stenoodie

Media Tasting at Silo 13 [Defunct]

Posted on August 17, 2017 by stenoodie

Silo 13 previously located at 4750 Yonge St, Unit 107 in Toronto

This is what happens when I have a long backlog and don’t end up getting around to blogging about the restaurant/company I was invited to until months later — they closed down even before the blog post went up. XD

May 6, 2017: I was invited to the media tasting at Silo 13, a Freestyle Cereal Cafe, newly opened in North York at Sheppard and Yonge in May 2017. The event was hosted by Jojoinstameets. The concept of the cereal cafe was relatively new to Toronto as I had only seen and heard of New York having such a cafe. (Or I believe Toronto may have had a temporary pop-up cereal bar but Silo 13 was the first standing dedicated cafe to Continue reading →

Posted in Complimentary Adventures | Tagged #jojoinstameets, 4750 Yonge St, 4750 Yonge St Unit 107, Canadian flag cereal bowl, cereal bar, cereal cafe, cereal cafe closed down Toronto, cereal lovers, cereal restaurant, Coconut Infusions, customized cereal bowl, food blog, foodie, Freestyle Cereal Cafe, globally sourced cereal with locally sourced toppings, North York, restaurant where you only eat cereal, Silo 13, Silo 13 cereal bar, Silo 13 cereal selection, Silo 13 exotic cereals, Silo 13 menu and prices, Toronto, Toronto food blogger | 1 Comment

This should become a reporting standard

Posted on August 16, 2017 by stenoodie

I didn’t take a photo of the screen but you can see on my table the two TV screens, one against another one

There were two witnesses in today’s steno job. The parties had requested a split monitor with HDMI cable capabilities and also a large screen with a projector. It was the first time I had a job with a tech request like that. It turned out to be the best request ever! Now I wish every job is like this. Basically any time that they had a document that they were referring to, the assistant pulled up the document right on to the projector screen so that everybody in the room could see it. The parties also had their own copies in hard copy form or electronic copy on their laptops so the Continue reading →

Posted in Steno | Tagged court reporting, large projector screen helpful for court reporters, steno | Leave a comment

Weekly Photo Challenge: Ooh, Shiny!

Posted on August 16, 2017 by stenoodie

Distracted by this little family

Earlier this year, we had a robin bird select our house entrance for her nest. I couldn’t help but be distracted during the first couple of days after the babies were born because I would constantly peek around the corner to wait for her to come back and watch her feed her babies. I was extremely starstruck with the robin babies themselves too. How can you not be distracted when there are some beautiful aerial birds like these right outside your Continue reading →

Posted in Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged bird nest with babies, distracted, mother robin, nest, Ooh Shiny!, postaday, weekly photo challenge | 2 Comments

Recap of Brewers Plate 2017

Posted on August 15, 2017 by stenoodie

Brewers Plate 2017 held on at Corus Quay Building at 25 Dockside Drive in Toronto

May 4, 2017: Brewers Plate is a rock and roll themed event that celebrates local restaurants, chefs, and brewers by offering an unlimited food and beer sampling experience while raising money for a great cause — War Child Canada. War Child Canada helps children in war-affected communities reclaim their childhood through access to education, opportunity, and justice. War Child takes an active role in raising public awareness around the impact of war on communities and the shared responsibility to act. You can visit warchild.ca to learn more.

Brewers Plate 2017 was held on May 4, 2017 at the Corus Quay Continue reading →

Posted in Complimentary Adventures, Food | Tagged #RockThePlate, 25 Dockside Drive, @brewersplateTO twitter, Brewers Plate, Brewers Plate 2017, Brewers Plate 2017 event, Brewers Plate 2017 pictures, Brewers Plate event at Corus Quay Building, Brewers Plate glasses, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt KIND granola bars, Cheese Boutique, Corus Quay Building, Corus Quay green wall, food blog, foodie, Hunter's Terrine from Globe Bistro, Ian D'Sa of Billy Talent, Le Dolci, Ted's World Famous BBQ, Toronto events, Toronto food bloggers, unlimited food and drinks event, Vanilla Sea Salt Artisanal Dark Chocolate from Chocosol, War Child Canada partnership, Whipped Goat Cheese Cheesecake, Whipped Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Heirloom Toronto | 1 Comment

Private Dinner Tasting at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Posted on August 14, 2017 by stenoodie

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ located at 81 Church St in Toronto

I had the pleasure to dine in at the Toronto location of Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ last Friday with my boo. According to Wikipedia, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ (牛角 gyū kaku, “bull’s horn”) is a chain of Japanese yakiniku restaurants specializing in Japanese barbecue.

They have over 600 locations all over the world and yet this was my first time encountering the restaurant chain. (I actually passed by the one in Flushing, New York when we were there in April too.) Other than having Japanese BBQ in Japan, I have actually never had Japanese BBQ in Continue reading →

Posted in Complimentary Adventures, Food | Tagged "Premium Meat Lover's for 2" BBQ course, 81 Church St, @GyuKakuJBBQ twitter, Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap, chicken karaage, edamame, filet mignon, food blog, foodie, Gyu kaku Toronto, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Toronto, Gyukaku at Church and Adelaide, Gyukaku Japanese BBQ, Gyukaku Toronto, Happy Hour deals at Gyukaku, Harami Miso Skirt Steak, Japanese barbecue Toronto, Japanese BBQ, Japanese BBQ in Toronto, Kalbi Short Rib, Kim-Chee, Maple Syrup Gyu-Kaku Ice Cream, miso soup, pint of Sapporo beer, restaurant review, Scallops Japanese BBQ, Spicy Tuna Volcano, Toro Beef, Toronto, Toronto food bloggers, Toronto Gyukaku, Yuzu Shishito Pepper | 1 Comment

Exclusive Preview of the Fall and Holiday Collections from Pampered Chef Canada

Posted on August 13, 2017 by stenoodie

Event held at Westin Harbour Castle Hotel at 1 Harbour Square in Toronto

This past Thursday, I was invited by Jojoinstameets to an exclusive preview of the fall and holiday collections from Pampered Chef Canada.

