The perfect host

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3:16 pm

Back in the ’80s, when I was hosting shows on MuchMusic, Camilla Scott was hosting her successful daytime talk show on CTV.

I was in the audience for her dynamic performance in Mama Mia! I envied her working with hunkster Paul Gross in Due South. Through the years, I chuckled every time I heard her voice as Mama Bear in the Berenstein Bears animated series.

Both of us were hard working career women. Neither of us had interest in kids.

Of the two of us I was first to pop out a Mini-Me. I bumped into Scott at a voice audition in 2006. She’d moved back from N.Y.C. and recently had given birth to Jack. She was understandably tired but happy. Motherhood looked good on her.

I recently reconnected with Scott who continues to reinvent herself while raising Jack, now four and a half.

There’s a bond between us –—both working moms managing to have kids and a career.

While I found the transition to motherhood difficult, Scott and her actor husband Paul Eves embraced being new parents. “It was like Christmas every day” gushed Scott.

When asked how having Jack has changed her life, she says, “He’s the centre of our universe. All our decisions now are about what will provide the best life for him. It’s our responsibility to help him become an extraordinary human being.”

Despite being busy auditioning and performing, Scott never hired child care.

They share parenting duties with Paul doing all cooking, and a couple of their close friends swooping in to babysit when necessary.
Picking the right school for her son has been top of mind.

While she and Paul both attended public schools and received good educations, there was no question little Jack would be going private.

“Schools are different now. When we went to public school, the music program was amazing, there were drama and choir after-school programs. That doesn’t exist any more.”

Currently in preschool, the plan is for Jack to attend private school in Grade 1. Rather than hire an educational consultant to advise them on schools, Scott went to friends.

“My girlfriend’s 16-year-old son went through York’s IB program. He’s the most polite, groovy, well-educated and worldly kid. That’s what we want for Jack. If we can afford it, why not give him every opportunity.”

Scott and I have a chuckle about the Canadian star system and acknowledge that a busy career doesn’t always translate into a large salary.

Rather than worry about the next acting gig, Scott was presented with an opportunity from singer-songwriter Amy Sky to develop a part-time home-based business with Arbonne cosmetics.

“I became a consultant so I could be home with my son when I chose to,” says Camilla.

The actress has no qualms revealing how, after only five months, this part-time career has added thousands of dollars to her monthly income and that she will be presented with a Mercedes Benz for her high sales.

“I love being a mother,” she tells me. “I’m not so neurotic. The focus is off me. Life used to be exhausting as a full-time actress. Now it’s not. I have more important things to do. I have to pick up my son at school.”

Post City Magazines’ parenting columnist, Erica Ehm is the voice of yummy mummies with her playful website yummymummyclub.ca. After all, mommies need to play, too.

Your guide to returning unwanted Xmas gifts

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10:03 am

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I am one of those people who likes to buy, take home to contemplate, and then return. I think the thrill of the hunt often blinds me to the fact that what I’m buying is not always a necessary addition to the well being of my wardrobe. Or that it’s just plain gaudy and overpriced.

After coming to the inevitable realization that the item is not wanted, I must then find time in my busy "mother-of-two" schedule — already bursting at the seams with playdates, Cinderella stories, diaper changes, naps and hide-and-seek — to head back to the store where I found it. I must do this soon before the shopper’s remorse swallows my soul and ruins a perfectly good day.

Because of these little incidents, I know a lot about return policies. With Christmas becoming a distant memory, (although it’s hard to forget entirely with the tree still up and glowing in the family room) I feel that it is a good time to share a bit of what I know:

Anthropologie- Will take anything back anytime! (even if it is on sale!)
The Gap- 30 day return policy. Merchandise certificate by mail if you don’t have a receipt.
Old Navy- 90 day return policy
H&M- 30 day return policy with or without a receipt.
Joe Fresh and Loblaws- Only 14 days with a receipt. (although I have been able to exchange past this time frame at the customer service desk)
The Bay – 60 day return policy, store credit after 60 days.
Mastermind Toys – Will take returns as long as product is in original purchased condition. (the Lawrence/Yonge location)
The Disney Store – 30 day return policy

Always make sure to ask about the return policy of any new store you are shopping in. Even if you are completely sure of yourself at the cash, you may be invaded by the doubt monster when you get the item home.

I must say that a good, long policy does motivate me to buy more. I feel safest at places like Anthropologie where I can get that shopping high and then curb that buyer’s remorse monster before it starts making hot chocolate with those mini marshmallows in my kitchen.

