Down the Street Bar and Restaurant
30 Ontario Street
Stratford, Ontario
Ph: 513-273-5886
We spent the morning exploring the town and around noon, found our way to Down The Street. It's a small narrow restaurant and at my request we were seated in the back at a table next to a window, where the light was good for photography.
We decided to share an appetizer and with minimal discussion agreed on the chicken liver mousse with baguette toasts and sweet and sour cippolini onions. The mousse came in a little round dish with a layer of chicken fat protecting the contents. We removed the fat layer and savoured the creamy rich pate below.
Wabora Fusion Japanese Restaurant
550 Wellington Street West
Toronto, ON
Ph: 416-777-9901 or Reserve Online at Open Table
We were looking for somewhere to have lunch In between Summerworks shows on a hot Toronto day. We were in the King Street West area so I checked out UrbanSpoon and Open Table, and found a listing for Wabora in the Thompson Hotel.
After leaving the Factory theatre area we walked to the restaurant. The cool interior was very welcome, and our server graciously brought me a damp napkin to mop my bright red face.
Even though I come from Vancouver, which probably has more superb sushi restaurants per square mile than Tokyo, I was intrigued by the unusual selection of rolls - quite inventive. We could not resist trying two; the crab dynamite roll and the South Beach roll.
Fran's Restaurant
20 College Street,
Toronto, ON.
Ph: 416-923-9867
We were looking for a restaurant for a late breakfast before heading back to the Summerworks Festival to see a play at noon.
Fran's Restaurant , an American style diner, was close by and we thought it looked perfect for brunch.
We both had coffee and declined juice. Amidst the several omelette offerings the menu listed a "build your own omelette" option. Starting with three eggs, you can add a variety of fillings such as various cheeses, bacon, ham, onions, peppers, sautéed mushrooms and salsa.
I picked whole wheat toast. Michael had rye toast. Both omelettes came with a pile of the most perfectly cooked hash brown potatoes. The were so good that I got our server to remove my plate so that I would not eat the whole pile.
Hoops Sports Bar and Grill
735 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
Ph: 416-862-2400
In between shows at the Summerworks Festival we wandered down Queen Street in search of a cafe or restaurant where we could cool off and have a light meal.
We ended up at Hoops Sports Bar which I gulped down a couple of glasses of water while Michael enjoyed a cold beer.
Bier Market
600 King Street West
Toronto, ON:
Ph: (416) 862-1175
With a two hour break in between Summerworksshows we set off down King Street in search of yet another location where we could cool off and enjoy a light meal.
The patio at Bier Market had a couple of tables free that were shaded by large umbrellas, so we opted to sit outside and hope for a bit of a breeze. We placed our orders. I decided on a cheese plate and Michael picked the wurst sampler.
I had not realized that unlike in Vancouver, where restaurant patios are non-smoking areas, in Toronto smoking is allowed on restaurant patios. After about ten minutes of trying to ignore the cigarette smoke I was feeling really uncomfortable, and so we asked if we could move to a table inside.
Check out time was 11 AM so there was plenty of time to enjoy coffee and a light breakfast before packing and getting our perishables into the cooler for transport home.
We stopped at Function Junction to pick up some fresh bread at Pure Breads. I got a rustic baguette and a "seriously seedy" bread, both of which were so tempting I hoped I would have some left when my family arrived to stay the next day.
Our next stop was at the Farmers' market in Squamish where I got some great purple and yellow heirloom tomatoes, some blue potatoes (blue all through the vendor assured me), and containers of raspberries and blueberries.
Although I have been luxuriating in deep, sound sleeps, my internal clock keeps waking me up at 6:30. The first thing on my mind is a steaming hot cup of coffee and cream, and luckily the kitchenette comes with a coffee maker and a daily supply of filter coffee. We brought the cream.
On this fifth day of my stay at the Westin, the sun streamed in through the shutters. The predicted weather was sunshine with a high around 20ºC and this was definitely the right day to visit the outdoor pools of Spa Scandinave.
We decided to go there a bit later in the morning and left at 11:30 to drive there.
