2012 was the year I discovered bourbon, became obsessed with eggnog, bought shoes one size too small out of pride, tried hot yoga, and – drum roll please - ate a guinea pig in Peru. I had a few major downers, but the months passed and I’m feeling optimistic again.
Overall, I had a very good 2012 with so much to be thankful about. Leo and I ate lots of good food and travelled far. It can only get better!
We’re going to try to get better at this blogging thing. So, without much further ado…here are a few pictures from the past twelve months.
New York City in May with Leo and friends was a blast. I was a day late and missed the Yankees game, oysters at The John Dory Oyster Bar and pizzas at Motorino’s, but I forgive them. I would have done the same. We ate so many good things, including a lovely breakfast at Marlow & Sons, pizza lunch at Roberta’s, and the original Momofuku Noodle Bar. This ricotta scone (foreground) and olive oil cake (background) you’re seeing in this post is from a quick East Village pit stop at Abraço Espresso on our way to Brooklyn.
This Brooklyn Flea dog. On Portra 400 film using my Canon AE-1 camera.
A lucky shot of fajitas at my favourite Brooklyn Flea stand. On Portra 400 film.
In June, I boarded three planes to get to Cusco, Peru. I went on a three day hike across Ollantaytambo and visited Machu Picchu.
My group got to see a local chocolate maker’s atelier in one of the Sacred Valley villages in Peru. We tasted raw cocoa and drank chicha! The flower picture is on Fuji Pro 400H film using Leo’s Olympus XA camera.
Went back to Montreal in August. We ate in Little Burgundy at Burgundy Lion and Atwater Market. We also had a nice evening at Les 400 Coups, which, as some of you know, was just listed in Maclean’s controversial top 50 best restaurants in Canada list. The Montreal list is incomplete without Joe Beef, but what can you do…cheers to Les 400 Coups though! Worth a visit.
I rented a Carl Zeiss 50mm F1.4 ZE Planar T* for the Montreal trip. The bokeh was amazing.
This picture of Leo tearing up bread from Boulangerie Guillaume is my favourite photo.
Followed by Leo breaking this cookie from Olive & Gourmando. (Can I has Carl Zeiss forever?)
Can’t really complain about budget travelling. We had a two hour ‘layover’ in Kingston (Ontario) thanks to a broken down Mega Bus jalopy on our way back home from Montreal.
Back in Toronto…
Leo’s DIY Backyard Fire Pit. Pure genius.
I never posted the recipe, but one of the proudest things I’ve baked all year was this Coconut Swirl Bread. It was a visual fail, but the taste was incredible. It’s similar to a brioche in that both of them are enriched with eggs and involve lots of butter.
Jim Lahey’s No-Knead-Bread wasn’t bad either. We also made his No-Knead-Pizza.
2012 was the summer of the ramen. (Top) Kinton Ramen, (1) Momofuku Toronto, (2) Sansotei Ramen, and (3) Santouka Ramen all opened within months of each other. We went to every one of them. Our favourite so far is Santouka. (Worth the line up?) Looking forward to trying A-OK Foods from Yours Truly and Raijin in 2013. Sodium content aside, too much ramen is a good thing, but how about some decent gyoza? – just saying.
All-You-Can-Eat sushi birthdays are the best. Even better? The generous amounts of dessert Ten-Ichi let us order. Before you judge, there was seven of us at the table. Best bang for your buck for AYCE…in Scarborough.
Coming up for the new year…
Leo’s Los Angeles vacation.
And, of course, more Toronto <3
Happy New Year, you guys!
