Flight Report – AC 1865 – MCO to YYZ

Thursday morning arrived and it was time for me to go home.  Rather than take a cab to Orlando International Airport, I decided to use Uber instead.  If you’ve never used Uber before, then here’s a summary of how it works.  You download the app to your smart phone and create an account with your credit card information.  Once your Account has been set up, you then request a pickup time and an Uber driver by choosing from a selection of different sized vehicles or even select a carpool option if you so choose.  Once you select a vehicle type and pickup time, you then input the destination you want to go to.  Uber will automatically quote you a flat rate to get you there from your current location.  From there, you then hit the “CONFIRM UBERX” button and your driver will arrive in the estimated time given to you.

Goodbye, Orlando!

The pros of using Uber are that the rates are significantly cheaper than those of taxis.  I also like that you pay for the ride upfront on the app with your credit card so you don’t have to worry about payment at your destination.  The negatives of Uber are that tips are not included with payment.  However, Uber plans on adding a tips feature in a future release.  I also don’t like the fact that it is mandatory for you to keep at least one credit card on file on your Account even if you don’t plan on using the app anytime soon.  This is a security concern that they really need to address in the event that personal data is hacked by a third party in the future.  Furthermore, it is a bit difficult to identify which car is picking you up as these are independent drivers using their personal vehicles.  To deal with this situation, Uber provides customers with a map so you can see where your driver is coming from and see how close they are to your pickup location so you can wave them down.  In a worst-case scenario, the Uber driver has your cell phone number and will call you if they can’t find you at your pickup location.

Waiting to board Air Canada Flight #1865

Now that we have the basics of Uber out of the way, I must mention that my Uber ride was memorable for a couple of reasons.  First, the Uber driver knew of an alternate way to the airport as the main highway was already starting to back up with traffic.  Secondly, we had an interesting discussion about President Trump and Muslims after news came out about the Manchester Arena bombing the night before.  With so much fear and anger running rampant in the Western world about Muslims and refugees due to ISIS activities in recent years, I felt obligated to let my driver know that not all Muslims are terrorists.  I know someone who grew up in the Islamic faith and I fear for his son who hasn’t experienced bigotry yet, but I know will someday.  My driver’s outlook about Muslims changed after that personal anecdote.  It was a small victory for me that day in a long battle ahead that I doubt can ever be won.

Taking off from Orlando International Airport

We arrived at the airport around 9am even though my flight wasn’t scheduled until Noon.  Based on my experiences in Chicago and Fort Worth, I wasn’t sure how busy Orlando’s Rush Hour traffic would be, so I opted to get there as early as possible just in case.  Check-in took a bit of time as Air Canada was taking forever to open.  There was a family beside me who didn’t have a Passport for their child even though they were planning to visit family in Canada.  For some reason, they thought passports were not required for children under a certain age.  They probably got that confused with getting a free seat for children who are two years old or under.  As I was about to go to the next available agent, some asshole brushed right past me without apologizing to get there first.  They were upset because the frequent fliers had to wait much longer than usual.  That’s still no excuse to be rude.

Orlando has one of the most interesting landscapes

After going through security, I ended up having to use a tram to get me from one terminal to the next to where my departure gate was.  I had almost 2 ½ hours to kill before boarding, so I ended up finding a bar to have a drink in since I already ate breakfast at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort prior to check out.  Time was passed by overhearing a group of people discussing travel tips for Boston.  I have been to Boston once for a work trip many moons ago, but our meetings were held in the suburbs and my only “experience” was eating dinner near Quincy Market with the rest of the team.  Beantown is a city that I would love to go back to properly visit.

One last look at sunny Orlando

Although it was mostly cloudy, the Orlando weather upon takeoff was a warm 26° C.  The flight took off shortly after noon, but it got off to a rough start.  We experienced a lot of turbulence upon takeoff from Orlando that last for a few minutes.  It was very unusual to experience such turbulence so early in flight.  Not going to lie, but I was kind of worried here.  The landing wasn’t much better as it was one of the roughest ones in recent memory.  For whatever reason, we just couldn’t shake off the turbulence on this flight.  Then again, it was a chilly 10° C and rainy upon arrival in Toronto, which didn’t help.  Overall, it wasn’t the best flight I’ve ever had, but at least it will be the last one I will have for a while.

