Apropos is a
unique cocktail bar located in Terminal 1 at Lester B. Pearson International Airport
just outside of Toronto, Canada.After
checking in for my flight to Dallas, I had about 30 minutes to spare prior to
boarding.Not wanting to miss the call
for boarding, I decided to have a quick bite to eat at Apropos. Here is why.
Apropos
Location-wise, you couldn’t ask for a better
spot. Apropos is located right near
Gates F62/63. My flight was departing
from F64, so it was the closest place to eat.
Furthermore, Apropos has two “locations” across from each other. I call them locations, but really, Apropos
has two main cocktail bars located across the hall from each other. So if you are departing out of Gate F62, you
have one Apropos located right in your section.
If you are departing out of Gate F63 – literally located right across
from Gate F62 – then you have an Apropos located in your section, as well. There is no need for you to leave your gate
whatsoever, which is such a huge convenience for passengers who are running late, but
still need to eat before takeoff.
Apropos - part Delicatessen/part Cocktail Bar
Each table at Apropos has their own iPad where
you can order right off the menu and pay for your meal. I opted for a Montreal smoked meat sandwich
with chips and a can of Muskoka Cream Ale.
The Montreal smoked meat sandwich was wonderfully prepared with just the
right amount of mustard. However, I
found the potato chips to be very underwhelming and extremely salty. Regardless, the Muskoka Cream Ale really hit
the spot with a rich amber colour with floral tones that was smooth and
easy-going. I actually had time for one
more beer before boarding, and opted for a Samuel Adams Boston Lager. This lager had a caramel sweetness balanced
with distinct citrus and piney notes and a strong, smooth finish and mouthfeel.
Montreal smoked meat sandwich with chips & a Muskoka Cream Ale
If there is one highlight about Apropos, then
it is the speed in which you are served.
Food-wise and drink-wise, you aren’t going to get nearly the same
choices that you would at a full service airport restaurant or pub. But, it sure beats going to a quick snack
shop where the pre-packaged sandwiches may already be a day or two old.
As Canada’s largest city, Toronto is a melting
pot of different cultures and nationalities from around the world. One of the largest ethnic communities that
you cannot miss here is Greektown, which is located just East of the Don Valley
Parkway along Danforth Avenue. Every
year in early August, Greektown celebrates its heritage by shutting down the avenue
for three days to host one of Toronto’s largest street festivals – the Taste of
the Danforth.
Welcome to Toronto's Greektown!
The Taste of the Danforth originated in 1994
when a number of Greek businesses pooled their resources together to offer
tasting tables outside their restaurants.They thought that this would be more effective than advertising to draw
more business to their restaurants.During that first year, about 23 restaurants participated in the event
while about 5,000 attendees showed up.Today,
over 1.5 million people attend the annual 3 day/2-night event.
Chicken souvlaki being prepared at the Taste of the Danforth
As one of Toronto’s largest annual street festivals,
the Taste of the Danforth offers a little bit of everything for everyone – from
a Midway for families to a “Greek Zone” where anyone can learn how to Zorba or
smash plates while shouting out “Opa.”There
is even a beer garden for adults to take in some suds – albeit of the non-Greek
variety – while listening to musical acts on stage.
Midway games at the Taste of the Danforth
Kooks and I have only been to the Taste of the
Danforth once before, which was on a Saturday.For the 23rd Annual event, we opted to go right after work on
Opening Night.What a difference did
that make as it was far less crowded and we were able to see and do more this
second time around.
Ortikia - BBQ Quail
We started off grabbing some Turkish pizza at
Mr. Pide.Yes, I know we were at a Greek
Festival, and I really encouraged Kooks to stick to just Greek food here as
some of the vendors were offering BBQ corn or Jerk pierogies, but this
Turkish pizza was too good to pass up.It’s basically a reverse pizza – dough on the outside with the toppings
inside.
Turkish Pide - a reverse style pizza with the toppings in the middle
My pide – or Turkish pizza – of choice was the
Sucuklu Kasarli, which included Turkish sausage and mozzarella cheese.Kooks opted for the Ispanakli Kiymali, which
included spinach and ground beef.Because we bought outside at Mr. Pide’s street booth, it cost us $5 CDN each.Turkey is on our bucket list of countries
that we want to visit together, so I am really looking forward to eating more
Turkish food in the food after this experience.
