Enjoy Toronto - Dining, Traveling and Hotel

Chinese New Year @ Diamond Bauqent Hall

2012-01-24T18:16:00.003-05:00

That was one great Chinese New Year dim sum lunch at Diamond Banquet Hall. Address: 3225 Hwy 7 Markham, ON L3R 0J5. Phone: (905) 944-8288. For the price of $144 (tax and tip included), you got to enjoy dim sum, stir fries, fried rice, and Chinese New Year specialty dishes for 8-12 people while seeing a lion dance. Great food as usual!

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine

2010-06-07T21:35:00.007-04:00

Steamed oysters 蒸生蠔 and scallops on taro nest 金巢琥珀鮮帶子 are our favorite dishes at Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine 宮廷御宴. Address: Unit 30, 9665 Bayview avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9V4. Phone: 905-884-3388. (The sweet and sour pork in a pineapple was for WatermelonBBB.)

Mandarin at Boxgrove

2010-05-23T17:54:00.008-04:00

I am due for a day in Boxgrove!

Therapeutic massage at Physical Therapy One. Treatment 90% covered by insurance. $128 - 115.2 = 12.8
Chinese buffet lunch at Mandarin. $11.99 + tax and tips = $15. I have just figured that the price for children of 4 years old or younger is only $2!!!
Dental whitening at Boxgrove Dental Care. Used FREE whitening coupon available in clinic and local flyer with full dental exam and cleaning. Full exam and cleaning 100% covered by insurance. $100 - $100 = 0

Inatei

2010-05-23T17:52:00.007-04:00

Inatei 稻亭日本料理, one of a few upscale Japanese restaurants in Richmond Hill. Address: Unit #7-8, 9021 Leslie St, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 0B2. Great work as usual. In constructive criticism point of view, the Chirashi set for ~$13 looks gorgeous, but the rice bed was lack of Japanese rice vinegar and LP figured that the sashimi was odds and ends pieces.

Inatei

2010-05-23T17:48:00.005-04:00

Inatei 稻亭日本料理, one of a few upscale Japanese restaurants in Richmond Hill. Address: Unit #7-8, 9021 Leslie St, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 0B2.

Rosy shrimp handroll. The nori was ultra crispy. The shrimp was huge, fresh and bouncy.
Bento. Whenever we go to a new Japanese restaurant, we always order the bento box, just for sampling. Excellent!
Salmon sashimi. The salmon was of top sashimi grade with a deep orange color and a complex fat pattern.
Milk tea pudding. The milk tea pudding served with black sugar was surprisingly good, strong bitterly tea contrasted with the sweet black sugar. It's ultra small that it serves in a shooter glass though.

Hilton Homewood suites Markham

2010-05-23T17:45:00.007-04:00

Hilton Homewood Suites Toronto-Markham offers 4 different accommodations: Studio, 1-Bedroom suite, Whirlpool suite, and 2-Bedroom family suite. The 1 Bedroom is very similar to the Studio, except that it has a tub and a wall dividing the bedroom and the sitting area with an additional TV. It is a great hotel with good value, but I had never got any Hilton Gold VIP on-property benefit though. Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post and select the Top Hotel Deals in Toronto link to browse for the off-season rate.

Hilton Homewood suites Markham - Valentines Day 2010

2010-05-23T17:42:00.003-04:00

Hilton Homewood Suites Toronto-Markham, a brand new hotel with all model amenities. Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post and select the Top Hotel Deals in Toronto link to browse for the off-season rate. The hotel only has 5 jacuzzi suites and it's consistently $100 on top of the standard room rate, but that is well worth it. The jacuzzi can fit 1 person comfortably, and accommodate 2 persons romantically. Full kitchen with GE appliances, LG flat screen TV, comfortable King bed, and nice couch paired with a trendy leather coffee table, LP wished this were our condo. The complimentary breakfast was pretty good. The crepe was crisp and sweet. The pastries were comparable to the ones at Essence of Unionville.

Dozo sushi sake bar

2010-05-22T19:26:00.003-04:00

Dozo Sushi and Sake Bar - a very upscale fusion restaurant that serves the best of Japanese cuisine with a contemporary Western influence. Great work as usual, Dozo! Address: 230 Commerce Valley Dr. E. Markham, ON L3T 7Y3. Phone: (647) 724-1662.

Hilton Suites Markham - New Year 2010

2010-05-22T19:21:00.008-04:00

This is my first stay in a standard room at Hilton Suites Markham as a Hilton Gold VIP. While I was told that the deluxe room I used to have was not available, I could see it bookable online after I checked into the worn out room . I am not sure if it has something to do with the Hilton 20% off Best Available Rate promote, but that is very suspicious.

Dozo sushi sake bar - Christmas dinner

2010-05-22T19:17:00.006-04:00

That was a really warm Christmas dinner at Dozo. Dozo Sushi and Sake Bar - a very upscale fusion restaurant that serves the best of Japanese cuisine with a contemporary Western influence. Address: 230 Commerce Valley Dr. E. Markham, ON L3T 7Y3. Phone: (647) 724-1662.

Moxie's

2009-12-19T13:27:00.003-05:00

Moxie's is a restaurant that amazes us time and again - excellent servers, big burgers and interesting pastas. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500. Do you like the warm dining room or the cool lounge?

Dozo sushi sake bar

2009-11-21T16:58:00.006-05:00

Dozo Sushi and Sake Bar - a very upscale fusion restaurant that serves the best of Japanese cuisine with a contemporary Western influence. Address: 230 Commerce Valley Dr. E. Markham, ON L3T 7Y3. Phone: (647) 724-1662. Romantic cocktail lounge and trendy Japanese fusion food has made Dozo one of the best Japanese restaurant in up town Toronto. LP, let's have some sake cocktail at Dozo's cocktail hour.

Cafe Peninsula at First Markham Place

2009-11-21T16:55:00.001-05:00

Cafe Peninsula is quite an interesting lunch place. It's a fusion restaurant of Japanese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong style food. It has recently added top value lunch combo menu. Address: NW corner of First Markham Place. Tel: 905-604-2679.

Dozo sushi sake bar

2009-10-12T17:51:00.003-04:00

Dozo Sushi and Sake Bar - a very upscale fusion restaurant that serves the best of Japanese cuisine with a contemporary Western influence. Address: 230 Commerce Valley Dr. E. Markham, ON L3T 7Y3. Phone: (647) 724-1662. Romantic cocktail lounge and trendy fusion food, Dozo has raised the bar of Japanese fine dining. Now, we have to struggle between going to Sagano and Dozo.

Rock lobster tail, $18. It's deep fried fresh whole lobster tail! The beautiful dish was paired with 3 kinds of sauces, chili, wasabi, and mustard.
6 pcs sushi + 5 pcs sashimi + 4 pcs Dynamite maki, $16.
California & mango roll, $10. The mango in the California roll was interesting, although we liked the Dynmite maki better.
Green tea, $3.0. The tea was brewed under correct temperature. It has a little hint of bitterness that works best with sashimi. It's just a bit pricey.

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine

2009-10-12T14:27:00.003-04:00

Oysters 蜜燒生蠔 and scallops 金巢琥珀鮮帶子 are our favorite dishes at Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine 宮廷御宴. Address: Unit 30, 9665 Bayview avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9V4. Phone: 905-884-3388. There was one time that we were given food court grade scallops and oysters, although the cooking was still amazing. I guess consistency is the area of improvement!

