Category: Amusing Musings

As you know, group buying sites like Groupon and WagJag have been duelling it out for your mass-market manpower, but after today, WagJag has just blown Groupon out of the water.

WagJag Express is the first app of its kind in Canada: it uses location-based GPS technology on your iPhone to pop up deals happening RIGHT NOW where you are. Their slogan is: Deals. Whenever You Want. Wherever You Are. And for good measure; businesses (“merchants”) that sign up with this program are able to reach out to a much wider consumer audience that won’t hesitate on these purchases. The deals on WagJag Express have a much shorter shelf-life than your usual WagJag.com offerings. It’s an incredible chance to save– but he who hesitates is, undoubtedly, lost.

So, say for example you and your coworker have escaped the confines of your office and are roaming the Financial District wanting to find something different for lunch. And pay day is a week away so you also want to save your dough. With WagJag Express you could just whip out your iPhone and the app would show you what lunch specials were happening in your area! Instant gratification! Money saved! Business exchanged! It’s a win-win.

Tomorrow (Wednesday August 3rd) the WagJag Express app is available for download. To celebrate the launch, WagJaggers will be hitting the streets of Toronto, handing out free coffee, ice cream and hotdogs to everyone who downloads the app right then. And why not? It’s free too!

Look for the street team starting at 7am near King & University, moving around the downtown core throughout the rest of the day. Be sure to pop by one of the following areas at some point tomorrow (hint, hint): King & Portland, King & Brant, King & Bay, Queen & Bay, Bay & Dundas, Yonge & Dundas, and Union Station. There will also be many a lime-green clad ambassador handing out swag, riding around on lime-green bikes.

Also, because it’s the launch and because WagJag is a nice, caring company – for every download of the app tomorrow, WagJag will donate $1 to The Stop Community Food Centre, a non-profit food bank and sustainable food systems educator!

And speaking of $1… for the entire month of August there will be ONE DOLLAR DEALS on WagJag Express! Some examples include $1 Chicken Pad Thai from Thai One On, $1 burger combo at Jetsun’s Juicy Burger, and even $1 tickets to the Second City! That is amazing.

Okay, I need to go to bed now so tomorrow will come sooner.

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About WagJag: As one of the largest group-buying sites in Canada, WagJag.com offers deals on everything from restaurants to spa services to adventures and more. By bringing together a mass group of people with combined purchasing power, WagJag offers up to 90% off your favourite stores, products and services. For more information on WagJag and WagJag Express, click here.

p.s. Um, have you seen Jaunt.ca yet? Incredible deals on getaways. Fancy a little jaunt to the Old Mill Spa in Toronto, ARC The.Hotel in Ottawa, The Burrard in Vancouver, or Hotel Nelligan in Montreal? WagJag has you covered! Loving it.

This past Tuesday I attended une soiree fantastique.

Taking place at Marben Restaurant on Wellington west of Spadina, this was the second in a series of four Bordeaux After Work Parties offered by the Bordeaux Wine Council in partnership with iYellow Wine Club.

The four wines available for sampling and purchase included:

CHÂTEAU FAYAU BLANC 2009 AOC BORDEAUX SAUVIGNON / SÉMILLON
LCBO 205542 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 11.95
12.6% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Jean Médeville et Fils, Vign.
Tasting Note: A refreshing, floral nose; notes of melon, grapefruit, gooseberry and citrus with a bit of grassiness; lots of ripe fruit, balanced, crisp

MOUTON CADET 2008 AOC BORDEAUX SAUVIGNON BLANC
LCBO 2527 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 13.45
11.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Baron Philippe De Rothschild S.A.
Tasting Note: Pale straw yellow colour; soft pear and grassy citrus aromas; light fruit flavour with a slight refreshing bitterness on the finish

CHATEAU COURTEILLAC 2009 AOC BORDEAUX MERLOT/CABERNET
LCBO 360552 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 11.95
Wine, Red Wine
12.2% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: Crus & Domaines De France
Tasting Note: Ruby red colour; light red currant aroma with a touch of vanilla & spice; dry, light body; ripe currant and plum flavours, well balanced with soft tannin finish

CALVET RESERVE 2008 AOC BORDEAUX MERLOT/CABERNET SAUVIGNON
LCBO 44032 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 12.95
Wine, Red Wine
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Bordeaux, France
By: J. Calvet & Cie – Bordeaux
Tasting Note: Bright ruby/red; aromas and flavours are bursting with cassis, plummy fruit and earthy undertones; dry, med-bodied, with ripe fruit supported by moderate tannins, balanced acidity and a vanilla/oaky backbone; light coffee/smoke on finish; good length

Marben provided oysters (with an amazing mignonette sauce), pork croquettes, and pulled beef on crostini. Plus great music, and even better company. The crowd was young, stylish, and an equal mix of men and women.

The wines were incredibly popular, as was the party itself; a constant line-up at registration moved quickly but remained throughout the two-hour promotional event. Entry was free to the first 75 oenophiles who RSVP’d on Bordeaux Wine Council’s Facebook event page.

To learn more about Bordeaux wines in general, click here! The next two parties will take place this Fall. Keep checking Bordeaux Wine’s Facebook page, www.bordeaux.com or iYellowWineClub.com for updates!

Summerlicious at Café Moroc this evening with my friend ME. Café Moroc is the name of the bar / front area of The Sultan’s Tent restaurant. It is decorated in Moorish style, which I love (can’t wait to go back to Benadalid in the Andalucian Mountains of Spain and stay at that Moorish villa with my English friend SP et al again, sigh!) plus it totally adds to the experience. A few years ago I went to The Sultan’s Tent for a birthday dinner. We had the $45 prix fixe menu, which included an hour of belly dancing. It was so fun! And I’ve yet to see a prix fixe menu with as many choices as theirs.

