Film Review: Safety Not Guaranteed

Last weekend I went to see an advanced screening of Safety Not Guaranteed in Toronto.

Thoughts about the film without giving it away. This film is for the surface cynic that deep down still believes in pure things and hope-filled dreams. It's an indie-type film that says what it is. I enjoy the chemistry of character Kenneth and Darius. The humour in it is light a sweet. 

Overall I rate this 4.5/5

Go see this with a loved one, first date, millionth date, or just with close friends. 

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Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73jSnAs7mq8

Food Review: Mill St. Brewery

Modern, Rustic and Industrial can describe this classy pub downtown Toronto.

Mill St. Brewery @ the Distillery district

We got here after a long trek of playing "find that restaurant" until we stumbled on Mill St. Brewery. Hungry and tired and past 2pm, my friend and I decided to walk the few steps from the restaurant we thought had an event/festival and walked over to Mill St. 

I'm always happy when brunch is served late on weekends. I like to have that option in case my egg cravings get to be too much (photo above). 

Also known for their beer, my friend ordered their Stock ale (photo below). I myself am not a beer drinker, but I tried a sip and it wasn't bad at all. Of course, I was super thirsty and it was ice cold and fizzy.

Not since a long while have I ordered steak and eggs ($13) at any restaurant. I told the waitress to make it as rare as they legally can and just hoped they would do a decent job on my meat. As it turns out....

With steak as one of my favorite foods, I discovered that most restaurant don't make it rare the way rare should be. Of course this doesn't include steakhouses. But I must admit, they did it right and very juicy. I gave some to my friend to try and she also loved it... love love love love loved it. I did too!

Another interesting thing I saw on their menu (for a brewery pub food type restaurant) ethnic food choices.

Both my friend and I were intrigued and by the end, she decided to order the Butter chicken and Naan.

They even went all out and used an authentic looking bowl. Very cool. My friend found that the dish was okay... not a good tasting as my steak and eggs. Go figure! hehe

I'm starting to think to make this place more a friendlier selection for future outings. The only thing is that this place is in pretty far. But for good food and good atmosphere, I don't mind.

Type of place: It's great for group outings with friends and/or co-workers. It gets pretty loud and although there's a lot of space, they've jammed pack every square inch with tables and chairs. So, if you don't mind being cozy with strangers, this is a great place to chill and relax after work or on the weekends.

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope that helps lighten the day for a great week!   

Starbucks Coffee $0.25 (Tall)

Happy 25th Anniversary to Starbucks. 

To celebrate, you can go in get a coffee June 12 before 11:00am for only $0.25.

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Don't forget to pass this message along. It's coming up, this Tuesday!

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FREE: WIN A PAIR OF ADVANCED SCREENING PASSES FOR "TED"

CONTEST FOR MY FANS! FREE MOVIE PASSES!

Just for you ccgirl fans: Here's a easy chance for you to win 1 FREE pair of advanced screening passes to watch the hilarious and lovable TED. (Note: These are not tickets, you must go 1 hour early to secure tickets for the film. Please read passes disclaimer once over)

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Be the first watch TED (starring Mark Wahlberg & Mila Kunis) before it comes out in theatres.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fbo_pQvU7M

Do you live in Toronto?

Are you free Thursday June 14, 2012?

If you said yes to all the above, then leave a comment on this post with your name, email and your favorite ccgirl post (and you can't pick this post). =0)

The contest starts now and closes on Tuesday June 12 @ 11:59am EST. The winner will be notified via email on Wednesday June 13.
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Good luck everyone! Have a great start to your weekend!

Luminato: Opening Weekend June 8-10

Get ready for another Toronto festival.... Luminato 2012.

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What is Luminato?

It's a Toronto festival that celebrates the Arts (Music, Theatre, Film, Dance, Visual & Food) with events to see watch and listen all around downtown Toronto core for two weekend and a week.

Opening Night: Musical stylings from K'naan @ 9:00pm on June 8th, 2012.

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Here are some festivities going on during the first few days of the festival.

Opening weekend: Einstein on the Beach & 1,000 Tastes of Toronto

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At 1,000 Taste of Toronto, if it was the same as previous years, for $5 you can enjoy one dish offered from great chefs around Toronto. A couple of years back, I met Surur Lee. He made an asian-style cheeseburger dish. 

(Luminato Festival 2010)

So, if you don't have any plans but you want to go out and do something fun, then come check out what's happening at Luminato. Here's the website: 

WWW.LUMINATO.COM

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Happy Weekend Everyone!

Lazy Sunday @ Green Grind Coffee Shop

On a late Sunday afternoon, I wanted to grab a cup of coffee downtown. My first thought was Green Grind. A perfect place to chill out with my Sunday buddy and enjoy a good cup of joe.