According to Wikipedia, Pampered Chef Canada is:

“a multinational multi-level marketing (MLM) company that offers a line of kitchen tools, food products, and cookbooks for preparing food in the home. … The company is headquartered in Addison, Illinois and operates in three countries: United States, Germany, and Canada.”

The following entry is a recap blog post about the event from my Continue reading →

Posted in Complimentary Adventures, Food | Tagged 1 Harbour Square, @pamperedchef twitter, Cheesecake Bites, Chef Maddy Goldberg food, Cornbread with Corn and Jalapeno, Emoji Sticker Cookies, Foccacia, food displayed on the Pampered Chef products, Grilled Vegetable Salad, One-Bite Taco Cups, Pampered Chef, Pampered Chef Canada, Pampered Chef Canada events, Pampered Chef cookie cutters, Pampered Chef event in Toronto, Pampered Chef items, Pampered Chef media event, Pampered Chef new fall products, Pampered Chef products description and prices, Pampered Chef products display, Pampered Chef spoons logo, Roasted Red Pepper Bureka mini pastry, silicone chocolate spoons tray, Toronto, Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Westin Harbour Castle Hotel 34th floor view, Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Executive Suite | Leave a comment

Dinner at Hashi Izakaya

Posted on August 12, 2017 by stenoodie

Hashi Izakaya located at 5582 Yonge St in North York

May 2, 2017:

After our long and arduous trip back from New York, we headed back uptown to Yonge and Finch area and decided to eat at Hashi Izakaya. I had won an online contest back in February where my prize was a $25 gift card to Hashi Izakaya. (The contest held by @frances.menu had three prizes: one $100 gift card, one $50 gift card, and one $25 gift card — I won the last one.) After I had been picked as one of the three winners, I sent a private message to Hashi Izakaya to confirm my prize and inquire about the details for the Continue reading →

Posted in Complimentary Adventures, Food | Tagged 5582 Yonge St, food blog, food blogger, foodie, Hashi Izakaya, Hashi Izakaya food, izakaya, Japanese, North York, restaurant review, restaurants at Yonge and Finch, Salmon Hako Sushi, Salmon Natto, Spicy Sashimi Salad, Teishoku Meal Set, Toronto food blogger, Yonge and Finch restaurants | 5 Comments

Hotel Review: Hotel Pennsylvania in New York

Posted on August 11, 2017 by stenoodie

Hotel Pennsylvania located at 401 7th Ave in New York

We booked this hotel in New York from April 27 and checked out on May 1, 2017. Hotel Pennsylvania is located in the Midtown Manhattan area of New York and really close to Penn Station for easy transit. It is also located right across from Madison Square Garden.

Although we booked the hotel to stay from April 27, we actually didn’t check in until the wee morning of the 28th due to a plane delay. We checked in at 3 a.m. in the morning and there was only one other person in the lobby. The check-in process was Continue reading →

Posted in Hotel Reviews | Tagged 401 7th Ave New York, @NYHotelPenn twitter, Hotel Pennsylvania, Hotel Pennsylvania New York, Hotel Pennsylvania New York reviews, Hotel Pennsylvania Penn Station subway, Hotel Reviews, Midtown Manhattan hotels, New York, photos of washroom Hotel Pennsylvania | Leave a comment

New York in Spring 2017 Day 5 and 6: Flushing and the Long Journey home

Posted on August 11, 2017 by stenoodie

Day 5 and 6 in New York

May 1, 2017. Day 5: On the last day of our trip, we packed up and waved good-bye to the hotel that housed us for the last four nights. It was a bittersweet moment because New York had been so fun but it was time to go home. We looked up our route and because we wanted to stop in Flushing before we headed to the airport for our late afternoon flight (where Flushing was close to the LGA airport anyway), we decided on taking the Long Island Rail Road to Flushing from Penn Station. It was only Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Travel | Tagged airport travel stories, airport woes, April construction at Pearson Airport, Chinese food in Flushing New York, Europan Cafe, flight delay stories, Garlic Fried Spinach, Lamb Bun, Long Island Rail Road train, New World Mall, New World Mall food court food, New York travel blogger, Penn Station, Shake Shack at Penn Station, Shake Shack cheese fries, stuck in New York because of cancelled flight, taking the Greyhound from New York City to Toronto, travel blogger, travel blogs, travel blogs to New York, visiting Flushing for one day, Xi'an Cold Noodle, Xiang Ba La | 3 Comments

Yelp Elite Event: “We Are Family at Aunty’s Kitchen”

Posted on August 10, 2017 by stenoodie

Auntie’s Kitchen located at 6039 Erin Mills Pkwy in Mississauga

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a Yelp Elite Event at a new-ish Pakistani casual restaurant called Aunty’s Kitchen in Mississauga. A Yelp Elite Event is an invite-only event where the organizers of Yelp GTA select Yelp Elite members to dine in on a pre-selected restaurant to celebrate and thank them for their contributions on Yelp.ca.

This was my fourth YEE and I was very thankful to have been selected to be one of the 50-ish people to attend. I know that not everyone gets into the wait list and that Yelp Elite Events are always Continue reading →