Piccolo Grande visit to Mackay my visit in December. Thumbs down!

Usually I enjoy going to Piccolo Grande in the Byward Market during the warmer months and always make it a after dinner (or anytime) treat.
When I saw a deal on a local website for a half price lunch and gelato that seemed like a good opportunity to try a new location.
Here are the details of my visit. I don't have too much else to add to the description as I have not been back to this location.
This was previously posted by myself on another website and is being added to my blog to give a heads up to people who enjoy gelato.
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Last week I went to Piccolo Grande at 411 Mackay st.
I had gotten a coupon deal from the website Koopon.ca
For $12 you got a soup, sandwich, coffee and cup of gelato.
-thought that was an ok deal and had never been to that location, so bought one of the coupons for lunch.
You could buy unlimited coupons, but figuring how it is not so close by to me and I usually buy gelato at a nearby store (5 minutes from my place), I only thankfully bought one of these "deals".

Usually I like to support local stores and if service is somewhat bad one day I might give the store another chance.
But my visit that time, too many things were annoying and doubt I will be going back to that area for ice cream.
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The soup they had 2 choices today-roasted red pepper and the other one lentil soup.
Service was kind of slow as there is only 1 lady working there and I think she is the owner.
There was 2 people eating lunch there already and the lady finished serving them before even taking my order.
She could have gotten me my coffee while I waited 5 minutes (not a huge deal though).
Then as I am waiting for my food some other customer comes in and the lady working there makes the food for that person instead of my food-that I did find annoying as I was there first (but my being not rude,did not say anything about this).

So finally I get my food. Had ordered the tandoori chicken wrap, roasted pepper soup,coffee and cup of gelato.
The wrap was made with a tortilla and had tandoori chicken breast,tomato,lettuce and a kind of curry mayo.
There was not tons of chicken on the sandwich-but the quality of the meat was good. Lettuce and tomato were fresh and I could hear the lady chopping the lettuce for my sandwich.
Soup was good and had lots of little bits of carrot in it,some corn kernels and a good red pepper taste-was not spicy.
Coffee-I was under the impression that it was any coffee on the menu and not premade drip coffee.
I did ask for a cappuccino and the lady there she just told me all they were making today was drip coffee.
Kind of felt ripped off on that-it is prob not more than .50 for a cappuccino in cost to make.
Now finally I get to my gelato-got a pistachio and vanilla cup.
The ice cream was no longer in the display freezer-but was in the storage freezer as I was told they would be putting out chocolates for holiday sales.

So after waiting for the gelato to defrost so it could be scooped I had my dessert.
The pistachio ice cream was a bit gummy and seemed like it had been there a while. The vanilla was fine.
I do not think I will be getting pistachio ice cream from Picolo Grande-I like the place on Bank st I go to a lot more (as it has actual nuts in the ice cream).

Overall I can say my lunch was alright.
But before I forget, there were a few other things that annoyed me.
The lady had a bit of a cough and she also did not wash her hands in between serving customers and handling cash and making other items.
Then I also asked about the price of the Leonidas? chocolates that were in the display as they did look good. She tells me $1.50, another person came into the store and she tells that person that is was $1.
That's not really cool!

Ok went back to look at my offer online (I've bought so many from coupons or auctions,hard to keeptrack).
But my deal was from Koopon.
Also forgot to add that I do not think it is a value of $24.
Normally soup is $5 and a sandwich is $5 or $5.50- but there is a special of soup and sandwich for $8.95
Coffee is around $1.50 and ice cream around $4.50 (was not a big cup).

I'm still very disappointed with my meal at Piccolo Grande.
Lousy service, the owner of that location really seems to cheap out on everything.
But not washing hands at all and seeing the woman lick her fingers when she put the ice cream containers back??
Really....YUCK!
I didn't put that in my earlier review,but really just yuck!
Also that my pistachio ice cream seemed like it was old and was kind of gummy.
Then the refusing to make me any coffee except what was already there-premade coffee in a thermal server.
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Sorry to make this long, but this was from my post and follow up post on another site.
Also forgot to add that as the woman was making my food she was hacking and coughing too.
Hopefully she did not cough too much on my food?