Liisa Winkler is one of Canada’s biggest supermodels and mother of two beautiful children. Her blog appears bi-monthly at Postcity.com.

Something fresh & big about St. Clair West

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10:59 pm

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If you ask Inga Cadranel what her background is, she’ll ask you how long you’ve got to hear the answer.

Her features — silky blonde hair, olive skin, feline-esque brown eyes and dark freckles — are striking to say the least. So much so that when I meet the upcoming star of new detective series The Bridge (premiering this winter on CTV and CBS) at St.Clair West and Bathurst, I’m forced to conduct an investigation.

“I’m Icelandic on my mother’s side,” she explains, shedding light on the origin of her first name, “but my father,” she says with an intake of breath, “is Spanish, Egyptian, Russian and Romanian.”

Extensive as the list is, Inga’s recitation is coloured with obvious pride — a sentiment that influenced her to trade in her Kensington Market neighbourhood for this one about four years ago.

“This has always been a multicultural area,” she says, “People think of it as old Little Italy, but it’s so much more. When I first came here I felt it was really mixed and that’s my favourite thing about Toronto. That’s our signature I feel, the multiculturalism.”

A native Torontonian, Inga reminisces about visiting the area as a teenager as we sift through heaps of funky trinkets at our meeting place, Parpar Boutique. Inga cites the pink-hued gift shop with its vintage décor and unending treasure supply as one of her favourite stores on the strip.

“You can find anything here,” she says. “It’s one of those places where you come in and it’s laid out so beautifully that you just want to buy it all.”

It’s at Parpar that Inga first brings up her four-year old son Ryder, whose birth prompted her move to the area. She says that although the diversity of the area was a draw, the main attraction was its family-friendly atmosphere.

“This area is removed from the craziness of downtown, but still close enough so that my husband and I can go to auditions and feel like we’re still in the hub.”

Auditions for the stunning actress are coming in droves these days. With a hefty resume under her belt and The Bridge on its way she’s finding it difficult to relax. Those rare moments of alone-time however, she reserves for Mignon Cuts nail salon.

The moment we walk into the quaint shop she’s recognized by the staff. They form a receiving line as customers gaze on with grins. The manager insists she sit down for a touch-up, and she doesn’t resist.
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My son gets his hair cut here while I get my nails done,” she says, gesturing at a fire-truck shaped kid’s seat propped up directly across from a small HD screen television.

The TV is purposely poised to distract youngsters from what is often a dreaded occasion. “It’s genius,” she adds.

With freshly fancied nails Inga strides out of the shop and crosses the street to Barrio Fiesta on the north side of St. Clair. The Filipino fast-food joint is busy for lunch.

“Looking beautiful,” booms the owner, Simon, from across the counter as Inga goes in for a hug.

“My best friend as a kid was Filipino. I went to the Philippines with her family and fell in love with the food. When I moved to this area I was so excited to find this place. I got to know Simon, and he’s so sweet and follows my career. Plus he’s great with my son.”

It’s clear that this welcoming atmosphere is crucial to Inga as she pays for an order of chicken adobo and lemon sinigang soup. Running through a list of other food spots she frequents, the common ingredient seems to be the family-like feel.

“When we want pizza we also go to Da Maria’s,” she says referring to Da Gianni e Maria Trattoria down the street. “My husband and I go in with our son and they give him loonies and toonies on his birthday. A lot of love there.”

Finally our journey takes us east down St. Clair to Vaughan Road, where the huge Amazon Indoor Playground is visible to everyone within a two-block radius.

The vast indoor rumpus room is equipped with a puppet theatre, huge play structure, ball pit, and perhaps most importantly a coffee corner for pooped parents.

Inga seems most comfortable here, navigating her way through a sea of happy toddlers who seem drawn to her energetic presence. She explains that she and her husband bring Ryder here all the time, and muses that she’s met the majority of her neighbourhood pals in this location.

“It’s such an unpretentious area,” she says “It has a bit of everything and a bit of everybody. But above all I love it because it reminds me of my little boy, who we’ve raised here, and of the most fulfilling and amazing four years of my life that I have had since he was born.”

Night gear for the new year

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3:04 pm

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1st PLACE – PYJAMA PARTY

On Mike: Majestic, $195 On Erin: Bed Head, $145

Erin loves her loungers because they’re, “just like me — casual, comfortable and a little sexy.” While Mike can’t get enough of his silky sleepers because they “make me feel frisky!”