Mandarin at Boxgrove

2009-10-03T10:12:00.006-04:00

My favorite pastime - One day in Boxgrove, Markham.

Therapeutic massage at Physical Therapy One. Treatment 90% covered by insurance. $128 - 115.2 = 12.8
Dental whitening at Boxgrove Dental Care. Used FREE whitening coupon available in clinic and local flyer with full dental exam and cleaning. Full exam and cleaning 100% covered by insurance. $100 - $100 = 0
Chinese buffet dinner at Mandarin. Used FREE local charity coupon. $18.99 + 5 (donation) - $18.99 + 2 (tip) = 7

(LP, do you want some mandarin with me and WatermelonBB?)

紫京盛宴

2009-09-27T13:23:00.003-04:00

紫京盛宴 where Empire Legendary Oriental Cuisine (新世界皇宫) used to be. It is awesome from end-to-end. Address: 3600 Victoria Park Ave. Phone: 416-498-1818.

Hilton Niagara Falls Update

2009-09-14T16:36:00.006-04:00

Hilton Niagara Falls has just gone through a big transformation.

There is now a new hotel tower. That's the tallest Canadian hotel building featuring 500 all suite room types (family and presidential suites) with magnificent views of city and Niagara Falls.
In addition to the famous Watermark fallsview Restaurant, there are 3 new restaurants: Brasa Brazilian steakhouse that offers authentic Brazilian food and live entertainment, Romano's Macarino Grill which is an Italian restaurant open to the street, and Grant Cafe Breakfast Buffet.
There is a cut back in the Gold VIP in-hotel benefit. The complimentary breakfast used to be a full buffet breakfast at the Watermark fallsview restaurant on the top level of the hotel. From now on, Gold VIP will have their full buffet breakfast at the ground floor Grant Cafe restaurant.

With the 3 brand new restaurants, the Watermark Fallsview restaurant is dedicated for more upscale fine dining and is much more quiet now. The seafood pasta was above average. The crab claw was fresh but small. The Tiger shrimps were OK, somewhat better than Costco's shrimp ring. The scallops were tender and juicy. The sauce and the pasta were amazing. The lamb chops were tender and juicy. The portion was hugh! The creme brulee was crappy though and extremely overpriced at $14 each. The brulee didn't have enough cream and it was overcooked. The hotel wanted us to try out the new a-la-carte breakfast. The a-la-carte breakfast we had at the Watermark restaurant was very good. We had the Lobster Benedict. Finally, there's a Benedict out there comparable to Silks, although for the price of $25 each I expected a piece of lobster tail instead of small pieces from the claws. (LP didn't appreciate the uncooperative restaurant assistant manager who didn't honor the free a-la-crate breakfast upgrade that the hotel offered us and insisted us to visit the front desk to have the bill reversed instead. That could be our last time there.)

Moxies

2009-09-12T18:44:00.003-04:00

Thanks Moxie's again. The grilled wild salmon on naan bread has become my favorite lunch item. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500. (LP, do you want to join me for some patio lunch?)

Wok on Yonge

2009-09-11T16:38:00.007-04:00

Wok on Yonge 玲瓏閣, a boutique Chinese fusion restaurant. The is not exactly the best location, but the decor and services were outstanding. Food was definitely world class! We had the 12-course lobster dinner for $39.80 each only. Address: 7771 Yonge Street, Thornhill (Hwy 7 & Yonge). Phone: (905) 482-8788. Lobster Claw in Rice Paper, and Fresh Fruit and Sausage Salad. The lobster claw in the Vietnamese style rice roll was not exactly huge but it's bouncy fresh. The salad was topped with fried Chinese sausage instead of the traditional deep bread crumbs. I personally don't like Chinese sausage, but I finished them all! Chicken Wings with Orange Zest, and Mini Quiche. Soup with Sea Cucumber and Oolong. Don't be fooled by the Oolong and the tea pot. It's not quite tea. It's sea cucumber and Oolong in Chinese mushroom and ginseng based soup. Fantastic! Stuffed Lobster. That was creamy and rich. There's not lots of lobster meat, but it's still very good. This should be paired with pasta ;D Beef Rolled 2 Kinds. Steamed Lobster Roe with Egg White. The light smooth egg white contrasted with and further highlighted the rich taste of the lobster egg. Buck Wheat Noodles in Soup, and Steamed Vegetarian Dumpling. Pumpkin and Almond Sweet Soup, and Sesame and Almond Sweet Roll. (LP is already planning on having the Shark fin dinner next time!)

The David Duncan House

2009-08-30T14:06:00.006-04:00

The David Duncan House, fine dining in an atmosphere of elegance and charm. Address: 125 Moatfield Dr (Don Mills), North York, Ontario, Canada. Phone: 416-391-1424. The fashionable Gothic style reflected the elaborate decor and romanticism of Gothic architecture. The food was simply amazing. The bacon wrapped Filet Mignon was extremely tender and of the highest quality. The Seafood Delight of tiger shrimps, scallops, and halibut was fresh and bouncy. No matter how the staffs are professionally trained, there are cases that the order got messed up. In my case, I got the soup instead of the salad. No big deal. We can't wait to try the prime ribs and the oven baked tiger shrimps next time.

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine

2009-08-16T14:04:00.003-04:00

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine has lobster E-fu noodles lunch special for $18.99 only! We have had it for a few times already. It's a whole pound lobster. The lobster was bouncy fresh. The E-fu noodles with white sauce was rich and creamy. Address: Unit 30, 9665 Bayview avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9V4. Phone: 905-884-3388. There was one time it got screwed up that the lobster was overcooked and that the sauce was overfill and too salty. Let's see if it's just one single individual case.

Honey's Beestro

2009-08-16T13:36:00.004-04:00

Honey's Beestro - yet another hidden gem in the city. It's a tiny cozy restaurant but the food and services are comparable to many chains. Address: 8763 Bayview Ave. Richmond Hill, ON L4B. Phone: (905) 597-5108. New York steak. The AAA steak was tender. The baked potatoes was so creamy and rich. The grilled tomato was fresh and juicy. Steak sandwich. The steak in the sandwich was a real steak and it's surprisingly tender. I guess Kelsey's has something to learn.

Moxie's Sunday Brunch

2009-07-11T14:40:00.004-04:00

That's a beautiful Sunday morning. We had a patio brunch at Moxies. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500. Our favorite is the scallops and crab cake Benedict. That is comparable to the one at the Silks Fine Dining.

Emperor Fine Chinese Cuisine

2009-07-11T14:39:00.004-04:00

Emperor Fine Chinese Cuisine - a fine dining Chinese restaurant in Richmond Hill. We took the Friday special, deep fried crab claw for $2.88 each, and the "Comparable-with-crab" 賽螃蟹 seafood E-fu noodles for $18.99. That was our top value fine dining of the year! Address: 9019, Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, ON L4B. Phone: (905) 882-9388.

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine

2009-07-03T12:58:00.005-04:00

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine is our #1 choice for Chinese fine dining in Toronto. Address: Unit 30, 9665 Bayview avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9V4. Phone: 905-884-3388. The Peking duck was awesome, very crispy! It's fatty but not too fatty. There were not enough wraps though, and there was an extra charge of $5 for additional wraps of 10. The scallops were huge and fresh! The crispy nest was not as tasty as what we had before but it still looked good. The AAA Angus beef was extremely tender. The sauce was teriyaki based. We just have to order those big fat oysters again and again! (LP, Watermelon Baby likes the Peking duck tart :D)

Moxies

2009-05-31T17:29:00.004-04:00

That was a wonderful time at Moxies. Let's do it again in the coming few weeks. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500.

