bottle of wine for us to share with dinner. I settled on a bottle of red from Ribero del Duero. Since travelling to Spain back in 2012, I've found a love for their reds, and since spending some time in this area, it was an easy choice that we both enjoyed. Smooth and fruity it was a great pairing with all the great tapas to come!
Jamon Iberico de Bellota served with crusty baguette drizzled with olive oil. Like any food-obsessive fiend, I searched the restaurant's website before our trip to marvel at all the tasty goodness they had to offer. When I saw the words "Jamon Iberico de Bellota", I gasped! G and I had plate after plate of this most amazing shaved ham in Spain. I told him the restaurant in Toronto had it on the menu. He immediately said: "you have to have some, you must have SLK try it!" And so we did. Almost as good as when we had it in Spain, the fatty, nutty, meaty flavors melted in your mouth. Delicioso!
The rest of the meal involved the following (see pictures below):
-Ham croquettes with aioli
-Butter lettuce salad with goat cheese, avocado, quince dressing and almonds
-Blistered peppers with sea salt (another fond memory of tapas in Spain)
-Paella with mussels
-Churros (although the waiter tried really hard to get us to order something more upscale, I was all over the deep fried dough sticks with chocolate!)
-and finally to cap it all off, yep. Dos Spanish coffees por favor.
-Ham croquettes with aioli
-Butter lettuce salad with goat cheese, avocado, quince dressing and almonds
-Blistered peppers with sea salt (another fond memory of tapas in Spain)
-Paella with mussels
-Churros (although the waiter tried really hard to get us to order something more upscale, I was all over the deep fried dough sticks with chocolate!)
-and finally to cap it all off, yep. Dos Spanish coffees por favor.
I'm ok with saying to you all (yes, you two people who have read this blog post) that it was the most expensive meal I've ever had without my husband. And you know what, it was a delicious meal and a wonderful night. I got my bestie to try the best piece of ham in the world, we made an older gentleman's night by commenting on his lovely cologne, we ate some really great food, and the meal was just the start of what proved to be a fun night out in Toronto.
We've made a promise to plan similar weekends away once a year and I can't wait to experience our next Tasty-Travel together!
Tasty-Travel side note: If you ever get the chance, please visit Toronto's Christmas Market. We spent an afternoon walking around Toronto's Distillery district where the Market takes place and it was wonderful. Vendors set up booths both indoors and outdoors, selling Christmas and winter wares (I bought some great wool mittens cause it was damn cold!). Lots of German, Dutch and French influence in some of the booths, as well as tons of food and booze stalls. We enjoyed a tasty cup of Mulled Wine and we can now both say that we love our wine hot and cold. Mmmm warm, spiced wine! Sadly the Market is now over for the season but please keep it in mind for next year.
http://www.torontochristmasmarket.com/
We've made a promise to plan similar weekends away once a year and I can't wait to experience our next Tasty-Travel together!
Tasty-Travel side note: If you ever get the chance, please visit Toronto's Christmas Market. We spent an afternoon walking around Toronto's Distillery district where the Market takes place and it was wonderful. Vendors set up booths both indoors and outdoors, selling Christmas and winter wares (I bought some great wool mittens cause it was damn cold!). Lots of German, Dutch and French influence in some of the booths, as well as tons of food and booze stalls. We enjoyed a tasty cup of Mulled Wine and we can now both say that we love our wine hot and cold. Mmmm warm, spiced wine! Sadly the Market is now over for the season but please keep it in mind for next year.
http://www.torontochristmasmarket.com/
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