Where to get it:

Mike’s: Strada Menswear, Bayview Village Mall, 2901 Bayview Ave., 416-730-8474

Erin’s: Linea Intima, Bayview Village Mall, 2901 Bayview Ave., 416-221-9225

Check out video of Erin and Mike’s pyjama party here.

FANCY FOOTED

CHRISTMAS PLAID FOOTED PJS, $65
Go for cottage cozy in these full-bodied fashions from the one of the GTA’s top snooze specialist.
Where to get it: Snug As A Bug, 3022 Dundas St. W., 1-800-539-9517

BEDTIME BOOK SMARTS

CAT’S PYJAMAS CROSSWORD PJS, $110
Awaken your inner wordsmith with help from these perfectly perplexing puzzle-patterned pyjamas.
Where to get it: Tzatz, 2512 1/2 Yonge St., 416-481-0311

CANDIED COZIES

HATLEY POLKA DOT PJ SET, $44, SHIRT $35,PANTS

The dotted design on these dreamy duds will have you dozing in no time.
Where to get it: Hatley, 2648 Yonge St., 416-486-4141

SUNDAE MORNING

BRIGI SUNDAE LOUNGER PJS, $110
Gobble up this ice-cream covered sleep set that’s as comfy as it is confectionary.
Where to get it: Tryst, 465 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-484-6678

Check out video of Erin and Mike’s pyjama party here.

What's Toronto Really Eating?

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1:42 pm

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MISSION:

It’s January, when thoughts turn to New Year’s resolutions, gym memberships and healthy eating. We decided it was time to find out what’s in the local restaurant food we love to eat.

METHOD:

We ordered 12 standard takeout portions from the area’s favourite restaurants. A chemistry lab accredited by the Standards Council of Canada tested each for the values listed below.

MOE PANCER’S DELI — PASTRAMI SANDWICH (WITH MUSTARD)

SATAY ON THE ROAD — PAD THAI

BYMARK RESTAURANT — BYMARK BURGER

DUFF’S FAMOUS WINGS — HOT WINGS (WITH TWO CELERY STICKS)

PENROSE FISH & CHIPS — FISH AND CHIPS

SCARAMOUCHE RESTAURANT — COCONUT CREAM PIE

C’EST BON RESTAURANT — SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

CENTRO RESTAURANT — YUKON GOLD GNOCCHI

EDO-KO CASUAL JAPANESE DINING — SHRIMP TEMPURA

CALIFORNIA SANDWICHES — VEAL SANDWICH (BREADED WITH ONIONS AND TOMATO SAUCE)

TERRONI — QUATTRO STAGIONI

AMAYA’S BREAD BAR — BUTTER CHICKEN (WITH RICE)

What’s Healthy?

Health Canada uses a 2,000-calorie diet as the benchmark for percentage of daily value on nutritional labelling, and so did we. Subsequent values for total fat and carbohydrates are derived as a percentage of that diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Daily value for sodium applies to most people, regardless of caloric intake. For protein, intakes are generally adequate and are not a health concern for Canadians who have access to a mixed diet.

SOURCE: Health Canada website. Caloric intake will vary depending on weight,
height, age and activity level. To find out what your recommended daily caloric
intake level is, visit https://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnan/ nutrition/reference/table/index-eng.php

COMPARISON GUIDE

*Based on Health Canada’s reference standards for daily dietary intakes.

Survive lunch with the kids at Liberty Noodle

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6:30 pm

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Noodles are a food group in my family. With two small anklebiters under four to please, and with two parents working full-time, the most successful meals tend to be speedy and simple — and pasta plates meet those criteria.

Although Liberty Noodle doesn’t cater specifically to families (in fact, its location in the heart of East Liberty Village makes it more a destination for weekday workers), the restaurant’s design formula and noodle-focused menu have a lot going for them in terms of surviving a lunch out with the kids.

An access elevator and wide aisles between light wooden tables and benches mean that strollers maneuver easily, communal dining tables afford wiggle room for wee ones, and wooden high chairs restrain our baby broods when the grub arrives. The kitchen is open to substitutions, although sometimes at a cost.

The feeling of openness created by 14-foot ceilings (even if we are a half storey below ground), cool slate tile floors, large windows and clutter-free decor counteracts cabin-fever preschoolers, and loud-ish music on the speakers has the potential to calm or craze the kids, depending on disposition.