Mandarin at Boxgrove

2009-05-26T22:39:00.004-04:00

There is a newly open Mandarin at Box Grove (Markham East). The food and services were better than lots of sit down restaurants. For those who are new to the Box Grove neighborhood, be sure to pre-visit the Medical Arts Center in the same plaza for the medical emergency center, dentists, physiotherapists, and etc. Address: 88 Copper Creek Dr (East of 9th Line & Box Grove Bypass and South of Hwy 407). Tel: 905-471-5000. (LP, we should do this more often!) It's Chinese food buffet, but the decor is Japanese. The food was really good. I liked the roast beef and deep fried scallops most. I can still remember once my friend thought deep fried scallops are made of real scallops. LOL! I don't have all soy sauce fry noodles, Shanghai noodles, Sing Chow fry noodles, and fried rice in a plate often :D. That was so satisfying!!! In addition to our favorite creme caramel and mango pudding, they also have a section for the traditional Chinese dessert, which is hard to find anywhere else. Don't forget to try out their lai -chee and green tea swirl ice-cream.

Essence of Unionville

2009-05-18T18:58:00.005-04:00

Essence of Unionville is a fine dining restaurant in Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham Conference Centre & Spa. That was a quiet romantic Friday evening. It's like we reserved the whole restaurant. (LP, we could take WatermelonBB there next time ;D) The wine, bread, and biscuit were very good starter. The lamb chops were fatty, juicy, and tasty. The beef tenderloin was really tender.

Cafe Peninsula at FMP

2009-05-18T18:56:00.002-04:00

Cafe Peninsula is quite an interesting lunch place. It's a fusion restaurant of Japanese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong style food. To remain competitive in First Markham Place (especially locating right next to FireFly), it needs to restructure it's combo and price though. Address: NW corner of First Markham Place. Tel: 905-604-2679. There's lots of interesting dishes on the menu. I am not paying $2.75+tax for the mediocre milk tea, unless it comes with the combo.

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine

2009-04-19T20:51:00.012-04:00

Yang's Fine Chinese Cuisine, a premium Chinese fine dining restaurant in North Toronto. It's a cozy restaurant, but the food, decor, and services are comparable to 國金軒- 高級中菜 Grand Chinese Cuisine in Doubletree Toronto. Address: Unit 30, 9665 Bayview avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9V4. Phone: 905-884-3388.

The golden "Lazy Susan" and red eggs is a symbol of a prosperity and healthy future for the host and the family. (Congratulations, WaterMelonBB!)

The crab claws were deep fried to it's golden perfection, stuffed with fresh crab meat and shrimps. The BBQ baby pig was fatty and crispy. I am not a big fan of shark fin soup personally. Surprisingly, both of the shark fin and the soup totally exceeded my expectation. The sliced abalone was the real dried ones too, not one of those abalone in a can.

The crispy chicken was crispy, tender, and juicy.

The steamed double fishes were extremely fresh. The heart-sharped jelly dessert forms a golden path to a bright beautiful future!

Hilton Suites Markham Conference Centre & Spa - Family Day 2009

2009-02-22T11:05:00.007-05:00

Hilton Suites Markham Conference Centre & Spa is one of our favorite hotel in Toronto uptown. The hotel charged us for $89 per night for the family day long weekend. Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post and select the Top Hotel Deals in Toronto link to browse for the off-season rate. Being Gold VIP they offered us the following:

Free upgrade to 1 King 1 Bedroom Deluxe Suite, ~$40 value.
Essence of Unionville HHonor Continental deluxe breakfast for two. Note: The executive lounge was closed as usual. They offered a continental breakfast which doesn't include hot items, $24 value
Self-Parking, $8 value
2 in-room bottled water and cookies
Wireless high speed internet is now complementary to everyone
Access to Markham club is now complementary to everyone

The room was their famous atrium corner suite overlooking the atrium lobby and the Markham center. The deluxe marble bathroom was beautiful although the tub was a bit small. Can anyone tell me what does the thing next to the toilet do?

Sagano

2009-02-21T18:23:00.008-05:00

Sagano, fine Japanese cuisine at the rooftop of Delta hotel Toronto-Scarborough. The Initiation Sushi includes 6 pieces of sushi with california rolls. That is the main purpose for going to Sagano v.s. other Japanese restaurants. Not just the sushi, even the california rolls were good! The Osaka course includes MISO SOUP, SALAD, SASHIMI or CHICKEN, AGEMONO（天婦羅）, YAKIMONO（焼物）, and ICE CREAM. The meal started with an appetite opening orange salad. I could hardly found any chicken inside the crispy chicken, but the crisp was very tasty. The chicken yakimon was normal, no surprise. As for the sweet ginger ice-cream, just the look worths the value! (LP, let's focus on sushi and sashimi next time!)

Hilton Homewood suites Toronto-Markham - Valentines Day 2009

2009-02-21T15:04:00.010-05:00

Hilton Homewood Suites Toronto-Markham, a brand new hotel with all model amenities. Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post and select the Top Hotel Deals in Toronto link to browse for the off-season rate. We didn't receive any free room upgrade for being Gold VIP . I asked the front desk staff if the hotel offers any free upgrade. She said they do but they are sold out; however, the lobby area was completely empty and I could actually book the next category room online. Inventory error, maybe? Even the studio room was really good - full kitchen with GE appliances, LG flat screen TV, comfortable King bed, and nice couch paired with a trendy leather coffee table. (LP said, it's like a cozy romantic condo.) The bathroom was beautiful. However, that was the first time I've seen hotel room without a bathtub though. Hilton Homewood Suites offers complimentary full buffet breakfast - crepe, eggs, hams, fruit, juices and hot coffee! The server was very attentive.

Boston pizza

2009-02-21T14:33:00.003-05:00

Boston Pizza, a sit down pizza restaurant for sport fans and family. Address: 157 York Blvd, Thornhill, ON L4J‎ - (905) 707-9300.

TenRen Tea Time (Revisit)

2009-01-18T10:36:00.002-05:00

The $8.99 lunch combo of TenRen tea time 喫茶新饌 was terrible. We have decided to offer this restaurant a second chance. We tried the $14.99 regular combo again and it didn't disappoint us - great drink and great food!

Moxies

2009-01-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

Moxies is a restaurant that amazes us time and again - beautiful lounge, excellent servers, big burgers and interesting appetizers. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500. The steak was good, but the skew of shrimps surprised us. It's bursty and bouncy. I suspect that the shrimps were massaged with oil before grilled. The burger was juicy and huge. I wanted to finish it all, but I just couldn't. The white chocolate brownie is as good as before. Great job as usual guys! There was a little hiccup when we left the restaurant. The waitress said that we took both the merchant and customer copies of the credit card receipt, but we couldn't find the merchant's copy anywhere... We ended up re-doing the transaction. Just one single weird instance, I guess?

New Year Party at C & A's

2009-01-04T15:26:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!

TenRen Tea Time

2009-01-01T20:54:00.003-05:00

We went to TenRen tea time 喫茶新饌 for the new lunch combo at $8.99. We didn't taste any tea in our milk tea. The pork chop fillet was ultra thin. LoPo's crispy chicken was fine though.

