T’was a super crazy month here on Planet Byn with tons of foodie related activities going on. Here’s a peek:

  • First of all, I found out my co-worker Ali has never been to Swiss Chalet, after living in Canada for eight years. Obviously we had to make this happen, and my friend Molly and I explained to him that it’s a Canadian rite of passage. We ordered him a 1/4 Chicken Dinner, white meat, with fries, and presented our opposing views on the sauce (I love it, she hates it). I tried to get him to have a Shirley Temple, which didn’t work, but he did have a Butterscotch Sundae for dessert. He liked it fine, but I still don’t think he understands why we were so excited to take him there. However, he has requested a return trip for the Festive Special, so we’ll do that in a few weeks.
  • I went on my second field trip with the FBC crew to the Distillery District. We went on a tour of Mill Street Brewery, talked to the owner of The Sweet Escape Patisserie and cleaned her out of Salted Caramel Marshmallows, and finally had dinner at El Catrin. Shout outs to Heather for organizing the day, and all the other FBCers who came out: Rhonda, Jan, Jenny, Christina, Mardi, Lou, Isabelle, Meg & Brittany. It’s so fun to hang out with other bloggers; this has been the best thing to happen to me in 2013.
  • I was the special guest at my friend Nicole’s house for her Book Club Dinner, since I recommended Crazy Rich Asians for them to read. She made an amazing Malaysian inspired dinner that included a Rojak Salad with apple, cucumber, pineapple, jicama, tofu and a peanut curry dressing and Laksa Soup with shrimp, peppers, and a coconut based broth. I brought some Asian pastries from Furama bakery near my office, since I ran out of time/didn’t know what to make for dessert.
  • My friends Weedy & Mark came over for lunch with their cute little baby Ronan. I set up a little chili bar for us with lots of toppings and some cheddar jalapeno biscuits. I also made them taste test a contender for Champagne & Cookies and we decided these Cranberry Bliss Bars will not make the cut!
  • Nicole came over for our annual Christmas Cookie baking day, and we made Buckeyes, Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies and Black & White Christmas bars (recipe not online, but it’s basically a brownie layer on top of a shortbread layer, drizzled with white chocolate and sprinkled with candy canes). I can’t wait to eat all these things at her Big Game Holiday Jam!
  • Carole invited me to be her +1 at Parlour, for the launch of their small sharing plates menu. First of all, I had the most amazing Bourbon Old-Fashioned, and while I stopped at two, could have had about 12 more. We shared Chicken Empanadas, Beef & Lamb Meatballs, and the most amazing flatbread in history. Seriously, we were the least excited for this, but it ended up being our favourite thing: fior de latte, kobasa (spicy croatian sausauge), mushrooms and truffle oil. Dessert was a cheese plate, which I usually frown upon as obviously I want treats, but in this case I loved it because there was TRUFFLE HONEY up in there. Amaze.
  • I saw Carole again the next night with our friend Libby, as well as Liora from BlogTO, and Heather and Rhonda, as we finally ate at Patria, and what a way to close out the month. I’ve been dying to go there for all of 2013, and I’m so happy we made it happen. Patria is a tapas style Spanish restaurant, so we ordered a whole bunch of small plates from every section of the menu: cheeses, charcuterie, stuffed dates, fried goat cheese, Patatas Bravas (a potato + egg dish), this pork flank dish with pepper jam, and even an octopus + potato dish that I tried. Yes, y’all, I ate octopus for the first time. Dessert was churros and a dulce de leche mousse. I’m drooling just thinking about it. Aside from the amazing food and company, the restaurant itself is gorgeous with this wall art that makes me want to cross-stitch. There are still so many things on the menu I want to try, so I will definitely be back.

Other non-foodie things I was obsessed with this month:

  • My friend Kristine and I went to see The Best Man Holiday the night it opened, in packed theatre of like-minded souls who I’m sure also loved The Best Man when it came out in ’99. It was was SO GOOD. We laughed so hard and cried so hard, and pondered why Nia Long looks like she hasn’t aged in about 20 years.
  • Didn’t really read anything noteworthy, but I’m halfway through The Night Circus for my book club (and better hurry up because we meet on Wednesday). I feel like everybody read this a few years ago, but I’m liking it so far.
  • I made a goal back in October to finish all my Christmas shopping by December 1st. Last year I left a bunch of stuff to the last minute, so I vowed to be more organized this year. And guess what? Aside from a couple of online orders I’m waiting to be delivered, I’M DONE! Now all I need to do in December is bake cookies and go to parties. I can’t wait!