town.

Yesterday was Jeff's birthday, so I told him he had to pick the restaurant for his birthday dinner. He chose town.. We had only been there once before, a few years ago for my birthday, so we were due for a visit. And the online menu said they had steak, and Jeff wanted steak for his birthday. (Sorry for the crap iPhone pics)

we shared the beef carpaccio {tenderloin/pickled mushrooms & jalapenos/parmesan/toast/arugula/anchovy vinaigrette}. delish.

my main was crispy skin trout {bacon/lentils/squash mostarda/apple salad/squash purée/crème fraîche}. super delish. the extra crispy trout skin bits were divine.

it turns out they weren't serving steak. jeff was not a happy camper at first but decided to get the closest thing they had to a steak - milk braised beef cheek {oyster mushroom fritto/duck fat confit parsnips/spicy almonds/gremolata/red wine marmalade/farrotto}. he liked it :)

my dessert was buttermilk panna cotta {caramel poached apple/cheddar & pecan crumble/aple balsamic reduction}

jeff's dessert was a chocolate budino tart {white wine poached pear/caramel sauce/caramel popcorn & peanuts/olive oil}

i'm always up for trying cocktail concoctions. this was fantastic - cam'ron's kick {cardamom/dillons unfiltered gin 22/black peppercorns/grapefruit}.

i also had to try this - MC cobbler {cranberry syrup/lot 40 whiskey/dry sherry/nebbiolo/lemon}. also yummy and boozy. 

Our only beef (LOL) was that they weren't serving what their online menu stated, and to a birthday boy dreaming of steak for an entire week, it was disappointing but I think he got over it. And the restaurant is so narrow that the main hallway between table is maybe a foot wide so staff kicked or knocked into my chair at least a dozen times... but that's no one's fault except maybe the guy behind me who could have moved his chair in a bit more. The food and great service made up for it. 

Little Bishop Pendant Light Hook

This is a really cool idea. For years, Dominique Hunter an interior designer from Melbourne Australia has been frustrated with the makeshift method in which cable hung pendant lights were secured. The common solution at the time was not appropriate for many of the great lights she used in her interiors. So she enlisted the help of her partner Antony Richards to create an elegant and natural way to hang her lights – the Little Bishop. As the manager of their business – Hunter & Richards – Antony used his spare time and background in jewellery design to carefully hand craft a hook that would suspend cable hung ceiling lights with no knot, clamp, bolt, screw or clip. There are so many cool light fittings around, and just because you’re not spending a lot on one doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the minor details and finish of an interior project by using a cheap hook from the hardware store. We wanted something that was designed for this purpose alone, a solution that would suit any pendant no matter the budget or style of interior. They're running a Kickstarter campaign. I really hope it succeeds.  

Happy (just about) Valentine's Day!

My husband picked me up today from work with these totally stunning flowers from blumenstudio (which happens to be located on our street a few blocks away) and a box of SuzyQ Doughnuts! And then he ordered pizza. This is BLISS!!!

Grey is the new black

In keeping with my grey is the new black theme today, check out this GORGEOUS wool sweater dress the lovely ladies at Theory of Gaia sent me from Italy. It is perfect for these brutally cold -30C days. More photos over on The Mourning Cloak. 

My daily morning ritual