Embassy Suite Niagara Falls - Christmas 2008

2009-01-01T20:52:00.006-05:00

We had a fantastic Christmas getaway at Niagara Falls. The Embassy Suites Niagara Falls - Fallsview hotel is in a breathtaking location, just 100 yards from the bank of the incredible Niagara Falls. The fallsview suite was incredible. (I could stay in the room with LP for the whole day!) The hotel lobby is like a mini Bellagio! There was complimentary snacks and drinks at the manager reception, atrium lounge area outside the Keg restaurant. The snacks were jelly beans and nachos - all the kids gone crazy! The red wine was crappy that I flushed it down to the toilet. The beer was very reasonable though. Embassy Suites Niagara Falls offers complementary cook-to-order breakfast at the Keg to EVERYONE. We were told that the line-up would take half an hour, and were invited to the T.G.I Friday restaurant. There was water leakage from the ceiling that they needed a bucket to contain the yellowish water. The service was non-existent.

Hilton Niagara Falls - Christmas 2008

2009-01-01T20:35:00.006-05:00

We went to Hilton Fallsview Hotel, Niagara Falls for the Christmas holidays. Good work as usual guys! The Watermark restaurant is the main reason to be there, as if we were on TV!

Favorites at Woodbine Racetrack

2008-12-07T14:45:00.010-05:00

That was one of the most satisfying Christmas dinners. The Favorites is located on the 2nd floor of the building overlooking the track. Favorites dining room is open specifically during live racing only. The dinner buffet was $36.5 plus tax. The prime rib, shrimps with spinach cream sauce, and salmon fillet were all very good. The scent of the house red was fantastic, although I like my own house red better. The cakes were gorgeous. (LoPo, do you want to have one more creme caramel?) Address: 555 Rexald Rd, Toronto. Website: Woodbine Entertainment.

LoneStar Texas Grill

2008-11-30T22:07:00.004-05:00

There is a LoneStar at 16th and Yonge. It's one of the most convenient locations but I recommend a makeover ;D The steak fajitas were very good, but we prefer the one I had at Pickle Barrel. The waiter up-sold us those pan-fried mushrooms and it turned out to be ~$5. This is not for the value oriented person.

Milestones

2008-11-30T22:03:00.006-05:00

Can you believe that we are going to Milestones again? This was our Kobe beef night, Kobe beef meatloaf and Kobe beef burgers. (LoPo, Chu Chai Bau is not going to like it.) The popcorn shrimps tasted good too although it's lower grade of shrimps - a flash back to the college cafe!

Mellow Juice House

2008-11-30T21:59:00.005-05:00

緣汁味 Mellow Juice at Commerce Gate - Great bubble tea with great value. Address: 505 Hwy 7 East, 89-90, Richmond Hill, Ontario. Phone: 905-731-2189.

Chili Secret

2008-11-30T21:53:00.004-05:00

Chili Secret 半畝園 - good dim sum, good decor, and good value, but the services is sub-par. That was quite a good extended family lunch though. (LoPo, hope you liked it ;D) Address: 9021 Leslie Street, Unit 9, Richmond Hill. Phone: (905) 764-9119

Milestones

2008-11-30T21:45:00.005-05:00

We went to Milestones again. Ya, again! This is not the conventional crisp Calamari. It is broiled instead of deep fried. Very tender with a little hint of spicy. The Thai style chicken dumb stick reminded me of some Chinese dish, although it's too salty for us. We told the waitress about it and it's fixed real quick! This is kind of waitress who deserves a big tip ;D The 3 cheeses American burger is a classic.

Senbazuru Sushi Bar

2008-11-30T21:42:00.005-05:00

Senbazuru Sushi Bar 千鶴壽司店 - yet another Japanese restaurant with Chinese chef. The Bendo boxes were very good. The Kobe beef sushi was impressive, although it 's a bit pricey. It's like $5 a piece. It is ok to have Chinese chefs in a Japanese restaurant, but I prefer the chef not to spit in the sushi bar. (LoPo, I want to give you the best ^_^") Address: 9665 Bayview Ave. Phone: 905-508-0049.

Hilton Fallsview Hotel - Thanksgiving 2008

2008-10-18T18:15:00.007-04:00

The Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview Hotel knows how to thank its gold VIP for being a loyal customer. (LP, let's have our favorite hot dog fallsviews dinner with fine wine followed by in-room movie!) The turn down service was so personal. They had a staff brought us the complimentary bottled water for the gold VIP members. Without the "O", the CASIN is powerless, CASINO I mean. It's good time to go get some cash! Hilton offered us full American breakfast at the Watermark fallsview restaurant with the best possible seat as seen on TV!

Pumpernickels at Niagara Fallsview

2008-10-18T17:52:00.005-04:00

What is with this empty spot in the Niagara Fallsview casino food court? It is where Pumpernickels - the deli restaurant that sold us $5.99 for a cold sandwich - used to be. With Tim Hortons, who needs the cold and expensive sandwiches?

Sheraton on the Falls

2008-10-18T17:24:00.007-04:00

That is not right! Sheraton invited me to be SPG gold elite through it's partner this year. I had the chance to try that out at Sheraton on the Falls through priceline. However, that was not much success. At check-in, the front desk staff told me that there is no elite benefit given that I book through prepaid 3rd party channel. I called the SPG elite phone line immediately. Nancy told me that there is policy but it's up to the hotel. I always book through 3rd party. Other hotel chain has the same policy. I don't get the points and miles which is reasonable, but I always get upgrade and VIP benefit. That was the smallest gym I had ever been to, but the view was amazing. It is extremely far away from the falls but the angle is the best! The entrance fee is $10 but fee is waived for SPG members. The gym attendant stared at LP's shoes and asked LP not to use the gym without snickers. Since she's so strict to the gym code, how come she left 1.5 hour early before the closing hour? Well...

House warming C & A

2008-10-18T13:57:00.001-04:00

That was a lovely time! Congratulations again!

Milestones

2008-09-27T17:21:00.004-04:00

Milestone's free appetizer promotion is coming back. Hurry and get some free Kobe beef burgers!

Doubletree at Niagara Falls

2008-09-27T14:23:00.004-04:00

There are not many 4-star hotels on the falls. Doubletree is one of them, but the hotel is the furthest away from the Canadian horseshoe. Hilton Fallsview Hotel is still our number 1 choice! It is quite a good hotel but I don't feel that they value the Gold VIP guests comparing to other Hilton family hotels at the falls. HHonor Gold VIP meaning the guest had stayed in Hilton properties for more than a month in the previous year! We didn't receive any room upgrade. The staff claimed that they were full. Late checkout was not possible neither. Here is all we got:

Continental breakfast. The voucher states specifically that it is limited to 2 bakery items. The orange juice was just Tropicana. The coffee is no way taste like Starbuck that they advertised.
Two complimentary bottled water. It is not in-room bottled water. The voucher can be redeemed at the tiny small lobby lounge.

Queen's Landing Hotel at Niagara-on-the-Lake

2008-09-21T21:28:00.007-04:00

Congratulations! That was one beautiful wedding at Queen's Landing Inn. The wedding ceremony started at the beach of the Queen's Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Queen's Landing Inn is a spectacular Georgian-style mansion on the banks of the Niagara River. The hotel restaurant was doing a great job! We loved the wide varieties of seafood hor'derve - creative, beautiful, and delicious.

