Hospitality Guide

It’s cold, windy and the winter jackets don’t seem to be going anywhere for a long while. Wouldn’t it be nice to just get away for a bit? With the economy heading into a downward spiral most of us are discouraging ourselves from spending money on a Timbit let alone a weeklong vacation. Surprisingly, vacation packages are also heading into that same downward spiral and good thing for us because that can only mean one thing, they’re a lot cheaper. For an average price of an airline ticket to New York and back you can get an all inclusive vacation package (all inclusive = free alcohol too).

Every winter, I spoil myself and head to a sunny destination and I was damned sure this year wasn’t going to be any different. So I checked the usual websites: itravel2000, Selloffvacations and Belairtravel. Cuba and Dominican being the more popular destinations you should expect to payless. But I wanted to go somewhere differentl this time around and I decided on Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. After all if it’s good enough for Heidi and Spencer it’s good enough for me. I finally decided on The Rui Palace Cabo in beautiful SUNNY Mexico courtesy of Sunquest Vacations. It’s a 5.5 star hotel right on the beach with an ocean front suite- what more can you ask for? Typically you would expect to pay more than $2000 but I got a deal, only $1400! But before you start planning your vacation, make sure you set a budget and stick to it! Also if your hotel is right on the beach it cuts traveling costs.

Me in T- Minus 3 weeks

Enough about me. If it’s not in your budget to go away you don’t have to - The Hospitality Guide will take you, especially to delicious eateries right here in Toronto and around the world. We will make your mouth water in San Francisco with crab legs at The Crab Shack, try some amazing coffee in Sweden and of course go to the best Hamburger joint in all of the U.S of A at Le Tub burgers. See, even the Hospitality Guide can make the winter blues disappear.

But to curve your appetites, enjoy cooking with George at the opening night gala for Toronto’s International Film Festival.  

Schools out, the snow has fallen and you’re sitting at home wondering what you should do during the holiday season. First thing that comes to mind: it has to be cheap. After all, you’ve spent all your money trying to buy people good gifts (even though they’ve probably returned them by now) So after much Googling as I like to call it, I came up with a list of things you can do right here in Toronto that will cost you little to no money.

1.    If you’re ever downtown, you will notice Nathan Phillips square is decorated just like a movie set. Winter isn’t complete without skating at the outdoor rink under the beautifully lit backdrop. Harbourfront centre also has an outdoor rink. Both are free if you bring your own skates! BYOHC (bring your own hot chocolate!).

2.    Toronto’s annual winter festival Wintercity offers a city-wide celebration of Toronto’s delicious culinary experiences, unique free entertainment and a showcase of Toronto’s arts scene.

3.    The Toronto Zoo is open 365 days a year and has discounted tickets when visiting in groups.

There’s also so much that goes on around the world once the snow falls. Here’s a list of unique winter activities from across the globe.

Ski-jöring in Switzerland: This popular activity is when a skier is pulled by a horse, a sled dog, a motorbike or snow scooter.

Wok Racing in Germany & Austria: A sport developed by a German TV host modified Chinese woks are used to make timed runs down an Olympic bobsled tracks.

Snowshoeing in Mont Tremblant: Discover Mont-Tremblant along with some nature interpretation and native fire carrying techniques and chances to see deer! DEER!

Ice climbing in The Canadian Rockies: Climbers are roped, protected and climb icefalls, frozen waterfalls, cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from previously flowing water.

Then again you can always just sit by the fireplace and eat lots and lots of marshmallows and smores, I consider that a winter activity!

-P

New year, new season, new adventures, new shows and a new promo for The Hospitality Guide. Two minutes. That’s all you need to know what The Hospitality Guide is all about. Find out where we’ve been and what we’ve seen as George Tsioutsioulas takes you on an adventure each and every week here on The HG. Sweden, Buffalo Wingfest, Ft. Lauderdale, Kelowna and much more. So make sure you watch and leave your thoughts, comments, suggestions and places you think we should check out!

