Mother's Day in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Mother's Day is quickly approaching and I want to share one of my favourite memories of Mother's Day. My mother is a simple lady who would be perfectly happy celebrating Mother's Day at home sipping tea with her family. One year on Mother's Day, I surprised her with a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake where we were able to spend quality time together and enjoy the easy pace of the charming town. I hope you will use this guide to get some ideas of how you can celebrate Mother's Day with the special lady in your life.

Where to Stay: I booked a two night stay at the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, which is in walking distance to shops, restaurants and theatres. Even before we enter the hotel, we are taken back in time as a man with a top hat sits inside a horse-drawn carriage waiting to take a couple for a leisurely ride.  

As we enter the hotel, we admire the elegant Victorian decor. We were very comfortable with our spacious room and Egyptian cotton sheets. Other amenities include fitness facilitates, The Secret Garden Spa, restaurants and afternoon tea service in the Victorian Drawing Room. If you want to make mom feel like royalty, I would highly recommend staying at The Prince of Wales Hotel!

Where to Eat: Hob Nob Restaurant & Wine Bar is located at The Charles Hotel. Diners can sit on the charming verandah and can take in views of the oldest golf course in North America, while enjoying a scrumptious meal. Elevated classics include the juicy beef tenderloin burger and Parmesan and truffle mac and cheese. 

Escabèche is a fine dining restaurant inside the Prince of Wales Hotel, that offers gourmet cuisine. The restaurant decor is regal and fancy. Mom especially loves their desserts, including the decadent chocolate dark royale, which is absolutely heavenly. 

Cow's ice cream parlour claims to have the best ice cream in Canada. Mom and I just had to find out if the claim is indeed true. There are a plethora of creatively named combinations, such as Moo Crunch, Wowie Cowie and Gooey Mooey. The ice creams we sampled were luscious and incredibly creamy. We can certainly say that Cow's makes the best ice cream we have ever had the pleasure of enjoying! 

Things to Do: I treated mom to a day of relaxation and rejuvenation at The 100 Fountain Spa at The Pillar and Post. The spa offers a wide range of services to choose from. Mom had the personalized facial and the esthetician catered to her specific skin needs. She felt completely rested and her skin was glowing! I opted to have the body energizing wrap, which consisted of first getting scrubbed with an exfoliant and then being covered in thermal mud to detoxify my skin. The scent of lime and mandarin lotion was quite invigorating and my body felt incredibly soft and silky. 

Niagara-on-the-Lake is known as wine country. Why not take mom to a wine tasting at Château des Charmes? Visit their award-winning St. David’s Bench Vineyard and indulge in wine tastings where you and mom can savour and sip the day away! 

Mom and I enjoyed world-class entertainment when we saw My Fair Lady at the Shaw Festival. The show was a delight with stunning choreography and actors singing beautifully. 

My mom can spend hours shopping, but she mostly shops for other people and is always so thoughtful. She had a wonderful time browsing the Just Christmas store, which is open year round and features all things (you guessed it!) Christmas. 

We found a few kitchen knick knacks in Serendipity: The Little French Shoppe, and of course she bought souvenirs for her friends! 

My mother does so much for me and I wanted to honour and celebrate her with a unique trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. She enjoyed herself immensely and we definitely did a lot of mother-daughter bonding. I am looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day in two weeks! 

The Gladstone Hotel's Grow Op 2015 Exhibition

I am a city girl at heart, but there are days when I long to run free in the backyard of my childhood home, which overlooked serene Lake Ontario. I also recall peering out through the window in the living room to watch my parents beautify the front yard with their gardening skills. I never quite picked up their knack for gardening, but they have imbued in me a great appreciation for nature.

Earth Day provides the perfect opportunity to take in the natural beauty that surrougnds us. To celebrate, I attended a preview of The Gladstone Hotel's Grow Op exhibition of landscape, urbanism and contemporary art. Spanning four days, the culture of landscape themed exhibition showcases 17 garden and art installations. Curators Victoria Taylor and Graham Teeple both spoke about the importance of engaging in dialogue regarding contemporary urban spaces, sustainability and functionality. I enjoyed viewing the unique art installations and talking to the artists about their work.

