Stiletto Diaries™

Will This Do (Lazy Writer Asked)?*

Posted on April 22nd, 2007 in Are You Gonna Eat That?, Does All Her Own Stunts, Made In Ontario, Migration Paths, Photos

Finally I have a few moments to sit down and share a little update on our moving preparations. Recently Jack and I took a trip out east to shop for houses and get a feel for the area. Neither of us had been there before, so it was an exciting adventure. We had a great time navigating our way from the Pearson Airport to our hotel. The difficult thing about getting around in Toronto and area seems to be that they name all of their streets and avenues, rather than numbering them. In Calgary they number them all, and the streets ALL run North/South and the Avenues ALL run East/West. Not so in that part of Ontario. Streets intersect with other streets, they seem to start rolling into intersections before the lights turn green, and they certainly drive more aggressively than we do here. Still, we found our way and didn’t get maimed or killed.

One of the really cool things about driving through Toronto was seeing the office buildings of big-name companies (you don’t get a lot of that in Calgary). LavaLife.com, Microsoft, General Electric, Hitachi (makers of the famous Magic Wand) and many others. I love reading signs and Jack got a kick out of how excited I was. The city is amazing at night, lights as far as the eye can see. Once we found our hotel we got all of our luggage hauled inside and then realized how hungry we were. Knowing absolutely nothing about the area we used mapquest (which became our best friend out there) to find any McDonald’s nearby. Sadly the two that we came across were not 24 hour, and it was already the wee hours of the morning. We settled on some microwavable fare from a Mac’s store and fell into bed completely exhausted.

We spent a couple of days exploring the city and driving hither and yon. We visited Brampton, Mississauga, Guelph, Cambridge, Milton, Georgetown, and a number of other areas. I love that almost all of the houses out there are built from brick. That is a very rare thing here in Alberta, and if you want brick, you have to pay through the nose for it. I adore brick houses, especially older homes.

After our first full day in Ontario, we ended up at Lemongrass Thai Restaurant for supper. The decor was simple yet elegant and bright. Waitstaff bustled here and there, presenting plates heaping with attractive and delicious food to the hungry patrons. We arrived during the last part of the dinner rush and were seated immediately. We settled in to peruse our menus. To say they provide a wide selection of different food choices is an understatement. I was not entirely sure that I could narrow it down to just a couple if dishes, everything sounded so appealing.

Eventually Jack and I decided to try the Pineapple Fried Rice (shrimp, chicken, pineapple, egg, and cashews served in half of a hollowed out pineapple) and some BBQ Beef Ribs with mixed veggies. The dishes are designed to be shared, and just those two selections turned out to be the perfect amount of food.

The rice was incredible! Possibly one of the top 10 best things I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. I intend to go back to Lemongrass again and again just for that. I found the ribs to be far too fatty, but Jack enjoyed them very much. I munched on the veggies and enjoyed a couple of helpings of the rice. It was such a fantastic meal, and very reasonably priced.

The following evening we had another culinary adventure at Louisiana Seafood Oyster Bar & Grill, located in Brampton. It looked like Mardi Gras inside the spacious restaurant. There was some fantastic live Jazz music and I found the service to be prompt and friendly. I had decided that as far as meals went, I wanted to try a lot of new things. When I discovered that Alligator (from the bayou no less) was on the appetizer menu I convinced Jack to try it. He settled on the Jambalaya for his entree and I chose the Blackened Catfish, served with Louisiana rice and seasonal veggies.

Before our Alligator arrived our rather attractive waiter took our drink order and served us a small plate of cornbread. Jack is not a fan of cornbread, but I love it. I found it most enjoyable.

It wasn’t a long wait for the Alligator to arrive. It looked like little bits of pork, and came with some sort of spicy dipping sauce. I tried a bite. It was different, and it didn’t taste like chicken. In fact it didn’t taste much like anything I have tried before. It had a similar consistency to pork, although it was riddled with tiny globs of fat and gristle. I enjoyed the taste actually, although the fattiness of it will deter me from ordering it again.

Our main course arrived. Jack’s Jambalaya looked fantastic, as did my catfish. After one or two bites of my fish I realized that it was far too spicy for my taste buds. I think I could have managed it had I not been suffering a sinus infection that forced me to run to the bathroom to clear my nostrils every ten minutes or so. When I am sickly I find that foods with intense spice or heat make me feel nauseous. At any rate I still enjoyed my meal. The fish itself was quite mild in flavour, and the rice was excellent. I want to go back there and try some of their other delicious-sounding Cajun offerings, not to mention the oysters!

Our trip ended all too soon and it was time to head back to more familiar surroundings. I enjoyed the flight, both ways, as it gave me an opportunity to read, uninterrupted by children or the phone. I had forgotten how much fun it is to travel, since Jack and I haven’t done much of it since we had our munchkins.

I am feeling incredibly optimistic that we will love living in Ontario (PST and pollution aside). I am hoping I get to take one more kid-free trip out there before the actual move. It is becoming increasingly ‘real’ for me. We are actually moving. Wow, what a journey it’s going to be.

*Ken MacLeod