Enjoying our spinach swirl and baklava with pistachios
Next on the Taste of the Danforth list was
Akropolis Pastries. The baklava with
pistachio caught my eye while Kooks opted for the spinach swirl.Baklava is a pastry dessert made with layers
of filo filled with chopped nuts – pistachio in this case – and sweetened and
held together with syrup or honey.Mine
tasted like it had syrup.We paid $3 CDN
each this time for our food.
Krinos Taste of the Danforth 2016
Following our baklava and spinach swirl, we spent some time in the Beer Garden near
the Celebrity Stage where we caught the tail end of the Opening Ceremonies. My only complaint here is that the beer choices
are limited – Stella Artois, Corona, and Shock Top.You would think that a Greek street festival
would allow for Greek beers to be sold at their official Beer Garden, but I
digress.
Greek Poutine - Fries served with Gravy & Feta
For our final tasting of the night, Kooks saw
Greek poutine for sale at the Pantheon Restaurant.It cost $5 CDN a serving.For those not familiar with poutine, it is a
Canadian delicacy originating from Quebec where you are served a side of fries
with gravy and cheese curds.The only
thing “Greek” about this poutine was the Feta cheese curds that replaced the traditional mozzarella. Still good, nevertheless!
Taste of the Danforth as seen from the Ferris Wheel
By this point of the night, our stomachs were
full as we headed back towards our car.Before we left, I wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel to get a great
vantage point of the entire Taste of the Danforth festival.Rides cost about $3.50 CDN and last for up to
two minutes.It was a gorgeous night and
a great way to cap off our visit to the latest Taste of the Danforth event.
Taste of the Danforth
Dates: First
weekend of August following Civic Day/Simcoe Day
Where:
Danforth Avenue – between Broadview Avenue & Jones Avenue
What: A
street festival showcasing Hellenic food and drinks by the Danforth BIA
Admission:
Free – Cash only for the Midway, Beer Garden or Food Tents
I’ve lost count of the number of times that I
have flown through the years.But, there
have been some good pubs and restaurants along the way where I have been able
to get a quick bite to eat or have a pint to bide my team waiting for my plane
to begin boarding.Even though I haven’t
kept track of the numerous restaurants that I have eaten or drank at, I wanted
to start keeping track now with this blog moving forward.
Twist by Roger Mooking
With my recent trip to Alberta, I was scheduled
to fly out of Pearson International Airport on Monday, April 18 at 7am
EST.Domestic flights require you to
arrive at the airport at least 2 hours in advance, which I did.However, with limited options open around 5am
in Terminal 1, I had to really look for a restaurant or bar that was both open
and appealing.Enter Twist by Roger
Mooking.
First patron at the bar shortly after 5am
The first thing that really caught my attention
with Twist was the entrance to the restaurant, especially the lettering font
used for the name “Twist.”As soon as I
walked in, I was impressed by how pristine and clean the restaurant was.Of course, all restaurants should be clean
first thing in the morning, but there was something about Twist that gave it
more of an upscale vibe to it – something that basically said that this
restaurant caters to the frequent business traveler and not just your casual
tourist or vacationer.
Watching the news at Twist by Roger Mooking
When travelling solo, I usually prefer sitting
at the bar because there are usually several televisions on displaying sports
or news coverage to help kill time.And
most importantly, sitting solo at the bar also results in quicker service as
the bartender must now take on a dual role.Being the only patron at Twist on this particular morning, my bartender
presented me with a menu while she headed back to the kitchen to get prepared
for the morning breakfast rush.
Steak & eggs omelette with a side of frites
I ended up selecting the steak and eggs omelette
with a side of frites.The omelette came
with three eggs, sirloin strips, crème fraiche, broccoli, and herbs for just
under $13 CDN.This protein overload hit
the spot as I was barely able to make a dent into my side of fries.Although my breakfast was excellent, the only
downside was the slow service that I experienced here.What probably should have taken 10 – 15 minutes
to make seemed more like 20 – 25 minutes instead. Regardless, I was able to make my flight on time with a full stomach. Since Pearson Airport is my local airport, there is a good chance that I will eat here again.
With only 48 hours in Banff for a Sales
retreat, I had very limited time to explore what Banff had to offer.I would have to save the tourist attractions
for a future visit, but damn if I didn’t get to at least explore Banff’s
nightlife.On a recommendation from a friend, I decided to check out Block Kitchen & Bar on my last
night in this town.