Claire Kurtin, Nadia Pulez and Ramin Yamin are students from the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Their visually stunning, labour intensive work, Flore Synthetica is made up of artificial mylar flowers and juxtaposed with a sweet, floral scent. I spoke with Yamin, who told me that the installation aims to evoke a memory in the viewer, as the scent of smell is most closely linked with memory, more so than any other sense. 

I was deeply affected by a conversation about life and death that I had with artist, Rebecca Jane Houston. Her kinetic building blocks made from reclaimed wood celebrates creativity from what was once discarded debris. In her work, Cut Twice, she painstakingly carved each and every block by hand, linking them together and breathing new life into them.

One of the most innovative installations is the cleverly named Herbal Teable. Imagine a coffee (or tea) table that grows its own herbs! Paul Chartrand designed and built a hydroponic garden table that can be used indoors. He draws inspiration from tea drinking and plant growth. Forget coffee table books; the Herbal Teable is a conversation piece in and of itself. 

Adrienne Hall's immersive installation entitled In Place of a Forest brings an unseen forest to the city. I experienced the earthy smell of the forest and could feel the pine needles as they gently grazed my cheek. I could also hear the sounds of the forest in complete darkness. 

The Emerald Ash Forest exhibit creates awareness of the threat of the emerald ash borer, a beetle that attacks and kills ash trees. Here we see amputated trees that have been affected by the pests. Architects Sandrina Dumitrascu and Clara Romero seek to start a conversation surrounding threats to urban forests. 

In Julie Bogdanowicz's piece, Mounds At Work, what looks like a seemingly ordinary, grassy mound is anything but. In some rural areas with impenetrable soil, every house sits atop a mound, which acts as a septic system that functions above ground. 

As a downtown dweller, finding green spaces are few and far between. The Grow Op exhibit aims to connect viewers with nature and art and also fosters important discourse regarding novel ideas for our urban environment.

To learn more about Grop Op 2015, visit: http://www.gladstonehotel.com/spaces/gladstone-grow-op/
Dates: Thursday, April 23 - Sunday, April 26, 2015
Hours: Thurs. 11 am - 8 pm, Friday 11 am - 10 pm, Saturday & Sunday 11 am - 5 pm
Venue: 2nd Floor Gallery and Public Spaces Throughout Hotel
Admission: $10

Theatre Review: Dame Edna’s Glorious Goodbye - The Farewell Tour

The incomparable Dame Edna Everage returns to Toronto to bid her final farewell. Unmistakable in her signature cat eye frames and lilac hair, she dominates the stage with her sassiness and quick witted humour. Dame Edna is played by the legendary Barry Humphries who created the colourful icon in the 1950s and has been entertaining audiences the world over. With a career spanning over 60 years, Dame Edna has decided it is time to say goodbye to her precious "possums" (whom she fondly refers to as her fans) and does so in glamorously flamboyant fashion. 

The comedienne bursts onto the stage in a song and dance number with her backup dancers and pianist. She surveys the audience in the first few rows and pokes fun at a few of them for the duration of the show. While she berates them on their physical appearances, their homes and their professions, the rest of us roar with laughter. "You are an incredibly attractive lady...well, compared to the woman beside you, anyway," she tells an incredulous young woman. Some of us chuckle quite guiltily, but we know it is all in good old fashioned fun and it is easy to forgive an over the top 81-year-old who has us wrapped around her not so little perfectly manicured finger for two and a half hours. 

Dame Edna delivers her harmless, sardonic jabs with impeccable comedic timing without missing a beat. While she is old enough to be my grandmother, she possesses the physicality of a 20-year-oldathlete in fine form. If comedy was an Olympic sport, Dame Edna would be decked out in gold.  

In the second act of Dame Edna's theatrical spectacle, she informs us that she has just returned from India, where she had retreated to an ashram to escape the public eye. There she meets O.J. Simpson and Bill Cosby, the latter of whom offers to fix her a drink. With her newfound spirituality and wisdom, she officiates a wedding between two unsuspecting audience members, but not before adorning the bride in a colourful veil and the groom in an Indian turban. The whimsical wedding makes for great fun, as the embarrassed "couple" hesitantly answers Dame Edna's probing personal questions.  

With audacious one liners and non-stop laughs, you will be glad (while you wave your gladiola) that you had the privilege of Dame Edna Everage gracing you with her honourable presence.  