Wild leek and potato soup. Creamy, not too salty with correct portion of basil oil.
Salad. I like the poached pears and the sauce.
Passion fruit sorbet.
Lamb chop and beef tenderloin. It's world class.
Pavloa. There was a flash back to my childhood like one of the those food movies!
White chocolate cake. Man, it looked gorgeous, but I was full...
Coffee and tea. The coffee was smooth and inspiring!

Save 20% at Marriott

2008-09-16T13:19:00.002-04:00

Save 20% at Marriott. Book by Sept 22. Booking Window: Sept 8-22, 2008; Hotel Stay Window: Sept 12-Dec 21, 2008 (only for hotel stays between Thu – Sun)

Consolidate your reward program points

2008-09-16T10:54:00.002-04:00

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Travelocity Weekly Deals_9.11.08

2008-09-14T17:19:00.000-04:00

Race to Savings in Vegas: Monte Carlo Resort and Casino from $66, Caesar's Palace from $120, Las Vegas Hilton from $58, and More!

Moxies, Barrie

2008-09-13T20:03:00.002-04:00

Moxies in Barrie is as good as any other Moxies - classy decor, great management, and attentive servers! Address: 509 Bayfield Street, Georgian Mall, Barrie, ON, L4M 4Z8. Phone: (705)733-5252.

Horseshoe resort - Silks fine dining

2008-09-13T18:08:00.010-04:00

Silks fine dining is one of the reasons for staying at the Horseshoe resort. There aren't lots of choices on the menu. They also limit the number of seats in the restaurant. I guess this is what fine dining supposed to be. Our package included a 3 course dinner for two. The complimentary appetizers were quite interesting. For the first course we chose the soup and the burger. The mushroom soup was creamy. The burger was not a conventional burger. It was burger of Elk, quite interesting. For the entrees, we tried the salmon, tenderloin, and risotto. The risotto was rich. The pecan crusted salmon was amazing, excellent combination. The pan fried mash potato at the bottom was a great compliment. The AAA tenderloin was really good. Haven't had a good steak for a while. The dessert was amazing. The creme brulee was a classic brulee mixed with vanilla bean. The tiramisu was so soft and smooth. The buffet breakfast was... normal, nothing surprising. The freshly squeezed orange juice was really good but that was an extra $4. The Eggs Benedict was very impressive. The chef put in smoked salmon instead of bacon.

Horseshoe resort, Orilla

2008-09-13T14:32:00.009-04:00

We had a romantic getaway at the Horseshoe Resort, Orilla. The Horseshoe Valley is just 1 hour north of Toronto. We stayed in the bi-level loft suite with king bed and skylight whirlpool on the upper level overlooking the golf course and the valley. There is a "ONE FREE ACTIVITY WITH EACH STAY!" fall promotion. From as low as $149 per room per night, you can choose 1 free activity like 18 holes golf and hummer tour in the wild. The couples jacuzzi under the skylight is very innovative. The red tone in the bath room further enhances the romantic atmosphere. In constructive criticism perspective, the air-conditioner must be ancient. That was lots of noise!

Milestones

2008-09-13T14:11:00.003-04:00

Milestone's free appetizer promotion is coming back. Great work as usual! We still think that Milestones makes the best Calamari. The white chocolate cheesecake was sinful and rich as usual. It's a little bit too sweet for us.

Moxies

2008-09-13T13:58:00.002-04:00

That's yet another good time at Moxies - beautiful lounge, excellent servers, big burgers and interesting appetizers. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500.

Blue Mountain - Summer Le Scandinave Spa

2008-08-04T15:50:00.010-04:00

We went to Blue mountain for the Civic holiday long weekend. We had a slope-view balcony suite with full kitchen and fireplace at the Georgian Village. The regular price is about $250 per night. There is Club IntraWest promotion offer through Aeroplan that you can stay two nights in a luxury one-bedroom condo for only $149 (offer expire Oct 31, 2008). If you are not interested in any presentation, you can always book from Travelocity to browse for some off season rate. Everything was perfect until we felt the effect of "Project Planet." The signs said, the towels and sheets are only replaced every 3 days. I didn't see as many maids as before. I know environmental protection is important but using that as an excuse to achieve cost-saving and lay off the hard-working workers is a devil thing to do. Le Scandinave spa is the main reason for going to Blue Mountain. Le Scandinave is a spa with huge outdoor bath under the mountain in the woods. This time we went for the 1 hr massage for $110 + tax which included a one time pass to the Scandinave bath. The weather was perfect for outdoor hot tub, ~20 degree and no wind. In Winter, there was an extra hot pool, which is turned into a less hot pool in summer. (That was perfect for Watermelonbb ;P) There is an Oliver & Bonacini, one of the food channel restaurant inside the Westin Trillium hotel Blue mountain. The Bruchetta was interesting. The chef used a different cheese instead of feta and smoked ham instead of tomato. The blue water crab fettuccine was pretty good. Those are fresh real crab meat. The sauce was tomato based with a slight hint of spicy.Surprisingly, lots of people ordered the chicken and ribs. The ribs were overcooked, but the fries were really good. (LoPo loves fries ;D) I know, the Tiramisu looks... normal, but it was so good and authentic. The waitress told us that it's the Italian chef's private recipes.

Queen's grill room

2008-07-20T11:41:00.002-04:00

Queen's grill room is a beautiful restaurant, antique tea sets, paintings, complete with romantic lighting. The bread was surprising. It's huge and it's whole wheat. The scallops and shrimps pasta was ultra creamy. It's not as oily as Pickle Barrel but it tastes as good. (LoPo likes the sauce.) The Turf and Surf was delicious. I ordered medium rare. The steak was outstanding. The shrimp is of correct size although there is only one. What can make it better? Glass of wine. They don't have wine list yet. They have all the dessert from Queen's bakery, very reasonable. Address: 328 Highway 7 East, Unit B1/B2, Richmond Hill (Hwy 7 & Bayview) Phone: (905) 370-2131

Pickle Barrel @ Markville Mall

2008-07-06T13:36:00.002-04:00

That was a lovely evening. We had dinner at Pickle Barrel, Markville Mall. The restaurant has very nice decor and attentive wait staffs. The fajitas was very good - fresh veggies and hot smoking chicken. It's not as good as what I had in San Antonio but can't complaint. It's totally different atmosphere and setting. We love the lobster and jumbo shrimps pasta the most. We actually had the same pasta in the last 3 visits. The lobster was not quite visible and the shrimps were not exactly jumbo like many restaurants of the same class, but it is absolutely delicious.

Edwards Garden

2008-07-06T13:28:00.007-04:00

This Canada Day weekend was not exactly a long weekend, but the weather was simply perfect. We went to Edwards Garden for a little walk after a family lunch. (LoPo loves flowers, flowers, and flowers.) Address: 777 Lawrence Ave E, North York

Travelocity Deals - 06.19.08

2008-06-22T15:54:00.003-04:00

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Moxies

2008-06-22T15:46:00.003-04:00

We love Moxies, interesting cocktail, great wine list. And of course the white chocolate brownie is one reason to go there again and again. Address: 159 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill. Tel: 905-764-9500.

New Deals from CruiseDirect - 06/09/08

2008-06-14T14:28:00.004-04:00

Dallas attractions

2008-06-14T14:26:00.005-04:00

Dallas downtown has too many things to see.

The Dallas World Aquarium. I am impressed by the under water glass tunnel where guests can see the huge octopus, jelly fishes that glow in the dark, cute stingrays, little sharks, etc. I have a question though. How come there are fire birds and tigers in the Aquarium? Maybe, bonus.