The modern Japanese menu starts off with seven starters and four salads. Salted edamame keep fingers busy while waiting for main courses (just $3), and staff-recommended crispy shrimp and calamari, well-timed and crispy-battered in panko crusting, make for a good first introduction to seafood — and the crunch doesn’t melt to mush minutes later ($7). An accompanying wasabi-coriander dipping sauce reads more interestingly than it tastes. Better, perhaps, to squirt these babies with the juicy, fresh wedge of lemon.

Six noodle plates, seven noodle bowls and five rice plates serve as main dishes, with assemblies ranging from lemon-ginger salmon noodle plate to vegetable miso ramen noodle bowl to Japanese beef curry rice plate.

Strangely, the kitchen serves up only one kind of noodle (ramen), which may not bode well for particular pasta pickers or those with wheat allergies. Thankfully, the ramen in two dishes sampled (one bowl and one plate) are well timed, even though they’re not homemade and make for messy munching.

Ginger chicken ramen noodle bowl ($9) brings ramen noodles, crunchy carrots, soft bok choy and slices of tender, tangy chicken breast swimming in a ginger-focused broth. Separately, each ingredient has something to offer, adding either texture or colour, but overall the dish is plain, and would have benefited from stronger seasoning in the broth. Still, the warm and comforting soup serves as a good choice for a cold day. Oversized traditional wooden spoons make awkward utensils for little hands.

Chili and ginger beef noodle plate ($10) caters to adventurous, spice-seduced palates. Bite-sized morsels of ginger-marinated sirloin melt in the mouth, jostling for space with diced red pepper, shavings of purple onion and chopped scallions among knotted ramen. I’m a sucker for spice, but a cook’s heavy hand with the chili flakes almost spoils it for me. Not recommended for young’uns.

An interesting selection of sodas (kumquat, vanilla bean, lemongrass, rhubarb) trumps humdrum Coke and Sprite.

Young, friendly servers work the room with confidence, bringing out the plates and bowls at rapid speed.

416-588-4100

171 East Liberty Street

The unglamorous life of an international chef

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8:11 am

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Anyone who thinks that an international chef leads a glamorous life should have travelled with me for the last month.

I cooked for 18 days straight in Los Angeles, flew to Singapore for five days and worked non-stop on 80 recipes for the new restaurant there, Chinois by Susur Lee, flew back to Washington for three days to set up a tasting menu at Zentan, and then flew to New York to cook a Chinese banquet at Shang for 300 media foodies and chefs to celebrate the restaurant’s first anniversary.

On a couple of mornings I woke up in my hotel room and had NO idea what country I was in- – or why I was there! I had to look out the window to see if I could recognize the city. When the marathon was over, I was totally “fooded out.”

But I had many amazing experiences, and I was able to create some great recipes, so it was worth it.

In Singapore, I created a palate-cleansing sorbet with green sugar cane juice, topped with diced Asian pear and calamansi lime. It’s a fresh and tingling balance of sweetness and acidity, and leaves such a clean sensation in your mouth. You don’t want to brush your teeth!

When I was in Los Angeles, I discovered a wild new cooking tool called a “smoke gun,” which sucks up wood smoke into a tube (you can use wood chips of hickory, mesquite, maple), and then blows the smoke, like a bellows, over meat or fish or whatever dish you choose. I decided it was the perfect utensil to “finish” my roasted Peking duck recipe with a smoky flavour.

In New York, the Chinese banquet at Shang was planned for 200 people, but 300 showed up! The portions had to shrink a little bit. But it was a great celebration for one of the toughest years in the restaurant business. It was a privilege to host so many top-level chefs and restaurateurs, such as Paul Liebrandt, Executive Chef at Corton, Cesare Casella, Owner and Chef at Salumeria Rosi, Jonathan Waxman, Chef of Barbuto, Drew Nieporent, who owns Tribeca Grill and Nobu, and Todd English, owner-chef of Olives. It was also fun to welcome Manhattan celebrities like supermodel Molly Sims, Constantine Maroulis from American Idol (my wife would definitely have recognized him!) and designer Nate Berkus.

Now I’m back home, concentrating on my New Year’s menus at Lee and Madeline.

Madeline’s is featuring a decadent five-course New Year’s Eve menu for $85, and Lee will offer a three-course for $55. I want people to be able to have a wonderful meal, but not spend the whole night at the table. If you want to go dancing and party, I’m all for that!

