Taste Of Downtown Oakville Celebrates And Showcases Local Oakville Restaurants

Chicken parmesan, braised short ribs, harvest soup, grilled calamari, frog leg beignets, linguini alla moda di daniela...these were just some of the delicious foods I tasted last night as part of the Taste Tour to kick off the Taste of Downtown Oakville that runs from Wednesday, February 19 to Tuesday, March 4.

This year's event includes 14 restaurants that will be offering priz fixe lunch and/or dinner menus (generally from $15 to $45 for a three course meal).  The Taste of Downtown Oakville is an excellent opportunity to try something new or to re-visit a favourite restaurant and enjoy delicious food that can be found right here in our community.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy food from six participating restaurants last night (and shuttled between locations by Mercedes Benz Oakville - thank you!):

Paradiso
Piazza Bistro
Salvatore's
Ristorante Julia
De Stefano's
Jonathan's

I can say without a doubt that the food at each location was outstanding.  I loved learning about the restaurant's background (three restaurants on our tour, Piazza Bistro, Salvatore's and De Stefano's, are relatively new to Downtown Oakville), their specialties and seeing the food presentation and effort that went into each dish.  It's pretty impressive to think about the culinary excellence that can be found in the Town of Oakville.  I really encourage you to take advantage of the Taste of Oakville event and head downtown to eat! Click here to view the menus being offered.

It's been a long and cold winter so far but this event is reason enough to come out of hibernation and enjoy a great night out.  Book that babysitter (I've got one booked!) and make a reservation for the Taste of Downtown Oakville!

Thumbs Up For Oakville's Family Friendly South Street Burger

This week's weather makes it too hot to really cook and add in the fact that the inside of my house is being painted and my family needed a dinner option that was out of the house.  I had received some vouchers for South Street Burger in Oakville and given all that was going on, it seemed like a perfect time to use them.

I checked out the website before our trip and was happily surprised to see their family combo option - 2 burgers, 2 kids burgers, 2 large sides and 4 drinks for $29.99.  Pretty reasonable if you ask me.  The regular burgers have some awesome unique options like their four signature burgers - The Hawaiian, The Nacho, The True North and Mushroom & Swiss.  And even if you don't pick one of those, they have more than 25 toppings to choose from!

Waiting for his hamburger

I had The Nacho signature burger (guacamole, fresh tomato salsa, cheese and lettuce) and my husband ordered The Hawaiian (ginger glazed pineapple, bacon, lettuce, wasabi mayo, hot pepper relish).  Both were delicious and we appreciated being able to order something a little more 'grown up' while still dining out in a casual atmosphere with the kids.  An added bonus?  They serve New York Fries!  I don't think I've had those since I was a teenager (hanging out in the mall food court, of course) and I won't be waiting that long before I have them again, they are delicious!

The Nacho Burger

Mmmm....New York Fries

We were too stuffed to indulge, but they also serve milkshakes made with premium ice cream and milk (and real strawberries for the strawberry shake).  Check out their website for more information on the poutine items they have, other food choices (like hotdogs and onion rings), nutritional information and locations.

We really enjoyed our meal there and would definitely go back again.  Always nice to find another great spot to enjoy a meal out as a family.  Click here for your chance to win 1 of 4 $40 gift cards to South Street Burger (valid at any of their locations).

Oakville's First Dishcrawl Is Heading Downtown!

Have you heard about these fabulous Dishcrawl events yet?  On Wednesday May 29, Oakville will be experiencing its first Dishcrawl event as they take participants to four downtown Oakville restaurants to reawaken your taste buds! Supporting small to big businesses in their success, Dishcrawl strives to revolutionize the environment of existing neighbourhoods to its citizens and their mission is to show food lovers the best dishes in local restaurants.  Think pub crawl, but with delicious food instead!

Wondering where you'll be headed? It's a guessing game! Organizers are keeping the names of the restaurants you will be visiting a secret for now, but there will be some hints! Follow Dishcrawl Oakville on Twitter (@Dishcrawlove) and visit their Facebook Fan Page and be the first to know!

momstown Hamilton recently attended the third successful Dishcrawl Hamilton event, read about her experience here.  Oakville has so many fabulous restaurants so I know the event on May 29th will be a an awesome and very delicious experience!  There are only a few tickets left, so make sure you get yours!  Click here to buy tickets now.

Places To Go For Mother's Day Brunch In Oakville

Brunch is pretty decadent so what better way to spoil a Mom for Mother's Day than to treat her to a gourmet feast...and of course keep her from having to cook!  The Oakville area has some fabulous restaurants and here are some of our suggestions for Mother's Day brunch.

Jonathan's Annual Gourmet Mother's Day Brunch

Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill

Glen Abbey Golf Club

Il Fornello

Symposium Cafe

The Crepe Kitchen

Stoney's Bread Company

The Glen Erin Inn

For even more yummy ideas, click here for momstown Mississauga's list of the best places for Mother's Day brunch in Mississauga.

Hope you enjoy a delicious meal in celebration of Mom!

Best Place for A Unique Dinner Experience in Oakville - Bartolini's Bistro!

When's the last time that you and your partner or friends had a unique night out or memorable dining experience?  This past weekend, my husband and I had the pleasure of doing a cooking lesson at Bartolini's Bistro in Oakville.  We had a really great time, learned new recipes and enjoyed a delicious dinner that we will absolutely be replicating at home.  Bartolini's Bistro offers private, Italian-inspired cooking lessons in a fun and relaxed environment.  The food you learn to make is customized to what you and your family love and I love the mantra they have which is ""simplicity in meal creation is the key to our complicated lives."

Chef DJ

The items we made in Bartolini's kitchen were:

• Stuffed Chicken With Cheese & Asparagus
• Shanghai Baby Bok Choy
• Yukon Gold Roasted Potatoes
• Butterflied Shrimp

Left:  Chef DJ showing us how to stuff the chicken  Right:  My husband learning to butterfly cut shrimp

They have so many options to choose from such as rigatoni in meat sauce drizzled with a gorgonzola cream, homemade cannelloni, seafood risotto, lamb shanks - check out their website for all the options!

Both my husband and I enjoy cooking but with two little ones at home, spending a lot time in the kitchen is not always feasible. It was really nice to learn some new tricks and take time to slow down and enjoy some good food and to try new things. We were both surprised at how elegant the meal turned out even though it was not complicated to make once we got into it. And can I tell you about the potatoes we made??

My new favourite way to cook potatoes!  Simple but so good!

Hands down the best potato I have ever eaten. I am not a huge potato fan (we actually rarely make potatoes at home), but we've already replicated Chef DJ's potatoes at home and it hasn't even been a week! Chef DJ was also really great at letting us taste the food at different stages to see the difference - for example, a perfectly cooked shrimp versus one that has cooked too long. Huge difference in flavour. 

A night out at Bartolini's Bistro would really make a perfect gift for a birthday, Mother's Day or Father's Day, a wedding anniversary or any other reason to give someone a unique experience. I love that its not a typical gift and would be something that the recipient will always remember. And actually, when my kids get a bit older, I think it would be a very special gift to give to them as well - a fun afternoon as a family or some one on one time with a parent (and hey...if they replicate the meal at home for you, even better!)

Be sure to visit their website for pricing and other information. I'm thrilled to have found Bartolini's Bistro, what a great new addition to the Oakville culinary scene.  Right now they've got a great promotion running for Mother's Day - 25% off (savings of $50) if you book or buy a gift certificate before May 5th.  All the details can be found here.

Looking forward to going back again soon!