joey's yorkdale

a few weeks back, the gals and i went out to celebrate the birthday of our dear mrs jw. since none of the ladies had been to the newest joeys to hit toronto, i thought it was a good choice.
the yorkdale location, while still busy, does not have the absurd wait-times experienced at other locations. for us, it was a good choice for a thursday eve. as usual, the atmosphere was trendy and the wait staff were dressed to the nines. i found our waitress to be more attentive than usual, which was a welcomed-treat. we were seated in a comfy booth on the main level, in the middle of all the action. by the time we left, the place was packed and there was a line out the door. there is definitely something to be said for early resos. food was on point, service was good and atmosphere was great. overall, a great eve filled with laughs and good eats.

none of us could resist these delicious yam fries topped with parmesan cheese, with truffle lemon aoili dipping sauce. thanks to mc for sharing.

can't go to joeys without ordering the chinatown lettuce wraps. the appetizer comes with toasted peanuts, fresh veggies and crsipy noodles. well worth jeopardizing your meal by filling up on them.
(special thanks to na of where the locals go for sharing her pic)

super-stoked voda on special 

 meal time

i couldn't resist the blue cheese sirloin, with the fully-loaded crispy mashed potato and seasonal veggies.
those mashed potatoes, in a spring-roll like outer layer, melt in your mouth.

dh ordered the grilled salmon, complete with maple beurre blanc,
crispy mashed potato and seasonal vegetables. she was also a fan of the mashed potato.

the ever-healthy mc ordered the beach salad. strawberries, goat cheese, quinoa, candied pecans,
lemon poppy seed dressing and chicken.

birthday girl jw ordered the florentine raviolo: seared scallops and prosciutto with spinach and artichocke filled ravioli, hold the tomato caper salad. delicious!

highlights of the evening (hey, we were celebrating a bday. desserts are a must!)

my personal fave, the italian donuts. lemon curd and vanilla marscapone cream. the zesty lemon flavour provides excellent balance to the sweet donuts

for jw, the molten lava chocolate souffle. wow.
the lava was piping hot and devoured within seconds. 

last but certainly not least, the 'happy ending'. chocolate decadence with dulce de leche and maldon salt.
very much capturing the 'salty-sweet' combo trend.

we had a great night, and will certainly be back to joeys!

beautiful birthday brunch

my birthday passed but a few weeks ago. this year, instead of a come-one-come-all bar birthday, i opted for a small, but special, birthday brunch. the venue of choice was MoRoCo in yorkville.

we enjoyed some magnificent mimosas and macarons, tasty entrees and delicious desserts.

fresh waffles: strawberry compote, whipped cream, chocolate sauce

poached eggs, avocado salsa with spicy aioli 

nutella crepe

dessert menu

chocolate fondue with all the fixins!

thanks for a delicious and special birthday brunch!

xoxo

love day

a little bit late, but i am back!
it was a fun valentine's season. lots of fun art projects and excitement about chocolate and cards!
hope yours was full of the same!

tissue paper hearts. brought to you by the primary class.

in case anybody forgot...

thanks kiddies! (they must have received the "your teacher loves chocolate" memo!)

i love when starbucks gets into the spirit of things!

a romantic, love-themed dinner!

hope you all had a happy day!

holiday kisses

my family, well, the women in my family, have a thing for hershey's kisses. it is more than just a 'thing', i suppose. it could be classified as an addiction.

and during both happy and difficult times, hershey's kisses are guaranteed to do the trick.
a small dedication to the chocolate that has helped to make me who i am: a chocoholic.

thanks Mom...hand and mouth model!