Starring Barry Humphries
Directed by Simon Phillips
Dame Edna plays at the Princess of Wales Theatre until April 19, 2015.

An Evening of French Food and Drink with Barton & Guestier

I enjoy watching the Food Network and seeing both professional and amateur chefs getting to exercise their creativity in the kitchen. Since most restaurants have their kitchens behind closed doors, it is rare to see chefs executing their signature dishes or sharing personal tips with curious guests. So when I was invited to take a culinary class hosted by Barton & Guestier (B & G) at Nella Cucina Kitchen, I jumped at the opportunity to work with an experienced chef in a professional kitchen. 

What's more is that special guest, Clementine Queraux, the Export Manager and Global Brand Ambassador for B & G guided us through wine and food pairings. Founded in 1725, B & G is the oldest wine merchant in Bordeaux, France. 

As I mingled with my peers, I was offered a glass of B & G Passeport Bordeaux Blanc. This light wine had floral notes combined with vanilla and fruity aromas. Served with fig and cheese crostini, it was the perfect prelude of delicious indulgences to come! 

Brianne Nash (of Chopped Canada fame) led our team in preparing the entree, which was grilled organic New York strip loin from Beretta Farms. 

Under Nash's instruction, we salted and grilled the steaks to a perfect 120 degrees. 

She also taught us how to make a flavourful wine reduction using B & G's Domaine La Gardie. The combination of wine, shallots, beef stock and rosemary produced a heavenly aroma while simmering away. I really enjoyed the hands-on and interactive component of preparing a meal with the other guests. I could not wait to sample the other dishes that were prepared. Once we finished cooking, we sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labour together. 

Growing up on her family's vineyard in the Bordeaux region, Queraux has seen firsthand what it takes to produce high-quality wines. So it is a natural fit that she imparted her knowledge of B & G wine to usand did so in a most charming and entertaining manner.

The first course on the menu was a fresh beet, fennel and apple salad with honey-mustard dressing made by my peers. The wine pairing for the salad was a medium-bodied B & G Partager La Gardie Merlot, which had hints of herbs and the sweet scent of raspberry and currants. It was the perfect complement to the crisp and refreshing salad. 

I eagerly anticipated sampling the main course that my team and I prepared. The steak was served overtruffle roasted fingerling potatoes and glazed beans. Although not as tender as other cuts of beef, strip loin is arguably the most flavourful. It is best cooked medium rare, so that it does not become tough in texture. I thoroughly enjoyed the steak, as it was juicy and bursting with flavour, even though it was sparsely seasoned. The vegetarian accompaniments provided a fine balance to the meal. Paired with a glass of dry B & G Partager La Gardie Cabernet Sauvignon, the medium bodied wine revealed notes of blackcurrant, cherry and plum aromas. 

To end the experience, we enjoyed a dark chocolate brownie with sour cherry compote. Dessert was paired with Les Charmes de Magnol Médoc, a Bordeaux blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. Fruity aromas wafted from my glass of the smooth, tannic wine. Aged in French Oak for six months, it had a bold and distinctive flavour. 

My first foray in cooking French cuisine and learning about recommended wine pairings was an excellent learning experience thanks to Nash and Queraux. I look forward to hosting my next dinner party with an air of sophistication and French flair! 

To learn more about Barton & Guestier, visit barton-guestier.com/
To learn more about Nella Cucina Kitchen, visit nellacucina.ca

The Yoga Conference & Show

Getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of city life in Toronto can take its toll on your mind and body. Learning yoga and practicing meditation are two of the most effective ways to de-stress. Relax and rejuvenate your body and soul at The Yoga Conference and Show this weekend. Participate in over 60 hours of yoga, cultural arts and lectures. Spend time shopping among 250+ conscious minded organizations and companies offering products and services in line with your mindful attitudes.

To gain complimentary access to The Yoga Conference and Show, click on the following link and register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2015-toronto-yoga-show-tickets-15609054101?discount=MRPExclusive
A special thanks goes out to Marie Roberge-Pellerin for the complimentary tickets. 

Namaste

Dates & Hours:
Friday, April 10, 2015 • 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 11, 2015 • 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 12, 2015 • 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Location:
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building 
255 Front Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2W6

To learn more about the Yoga Conference & Show, visit: theyogaconference.com/toronto
Twitter: @YogaConference
Facebook: facebook.com/TheYogaConference