Feeling a little tired, I decided to get an Americano. What makes me love Green Grind so much is... everything. haha okay, but for real, the guy working was really nice (racked up a lot of customer service points), the atmosphere of the place is always so nice and bright (pretty quiet, mostly people who come bring their laptops and work/play) and lastly, they have so many different varieties to sweeten my Americano. I tried agave, the organic stuff and it added a great sweet pump up to my drink.

Sometimes I forget that not all coffee shops have those powerful blenders that make fraps and other iced drinks. However, with that said, at the bottom of the menu, Green Grind makes sure to tell their customer that you just have to ask for your drink to be cold. I like that!

This was a tall glass of hot mochaccino. Yum!

And of course, free wi-fi and no secret code needed. Love it!!!!

Food Review: Bistro Six-One

On a quaint Niagara-on-the-lake street named Queen Street, you will find a town-like atmosphere that tickles your fancies for out-of-towner delights. This street has mostly mom & pops restaurant that go from upscale to casual and weaved in have some of the most adorable clothes and accessory shops as well ice cream parlors.

For dinner, my friends and I reserved a spot at Bistro Six-One on Queen street.  

The look of the place wasn't exactly what I pictured as the restaurant was filed under upscale casual on  http://www.niagaraonthelake.com. It seemed a lot more family-friendly casual. 

But aside from the look of the restaurant, the most important thing was the taste and look of their food. After a day of wine touring, I was definitely in need of quality food.

My dish for the night was a Ham & Brie Sandwich. The ham was piled on high and the brie was cut thick, just the way I like it. And the taste?

I have nothing to complain about the fries. The ham was just a tad bit salty, but that could be because of how much ham was inside the sandwich. The brie was what I was expecting to be the best. But quite honestly, it fell down hard and made the whole sandwich do a dip into the low ratings. It was melted but then  when it was brought out to me, the cheese was extremely hard in a melted form. 

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Overall, I had an okay experience at this restaurant taste wise. However, the customer service was very pleasant. I enjoy small towns for their charming personalities. Unlike the big city, people are genuinely nice for the sake of being nice and not a tip! 

Food Review: Old Winery

Today's review goes up to Niagara-on-the-lake. An elegant, spacious restaurant called Old Winery was where my friends and I had brunch to start off our Winery day. 

The photo above shows a bit of their front entrance. This being my first time at Niagara-on-the-lake, let along a winery environment, it had the farmiest and cozy atmosphere that I fell in love with everything about it. They decorated it with such love and character. They even have a guestbook for their patrons to sign.

Being one of the first patrons to arrive, we had the pick of the lot... and this was a big lot to choose from.

What is brunch without Eggs Benedict ($12.00). So of course, I had to ordered it to see how well they did. 

The hollandaise sauce was creamy and the home fries were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. I loved every bite. This was one of the better Eggs Benedict I've had.

With this restaurant being in the heart of Niagara-on-the-lake, this is a must to go. The closest winery to this restaurant is Jackson-Triggs. So if you're in need of a great restaurant that is classy-chic with an absolutely affordable price, then this is the restaurant for you. 

It's also very romantic-friendly and at the same time family-friendly. So come one or come all. 

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Great job Old Winery!

Burger Week May 30 - June 3, 2012

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This city, the great Toronto, has got it all. And now... the first I've heard of a BURGER WEEK. ha ha well it should be since it's the first year presented by THE GRID. 

This weekend only... come out and enjoy a great burger from 20-top meat meisters!

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There's 3 categories for the burgers. Each restaurant will either be:

 $5 burger

Platinum Partner

Black-Tie Burger

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Burger Map for your convenience (photo above)

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And lastly, join them Sunday June 3, 2012 Burger Day:

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Cancel your plans and come out and join on the burger fiesta!

Click here for the official GRID website: http://www.thegridto.com/burger-week/

Have a great weekend everyone!

Picasso comes to Toronto

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For all the Modern Art lovers, AGO has brought over 100 of Picasso's work to present:

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris

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The show opened on April 28 and May 1st marked the first day that it was open to the public. Although it's not here for a very short time, it will officially close on August 26, 2012. You have 17 weeks, but summer will come quickly and leave just as quickly.

For more info on the exhibit itself, click here: http://www.ago.net/picasso-in-the-ago-collection

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Another wonderful tidbit for my readers. If you don't want to pay to go see the exhibit but still want to go, you're in luck, AGO lets you go in on any Wednesday between 6:00pm - 8:30pm and it's FREE.

So come one, come all. Free or paid, this is a great experience for Canadians to witness the Spanish painter who resided in France for artistic career as the famous Pablo Picasso.


And look at that, it's Wednesday today!