I visit Whistler, BC in the summer of 2011 to check out whether it lives up to its international reputation for consistent fine dining experiences - and it definitely does.
I also check out the spa scene and walking trails, as well as the Peak to Peak Gondola ride.
In this index, links will become blue and clickable as each story is posted. Within each post, blue links are clickable to take you to related stories.
After several rather grey and overcast mornings, Thursday dawned with a clear sky and my IPhone told me that there was going to be a temperature high of around 20º in Whistler. It was definitely the day for us to do the Peak to Peak Gondola ride.
The Peak to Peak Gondola connects Whistler and Blackcomb mountains on a 4.4 kilometre long ride. Opened in December 2008, it breaks three world records. Supported by only four towers, two on each mountain, it boasts the longest unsupported span of 3.024 kilometres, is the highest lift of its kind rising 436 metres above the valley floor and completes the longest continuous alpine lift system on the globe.
It really was an amazing and spectacular ride.
After buying our tickets in Whistler Village, we first rode the Whistler Village Gondola up to the Roundhouse lodge. There we walked around and marveled at the spectacular view before getting aboard one of the red cabins.
I was up by 7 as usual and brewing coffee. Breakfast for the second day was a bowl of Liberté Mediterranean yogurt, thick and creamy, with blue berries and strawberries. Then while my friend headed off for a golf lesson at Whistler Golf Club Driving Range, I settled down to catch up on my writing.
By 11:30 we were ready to head out on an exploratory walk around the village to see what was open for lunch. We wandered by Alta Bistro but saw that it only served dinner. Elements was packed and noisy, and we did not want to wait. We wanted to fit in a meal at Umberto's Il Caminetto but by the time we had wandered up to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, we were ready for an immediate lunch! That mountain air does it every time. We looked in at the Wildflower Restaurant but it was not open for lunch
We were directed to the Mallard Lounge and terrace where lunch was being served. My friend was craving a bowl of creamy mushroom soup and we shared a charcuterie plate featuring meats from Two Rivers and an artisan cheese platter with cheeses from Farm House Cheese in Agassiz and Poplar Grove on the Naramata Bench.
Down the Street Bar and Restaurant
Wabora Fusion Japanese Restaurant
After leaving the Factory theatre area we walked to the restaurant. The cool interior was very welcome, and our server graciously brought me a damp napkin to mop my bright red face. 
n though I come from Vancouver, which probably has more superb sushi restaurants per square mile than Tokyo, I was intrigued by the unusual selection of rolls - quite inventive. We could not resist trying two; the crab dynamite roll and the South Beach roll.
Fran's Restaurant
Hoops Sports Bar and Grill
We ended up at Hoops Sports Bar which I gulped down a couple of glasses of water while Michael enjoyed a cold beer.
Bier Market
Check out time was 11 AM so there was plenty of time to enjoy coffee and a light breakfast before packing and getting our perishables into the cooler for transport home.
We stopped at Function Junction to pick up some fresh bread at Pure Breads. I got a rustic baguette and a "seriously seedy" bread, both of which were so tempting I hoped I would have some left when my family arrived to stay the next day.
Although I have been luxuriating in deep, sound sleeps, my internal clock keeps waking me up at 6:30. The first thing on my mind is a steaming hot cup of coffee and cream, and luckily the kitchenette comes with a coffee maker and a daily supply of filter coffee. We brought the cream.
We decided to go there a bit later in the morning and left at 11:30 to drive there.
I visit Whistler, BC in the summer of 2011 to check out whether it lives up to its international reputation for consistent fine dining experiences - and it definitely does. 
I also check out the spa scene and walking trails, as well as the Peak to Peak Gondola ride.
After several rather grey and overcast mornings, Thursday dawned with a clear sky and my IPhone told me that there was going to be a temperature high of around 20º in Whistler. It was definitely the day for us to do the Peak to Peak Gondola ride.
Mediterranean yogurt, thick and creamy, with blue berries and strawberries. Then while my friend headed off for a golf lesson at Whistler Golf Club Driving Range, I settled down to catch up on my writing.
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