Dallas Museum of Art.

Winfrey point. This year, Toronto had a long Winter. Haven't been to a nice romantic picnic place for a while. (LoPo, how do you like it?)

The Dallas Arboretum Botanical Garden. That is huge garden!

Fountain's Place, a beautiful lunch spot in the middle of Dallas downtown.

New Deals from CruiseDirect - 06/03/08

2008-06-03T16:00:00.004-04:00

7-NT Princess Alaska Cruise from $389. Calls on College Fjord, Glacier Bay, Skagway, and Juneau. plus FREE 2-Night Hotel Certificate when you book today!

Dallas attractions

2008-05-31T13:57:00.008-04:00

Dallas downtown has too many things to see. The Dallas World Aquarium. I am impressed by the under water glass tunnel where guests can see the huge octopus, jelly fishes that glow in the dark, cute stingrays, little sharks, etc. I have a question though. How come there are fire birds and tigers in the Aquarium? Dallas Museum of Art.

Winfrey point. This year, Toronto had a long Winter. Haven't been to a nice romantic picnic place for a while. (LoPo, how do you like it?)

The Dallas Arboretum Botanical Garden. That is huge garden!

Fountain's Place, a beautiful lunch spot in the middle of Dallas downtown.

Dallas romantic dining

2008-05-31T13:29:00.012-04:00

Dallas downtown is an excellent place for romantic dining. DragonFly in Zaza hotel is a very upscale fusion restaurant. One interesting dish is filet mignon. The filet mignon is favored by ginger sauce with Chinese veggie as side dish. It is like the traditional Chinese pan fried beef and vegetables but with top graded beef. Truluck restaurant is as good as always. We liked the mixed grill the most. The steak was grilled to its perfection and shrimps were huge. The chicken breast was not as juicy as what I had before but still Okay. For some unknown reason, we were served by a server dressed like the cook. Spaghetti warehouse has great pasta with great value. The restaurant was full of interesting decor. (LoPo likes the painless dentist billboard.) La Duni Latin Cafe is a hidden gem in Dallas, interesting food and comprehensive wine list. The nice receptionist is one reason to go La Duni again. Rj Mexican cuisine has interesting Tex-Mex food.

Dallas - Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel

2008-05-27T23:01:00.010-04:00

We spent a week in Dallas for the Victoria Day weekend. Reunion Tower is the landmark on the Dallas skyline, built adjacent to and operated by Hyatt Regency Dallas Hotel. That makes Hyatt Regency the hotel of choice in Dallas downtown. Check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotel page for more deals in Dallas.

Hyatt Regency Dallas, $96 per night with $20 dining credit (Jun 6, 7, 13, 14)
Use your American Express® Business Card at Hyatt and recieve 3% rebate
1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles per night at any Hyatt worldwide (Expiring 6/30/2008)

The breakfast was world-class, beautiful restaurant and amazing a la carte breakfast. The in-room dining was amazing, both service and food layout. Be sure to try out the Texas brewed Shiner Bock.

My first experience with Delta Airlines

2008-05-25T17:00:00.009-04:00

Please link to this post. See this link for the details. I usually fly with Air Canada or WestJet Airlines. There was no good flight from Toronto to San Antonio. The connection wait time was like 3 hours. So, I had to give Delta a try.

The Delta departure gate at Toronto Airport was at a dump terminal. They shuttle you to a dumpster terminal where there is no restaurant or shop. All you get is a $6.99 ham and cheese sandwich.
The arrival gate was at a dump terminal too. You have to get on a shuttle bus, which is crazily packed. If it is a rainy or snowy day....
I wonder if they have any first aid stuffs on the flight. The flight attendant told me that "we don't have any painkiller, Tylenol, or Aspirin." "We don't have anything like that," she added.
Delta charged me $50 on my already expensive ticket of $988 for a missed connection. There was a delay for the incoming flight and the connecting flight actually left 5 min early. Delta still charged me, although it was Delta's fault. They could make a fortune if they delay more often.

San Antonio - Doubletree San Antonio Airport Hotel

2008-05-25T16:05:00.007-04:00

That was a 3-day trip to San Antonio. Doubletree San Antonio Airport Hotel is a beautiful courtyard hotel. The room was very decent. It walks out to a shared balcony overlooking the beautiful courtyard which is quite impressive.The hotel restaurant was... normal, like many other Doubletree hotel restaurants. However, the desserts were bad. Lots of cakes on the menu were not available. Loblaws sells better cheesecake than them. Vanilla is the only favor for the "assorted ice-cream," and the ice-cream seems to be skimmed. It took forever for the room services to pick up the phone and the call was transferred to somewhere else. The executive lounge was small, but the staffs were very attentive. In hotel operation perspectives,...

The internet was not working for the entire stay. Everything was stopped. This is a total disaster for business travelers.
There was a black out. The night started without escalator, TV, hot water, and ended up black out. I was later on told that the power transformer has blown out.
Fire alarm went off. The fire alarm was making a hum sound for the whole night. In the next morning, the fire alarm actually went off when I was in the shower.

(LoPo, I miss you....)

Parking ticket from Municipal Parking Corporation

2008-05-03T17:00:00.012-04:00

Please link to this post. See this link for the details. A few of my friends have received one of those fake parking tickets from Municipal Parking Corporation in the last year, hot spot being Sheraton Parkway. "The good news is, by law, you don't have to pay them," according to CityNews interviewing the Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley. Despite of that, the corporation keeps sending out mails from their collection department claiming that they have the right to do all kinds of things to you. Here I put together everyone's experiences.

Don't bother to call the "General Inquires" number on the back of the ticket to fight the ticket. It's just a machine asking you to key in your credit card number.
Don't need to go back to the shopping mall to ask the ticket to be waived. The only people who can void the ticket is the landlord.
Don't even bother to send in a dispute. They require you to send by register mail which is like $10 to start with. Nobody received any response so far.
Don't use the payment website. If you have decided to pay although it is not legal, you will get an internet purchase receipt. Congratulations! Yes, you've just made a purchase, not fine payment. However, they have your credit card and the 3-digit security number now. You always have the option to send the payment to their P.O. box though. There is no real address.
Don't be freak out by those letters or calls claiming that they can do all kinds of things to you. There are calls like those machine telemarketers which stops after a month or so. Just hang it up gracefully like what you usually do to the telemarketers. Nothing had ever happen to anyone.
Don't setup a campaign to boycott the shopping mall or anything like that. Come on, it doesn't worth the afford.

In closing, Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley is working on closing the loophole. Instead of wasting the time on the ticket, you may want to reflect your concern to your local MP and ask for an update on the fake parking ticket issue and confirm that you don't have to pay. A simple email or call will do.

Cayo Coco - NH Krystal Laguna Villas & Resort - Food

2008-03-29T18:35:00.011-04:00

One of the important component of a resort vacation is great food. NH Krystal has 5 a la carte restaurants and 2 buffets. All the restaurants are fancy but the foods are medicore. You may call me picky but I am not. My requirement is simple - just better than or at least equal to what I usually have in Toronto. Later on, I am told by a few friends that all Cuban resorts serve medicore food. (LP, traveling with you, I don't mind eating pastas every day. 鹹魚白菜也好好味.)

