Simplicity makes great surprises!

Eats:  Sidecar Bar & Grill, 577 College Street, Toronto, ON

Simple facade, big on taste.

Sidecar's patio 

Hearts of Romaine (double smoked bacon, caesar dressing, ricota crostini)

Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken (roasted garlic mashed potato, asparagus, red onion vinaigrette)

Atlantic Salmon (swiss chard, honey mustard glaze, butter sauce)

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Conveniently located at the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy, Sidecar restaurant offers a simple menu but big on taste and quality.  We all opted for the prix fixe dinner with mine starting off with Hearts of Romaine salad of smoked bacon, red wine dressing which they graciously acquiesced instead of the Caesar dressing and the ricotta crostini which was neither overpowering nor bland in flavor but just right.  Before we started with our salad, we were enslaved by the complementary multitude slices of soft and warm ciabatta which we learned was made par-baked all the way from Montreal and complemented by a soft butter prepared in-house.  The bread was so good that we must have asked for 3 servings and we were wondering if there would still be room for the main course.  Apparently, the ciabattas were an indication of greater things to come.  For my main course, I had the Atlantic Salmon cooked perfectly well-done and soft and moist in the inside on a bed of swiss chard.  This is the first time that I tasted salmon with honey mustard glaze and the result was amazing!  The crispy oven roasted chicken ordered by my sister was very succulent and juicy.  Forget about the calories for a minute but the skin was so excruciatingly crispy and flavorful!  Dessert was flourless dark chocolate cake with raspberry coulis and cream just lightly enough to conclude a wonderful and pleasant dining experience.  Service was just as excellent as the food.  Our server, Oliver was very gracious and knowledgeable about our queries about the food and how it was prepared.  For a $25 prixe fixe, you get an unparalleled dining experience. 

Scorecard:

    Food – Outstanding

    Ambience – Very Good

    Service – Outstanding

    Price – Unbelievably Reasonable

    Overall Dining Experience – Heaven

www.sidecarrestaurant.ca

“Pilates Here To Stay”

Detchie on the Reformer with Jump Board

Detchie in action on the Cadillac Pilates equipment. 

I have always had this misconception that Pilates is strictly for women until my good friend, Bernadette Recto, a STOTT certified Pilates instructor in all equipment and ISP (Injuries and Special Populations), busted that myth by patiently explaining to me that it is not gender-biased and besides, its creator, Joseph Pilates, is a man himself.  I guess the media has a lot to do with this perception because of some female celebrities endorsing Pilates and maybe because of its adaptability to different body types and fitness made it popular among women.  This is already changing and, in fact, Detchie gets a lot of male clients for both private or group sessions who want a variety of physical challenges and some for rehabilitation.  Hockey and football players are just some of the athletes who are into Pilates to enhance their performance and build core strength.   However, Pilates aims to improve one’s strength, stability, flexibility and agility resulting into a leaner body and flat abs.  Given that, how can Pilates be female-oriented when having a leaner body is a common goal among men and women?

To further bolster the truth about Pilates, Bernadette volunteered to give me a sample of the technique so I could experience it first hand.  We went to this very inviting and modern Pilates studio in Whitby, ON aptly called “Pure Pilates” and introduced me to the different equipment like the Reformer and the Cadillac that I eagerly tried with Bernadette’s supervision.  Did you know that the technique does not only involved equipment but mat floor exercises as well?  She also taught me some basic principles like controlled movement and the proper breathing like inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your pursed lips.  I also found Pilates fun when I tried the Reformer with the jump board and you jump horizontally with the help of the rails protecting your knees and kneecaps.  How cool is that?
What makes the total experience most endearing and makes you feel good about yourself was the fact that the instructor patiently explains the whats, whys and hows plus the fact that when you see the passion naturally coming out of her, you eventually catch it too.  Never mind that Bernadette is my friend but this is the first time that I saw her at work and she is truly passionate about Pilates.  She emphasized that it is important to have an instructor for a private session if you are a beginner so you could do the exercises safely and effectively.  So if you have a lower back problem like I do and want to have flat abs, Pilates is the answer!

pilatesbybernadette@gmail.com  (M) 416.779.0235

www.purepilatesca.ca