Now on a different topic: If you like sushi, sashimi, tempura, dumplings, chicken teriyaki and let’s not forget the green tea ice cream look no further than Wasabi, a Japanese Buffet style Restaurant. For $16 (lunch buffet) you can have endless amount of delicious seafood, platters of freshly sliced fruit and rows of sushi rolls and sashimi. All you can eat.  So if you’re sitting at home craving Japanese food for a great price, I highly recommend Wasabi.

Wasabi is located at 270 West Beaver Creek in Richmondhill.

If you haven’t had your daily dose of caffeine yet, then stayed tuned for an upcoming freshly brewed coffee episode of the HG!  We are hitting up the top best coffee hot spot in the city to find out which shop offers the greatest lattés, cappuccinos, grinds the best beans and organic and free-trade goods.  One coffee house that really grabbed my attention was Cafe Diplomatico on College St.  This place is always bumpin’ (and grindin’) full of people lining up to get their daily caffeine fix.  They also provide excellent service and a wonderful Italian style menu. In the summer time, their patio is also open, but good luck getting a spot!  Considering the weather feels more like Easter than Christmas, the patio may still be open!

But to be honest, I’m a Timmy’s girl.  Kind of like a wannabe Gina who sits in Timmy’s parking lots listening to beats sipping on a double, double.  Scary image, I know.  But lately, I’ve been cheating on Timmy and heading to Starbucks.  (Mainly because there is a Starbucks directly across the street from our office). But if it’s not the Grande, skinny, no whip, no foam, sugar-free, vanilla, extra-hot, dark roast, latté with a squirt of honey, that makes me want to head over to the green mermaid, it’s the true words of wisdom that they offer on every cup.   Starbucks places “The Way I See It” quotes on each of their cups.  For example; “The Way I See It” # 283 says:  “The most important thing in life is to stop saying “I wish” and start saying “I will.” Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.”

 Tell me that isn’t a beautiful way to kick start a day?  

Either way, no matter where you get your coffee from, your cup should serve one purpose: keep you up for your next 8 hours at work!

So stay tuned and wake up and smell the coffee at some of Toronto’s top coffee shops with the HG coming soon!

Lisa

What are you going to be for Halloween? I’ve heard that question already 5 times today… and, I love it! Many ideas came into my head… Santa’s little helper, Girl Guide, Boxer girl, a banana, etc..  Well, naturally, being a banana would be horrible for my complexion, so I decided on being a Boxer girl. Cute, right? To find the perfect costume,  I went to two different costume stores:  Amazing Party and Costume Store on King Street W. This place was packed to the nines and when I finally got some attention, the costume I wanted (consisting of a boxer robe and short shorts that were 3 sizes too small) was $79.95 plus tax.  So, needless to say I passed on that would-have-been devastating opportunity.  Next stop, Malabar Costume store.  Well, I would love to tell you how my luck went, but I never made it inside.  I didn’t even get to the store, I got to the line up outside of the store… and then I made a 180 and turned the other way. I’ll bet there were more people outside the store than in. So my next best idea is going as a Geisha girl.  Thank to the ever-popular China town located steps from our office, finding a costume was a piece of pumpkin pie!  The friendly lady in the store got me everything I needed under $25 and in less than 5 minutes!:  A classic Asian robe, matching slippers, chopsticks for my hair and a fan!  I continued about my day, with loads of time to spare. Not bad for someone who is prone to wait for the last minute to do everything aka getting a costume the day before Halloween!  I don’t really have a point to this blog, but simply that creativity is key.  No need to spend a million dollars on an outfit that you probably will only wear once, unless you have a weird fetish of some sort… I love to dress up for Halloween every year but to wait in massive line-ups and pay for an over-priced costume is simply not an option for me.  

