And then it all went Topsy Turvy

Hola peeps:

This time last week I was somewhat impatiently waiting for the Fiance to get back from a trip near the border. I say impatiently because I knew he was bringing with him my gift from the Blogger Secret Santa exchange. Around the time I expected him to be home I got a call:

Fiance:  Hi. I'm calling to let you know that I rolled my truck.
Me:       No you didn't!
Fiance:  Yes, I did.
Me:       SHUT UP! No you didn't!

Eventually he was able to convince me of the fact that he had in fact been in an accident. Turns out it was less of a roll over and more of a flip (as if that makes it any better). Thankfullly (gracias baby Jesus) the Fiance emerged with nothing but a few bruises and one tiny little cut on his finger. His truck on the other hand wasn't as lucky.

Lesson of the day #1: Watch out for black ice on crazy mountain roads!

Lesson of the day #2: Always wear your seat belt - you see when the truck finally came to a stop the Fiance was left literally dangling by his seat belt. He then had to free himself, kick his door open (the truck was resting on the passenger side) and pull himself out like you would from a submarine.

Lesson of the day #3: Carry a flashlight in your truck. That way you can crawl around gathering your Fiance's Blogger Secret Santa present which has spilled in the ditch.

Which is basically my way of saying thank-you to my Secret Santa - Caroline of the Broccoli Hut. It's also my way of telling you that I don't have any pictures of my goodies as they weren't exactly blog-worthy after the accident. Nonetheless, Chickpea did send me some awesome Kashi cereals, Odwalla bars, trail mix (peanut free!), and a lovely magazine. I was especially thrilled since you can't find these Kashi cereals or the Odwalla bars in Canada.

Muchisimas gracias Chickpea! :o)


The Yummy Factors - High Altitude Eats

But enough about unfortunate accidents - let's move on to some gratuitous food pics!

My parents were extremely generous this Christmas! One of the presents they gave me and the Fiance was a gift certificate to dine at the 360 Restaurant at the top of the CN tower. It's kind of a fancy pants restaurant that serves delicious gourmet food. As an added bonus it also rotates once every hour. Meaning you get ridonculous views of the city - perfect for a first timer like the Fiance!

We chose to go up during our last week in Toronto. To get up the tower you first have to go through some very serious looking security. The technology at the CN Tower is better than any I've seen at any airport - they even make you step through a machine that blows air at you and detects explosive particles. Once successfully past that point you get into a glass elevator. That's right. Glass. Glass on the bottom and glass on the sides. You then make the climb up to the observation deck (the elevator ride lasts approximately one minute).

Since we were early for our dinner reservations the Fiance and I hung around checking out the city sights and enjoying the most spectacular Toronto sunset!!!

Just as the city was beginning to descend into darkness, we headed upstairs to the restaurant. I've been to the 360 many times before and it always looks different. For a while there it had a very classic decor, then they changed it up and went ultra modern. This time I think they've finally settled on a decor combination that doesn't take away from the spectacular views!

After spending some time looking through the menu we decided to go for the prix fixe (set menu). I chose the spicy shrimp as an amuse bouche, a charcuterie platter as my appetizer, a steak as my main meal, and a sour cherry and apple crumble for dessert. The Fiance ordered similar starters but instead chose a pork tenderloin as his main and a bread pudding for dessert.

 

 

Everything was absolutely delicious!!!! But BY FAR the star of the evening was the charcuterie platter. It included cured meats, pickles, caramelized apples, blue cheese, mustard, and bread sticks. It was seriously spectacular! Next time I think I'd go back, skip the prix fixe, order the charcuterie platter, maybe a side salad and then a dessert.

All in all it was a fantastic evening with wonderful company. :o) And it was all thanks to the generosity of my parents - I really am grateful to my mom and dad. You see, living in the sticks you don't get to experience fine dining very often. So this was a real treat! Not to mention it also helped us celebrate our engagement in a proper way - even if it was many months after the fact.

Gracias mom and dad! :o)