Stone Road Grille - A NOTL fine dining must!

 



 

On Saturday,

I had the pleasure of dining at one of our

favorite Niagara on the Lake restaurants:

 

Stone Road Grille

aka REST

 

http://www.stoneroadgrille.com/index.php

 

 

Before ordering anything,

a complimentary basket

of in house freshly baked bread

is brought to your table.

Some of the best bread I've had.

 

Being the oyster lovers we are,

this is one of the few restaurants in NOTL

with a fabulous oyster bar.

The mignonette sauce they make

for the oysters is impeccable.

 

We can't go to Stone Road without

starting with some oysters and champagne.

 

 

 

 A absolute favorite appetizer

is the Chicken Liver Mousse.

 

Often when attending a dinner party,

we call up Stone Road and order up a

Vintners Plate "to go" just so we can get the

chicken liver mousse.

 

They had a few new menus items since

we had last been, including the Jerk mussels.

 

 

 

 Mussels, Chicken Liver Mousse, Thyme Frites

to start

 

This is another restaurant in which allows

you to bring your own wine!

 

Seeing as we were celebrating some birthdays,

a special bottle of vino was brought.

 

It paired beautifully with our meals.

 

Endive Salad:

Smoked trout, with pickled beet, goats cheese,

Gala apple, fried shallots, tarragon and chive vinaigrette.

 

 

Striped Bass:

Crushed Potatoes with oven dried tomatoes and spring onion,

Chickpeas, sheep’s milk feta, fried zucchini and sauce Romesco

 

No disappointments.

 

The sweet finish,

Sticky toffee pudding

and a B52

 

 

I have yet to be let down by this exquisite restaurant.

 

With the ambiance being so unique and cozy,

It remains to be my top NOTL choice,

and overall, top three restaurants in the area.

 

If your more the pizza to go kinda person,

they make one of the BEST pizzas on the

"Rest to GO GO" end of the place,

which is take out only.

 

If your ever in the area,

try out Stone Road -

it won't disappoint!

 

 

 

 

Sush in the City

 

Sushi has got to be one of the best food

creations of all times.

 

If it was up to me, I'd eat it every other day.

 

I'd like to think of it as a healthy meal choice...

but with amount I consume,

its not.

 

For all you sushi lovers out there...

here's my local recommendations.

 

MICHINOKU

or

AMAKARA

 

Both places are not all you can eat,

which shows in the quality of fish they use.

 

Michinoku is located in the Falls on Thorold Stone Rd.

 

The Volcano roll at Michinoku is a meal in itself...

but I'd never stop at just one roll.

 

It takes 7 rolls, a platter of sashimi, seaweed salad, and edamame to feed two of us.

 

 

The owners at Michinoku are some of the kindest folk around.

It's always nice to be known by name at a place you frequent at,

but to top that, my girlfriend goes so often

they actually named a roll after her.

 

 

Amakara is located on Geneva St. in St. Catharines.

http://www.amakara.ca/

 

This little building across from the arena is a hidden gem!

 

The menu at Amakara is quite extensive.

It's such a cozy spot to dine in at also...

tho 95% of the time we get take out so I can wear

my sweat pants while I eat my body weight in sushi.

 

I think sushi is one of the best meals to share with someone.

A bottle of German Spatlese, chop sticks

and a couple of hungry folk

and you have the perfect dinner lined up.

 

Next time you have a craving for a hard stomach

(and not because you did 75 ab crunches),

try one of these two places.

 

I can almost guarantee

you'll have the best sleep of your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Valentines.. just another excuse for a party!

Valentines Day...

 

Personally, I could do with or without it.

 

**My Practical gifts this year were perfect **

 

It's a day that tends to neglect single folk, and can often lead one to feeling sad.

 

A day in which a guy is often
pressured and judged by
his efforts and gifts for his significant other.

 

A day in which if you dine out,

your waiting 3 hours for a table,

and paying premium prices to boot!

 

On the other hand, 
a day devoted to loving each other,

can never be a bad day.

 

This year,

my husband and I decided to have a little dinner party

with a couple of our single friends!

 

Spending time with each other amongst friends

 made it the best Valentines yet!

 

Cheers!

We began with a bunch of
cheese, pates, cured meats and nibble's, alongside a bottle of
13th street Chardonnay
in which I have raved about in a previous post.
  

The line up of wine and food for the evening,

was one that will not be forgotten..
I will highlight a few.

 Our friend from Toronto brought down 3 dozen oysters from the St. Lawrence market
in which we paired with the
Classic Ice Cuvee Sparkling
brought by our other friend!

Following, we enjoyed my husbands 'famous' Caesar salad, with this beautiful
2010 Quarry Road Chardonnay from Tawse.

At this point..
things started to get a little crazy.

Up Next,
Cannoli's paired with a bottle of
2010 Beringer Merlot.


Eventually, we made it to the dinner table (past Midnight),
in which we feasted on 
rosemary lamb,
(a frequent dinner party choice this winter) 
garlic mashed, and green beans paired with a
1999 BERINGER Cabernet Sauvignon.

This was a VERY special treat!

To finish off the fantastic food line up,
my girlfriend baked a Pecan Pie
in which we added a dollop of Vanilla Ice Cream
and paired it with coffee and baileys.

Stuffed was an understatement.