In just a few hours, Toronto will be opening its doors to some of the greatest parties the city has to offer!  So on top of the cover charges, your booze tabs, food tabs and tips, why spend an extra (bloody) arm and a leg for a costume?  So, go ahead and support our local, independent, hassle-free shops!

Have a Happy Halloween!!

So far we’ve seen Niagara Falls from the sky, gambled our way through Las Vegas, been to Halifax to meet some of the nicest people and got acquainted with Mickey Mouse in Disney. After Disney we made our way to Quebec for a French version of the HG (don’t worry it’s not actually in French, it took a while for George Tsioutsioulas to pronounce the province name properly…don’t worry he got it by the end of the trip). If you’re hungry you have to tune into the Wing Festival episode when we crossed the border to Buffalo for a day dedicated to chicken wings. Are you obsessed with celebrities? We got a backstage pass at The Toronto International Film Festival. Two words: Brad Pitt. The HG crew’s next stop was San Francisco where we got to try some of the best crab legs in the world. Let’s not forget a weekend in Montreal and drum roll please…SWEDEN! From the ice hotel to mushroom picking the HG did it all – Swedish style of course. I can’t possibly forget The Wine Festival in the Okanagan Valley. I highly recommend starting everyday with a glass of wine – don’t forget to swirl, sniff, swoosh then swallow. And lucky George leaves the cold Toronto weather on Sunday for a week in Fort Lauderdale filled with beaches, palm trees and warm sunny weather of course. Not jealous AT ALL!

Now on a different topic. Ever since our office moved to 355 King street west I’ve realized how many different types of restaurants there are in Toronto. I’m the type of person where if I like something it’s my go to place but I think I’m turning a new leaf. Last Friday I went on a shoot with Chris, one of our camera man to a sushi bar called Blowsfish. The chef demonstrated how to make two of their most popular dishes: Black and White makimonos and tower of tuna served with crab crisps. The bartender Nishan made a Pomegranate saketini and a Mango Passion saketini. After our shoot was done, the people at Blowfish insisted Chris and I eat the dishes and drink the drinks. How can I say no? Plus it was the end of the day so a little treat wouldn’t be so bad. Everything was delicious. The sushi rolls? Never tasted ones that were that fresh. And The tower of tuna was a tower of yummy. Don’t even get me started on the drinks. I’ve already made plans to go back and I suggest anyone whose into Japanese cuisine to head over to Blowfish.

Blowfish is at 668 King Street West. Two can dine for as low as $60.

I bet you all wonder what it’s like to be an Associate Producer on a show like The Hospitality Guide. Well I’m going to share a day in the life of…me. Days vary depending on whether or not we have shoots. It all starts off at 7AM, when I try to drag myself out of bed and get ready for a long commute. I really should wake up earlier so I can use the subway but if I wake up late, it gives me a reason so say “I have to drive or else I’m going to be late.” But driving isn’t all that great either; if you take the DVP (aka Don Valley Parking Lot) you know what I’m talking about. After forking over $12 for parking, yes $12 (that’s two meals at Harvey’s) I’m finally at work.

There’s always a lot that needs to be done, especially lately because as you know from Lisa’s last blog we finally moved into a new massive office. On days like today, I have to upload three episodes to the website, which means I’m going to be cooped up in an editing suite for the entire day. I think everyone would agree with me on this one: the most tedious and time consuming task we have to do is transcribe tapes. For those of you who don’t know what transcribing is, you’re lucky and hopefully you never have to do it. When our host, George Tsioutsioulas goes away on shoots, he brings back tapes he’s shot -Interviews, b-roll and his stand ups. If we’re lucky there will be five or six tapes but most of the time there’s at least ten. Whoever is transcribing has to sit and view the entire tape and note the time code and everything George says: word for word. When George, Lisa and Chris Sherry went to San Francisco I had the pleasure of transcribing 12 Walt Disney Tapes, it was loads of fun (sarcasm). But the job does come with a few perks, like traveling. I’ve been to the Okanagan Valley, a place I would never go but so glad I did. Lisa and George have had the chance to go to Nova Scotia, Quebec, Montreal, San Francisco and most recently Sweden!  On top of all that George went to Las Vegas, Walt Disney World and saw Brad Pitt on the red carpet for TIFF not to mention all the food they get to eat while they’re away and the amazing hotels they stay at. I’m not jealous…no, no. Not at all! (Again sarcasm) Days go by really fast here at The Hospitality Guide. We laugh, we get frustrated, we can’t find tapes, we book shoots, we transcribe, write stories and we TRY to go through the day without killing each other. I tell cheesy jokes, make Seinfeld references and every once in a while…we work.

