Chippy's on Queen W.

one of my favorite things to do on a sunny day in Toronto is take a stroll down Queen Street West and stop at Trinity Bellwoods Park (located between Crawford and Palmerston on Queen). Today I took Dex, my westie-poo, for a little sit-down at the park. While reading my book and lying on a towel in the park I got a craving for fish and chips. Since Chippy's Fish & Chips happens to be located across the street I thought "what the hell!" and settled my craving with some haddock, chips and tartar sauce. Here are some pictures of the venue and my food. I give the food a B; it's very greasy and fish doesn't have a ton of flavor but the tartar sauce helped and the chips definitely deserved a greasy A+ !! the packaging also deserves an A+ !

happy 2010.

With so many possibilities of what to do for New Years Eve, we finally narrowed it down to Casa Loma, Toronto's version of Buckingham Palace. It's a popular tourist attraction located on Spadina Road, and was originally built by a man who wanted to impress his wife. Lucky wife. It's a beautiful building. The library was set up with a dj booth, and beautiful lights had been strewn all throughout the castle. A giant Christmas tree lit up the foyer and you could tell that the entire building was loaded with history. It was by far the fanciest building we'd ever partied in. The concept seemed ideal at the time. I mean, what girl wouldn't want to start the new year off with Prince Charming by her side? Tickets sold for $75, which seemed steep, but was said to include a glass of champagne at midnight, as well as appetizers throughout the party. We arrived shortly after 10 pm, only to find a line that went as far as the road. Trying to get in the door was about as graceful as a bullfight. Everyone was pushing, shoving, budging; I'm surprised people didn't start throwing punches. Not very classy behaviour. By the time we checked our coats it was well after 11, and we needed drinks.
The line up for the bar was equally out of control and we waited about fifteen minutes to each order two vodkas. The other disappointment was the bar itself. Plastic cups and drink tickets. And the mix came out of plastic 2L bottles. Kinda felt like we were at some sketchy wedding at a small town hall. I don't know about you, but when I think of the word 'castle', my next thought doesn't scream, 'plastic cups'. They could have at least splurged on some rented glassware. By the time we had made our rounds, it was countdown time. Unfortunately for us though, no champagne left. They had handed them out early and none were left for toasting the new year. No appetizers either. Unless you count the dry, President's Choice puff pastry that was the size of a quarter, and looked way better than it tasted.
The music was good, and made for a great dance party, but the crowd was pretty weak. A lot of beautiful people, but all coupled up. It was definitely not the party to go to if your new years resolution was to find a date.

We suppose the party could have been better, had we known more people, but it was more of a let down than anything else. The combination of bad service, long lines and high ticket prices left us feeling very unsatisfied. We called it an early-ish night and came home for leftover pizza.

Casa Loma could throw a really good party, but they need to plan it out better. It felt like it had been thrown together, very last minute when it could have been such a classy affair.

Although it was worth checking out, we will definitely be finding somewhere else to ring in 2011.

Happy New Year Toronto! We promise to bring you a very eventful year!

A guide to the hottest, most happening places in Canada's most fabulous city

Coming from Saskatoon to a big city like Toronto, can be pretty overwhelming for two small girls like us. It seems like everyday brings a grand opening of some new 'hotspot', it's hard to keep it all in check. 

This is our guide of the hottest, hippest, and most fabulous places in our favorite city.

Whether you're looking for music, food, fashion, or nightlife, this is the place to go to begin your own adventure.

We're Britt and Ayla, and this is our Toast To Toronto!!!!