Block Kitchen & Bar
One of the newest tapas bars to open up in
Banff, the Block Kitchen & Bar is located at the corner of Banff Avenue and
Caribou Street right next to Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon.The first thing you will notice as you walk
into Block is how small it is.It’s so
small that you could swear you were about to walk into a Man Cave than a trendy
new bar.
Midnight Sun Stout - Yukon Brewing
After plopping myself up at the bar to watch
some hockey playoffs on the television, I browsed through the beer menu in
search of some interesting craft beers that I wouldn’t be able to get back home
in Toronto.The first one that piqued my
interest was Midnight Sun Stout from Yukon Brewing.I normally enjoy stouts, but this one fell
flat big time for my tastes.It was definitely
the worst craft beer I have ever tasted, which is a shame as I had high
expectations for a stout that was brewed from the Yukon Territory.
Aprikat - Alley Kat Brewing
My final beer for the night was
Aprikat.This Apricot wheat ale is
brewed by Alley Kat Brewing, an Edmonton-based craft brewery.While the thought of mixing apricot flavour with
wheat ale seemed repulsive to me, I was astonished by how smooth tasting this
wheat ale was.Yes, the apricot flavour
is over powering, but you hardly notice the alcohol content at all.The Aprikat had definitely raised the bar for
wheat ales in my book!
Full Moon over Banff on my final night
Since I had already eaten dinner at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, I was not interested in the food menu at all.I stayed until last call before moving onto Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon. However, Block Kitchen & Bar will always be remembered as my first real bar experience in Banff.
It was either in my Grade 7 or Grade 8 History
book when I first saw the iconic photo of the Banff Springs Hotel.The picture was both enchanting, yet odd to
me at the same time.Why exactly was
there this gorgeous turn-of-the-Century European chateau built in the middle of
the Canadian Rocky Mountains? As I learned through my history class, the
Banff Springs Hotel opened in 1885 as part of the Canadian National Pacific Railway
route that connects Eastern Canada with Western Canada. It was one of several luxury hotels built
along the Canadian National Railway to entice tourism and immigration towards
Western Canada during the Expansion era of the late 19th/early 20th Centuries.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
A National Historic Site of Canada, the Banff
Springs Hotel is now owned by the Fairmont hotel chain and priced for those
seeking luxury in the Canadian Rockies.
Needless to say, the Banff Springs Hotel is far too rich for my
budget. But as chance would have it, my
employer decided to treat our team to dinner on our last night in Banff.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
After our walk along the Bow River Trail, my
appetite was a bit more worked up than I had anticipated. For my appetizer, I chose some fresh Prince
Edward Island oysters. Yes, the menu said fresh Prince Edward
Island oysters. Although I finished them, I did question how “fresh” these oysters were given that Prince Edward
Island is about a two-day drive East of Banff – or about a 5-hour flight out of
Calgary. Factor that in with the time it would also take to harvest oysters off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and package them for shipping across Canada, and you will start to understand my cynicism here.
View of the Rockies from the Banff Springs Hotel
My entrée was a lot more local as I went for
the Alberta bison tenderloin paired with a Bloody Caesar. My word did this dinner ever hit the
spot! So tender and juicy – just how I
like it with medium rare steak. The
bison tenderloin also came with a side of seasonal vegetables. While I am not a huge Brussels sprouts fan, I had
no complaints here with the Banff Springs Hotel as they added some excellent flavour
with the seasonal vegetables making the sprouts less bland.
The train lines that came to Banff in 1885
As for the Bloody Caesar, you couldn’t have
asked for a spicier drink to pair nicely with the tenderloin. The Bloody Caesar is Canada’s take on the
Bloody Mary, but we substitute Mott’s Clamato for the tomato juice. The Caesar was invented in Calgary back in
the late 1960s, so I have not been disappointed with any of my Bloody Caesar
drinks in Alberta thus far.
My "fresh" Prince Edward Island oysters
Although I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner and
appetizer, it was a shame that I had no room for dessert as I knew I would
never personally eat here again. My dinner
alone was already worth more than $100 – the Alberta bison tenderloin was one
of the “cheaper” entrées at around $65 CDN.
Ouch! After 2 hours of dining and conversing, we
headed back to our hotel. It was a pleasure
to have finally seen the Banff Springs Hotel in person, and it was an experience that
I won’t soon forget.