Arriving in a cold, wet Toronto after an unusual turbulent flight

AC 1865 – MCO to YYZ

Operated by: Air Canada Rouge

Aircraft:  Airbus A321; Seat: 42A

Cabin:  Business – Breakfast; Economy – Food for sale

Depart: 12:15PM EST – Orlando International Airport (MCO) – Terminal E, Gate 95

Arrive 02:46PM EST – Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Terminal 1, Gate 69

Flight Time: 2:31; Non-Stop Flight – 1123 Miles/1808 Kilometers; Date:  May 25, 2017

Airport Eats – Red Rocket 192 Grill

After countless flights out of Pearson International Airport in Toronto, there’s been one restaurant that has caught my eye for quite some time – Red Rocket 192 Grill.  Designed as a streetcar inspired retro café, the Red Rocket is a diner that I usually only ever see when flying back to Toronto on the second level of Terminal 1.  With my flight to Dallas scheduled to depart out of Gate 34, I had about an hour to try to this place out.

Red Rocket 192 Grill

As you enter Red Rocket 192 Grill, you will see a sign above the entrance with a street car logo on it.  The entrance is also lit up with red lights, although I am not really sure if that really adds to the mood of the environment or makes you question if you are walking into another type of “establishment” instead.  Once inside, I grabbed a spot at the bar as I usually do.  There was nothing really special about the bar (i.e. it did not have a retro countertop), but it was spacious and clean.  There were also a handful of patrons inside the restaurant, but I had the entire bar to myself.

Photos of Toronto's iconic sites adorn the walls at Red Rocket

Behind me were bright red walls adorned with photos of Toronto’s iconic points along the Toronto Transit Commission’s various street car stops.  Right in front of me past the bottles of liquor, I could peer into the kitchen.  And to the left of the bar was a huge window peering into Gate 51 where the plane arrives to either drops off or pick up passengers.  Red Rocket is one of the few restaurants within Pearson that give you this opportunity to see this transfer of passengers.

Looking out onto the tarmac at Pearson International Airport

With about an hour to spare before boarding, I had time to eat a full breakfast and decided to order the Big Red – Omega 3 eggs, peameal and smoked bacon, potatoes and toast.  This sizable breakfast cost $12 CDN.  I decided to go with poached eggs with this one.  They were good, but slightly watery.  I also ordered a coffee to go along with my breakfast as I had hardly slept the night before, but wanted to have enough energy to explore Fort Worth in the afternoon once I arrived.

Big Red Breakfast – Poached eggs with toast, smoked bacon & peameal bacon

For dessert – if you can even call it that during breakfast – I ordered a Vanilla Almond milkshake.  My waitress warned me that it wasn’t an authentic Almond milkshake, but Almond milk mixed with vanilla ice cream instead.  For $6 CDN, that is an expensive artificial Almond milkshake.  Nevertheless, I wanted to get the full diner experience and ordered one anyway.  It is very rare to find diners nowadays, so when I do find myself in one, I have to order a milkshake like people did back in the 1950s.

Vanilla Almond Milkshake

Overall, I found the food to be average.  The real highlight for me was the window view onto the tarmac of Gate 51 as you can watch the planes load and unload passengers.  By the time I had arrived, the sun had already risen.  But my waitress said that you can watch some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets here at the bar – something for me to keep in mind for the future.  Speaking of my waitress, she was also the second highlight of my dining experience here at Red Rocket – friendly, attentive, full of knowledge, and concerned about my customer experience (e.g. warning me about the Vanilla Almond milkshake).

Peaking into the kitchen at Red Rocket 192 Grill

For most people, this might not mean much as you would expect this from your servers.  But for me, it is important to point this out whenever I eat at an airport restaurant as they are consistently busy throughout the year with passengers coming and going to all parts of the world – either for business or pleasure – and typically have little patience or are in a rush to get to wherever they are going.  I can’t imagine working at an airport restaurant can be an “easy experience” for the servers.  So kudos to the wonderful staff here at Red Rocket!

Red Rocket even has a Snack Counter for those on the go!

Red Rocket 192 Grill  

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (USA) – Level 2 Gates, Near Gate D51/F51

Hours of Operation: 7 days/week from 5am – 11pm EST

Phone: (416) 776-3100, Ext. 1

Airport Eats – Apropos

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.

Apropos

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (USA), Level 2 Gates, Near Gates F62/F63

Hours:  Seven days/week from 5am EST to Last Flight

Phone: 1-866-508-3558

Taste of the Danforth - A Celebration of Toronto's Greek Community

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

Official Website:  www.tasteofthedanforth.com

Airport Eats – Twist by Roger Mooking

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.

Stomach full and ready for my flight to Calgary!

Twist by Roger Mooking

Pearson International Airport

Terminal 1 – After-Security (Canada), Level 2 Gates, Near Gate D32

Hours of Operation:  7 days/week from 5am EST – Last Flight

Phone: (416) 776-3100, ext. 1