The five-courses at Madeline’s begin with tuna sashimi and salmon caviar on marinated artichokes, followed by seared foie gras with maplewood smoked duck on a spiced rice tuile.

Then you can lighten up with herbed goat cheese and poached pear arugula salad. The main is a roasted venison loin in an apple-and-cognac puree, with potato pancakes, and dessert is a chocolate banana cake with butterscotch sauce.

At Lee, the New Year’s Eve menu is shorter but just as sweet. To start, crispy pepper & salt shrimp with avocado and Asian pear salad in a smoked chili dressing. Main course: Grilled sirloin steak with Japanese-style peppercorn and lemon-butter sauce, and Lyonnaise potatoes. And for dessert: Hot banana chocolate cake with creme brulee.

We’re serving champagne by the glass at both restaurants, and of course, oysters — it’s the season to be jolly and to indulge!

Chef Susur Lee maintains two successful restaurants in downtown Toronto – LEE and MADELINE’S — and now has a restaurant in New York (Shang) and Washington (Zentan).

What to wear to ring in the New Year

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8:04 am

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Many of my friends and relatives this year are planning a low-key New Year’s Eve celebration — an at-home get-together featuring homemade cooking, great wine and cocktails.

I believe dressing up a little helps everyone feel there is still something to be celebrated in these tight economic times.

Here are my fashion tips to help you look your best however you decide to ring in 2010:

If the party is potluck casual, choose a dressy little blouse in black lace or a satiny ribbon texture, tuck it into jeans, add dressy chandelier earrings and high heels, and you’ll be dressed but comfortable.

If you’re hosting a sit-down dinner, pick up a silk/satin or taffeta blouse or a silver lame jersey top, slip it over a black pencil skirt or black wide pant, add a great pair of heels, and you’ll be host-ready.

For a dinner out or a dressier home party, a sexy jersey dress or a black satin slip dress are great pieces that you can keep forever.

I believe most people want easy pick-me-ups that won’t make them feel guilty because they’ll never wear it again. These are the things I know you’ll have in your closet for a long time.

I personally will be celebrating the support of my friends and the health and love of my family this New Year’s. I wish you all a healthy and peace-filled new year!

We should all be thankful for our good health and the wonderful opportunities our country gives us.

With three corporate stores in Toronto, Franco Mirabelli continues to distinguish himself as one of Canada’s strongest fashion talents. Keep up with him by following his weekly blog at PostCity.com or by visiting mirabelli.com.

My traditional Christmas lobster supper

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11:35 am

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So what are you doing for the holidays? While most will be trimming the turkey and ham, I’ll be doing my traditional Christmas lobster supper.

This is a special treat that has evolved over the years so that I can entertain my parents at my place with as little fuss and muss in the kitchen as possible.

Instead of cooking the lobster at home, I get it ready at Starfish. Yup, I take the mess right out of my kitchen and put it into Starfish’s where the dishwasher takes 90 seconds per cycle, and I can hose down the chopping block. And you can too! All you need is, um, a restaurant…right, or order it to go from a restaurant or fishmonger…

First however, I fulfill a few take out oyster orders. There are always a few loyal oyster fans that need their oyster fix for Christmas, and I send them home happy with a couple dozen oysters shucked, "cap-on" (I replace the lid of the oyster so the meat does not slip out).

While I am packing up the oysters, I have the pot on for my lobsters.

I make a salted stock of Chateau le Lac ’09. I add salt to make the water taste like the sea, add a few veggies and a bottle of beer, and bring it to a boil.

I then place the lobsters head first into the rolling stock, and let them cook for about seven minutes per pound (Mine are from George of Yarmouth Lobster here in Toronto. He gets daily deliveries from his family in Nova Scotia, and brings them to my door).

If you want to try this, please take the rubber bands off of the claws first — rubber band stock is not tasty. Now, if you are cooking a mess-o-lobsters, then once the water has come back to the boil, and the lobsters are starting to float to the top of the pot, they are done.

Pull the lobbies out, tear off the claws with a cleaver or sturdy knife and nip the tips of the claws off to allow the water to drain out before cracking and serving — saves on you getting wet at the table. Split the tail down the middle and you are set to serve. Just add lemon and butter. Butter does make the lobster richer and more fattening than it deserves to be — but what the heck, it’s Christmas!