 I know the Hospitality Guide does a lot of traveling but we want to see and hear about some of your favourite vacation spots! Send us off an email with a picture of you when you were traveling; let us know where you were and why you loved it so much. Email info@thehospitalityguide.com with “travel picture” in the subject line. Can’t wait to see your pictures plus I need to figure out where to go for my Christmas vacation!

So for all those who didn’t know about the working conditions that we were previously enduring at our old office… let’s just say I don’t wish it upon anyone! It was a temporary office that even our managers appologized for and showed their sympathy everytime they would walk into our work space/ shack.  No point in going into details, so I’ll just leave it to your imagination.  Well, guess what?… We’ve moved! After weeks, or I should say more like months, of promising that we would move out of our hole, we finally did: yesterday.  (Insert applause here) Litterally, just one block away, Heaven appeared on Earth and reincarnated itself into what we call 355 King St. West;  A ginormous 7000 square foot flat, with our own desks, our own chairs, editing suites for our editors, real toilets, several outlet plugs and get this…windows.  Who would have thought that good working conditions could do wonders for employee’s morale!?  I am actually motivated to come to work now! My own chair has my own personal groove in it… my own telephone line will soon be ringing rings from it and not from my Rogers cell phone bill…and my pens, my precious pens, will be safely stored in my own personal filing cabinet. The dream is now a reality.  I think I speak for all of us when I say moving into the new office has helped us all tremendously!  Sincere thank yous all around!  Now… if I could only get my own personal assitant.  Just a thought.

DAY 1

So I guess I should start off by introducing myself. My name is Paria (pronounced pear-eee-a) and I’m the associate producer of the Hospitality Guide. Finally I got to travel with George and Chris Conner to Kelowna and just like the licence plate says in beautiful British Colombia. As soon as we arrived I knew I’d like this place and there was one specific reason we were there: Wine Festival. Before I go on I’d like to point out one thing, anyone who knows me knows I’m not good with directions; I don’t know the difference between West and East but I do know my right and left. And for the record George and Chris it was a left on Dilworth but whatever it only made us make two illegal U turns. No big deal. The first thing we did was check into Manteo Resort and I thought to myself: It can’t get any better than this. The bed was to die for, king size of course…fluffy with pillows made out of clouds. We met the Sales Manager Kris Stokell and she treated us to lunch at the hotel’s restaurant Wild Apple. It was deelish. Now let’s talk about the view…breathtaking. It wasn’t enough that everywhere we went we were surrounded by picturesque mountains, beautiful waters and of course the greenery that in Toronto is obstructed by building after building. But my balcony view was overlooking all of this. Our next stop was Summerhill Pyramid Winery where we met owner Steve Cipes, winemaker Eric VonKrosigk and Executive Chef Jesse Croy. Jesse Croy gave George a little lesson in pairing fish with none other than wine. Next we got a tour of the beautiful vineyard and the famous pyramid Summerhill is known for, yes there’s an actual pyramid like the ones in Egypt. Since Jesse made our mouths water with the dish he made with George, Steve treated us to dinner and…of course there was wine. When they say people from smaller towns are nice, they mean it. Steve was extremely accommodating and made our visit to Summerhill a memorable one to say the least. With the time difference we were all exhausted so once we headed back to Manteo we were all out like lights. And it’s a good thing the beds were comfortable because we had a big day ahead of us.

