B Espresso Bar and the Pineapple Basil Martini

B Espresso Bar is our absolute favorite cafe in Toronto. They make the best lattes in town and have a fabulous selection of lunch dishes including pastas, pizzas and mouth watering panini's. We often try to meet people here for business lunches and find every excuse to come here.

Generally they are only open until 5pm so we were really surprised to discover yesterday evening walking by that they are open until midnight on Thursdays for "Italian Cocktails Night". We popped in for a drink and were glad we did because we had the most delicious refreshing martini we've tried yet.

The owner, Alessandro recommended we try the Pineapple Basil martini (the Martini Andrea). While we were skeptical at first, we figured we'd give it a try and see. It was so, sooo good! It is made with fresh pineapple and fresh basil leaves which is a surprisingly delicious combination. Apparently it takes a little while to make because you have to mash everything together so that it isn't chunky.

We took a photo of the menu so we could attempt to duplicate it at home, but we aren't holding out hope that it will be as good.

Now we just need to go back and try some of the other ones. Apparently the watermelon one is to die for!

A Cab Ride With "Mr. Geography"

Yesterday I was on my way home from Five on Spadina, my arms laden with clothes and hangers for an upcoming podcast I'm doing. I was considering walking the short distance but decided to take a cab so I wouldn't drop anything and ruin the clothes.

I hailed a cab and had just gotten settled in the back seat when the driver casually turned to me and said, "Princess - If you will answer my geography question correctly, your cab ride will be free."

"Umm... ok" I knew there was pretty much zero chance of me getting his questions right with my limited knowledge of geography.

"Princess.... Please tell me what is the capital city of Nigeria."

"I have no idea."

"It is Abuja. That's ok. I give you another one and the free offer still stands. Please name all 5 countries surrounding Switzerland."

I got all but 1. Stupid Liechtenstein.

"We'll try again. Please tell me the capital city of Iran."

I of course didn't have a clue. He offered for me to quiz him and, not knowing what else to say, I lamely suggested he name all of Canada's Provinces and Territories. He pretended this was an excellent and challenging question, but easily rattled them off one by one.

He then passed me several laminated newspaper articles of him from various publications. "I am very famous you see..."

Apparently, Mr. Geography has appeared on Conan O'Brian, Mike Bullard, Oprah, and pretty much every major Canadian network. He is known as "The King of Geography", has his own IMDB page (though it is empty) and says he is an international celebrity.

D'oh! Had I known that I would never have embarrassed myself by giving him such a stupid question. Still, this brush with celebrity was well worth it. Next time I'll be prepared.

Google results for Mr. Geography

The Cutest French CD You've Ever Heard: Putumayo Paris

I bought this cd while in New York from some random internet cafe and I LOVE it! It's my favorite of my whole Putumayo collection because it is just so darn cute! It sounds like something you'd hear on older movies like French Kiss or any charming movie about Paris really.

The best part about these cd's is that a portion of all proceeds goes towards Terre Des Hommes to help with their efforts in providing active support to disadvantaged children around the world.

So... I get a collection of adorable songs and I get to help underprivileged children. It's a win win for me. You can preview the cd's on putumayo.com or buy it from Amazon for $12.99 USD.

Eating Our Way Through NYC: MissChickie's Trip Vlog

I made a silly little video from our trip. The best part of course is the song from the Putumayo cd we picked up while there called "Paris", which is an adorable collection of french songs you'd hear at a cafe or something. And then of course there is the bull balls part.

As you can see we ate a lot. I really miss New York!

Building Your Own MAC Eyeshadow Quad

I've been using MAC eyeshadow for as long as I can remember. I recently bought a few new eyeshadows and was informed that you get a better deal when you create your own quad vs. buying the eyeshadows individually. Each eyeshadow is about $16 or so, but if you buy the quad case ($4.50) and the quad inserts ($12.50 each) instead, you save money. They are magnetic and pop right in - you don't have to buy the pre made quad color combos.

I was a bit confused at first when she explained this to me but, the quad inserts are the same size as the regular eye shadows and come in all the same colors - all it is, is different packaging. The quad shell is also part of their recycling program, which, by the way, I was told, has now been extended to include eyeshadows and one of their lip gloss'.

MAC eyeshadows are fabulous to apply and blend without getting blotches of darker color here and there that you can get from cheaper eyeshadows. They also stay put and are less prone to those dreaded crease marks that appear on your eyelids halfway through the day.

A Trip, A Dress & My In-laws

I finally have some time to myself to get a few things done and inform you all that yes, I am still alive and doing well despite the fact that I haven't blogged here in ages. A thousand apologies.

Our trip to NYC was fabulous and I absolutely fell in love with that city. As soon as we got home, we discovered we were having family over the very next day for the weekend. So I had exactly one day to clean up, get some work done and prepare to entertain. We did our best despite an empty fridge and it was a lot of fun.

I always get a kick out of Alex's parents because they funny, charming yet often, brutally honest. Being South American, they love their wine - with ice and/or water in it. 50-50. Every now and then they would ask, didn't I want some ice in my red wine to cool it down? Or, maybe I should try my white wine diluted with half a glass of tap water? I thought this was very odd, until I saw a movie this weekend where some Italians did this and I realized it wasn't just them. Still, I think I'll pass.

South Americans are also very comfortable speaking their minds. We spent a little time on Queen Street popping into various boutiques when I found the most sexy gorgeous little black dress in RK, which was marked down to $40 from about $200. They only had one size. One teeny tiny size, but I decided to squeeze myself into it.

Alex immediately insisted we buy it. My Mother in law said it was too tight. Alex immediately insisted we buy it.

On the way out of the store, she leaned towards Alex and talk-whispered, "She will have to eat nothing but salad and water for a WEEK!" I guess I know who to ask next time I want an honest answer to the age old question, "Does this make my butt look big?"

I have some crazy things coming up this summer, but I'm really excited and looking forward to seeing what happens next! I will try to post more regularly.

New York Pics!

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