What I like to do, as I am taking the lobsters home, is to pull the meat out of the shell and do a quick butter poach/bath to heat up the meat again just before serving. This is the easiest for your guests as all of the work is done, and they can keep their Christmas party clothes clean.

Merry Fishmas, and Happy New Oyster to all.

I look forward to 2010 with visions of Aquaculture dancing in my head.

Shuckingly yours, Paddy

Luckily, I am offering take-out oysters to everyone, not just my parents (sorry Mom, but you’re still number 1 in my books). For December 24th 12-3pm at Starfish (416-366-7827), and if New Year’s Eve is your big night, then the take out oyster is available at The Ceili Cottage (416-406-1301) in Leslieville 12noon-close. If you have been especially good this year, I may even cook a lobster for you, but you have to ask really nice.

Patrick McMurray is the owner of Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill and The Ceili Cottage. He is also a World Champion Oyster Shucker. Catch his blog weekly at PostCity.com.

Crown Prince serves up delicious dim sum

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9:09 am

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There have been a number of Chinese restaurants at this location and when one enters the new Crown Prince, it has become truly grand.

Overall, having enjoyed dim sum at many of the great Chinese restaurants in the GTA, I would have to say that this dim sum experience for me was certainly one of the very best — very close to being on par with Lai Wah Heen.

We began with deep fried octopus tentacles. This was a very successful version as the spices were complementary, the outside was crisp and the inside relatively tender. The lacy cupola made an elegant attractive presentation for a humble dish.

Our next course, shown below, was sticky rice in a meat wrap with lotus leaf. The presentation was lovely, the taste was good, but the more interesting ingredients that I have enjoyed in the best versions of this dish were missing.

Our following course, pork and vegetable dumplings Chiu Chow style, were served with a hot chili sauce. I thought this dish was terrific. The dumpling envelope was thin and very tender. The filling of perfectly chopped vegetables had good texture and was not mushy. The pork and vegetables combined well to provide good contrasting flavours and the chili added a spike that pushed this dish to a special level of taste.

Our next course, a delightful hot and sour soup contained ingredients of various textures that combined good flavour and a hot spiciness that did not overwhelm the taste.

Steamed scallop dumplings were a winner! The dumpling wrappers were very thin and tender. The scallops, barely cooked, were perfect. A very tasty scallop stock filled the wrapper and burst in my mouth when I chewed the dumpling.

The next dish, shown below, was most enjoyable. Steamed fresh crab meat and shrimp dumplings with a bit of chili pepper on top that provided a terrific complementary bite.

Next we had pan fried beef ribs served with “Maggie” sauce — a sweet barbeque sauce with a bit of bite. It was tasty but hard to bite.

Shark’s fin seafood dumpling in soup had an intense seafood broth with a bit of shark’s fin and a somewhat thick and tough dumpling that contained highly flavourful chopped mushrooms and vegetables.

Our next dish, slowly braised chicken feet, was one of the best preparations of this dish I have enjoyed. Very tender chicken feet with everything easily coming right off the bones. A succulent preparation. The sauce was somewhat sweet and had a little bit of a bite from the spices.

When I go for dim sum, one of my most favourite dishes is the beef tendon (ladies it is good for your nails). I just love the texture of tendon and this tendon melted in my mouth as I chewed it. A rich beefy sauce with a bit of spice enhanced the experience.

Tripe is not for everyone, but they do this dish well here. Crunchy tripe, flavoured with a slightly garlicy scallion sauce.

Our last dish was a steamed vegetable and shrimp roll. The filling was terrific and I loved the taste of the Chinese broccoli leaves with the crisply steamed shrimp. The wrapper, however, was just a bit too thick. Nevertheless, this was a good dish.

During the meal I prefer the taste of po-lei tea, a strong tea that goes well with the food and promotes digestion as I have often been advised by my Chinese mentors. The Crown Prince dim sum experience is well worth the journey. This big restaurant is always filled with at least 96 per cent Chinese people with few spare tables — a sure sign of a successful restaurant in the Chinese community and a destination place for all Chinese food lovers.

If you arrive after 11:30 a.m., expect a 10-or-more minute wait.

Crown Prince Fine Dining & Banquet, 3600 Victoria Park Ave, (416) 498-1818

Dr. Josh Josephson is the owner of The Cookbook Store and Josephson Opticians. He is a chevalier of Les Chevalier du Tastevin and the Le Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of L’ordre Mondiale and a member and former president of the International Wine and Food Society, Toronto chapter.