The evening continued into the wee hours of the night,
where many laughs, drinks and memories were shared.

It was an absolutely perfect Day,
A day in which they call Valentines.

xo from us


 

 





When the Cats away, the mice will play



 

" Away February 12th overnight -

Raptors Game box seats"

was the text I received from my husband 3 weeks ago.

 

BAM.

 

In a matter of minutes,

I had contacted a few girlfriends

and planned a night together on 

 the eve of February 12th.

 

Being the loyal, trustworthy women we are,

we often opt to stay in the comfort of one of our homes

and eat, drink and dance.

 

 

 

My girlfriend Larissa, 

graciously opens her home up more often than not,

and due to our ongoing kitchen renos,

this suited me especially well.

 

Auntie T got to see her munchkins too!

Me and my bday twin Liam

 

Girls nights mean A LOT of food

 

Muchies to start

 

No details and special touches were spared. 

 

For dinner, we indulged in a beef blade slow cooked for hours

in rich sangiovese red wine, garlic, onions and chicken stock,

with baby carrots perfectly cooked,

and placed on whipped mashed potato's,

layered in a martini glass.

 

This was accompanied with a creamy balsamic salad. 

 

Chef Larissa owned it.

 

Not only did we get dinner, but we received party favors!

 

Two thongs picked for each individuals personality...

I have amazing friends.

 

The night wrapped up around 10pm,

as we all have jobs to attend to the next day. 

 

Another fabulous girls night had by all!

 

 

Cheers

to the next business obligation!

 

 

 

 

Suit UP next time your looking for a new season!

Who doesn't love a man in a suit?

 

 

The hit USA Network original series SUITS,

is a great show to watch 

targeting an audience of both genders.

 

Being the season "junkies" Jesse and I are,

we are always looking for the next show to dive into.

 

A friend of ours recommended SUITS...

and he was BANG ON.

 

The show, along with its cast of sexy individuals, evolves around a law firm,

 focussing on two lawyers, (Harvey and Mike) in particular.

 

 

 

In a short synopsis..

Two lawyers.

One Degree.

Nothings black and white.

The half truth and nothing but.

 

After the pilot episode, we were hooked.

The fashion of both the males and females is
business-sexy, which is my personal favorite;
Even if the plot sucked,
I'd still watch for the shoes and outfits. 

 

If there is one word I would use to describe a man in a suit,

it'd be SEXY..

and this remains to be true for this show.

 

Mini spoiler... 

 Certainly a favorite scene

for all you passionate intense people out there.

 

 

 

An interesting fact: The show takes place in New York,

but is actually filmed in TORONTO!

It was neat to watch scenes that took place in

places, streets and areas we were familiar with.

 

http://torontoist.com/2013/10/reel-toronto-suits/

 

So next time your looking for a new series,

SUIT UP!!!

 

 

 



Fifty Shades of Big Lips

Can I get a HOLLA to all my sistas

who have large and in charge lips!

 

I would LOVE to wear 50 shades of lipstick and change up my lip color for every outfit...

But unfortunately,

most colors make me look like I just ate a rainbow for lunch.

 

I tried the big bold red lip one day....

and my husband asked me

What happened to my face.

 

 

Trying to extenuate something that's already

rather large apparently doesn't work for me.

 

So I tend to keep in the

pale pastel and nude shades.

 

My ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE lipstick brand

is Yves Saint Laurent.

From the packaging, to the selection of colors,

to even the smell of the lipstick..

It's just beautiful.

 

$39.00 at Sephora

 

I love MAC's lipstick

in Rose Lily

$16.00 at the MAC in the Bay 

 

An inexpensive brand of lip color

and moisturizer I also use is

Baby Lips by Maybelline.

 $3.95

at Walmart or Shoppers

 

Lipstick color can be a hard one to shop for,

but when your husband thinks you resemble that of a clown with anything brighter than pale...

your choices become a lot easier.

 

Next time your out shopping for that fabulous shade of red lip color,

pucker up and love every second of how fabulous you look.

 

I can only dream!  

 

 

 

 

 



Food and Friends make Fridays my Favorite!

 

 

There's something about completing a week of obligations,

and entering a weekend of choice..

which makes Friday the most anticipated day

of the week for Monday-Friday-er's.

 

I am SO fortunate to have a boss who allows me to work 

hours that accommodate my early rising self! 

(5:10am baby)

I start at 7am, and finish work at 2pm.

 

For me, Friday afternoon wine and cheese starts at 230pm...

Which usually leads to

"date night" in the evening

 

13th Street 2011 Sandstone Chardonnay

is one of my favorite local Chards

Retails for$29.95

 

My girlfriend and I enjoyed a bottle on Friday,

along with our usual snacks to tie us over until dinner.

 

After consuming mass amounts of cheese and such,

 a nap is usually in order to re-fuel for the evening.

 

My husband and I usually hit up one of our fav Friday night spots, the Keg in St. Catharines.

 (I will write about the Keg in a future post)

 

My girlfriend joined us this week,

and together we enjoyed a wonderful evening out.

 

 

Fridays rarely disappoint,

and this one was no exception!

 

Good Wine..

Good Food..

 

and good company!

 

What more could you ask from a Friday?

 

Mondays don't suck as much when you can anticipate another Friday only 5 days away.

 

Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the week,

you've earned it!