Looking towards the Front Street windows from our table

The crowd was young, twenty- and thirty- somethings, with an equal number of couples and friends. Background music was fusion (pop, French, Arabesque); both ME and I wished it was heavier on the French/Arabic than contemporary. Even some Thievery Corporation would have been more condusive to the atmosphere.

Sliced smoked duck breast salad

For my starter, I selected the duck breast salad because (a) duck is my favourite meat, and (b) I really needed some greens. Three slices of smoked duck breast came on top of “baby lettuces, dressed with a Champagne, pomegranate vinaigrette, tossed with fresh fine cut vegetables, cherry tomatoes and sliced mango, finished with parmesan, asiago and Romano cheese.” It was quite good– the balance of flavours playing out perfectly until the last bite. I wasn’t sure about the duck-and-cheese combo, but it worked; the pomegranate vinaigrette provided enough sweetness to cut the cheese, if you will. Heh heh. ME had the maftoul, hand-rolled Moroccan “cigars” of spiced beef, cashews and raisins in hot pastry. The two (thin) cigars were topped with chipotle mayo, which ME found unnecessary because like he said, and I concur, we weren’t in a Mexican restaurant. I would have liked to try the harira soup, with tomatoes and chick peas, but it was just too damned hot out today.

Braised lamb feast

Both ME and I chose the lamb for our main. I don’t eat chicken, although the Chicken Marrakesh sounded tasty; ME didn’t order it because he hates olives. The lamb was a GREAT CHOICE. The meat was so tender it fell off the bone. (Reminded me of a braised bison rib I had once at Tundra, and ate with a spoon.) The prune demi glace was amazing, and although the lamb tasted quite bland without it, it was sufficient to cover almost every bite. Under the lamb was a bed of tagine-spiced couscous and roasted root vegetables. As you can imagine, both of us licked our plates clean.

Baklava and Moroccan Treats

Dessert was somewhat disappointing. ME chose the Moroccan Treats: “traditionally made Moroccan cookie and pastry accompanied with Latshin, a light and refreshing traditional dessert of fresh orange slices sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.” He said the cookie tasted of rose-water, and the pastry of lemon. The Latshin, which I had read good things about, appeared as two slices of orange stacked so only one of them had any sugar-cinnamon sprinkling. And it was a THIN sprinkling at that. My baklava was labelled as gluten-free on the Summerlicious menu online, but when I asked my server about it he said that must be a mistake. The manager came over and apologized for the error and said he would update the website. Luckily I’m not on a strict GF diet. Regardless, the baklava was dry, had way too much pastry (like a slice of pie), and I have never said this before in all my years of baklava-eating, but it could stand to be sweeter! A LOT SWEETER. It tasted like sugar-free baklava. Boo-urns.

However, overall the meal was definitely good value for the price. My major complaint is that Café Moroc is not authentic enough. Which is ironic because it’s such a nice place. (I read a review online that said it was like eating at a Moroccan resto at Epcot in Florida, which was supposed to be an insult, but only made me like it more because I LOVED the world showcase at Epcot Centre when I was a kid!) But here at Café Moroc, it’s like they almost get to authenticity… but then they fall short. It could be that they are afraid of scaring off the customers. But, you’d think in Toronto (foodie central), authenticity would only draw them in? Nonetheless, I highly recommend dining at either Café Moroc or The Sultan’s Tent at least once. Especially if you’re like me and can’t afford the trip to Morocco.

Price: $25 prix fixe
Duration from sitting down to standing up: one hour
Drinks: budget for $10 extra per drink
Wine: specials available on Inniskillin red & white
Total cost for 2ppl with one drink each, including tax & tip: $90

Afterwards, we sauntered back out into the 35C heat (at 9pm no less), and headed towards Union Station to take the train home.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…

Shahia tayeba!

x

This summer, British Columbia’s Mission Hill Family Estate will host an art exhibit by renowned French sculpteur Nathalie Decoster. Available to the public at no additional charge, the Sculpture Exhibition will run until October 2011, featuring more than 50 of Decoster’s brut works of steel, bronze, aluminum, and concrete. Her signature hoops reminded Proprietor Anthony von Mandl of the rings that bind wine barrels.

“What immediately struck me about Mrs. Decoster’s art were the curved hoops that cradle her human forms to create a strong visual connection between the art and the outside world,” said von Mandl. “These curved hoops are akin to the metal hoops that hold together the precious barrels that age our wines and are essential to crafting exceptional wines.”

Decoster’s works have been exhibited in Paris, London, Vienna, São Paulo, and Venice; Mission Hill is her first Canadian showcase. The sculptures will be situated throughout the Estate: in the vineyards, wine cellars, and tasting areas.

“We hope Mrs. Decoster’s work resonates with visitors as she plays with the notion of sharing dreams to build connections between people,” said von Mandl. “We believe this same connection speaks to what we are trying to accomplish as winemakers. The parallels are undeniable and we invite art lovers, or the merely curious, to visit Mission Hill to discover the magnificent work of sculptress Nathalie Decoster.”

Decoster lives and works in Paris; her early work with decorative art studios led her to perfect her sculpting technique with an old-school master. She employs vocabulary recognizably her own: an “art brut” figure is her messenger represented in minimalist geometric structures which convey philosophical messages about the human condition. Nathalie Decoster makes us conscious of the absurdities in our modern human lives.

A great pairing with wine, indeed!

Mission Hill Family Estate is world renowned for its award-winning wines, stunning setting, architecture, and Cuisine du Terroir-influenced Terrace Restaurant. For more information, visit www.missionhillwinery.com or follow the Estate on Twitter @missionhillwine.