Solve your gift-giving problems at Pistachio

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Andrew Mannsbach

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8:13 am

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It’s that time of year when gift giving is on everyone’s to-do list.

Where to find the perfect gift that is not a major strain on the environment of your wallet and the environment in general?

I must ask questions like: Is it wrapped in excess packaging? Will it end up in the back of someone’s “knick knacks that I never intend to use” drawer or buried in landfill diverted to Michigan?

These questions are not those of an easy-going, anything-will-do type shopper. That, I will never be. I prefer to make my life more difficult this time of year.

But there is one store that I feel very good about patronizing. Pistachio solves all of my Christmas gift giving problems with a cool, green breeze.

The store sells everything that is healthy for the planet and they also try to buy things that are made as close to home as possible.

I love the Urban Salvage Platter, made in Toronto from reclaimed wood. They have a very cool “raw” edge and are great for both serving and cutting thru the mounds of cheese that I plan to serve.

I also spy some really great pop-up speakers by Econation. They’re made of cardboard and ready to be decorated – all for only $14.99.

This would be perfect for that artistic, crafty type on your list. My daughter would slather mine with snowman stickers, her 3-year-old version of Santa and his reindeer, and tons and tons of sparkle glue with magazine decoupage depicting anything from high heel shoes to frozen peas… I will wait a few years to put this on my wish list.

One thing that I will be buying for her stocking this year is a few bottles of Piggy Paint. A fun assortment of colours for a water-based, kid-safe nail polish. They also carry an adult version made by Sula. These come in more adult colours, are chemical free, and actually peel off — so no chemical-based remover is needed!

I started shopping a bit early this year and stocked up on some boxes of Vosges Organic Peanut Butter and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt chocolates. This was unfortunate because they have somehow all disappeared and I am now forced to make my way back to this haven of green gifting and replenish my stock. They alone are truly worth the journey to the Yonge and Eglinton store.

We visited over the weekend, and my daughter had her picture taken with Santa! My fashionable three-year-old asked him for a black blanket with a pink eagle on it…. I was both happy (that she did not ask for a princess doll like all of her friends) and stressed (Where on earth do I find a black blanket with an eagle on it!?) But then that is exactly what the holidays are all about… a bit of stress and a bit of happy. Wishing you all a little bit of both that combine into some magical memory that you will cherish the whole year thru.

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

xoxoLiisa

Pistachio is located at 2433 Yonge Street and also at Yorkdale Mall.

Liisa Winkler is one of Canada’s biggest supermodels and mother of two beautiful children. Her blog appears bi-monthly at Postcity.com.

Three recipes for the perfect festive dinner

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The Christmas holidays have a way of not being much of a holiday. At least they don’t feel like that for those of us in the restaurant business or in retail – or both, like me. And I know that they don’t feel like holidays either for whoever it is at home who gets stuck with the job of putting all that food on the table day after day.

Sure, the first dinner gathering of the season is great fun. And whatever effort and time is required, it’s well worth it to have all the family around the table. But by the time Christmas dinner itself actually rolls around, whoever is slogging it in the kitchen will be starting to feel some strain.

I prefer doing something different every year and this time I’ve settled on slow-roasted pork shoulder. It’s a little heavy, so to start I’ll go light with a dish of smoked trout, sliced thin, sprinkled with freshly grated horseradish. Pork shoulder when properly-treated is a great, flavourful cut and I like to make it more so by brining it for a day before I roast it.

This also helps provide the makings of a fantastically tasty gravy. Nothing goes better with that than buttery-mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts with lardon. Finally it wouldn’t be Christmas dinner without a dessert – and what could be more pleasing than a sticky toffee pudding?

Here’s how to make these three great recipes at home:

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder

Side dishes

Sticky Toffee Pudding

I hope the recipes I’m sharing for all this work as well for you as they do for me. Best of the season and Happy New Year to all of you!

Celebrity chef Mark McEwan is the force behind some of Toronto’s finest restaurants, including Bymark, North 44 and One Restaurant. His latest venture, McEwan, is a gourmet food market at the Shops at Don Mills.

This Christmas at McEwan we’ll be offering an exceptional oven-ready turkey dinner with all the requisite trimmings and then some. We can prepare a whole bird or even just a couple of portions paired with your selection of first courses, side dishes and desserts plucked from our long and inviting list. All you have to do is warm it up.