Best. Focaccia. Ever. (Italian Centre)

Focaccia, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Spinelli's Bar Italia at the north side Italian Centre is serving up a lot more than espresso and sweet treats. Now, you can get grilled sandwiches, soup, pizza, and focaccia.

Focaccia. I have had it before and never considered it a big deal. A dense hunk of break, with seasonings.

I saw some gentlemen having focaccia at Spinelli's recently, and it looked very different. First of all, it had toppings. It looked more like pizza, without cheese.

I was at Spinelli's on Monday evening waiting for a friend, watching soccer, and killing time before a board meeting - in that order. I had also eaten supper early and had the evening munchies, so I had a piece of the tomato and olive focaccia (the other choice would have been tomato and jalapeno peppers, which I can't do for medical reasons).

My tastebuds were blown away by the rich seasonings, earthy olives, and sweet tomatoes. The bread itself was light and flaky, with the fact it had been heated making it crisp. I am not even sure I can put into words how delicious the focaccia was.

I will definitely keep this in mind when I am at the Italian Centre and wanting a snack or light lunch.

Breakfast for Lunch: Steak and Eggs at The Pint

Steak and Eggs, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I wanted to grab some lunch after the Pride Parade on Saturday, and since I had an afternoon meeting in the vicinity of 109 Street I headed to The Pint for some post-Pride food and libations.

I hadn't been to The Pint in a while and was surprised by their Hangover Brunch menu. All of the items are $10 and there is quite a range from egg and meat dishes to pancakes.

I went for the Steak and Eggs and a pint of Strongbow. My steak was juicy and thick - probably the best part of the meal. My eggs done over-easy by my request were already broken by the time the dish reached my table. The "hash browns" were Tater Tots a la Humpty's, and the slices of apple really did not do much for me. The two pieces of rye toast went well with the meal and I appreciated the kitchen heeding my instructions not to butter them.

Aesthetics aside (and the fact that The Pint could probably make its own hash browns) the meal was certainly worth the money. Service was also very friendly, and it was a great spot to watch Germany vs. Portugal.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake at Chili's

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

As we were celebrating a milestone birthday, after Sunday supper at Chili's we decided to splurge on dessert.

This cake is huge, extremely rich, and bursting with both liquid chocolate and ice cream. It is easily shareable, and afterwards I wish I had. We're talking major food coma here.

Steak Sandwich at Chili's

Steak Sandwich, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I owed someone a birthday supper, and Chili's was his restaurant of choice.

At the Westgate location, I had a steak sandwich. The weight was not listed on the menu, but I am guessing it was six ounces, and cut very thick. I ordered mine well done, and while I disagree with the restaurant's menu explanation that well done still has some pink inside, I was happy with how my steak was done. It was quite flavourful from the grill. The dollop of garlic butter ("steak butter" I was told) was quickly put to the side after receiving my meal. Dousing a steak in butter is simply foreign to me.

The onion straws atop the garlic toast made for a nice bed for the meat. As for the fries, they were seasoned nicely but nothing special.

I would have this again, but maybe with another side.