The only good things of my visit were that on the way back I stopped at Epicuria and bought some cheese scones and macarons (macarons were not made right..were too crunchy,not gonna complain for a .70 item. would get those again if they have them as they were tasty).
And that I also finally saw where Da Bombe bakery is and went to buy a peanut butter mousse dessert (and their lunch menu looked good too).

*Just wondering has anyone else visited this store?
I also find it a bit odd that even though Piccolo Grande is known for gelato, they will have none on display?
I could understand if their freezer broke or was being cleaned (happened at the place I go to this summer).
I'll also add the soup was good at Piccolo Grande Mackay st, but not enough to make me go back there.

Also, did contact the website Koopon.ca that sold me the deal and they told me that the woman is running the store by herself and her son is away-still not a good excuse for lousy service like the day I was there.
Was also hoping to get a partial refund or credit and nothing was offered,which is not that good either.
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My last thought on this is why the heck would a GELATO SHOP that is known for ice cream and supposedly sold hundreds of these deals recently NOT have any ice cream on display.
Especially if their offer now is gelato and a chocolate piece for $6???
Really?

If anyone goes to this store I'm curious if they actually have any ice cream out now.

 

My Pretty Pink Box Dec 2010 haul!

Finally after a long wait due to the Canadian postal system my December My Pretty Pink Box arrived!!!
Ths box was like a late holiday present to myself...or maybe a new year's s present!
Here is what was in MPBB:

A lovely holiday card from the owner of MPBB program Linda!
*Stuck to the card were two Monet Mineral's eye shadows in the shades Cappuccino and Strawberry Soda (1 gram each).
*RJM Creations has a very cute and useful,well made brush roll!http://www.etsy.com/shop/RJMCreations
*Corrective Skincare sent a Polygel 5% treatment (30ml)
*Ancient Stones Minerals sent a sample of their Eye Candy makeup!
*Marc Anothony sent a tube of their Strictly Curls lotion sample (30ml)
*LA Girls eyeshadow in Crystal Cocktail
*Shelisa's My Sexy Lips balm tube in Peppermint Kiss
* Curls Gel-les-C organic natural hair serum! (can't wait to try this out).


This has to be one of the best boxes I have received so far.
I haven't gotten around to trying anything in this box yet,but will post some reviews soon.

My Pretty Pink Box Dec 2010!

I made Bacon and Cheddar scones!

I have eaten out quite a lot lately, but rarely think of posting dishes I have made.
My resolution this year will be to post more tasty dishes and recipes online!
I'll start with some Cheddar and organic maple syrup bacon scones.
They were quite tasty and also freeze well (as I had many left over).
The Cheddar came from the local producer Les Folies Bergeres (www.lafromagerielesfoliesbergeres.ca).
The organic bacon came from local producer Ferme Fee et Fougere and is made with organic pork and organic maple syrup.
Both these delicious ingredients were bought through the Marche Outaouais, which is a farmer's market that is in Gatineau. You can order your items online and they are dropped off at the food co-op where you pick up your items a few days later.
I think this is a great modern idea and quite a time saver!
To find out more about this new market their website is at:
http://marcheoutaouais.com/MSR/VISITEUR/CADRE/cadre_principal.php

ORGANIC MAPLE SYRUP BACON AND CHEDDAR SCONES!

Todric's Dinner #2 Fresh and Tasty Meal!

A few weeks ago I had the chance to eat at Todric's restaurant again!
The meal, as expected was very fresh and used seasonal ingredients.
This was supposed to be posted a few weeks ago and kind of got behind of updating this blog.
The good news is they still have these items on the menu if you care to go for dinner.
I had the beef short ribs with jasmine rice and some very fresh green beans. The preparation of the ribs was "Asian style" and there did seem to be some soy sauce on the ribs.
The meat on the ribs was very tender and almost fall off the bone. Portion was also quite big and more than I expected. The value for the meal seemed good as I was full after this plate of food and had no room for dessert.
The menu and website for Todric's can be found online at:  http://www.todrics.com/menu-restaurant
There is also the option if eating a daily lunch there and a weekend brunch is also offered on Saturday's and Sunday's.
*I plan on going next weekend for brunch and will report back on my meal.