DAY 2
After a beautiful nights sleep and waking up to a view that I just couldn’t get enough of the HG team headed to Rollingdale Winery to meet owner and winemaker Steve Dale. George and Steve hit it off right away and there is a reason why: Steve must have been the nicest guy I’ve ever met. Upon arrival he poured us a glass of wine, if you’re not a morning person I strongly suggest to start off your day with a glass of wine. Forget the coffee! Next George asked Steve a couple questions in the vineyard and then we got to shoot guns. No, not real guns but these were way more fun and couldn’t harm anyone. In vineyards to keep birds from chewing and eating the grapes, the winemaker will shoot a gun to scare them off. Maybe once or twice an hour. When we were there we probably shot it seven times within five minutes and believe me you never get sick of it. It’s empowering! We were sad to say bye to Steve but we had to. After saying cheers with some amazing ice wine we were off to the next resort: Summerland Lakefront Resorts. But we had a little trouble getting there: There was construction on the mountain so we were stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours. But with some ice cream for George and I we were fine, our poor cameraman Chris on the other hand is allergic to…everything. I admit it, we did torment him because it was homemade ice cream. After one long drive we arrived at Summerland Lakefront Resort. I couldn’t believe it, I thought I was in a dream. It wasn’t a regular resort, I had my own bedroom + plasma. Living room/dining room + plasma, my own kitchen and the best part an amazing bathroom. It even lit up every time I walked in. As much as I didn’t want to leave my little piece of heaven we were heading to Sumac Ridge to meet VINCOR’s executive chef Roger Planiden. After making Risotto and getting a wine etiquette lesson the HG team decided to try different wines. Every time the wine glass was empty someone seemed to either replace it or fill it up. I learned something about myself on this trip. I now love wine especially ice wine. After a long day of wine tasting, eating amazing food and interviewing of course we headed back to Summerland to get ready for another day in the Okanagan Valley.

DAY 3

Chris and I decided to start off our day by getting in a hardy breakfast. So we went to the local grocery store and made bacon, eggs and toast in my kitchen. George showed up and everything was prepared, that’s what I call service! Our next stop was See Ya Later Ranch for the Dog Days of Summer event. Now there is a really interesting story behind the name of this vineyard. The owner got married and his wife did not like the country life so she left him a note that read: See ya later! The event was to raise money for the BCSPCA which explains why there were so many dogs. But one thing about the See Ya Later Ranch that was different from everything else was the view. It was located on top of a hill meaning you saw the mountains, the lake, all the vineyards and miles and miles of trees. It was amazing. Then we sat down for a lovely lunch served with PING wine (named after one of the owner’s dogs). Who am I kidding? I love all wine now. Day 3 was probably the longest day. Our next stop was at Inniskillin winery to meet Audrey, who was going to give George an ice wine tasting paired with different cheeses. What can I say? it’s a tough gig. We also finally got to see how the grapes are picked, which was interesting and a tedious process to say the least. After a couple glasses of ice wine later we were headed to Osoyoos to check in at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort and Spa. The rooms again were amazing: bedroom, living room, kitchen and balcony. The whole nine yards. George on the other hand was a bit more lucky and got a one bedroom villa. With a hot tub on his balcony. Chris and I were a little bit on the jealous side. After taking quick naps we went next door to Nk’Mip cellars. It’s pronounced IN-KA-MEEP, it took a while to learn how to say it. It was the fire and ice event, which is basically five different vineyards showcasing their best wine and best foods to pair the wines with. Different booths were set up and the food was prepared by VINCOR’s executive chef Roger so you know it was amazing. My favourite part was the entertainment: fire dancers “Mythmaker” performed and amazing mellow music. I even had the chance to dance with a hula hoop that was engulfed in flames: ok maybe I begged a little but I did it. A burnt sleeve later and a couple more glasses of wine our night was over. We would wake up and sadly it would be our last full day in the Okanagan.