Steak house. The services and the decor were really good. The steak was cooked to coal while I ordered medium. The cake dessert was good though.
Italian. The veal was seriously overdone and the pasta was under cook. We looked at our neighbors and our neighbors looked back at us. We laughed out loud and decided to go to the buffet to have some pastas.
Seafood. What a beautiful restaurant on the lagoon!
Cuban. The restaurant was closed but the front desk was not even aware of that. The staffs insisted that the restaurant was open.
Moonlight. It is the poolside grill restaurant. The view was charming. The fish and seafood soup were too fishy.
Buffet. To me both buffet restaurants are the same. I love the pastas. However, there was always over 10 minute lineup for the cook-to-order food such as omelet and pasta, partly because of under staff and partly because of the talkative Canadians. What can we do about that!?

We were very lucky that the buffet restaurant served lobster on the day that we don't have a la carte reservation. Haven't had huge 2 lbs+ lobsters for a while. I just couldn't eat the cooked to coal steak at the steak restaurant... The seafood restaurant is a open patio on the lagoon. Both the view and the dishes were gorgeous. The Italian restaurant does not have filet mignon. All it got is pastas, Parmesan and pizza. The bread were really good. We loved it! The house wine and the Crystine beer were great and really strong! After this trip, we have decided not to drink any alcohol for a month. The coffee at the buffet was terrible. Be sure to ask for cappuccino fresh from the machine instead.

Cayo Coco - NH Krystal Laguna Villas & Resort

2008-03-29T16:25:00.008-04:00

That is another unforgettable vacation. We had a romantic getaway in Cuba. The NH Krystal Laguna Villas & Resort, Cayo Coco is a 4-star resort. We got a great deal of $910 per person including round trip flights, 7 night deluxe accommodation, a la cart dining, buffet and unlimited beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Be sure to check travelocity for the great deals. NH Krystal is two resorts in one, Emperrodor and Laguna. The Villas suite Laguna room is the best room available and it absolutely worths the extra dollars. We were lucky that we got upgraded to the Villa suite on the lagoon. We were both impressed by the amazing lagoon view. The room had great air-conditioning and clean. The mini-bar was stocked with bottled water and beverages almost daily. The con is that the room only had hot water certain time of the day. The beach is out of the world! White sand, blue ocean, and sunrise... The entertainment team did a great job! We liked the dance and the mini horse show. The guest games were boring - male guests performing strip dance and the resulting kids pretending to be vomiting and screaming old women.I will write about the controversy food in the resort in my next post.

Sheraton Parkway Caesar Spa

2008-03-09T17:43:00.015-04:00

It was a romantic spa night - couple massage, in-room jacuzzi, romantic in-room movies, room services, and wine in one of the Toronto's biggest snow storms. Sheraton Parkway offers a Caesar Spa package for $209 + taxes only. Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post to see how I hunt for good hotel deals.

Jacuzzi Suite
2 bottles of water daily
1 fruit plate
Standard Massage for 2
20% off coupon for additional spa services
Free in-door parking as usual

The hotel lobby was very impressive. Sheraton Parkway is a 3-stars hotel, but it's much better than many other 4-stars hotels. The jacuzzi suite features an impressive oversize bathroom, separate shower and bath tub with a dressing area. There are areas of improvement though. The jacuzzi tub fits one person only. The air-conditioning of the suite made an abrupt loud noise occasionally. The fruit plate was really good, fresh, beautiful, and delicious. The room service was excellent. The pizza was hot and crispy. Consider being in a snow storm, it definitely worthed the extra dollars. It's much better than the on-site restaurant, The Host fine Indian cuisine, which is no where close to fine dining both services and food. The Caesar Spa was amazing. We loved the romantic decor, the tea, and the massage. I don't see any reason going to those Chinese health centers like BI Cheng anymore, where they have kids running around and the environment is so degrading, while the prices are almost the same!

Moxie's

2008-02-18T13:25:00.006-05:00

Moxie's is one of our favorite restaurants. It is a modern restaurant with young waiters and waitresses. Our favorite dishes include New York steak and Philly steak sandwich. Be sure to try out the white chocolate brownie, which is comparable to the chocolate thunder from Outback. There was one time that there was a crazy old woman kept complaining about everything from the camera flash to the food not being served in the order she liked. (LP, if the crazy old woman come bothering us again, I will show her some color.)

dw pasta and grill - Valentines Day 2008

2008-02-17T16:40:00.006-05:00

dW pasta and grill has a great chef. We went there to celebrate Valentine's Day. Candle light, heart-shaped stickers and a long-stem rose for the ladies started a romantic evening. The grilled oyster was really good - fatty and juicy. The lobster bisque really tasted lobster, but it's too salty for us. The salmon mousse looked good. The scallops were fresh but salad sauce was too sour. The rack of lamb chop was amazing. This is comparable to what we had on Carnival Liberty. However, is 4 pieces a rack? Chocolate lovers must love the dessert - rich chocolate cream over-flowing out of the crepe in strawberry sauce. 1118 Finch Ave. W, Unit 2, North York, ON, M3J 3J4. Tel: 416-667.9889.

Hilton Toronto Downtown - New Year's Eve 2007

2008-01-12T14:40:00.002-05:00

The Hilton Toronto Downtown hotel is a great hotel for New Year's Eve countdown and firework, but not a good place for the executives to gather with their business associates during the holiday seasons. It was New Year's Eve. There was a long lineup just for check-in from 3:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m. and after. There was no VIP check-in, although there was an unused executive floor check-in line. There was no VIP compliment upgrade, although rooms were available. The executive lounge was closed for almost the whole month from Dec 14th to Jan 6th. Why was it so busy? The hotel features an amazing Toronto downtown city view and is facing the Nathan Philip's Square, over-looking the New Year's Eve countdown and firework! (LP, can it be more romantic to countdown for the New Year by in-room candle-light dinner and movie followed by live firework countdown at Nathan Philip's Square?) The hotel's restaurant Tundra has great buffet breakfast at $20+ each. Every single piece of food was great! We like the Egg Benedict the most. Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post and select the Top Hotel Deals in Toronto to browse for the off-season rate.

Hilton Niagara Falls - Christmas 2007

2008-01-12T14:32:00.002-05:00

Hilton Fallsview Hotel is my current number 1 choice in Niagara Falls. We went to Niagara Falls again for the Christmas holidays. The standard room rate was just $99 for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As usual, the jazzcui fits one person comfortably and two persons romantically. The over-sized jazzcui tub is hard to find anywhere else. The hotel is connected to the casino through a glass walkway. There are tons of attractions at Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is where the famous Peller Estates winery located? The hotel restaurant Watermark was as good as before. There was a line-up for the breakfast but was well-managed. There are romantic water theme design and decorum complete with two aquariums, wave entrance and soothing sounds. Just the view alone worths the dollar.

Gal's Sushi Japanese & Korean Restaurant

2008-01-01T18:02:00.001-05:00

Gal's Sushi serves great food with great value. We went there for lunch for quite a few times. Here is our favorite orders: Gam Ja Tang, pork bone soup with potatoes and vegetables. Sul Nong Tang, tripe and sliced beef simmered broth. The soup and the beef tasted amazing! The soup comes with a bowl of rice. Mine looks a bit weird. Did someone take a bite out of it? In constructive criticisms point of view,...

Slow seating, slow taking the orders, slow getting the bill. People need to get back to work!
The parking lot is full of snow and mud. This is a new plaza. The plaza management may want to do something about that.

Address: 3621 highway 7 east, Markham ON, L3R 0G6.