 

Asian-style beef short ribs from Todric's.

 Also ordered the soup of the day which was Lobster bisque. The soup was very creamy and rich and had a good lobster taste. All the soups I have tried from Todric's have been quite good so far.

Lobster bisque!

 Guest had the fish of the day-that time it was Grouper served with sweet potato mash and some grilled vegetables. The portion of fish was nicely grilled and was much bigger than guest expected. There was enough for one very hungry person or possibly two people. But seeing as Guest was very hungry the whole plate was eaten (Guest did not have a soup or salad before).
The fish was very fresh (as expected) and nicely cooked, very flaky and easy to eat.
I will most likely get a fish dish on my next visit there.

Grouper, sweet potato mash, roasted vegetables from Todric's.

Happy New Year!!!

Hopefully everyone has had a good holiday break and a wonderful new year!
Also hoping everyone has a year of good and healthy foods!
I don't have a seasonal picture to post, but took this cute duck picture in  Ottawa.

Test Tube New Beauty October 2010 loot!

I have been a member of New Beauty magazine's Test Tube beauty program for 3 shipments so far. My experience has been quite good and I always look forwards to trying the new products that arrive every three months.
For the month of October 2010 the following items were received:

*Clean antibacterial hand cream 15ml tube
*Slice of Live vitamin gummies for adults 28 count bottle
*Moroccan Oil Intense Hydrating mask 75ml tube
*Moroccan Oil treatment 10ml bottle
*Elnett Satin Hairspray 11oz bottle
*Colgate Total toothpaste .75oz
*Kate Somerville Cytocell 5ml tube
*Sothys Pore Refiner System 10ml tube (full size is 15ml and sells for over $50! this is a face primer).
*Talika Lipocils Expert 2ml
*Beauty Society Success perfume 5ml rollerball
*Bioelements Sleepwear cream 7.5ml jar
*Pevonia C Evolutive eye gel 15ml (full size product sells for $60+)

**There was also a Spalook "gift card" that is good for $20 off a $100 purchase.

Overall I'm quite pleased with the variety of items. The only small disappointment is that I did not receive the last two issues of New Beauty magazine with the Test Tubes. The magazine is always interesting to read and hard to find where I live.
I will try and post some reviews of the items I have tried from this list. So far I think this test tube is fun to try and would surely make a good surprise gift for a friend or yourself!

Urban Pear! Great meal and creative desserts.

Recently I took the time to eat a meal at Urban Pear.
I've been there several times before and the creativity behind the food is quite amazing.
You never know what will be on the menu that day-except that it is mostly local ingredients and house cured meats.
To start with I had the antipasto platter-that usually has some pickled vegetables,roasted garlic,Canadian cheese,olives and a type of meat. The only small issue I had with this platter was the meat was pretty much invisible- the sausage piece was around the size of a dime and there was two small slivers.
Not a huge issue,but just a bit odd.
I also consumed a very tasty soup that was quite rich with cream and had some nice smoky bacon- unfortunately I forgot to write down the name of that soup. The soups do change daily and all of them are quite creative and good. Nice sized portion too!
To end my meal I had a very unique, creative and tasty dessert. A butternut squash and apple cake, topped with a apple compote, homemade cheddar ice cream and a caramel whiskey sauce.
Just writing that description is quite  lengthy
The flavors of the dessert blended quite well and it seems like it must be a lot of work just to think of putting these items together.
The portion of cake was just the right size and enough for one person. The cake part was very moist and flavorful. The apple compote was good and there was a lot of apple and a good seasoning with that too. The cheddar ice cream was quite rich and a small portion the size of a small melon ball. That is a good thing as the combination of all these ingredients along with the caramel sauce was quite filling.
The restaurant was not very busy when I arrived to eat, it was a Sunday night and the restaurant had just opened for business. The waiter that served my meal was also very friendly and very knowledgeable about every item on the menu.
My meal at the Urban Pear was great and I look forwards to dining there more often.

Butternut squash apple cake,apple compote, cheddar ice cream, whiskey caramel sauce!

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