A birthday is something that should never go un-celebrated in my eyes!Last November I took a friend to Chicago for her birthday to see Ina Garten. Ina is on a book tour promoting her latest cookbook, CookLike A Pro. I already loved her from watching her on tv and cooking so many of her recipes weekly that have now become my families favorites. Fast forward and another friend of mine loves Ina and her second favorite celebrity is Katie Couric and they were paired together for Ina’s stop in Toronto. Ive always wanted to see Toronto so no better excuse that to go see Ina and Katie in Toronto and explore a city I’ve never seen. We hit the ground running since we wanted to see as much as we could in our short 48 hour trip.
Day 1
The alarm went off awfully early so we could make our 6:10 am flight. No matter how prepared and packed I am the night before, I am still running around like the Tasmanian devil trying to get out of the house on time. Since I piggybacked a trip to Atlanta after Toronto, I so overpacked this time! I was so surprised to find out that we would arrive so quickly in Toronto. It’s a shorter flight to Toronto than Florida from Indianapolis. Our other surprise was how cold it was when we arrived. Not only was it in the 30’s but it snowed most of the day. Locals assured us that it is very common in April for the Westheimer to drastically fluctuate from one day to another. We were so glad we decided to bring our parkas at the last minute!
After arriving, we went straight to our hotel. I am a huge fan of Ritz Carlton hotels and the one in Toronto did not disappoint. We had a beautiful corner suite with a lovely view of the downtown area. Our first stop after breakfast at the hotel was Queen street which has many local designers mixed in with chain stores as well. All the interesting shoes in John Fluevog were eye opening. They even had a pair that Madonna wore in one of her videos! I love shoes but they were a bit out there for me!
After lots of walking and popping in and out of several stores we headed to the well known Distillery Area. This area is filled with local shops and several restaurants and bars. Due to the crazy weather and getting pelted by snow we ducked into a beer hall for a nice warm lunch and a glass of wine!
We headed back to the hotel to freshen up and head to an early dinner at Terroni ADELAIDE . Our show was at the Sony Center so we wanted a spot that was within walking distance to. We had to walk up three flights of stairs to get to our table which could be a problem for some. If you are looking for a pizza and pasta restaurant, this is for you. I was not impressed with their no substitutions rule and rather curt attitude. The concierge had suggested that we go to Oliver and Bonacini but it was totally booked for the evening. I would definitely like to try it on another trip.
The Main Event!
Imagine sitting in Ina Gartens living room having a conversation and hanging on her every word waiting to taste one of her delicious meals. Well that is totally how I felt except there was no food tasting! Katie Couric moderated the most wonderful conversation talking about Everything from Ina’s childhood to her journey to becoming the Barefoot Contessa to her love Jeffrey and many cooking stories and favorite items. Once again, she did not disappoint and I loved hearing answers to audience questions this time that she didn’t answer the last time.
Since we had been up since 3:00 am, our beds were calling our name and we wanted to get some rest so we could pound the pavement and see more of the city!
Day 2
We headed out early and went strait to the Yorkville area which consists of a 3 street area of upscale shopping including Toronto’s high end Holt Renfrew department store. We perused all 5 floors didn’t miss a single boutique area and picked up a few fun pieces during the day!
Lunch at La Society was an absolutely wonderful spot for lunch. We laughed over a few glasses of wine and I absolutely enjoyed my chicken Paillard. Our waiter was very engaging and informative about the area.
I could have spent the entire day in William Ashley! It is an amazing home store right next to La Society and it is filled with gorgeous china, crystal, cookware and more.
Our evening was spent at the hotel spa enjoying massages followed by dinner at the hotel bar. My Swedish massage followed by the sauna was just what my body needed after walking all day long. The champagne and sauna afterwards wasn’t shabby either!
A fun few days with lots of laughs and a place you should definitely visit!!