Medieval Times

2008-01-01T17:34:00.000-05:00

Medieval Times - a legendary show theater with food. The show was just amazing, excellent plot, spectacular costumes with impressive lighting effect. (LP, shall I be your King tonight ;D) The "feast" is OK. There are no utensils. It is supposed to resemble the ancient times. The food is of fast food quality. I would be as happy if they gave me McDonald's. The Toronto Ontario Medieval Times Castle is located in beautiful Exhibition Place at 10 Dufferin Street.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T17:33:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

Blue Mountain - Le Scandinave Spa

2007-12-02T15:09:00.001-05:00

We had a weekend getaway at Blue Mountain resort. It is a long 2 hours drive from Toronto to Blue Mountain, but It is much better than wasting the whole day in the planes and airports like many other trips for sure. (Thanks LoPo, with you I don't feel bored at all.) The hotel room was pretty good, spacious and clean. What really impressed us was the outdoor heated jacuzzi pools. There are like 20 restaurants within the resort village, from the interesting Irish pub to your regular Starbucks. The ski season has not begun yet. Nobody was skiing. Just inhale the romantic atmosphere of the quiet ,snow covered blue mountain. The Le Scandinave spa is the main reason for this trip. The spa offers a unique Scandinave baths experience in the heart of nature, nested by the trees and under the blue mountain.

Jack Astor's

2007-11-18T15:59:00.001-05:00

Jack Astor's is quite an interesting restaurant. There are drawing paper tablecloth and crayons on the table. The sport bar has an impressive number of screens. Our favorite dish is the Chicago steak. The side dishes were good including their famous pan-fried mushroom. The caramel cheesecake was special covered with walnut and caramel, but might be a little bit too sweet to some guys. Address: 155 York Boulevard, Richmond Hill, ON, Canada. Phone: (905) 771-9191.

Michael Tong at Splendid China Tower

2007-11-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

Michael Tong and Miss Chinese Toronto 2007 at Splendid China Tower (錦繡中華). Address: 4675 STEELES AVE. E. TORONTO.ON M1V4S5.

Hilton Fallsview

2007-11-10T17:38:00.002-05:00

In our last trip to Niagara Falls, we stayed in Marriot Niagara Falls Fallsview Hotel which is closest to the Canadian horseshoe. This year, we stayed in Hilton Fallsview Hotel. The hotel overlooks both the US falls and Canadian horseshoe. This looks like a totally different falls to me. As they say, "The only thing that we overlook is the falls."

1 King American fallsview jazzcui room. The room is huge. The in-room jaccuzi fits one person comfortably and two persons romantically. (LP, shall we have one more round?) The love seat by the ceiling-to-floor windows is very thoughtful. What is missing is a DVD player and HDTV, maybe for reviewing the wedding tape? We chose the room selected at check-in option and got the free upgrade. It is not hard to get upgrade in non-peak season.
Buffet breakfast in Watermark restaurant. Gold VIPs or above got cook-to-order buffet breakfast for free which is $20 per person in value. The romantic water theme design and decorum complete with two aquariums, wave entrance and soothing sounds. Just the view alone worths the dollar.
Casino buffet dinner. With the PAC card (available for free in the casino), it is just $20 per person. The hotel is connected to the casino through a glass walkway. One thing that the buffet restaurant impressed me again and again is the cake gallery. The two of us had 6 pieces of cakes!

Be sure to check out my Travelocity Good Buy Hotels post and select the Top Hotel Deals in Niagara link to browse for the off-season rate.

Pixel 8

2007-11-04T13:30:00.000-05:00

Pixel 8 lounge is a Japanese noodles place with bubble tea, great service and model decorations. Address: 50 Bur Oak Ave, Unit 08, Markham, Ontario L6C0A2. We ordered the Nagasaki Ramen and Osaka Ramen with complimentary drink and green tea ice-cream from the special combo menu. The noodles tasted great which is comparable to the famous Kenzo, and the portion was huge unlike many other noodles places. The only thing is that the BBQ pork was a bit tough. The ice-cream was a little bit too small too. Come on! Are you afraid of running out? It comes to $20 only for two tax and tips included. Here is a 10% off coupon for Pixel 8 from ccue.

Note: "Not valid on discounted items" which includes the special combo.

Carnival Liberty - Shore Excursions

2007-11-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

Carnival Liberty has a wide variety of shore excursions from fun adventures to romantic beach escape. In this trip, we had 3 ports of call: Key West, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. (Be sure to check out my Carnival Liberty accommodation, and cruise deal posts.) Sightseeing at Key West. I am told that there are over 100 points of historically interest in Key West. There are lots of cool museums and restaurants. It's still barely Florida. The weather was awesome, hot and humid. However, it can turn cats and dogs all in a sudden. (LP, don't worry. LG is here!) Wendy's was good enough to fix us a freshly brewed coffee. Stingray sandbar tour at Grand Cayman. A short ride took us to the Northern South to board a boat that we sail to the world's famous Stingray sandbar. A sandbar is a shadow region in the middle of the sea with fine sand. We enjoyed petting and swimming with the stingrays for an hour or two. Climbing the Dunn's falls and Dolphin Cove beach at Jamaica. The Falls is nothing compared to Niagara Falls, but this is how you can climb the falls. After visiting the Dunn's falls, it is a very good idea to relax at the Dolphin Cove beach. (LP, what about a romantic couples massage at the beach?)

How to get free hotel stays from cruisedirect.com - Best rate guarantee program

2007-10-15T22:40:00.000-04:00

I like to book my cruise from cruisedirect.com as it has a real best rate guarantee program. If you find a lower rate, they will refund the difference AND give you a free 4-night hotel stay. Here is what you do:

Go to cruisedirect.com to purchase a last minute cruise deal.
Within 48 hours, go to travelocity to look for the same thing. Visit Travelocity for Cruise Deals
Call cruisedirect.com at 1-888-407-2784 to price match. You'll be asked for your name, details of the cruise booked on the site (ship, sailing dates, and cabin category), price quoted, and the URL address for the Web site with the lower price.
Receive the lowest possible rate AND free 4-night hotel stay in Florida.

Carnival Liberty - Dining

2007-10-14T18:13:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I have shared our onboard experience with Carnival Liberty and the cruisedirect best rate guarantee (or free hotel stays) offer. What about the dining experience which is one major activity of cruising? As the cruise director said, "You paid for it. you eat it!" Both the fine dining in the Silver Olympics Restaurant and casual dining at the Seaview Bistro were definitely world-class! There were too many good dishes. Here is our favorite:

Rack of lamb. Tender and tasty.
Lobster tail butter melt. How many freshly broiled lobster tails can you eat?
Prime rib steak. This half-inch-think fatty prime rib steak definitely blow away Le biftheque steak house.
Grilled jumbo tiger shrimps with Berre Blanc. The shrimps are both fresh and huge. The signature sauce was what really impressed us.
Hot chocolate melting cake. Chocolate lovers may want to go to Carnival cruise again just for this. (LoPo, am I right ;P)
Vanilla soufflé. Chocolate soufflé is what I usually have. I didn't know that Vanilla soufflé is that good!

Other dishes are great too, just no surprise.

Sushi appetizer. It looks beautiful, but the rice is exactly the same as the frozen sushi at your cafeteria.
Fillet mignon. It is not quite medium rare as I ordered. The professional waiter fixed me a piece real quick. It is great steak but no surprise.