Posts filed under ‘Swellbeing’
Get more creative
A new study published in Consciousness and Cognition found that people with an alcohol level of 0.75 (that’s about two pints of beer) performed better on tests of creativity. They believe the alcohol relaxes us and allows us to see the big picture faster than when sober and less relaxed.
Do with this bit of research what you like :) Oh, is it just about happy hour?…Indeed, it is!
(Bourbon cocktail above? I enjoyed at brunch at Publican in Chicago — it was tasty but bourbon is a bit much for brunch time on very little sleep and no food in my belly.)
Race prep – Health & Swellness style
I picked up my race kit for Saturday’s Harry’s Spring Run-off 8k today.
I also picked up some cupcakes from Prairie Girl Bakery…it was one block away, how could I not.
Is that wrong?
Well, if that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right :)
The burger of my dreams
For months, my friends and I have been trying to get ourselves over to Holy Chuck Burger but life kept getting in the way.
Last night, our burger dreams were answered. I had The Holy Chuck – their signature double beef patty with cheese, bacon and caramelized onions) and yowza! It is now my favourite in the city. It practically fell apart in my hands it was so tender and juicy. I think it may even replace the other burger that stands out in my mind as one of the best I’ve had, that being the one at Blackbird in Brooklyn.
I also had the nutella and salted caramel shake (how could I not, right?). It was delicious, but, for me, a bit rich and sweet it was hard to have more than a few sips of it.
We’ll definitely be going back — there are some other crazy (erm, decadent aka fatty) menu items we’re dying to go back to try, namely the deep-fried pickles with bacon panko crust (and no, none of us are pregnant) and the nutella and Lindor lollipops with whipped cream.
Oh, forgot to mention, we also shared the funnel cake. (Sure am glad I’m doing not one, but two, workouts today!)
Ambiance-wise, the restaurant is very basic, like your typical fast food joint – but really, you’ll be so busy having a love affair with your burger that your surroundings will become foggy anyhow. I did enjoy their signage, though:
Holy Chuck Burgers, 1450 Yonge St., Toronto, 416-96-CHUCK
Yes, I ate a foie gras ‘double down’
Last month, I ate dinner for the first time at Joe Beef in Montreal. I’d heard about the restaurant before, but it was the rave tweets from chefs David Chang of Momofuku (at Ko, ate one of my favourite meals of all time) and Anthony Bourdain (I adore this book of his) that got me (eye infection and all) to drag my butt there in February.
I split Joe Beef’s version of the double down with Janine of BeautyGeeks as an appetizer – the Joe Beef double down is two pieces of battered and fried foie gras, with cheese and bacon in the middle.
It was simply too rich. (Yes, there’s such a thing! Think of the richest things you’ve eaten and triple it)
For my main, I had the guinea hen (above) prepared two ways: confit and fried (sort of prepared like a schnitzel). Very tasty, but at that point after the double down plus we’d received a complimentary plate of smoke eel fritters, well, I’d had my fill of fried foods, so I ended up taking most of it back to my hotel minifridge.
This here is Lindsay of Sometimes Fancy‘s meal. I forget what it’s called but it arrived in a Le Creuset-type stockpot large enough to feed a family of SIX. No joke. That’s a lot of sausage, my friends. I’ve dubbed it the sausage fest.
There are only certain types of desserts I am fond of, and this is way up there on my favourites now: hazelnut soft-serve ice cream made on the premises. Incredible. It was actually a twist type of ice cream, but I forget the other flavour…Ate every last spoonful and then I rolled my very full self back to my hotel room.
Next trip to Montreal, I am so going back to Joe Beef if I can. Very chill atmosphere (I appreciated the 90s hip hop playing when we were there). Next time, I’ll just try to have more than just fried foods. Maybe even a vegetable or two.
Joe Beef, 2491 Notre Dame Ouest, Montreal.