DAY 4

Day 4 would be the last day I would wake up to a beautiful view that I coulnd’t get tired of. We got a tour of the Resort with GM Mohamed and we ended the interview on the rooftop, which gave us even better views of the vineyard. Next we got a private wine tasting at Nk’Mip cellars. A wonderful view, 15 glasses of wine = three happy HG employees. Our day ended with getting a wonderful lunch courtesy of Passatempo restaurant and GM Peter Barclay. I got the Kale burger, I knew it was a veggie burger but I didn’t really know what was in it. All I knew was that it would fantastic and there was nothing left on my plate. Like my mother always said eat what’s in front of you.

So that was my trip to the Okanagan Valley with The Hospitality Guide. Like I said I learned a lot. Canada is absolutely beautiful; I really didn’t know a place like this existed in our own country. Make sure to put Kelowna on your to do list (I think I got that line from George). Oh before I forget we have to thank the guy who made this all possible Miles Prodan from the tourism board. Without him none of this would have been possible so thank you for an amazing trip and the cookies/wine we all received upon arrival!

Stay tuned for the Okanagan Valley episode coming soon to a television set near you. You get to see George shoot a gun, taste some wine and we actually found Ogopogo. He’s the Lochness monster of Kelowna.

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 Hej mitt namn är Lisa, och du läser den bästa bloggen i stan! 

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Stockholm, where urban meets rural. As you walk through the heart of downtown Stockholm, full of stunning architecture, museums, cafes and shopping, you are also surrounded by the beautiful, crisp, clear waters of the Baltic Sea -water so clean that you can drink from it, swim in it, fish in it and bathe in it from no matter where it flows.  Much like everywhere in Europe, no matter where you snap a photograph, the shot always turns out to be award-winning.  This city is architecturally blessed with some of the oldest buildings in Europe and some of the most modern structures to date. Sweden known for their creativity -whether it’s in their designs; (IKEA is actually considered cheap rather than trendy for most Swedes) their delicious meals; (believe it or not meatballs are a very popular dish in Sweden!) and even in the laws of society; (’All Man’s Right’ - All non-military property that is not fenced in, or is not a farm or someone’s personal garden is open to anyone for hiking through or camping for one night.) On that note, I get vexed if the mailman walks across my lawn, let alone letting him crash in my backyard! 

That just proves the European mentality vs. a North American one.

One thing that Toronto really needs to invest in…an Ice Bar. Actually, the city absolutely needs an Absolut Ice Bar - sorry, had to do it.  This bar is the first permanent ice bar in the world, at minus 5 degrees all year ’round, could you say this is the ‘coolest’ bar on the planet…? - Hello, my name is Cheese.  Still, it is a pretty amazing concept - where everything is made out of ice; from the seats, to the actual bar, to the walls and with your disposible ice glass your drinks are sure to be chillin’ - just drink one Absolut Vodka Martini and it’s enough to help you defrost! The average person stays no longer than 20 minutes, well, I’m proud to report that the HG team (minus myself, I whimped out) lasted a whopping hour and a half! That’s 45 minutes longer than what Pierce Brosnan lasted when he was in Stockholm’s Ice bar! Go Team! - again, minus myself. Clearly, I did not have enough drinks to keep me from my frost bite. 

After all my experiences in Stockholm, I must admit that the image that stuck into my head the most  was simply my view from the plane upon landing. Within minutes of descent, the clouds parted, the smog dissipated and the sun beamed down onto the blue of the sea and the green of Sweden’s Archipelago, it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the vibrant colours.  Soon, I was going to be a part of this land, this culture. It was so picturesque. I felt as though we were flying right into the heart of a history lesson. 

Ah, Europe.