Luxe & Loaded

Category: Food

  • The Best Hot Chocolate I’ve Ever Had

    The Best Hot Chocolate I’ve Ever Had

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    We’re coming up on old man winter, but every coffee chain in town has already released their annual holiday drink menu.

    Now, I’m not really a tea or coffee drinker – though I will admit, I lived on 1 euro cappuccinos in Tivoli… but vacations don’t count! And so my go to hot beverage is hot chocolate. After falling in love with the frozen mint hot chocolates from Serendipity 3 in NYC, I’ve been on the hunt for a truly delicious and tummy warming experience.

    And I think I found my new favourite spot.

    And it’s only an 8 hour plane ride from home – lucky me!

    While in Venice earlier this year, we made our way to Piazza San Marco and decided to treat ourselves on our final night there – and let me tell you it was totally worth it! Caffé Florian was a place I had always walked by, but never paid attention to for fear of tourist prices. Because everyone knows things are more expensive at main attractions. And since this café has been around since 1720 and offers a front row seat to Saint Mark’s Cathedral, I wasn’t expecting anything reasonable. Then after stopping to take a look at their display menu and seeing hot chocolates for 10 – 12.50 euros, we thought – ‘why the heck not?’

    So we returned in the evening and were seated in a room of complete opulence.

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    I love world history and there’s always something that leaves me in awe, knowing and wondering who could have sat in the exact same spot as me, some time, hundreds of years ago. Thinking about the conversations or realizations various people had in this very seat. And going through the photos of Caffé Florian, more recently, it could have been anyone from Charlie Chaplin to Andy Warhol, to Ernest Hemingway and Claude Monet, sitting where my own bum sat, drinking this delicious hot chocolate.

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    At the end of any trip, I’m always left with that feeling of not wanting to go home and get back to my daily reality and routine, but this was the perfect way to end the night. Sitting in Caffé Florian, listening to the live classical music, taking a sip of my hot chocolate with my fiancé by my side. Perfetto.

    And then the bill came and you forget that most places charge a sit down fee. So being there in the evening with the live music, plus hot chocolate for 4 people, now turns into just over 71 euros… which is converted to about $110 CAD.

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    Again, totally worth it.


    Would I go back? Of course! I got a mint hot chocolate which was perfectly layered into liquid chocolate with mint cream and chocolate shavings. At first glance, the glass looked extremely small for 12.50 euros, but coming from North America we’re used to bigger sizes. So I thought I was going to be disappointed and unsatisfied, but in the end it was the perfect amount for me to drink. I didn’t want any more, and I didn’t want any less.

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    And not only was the hot chocolate delicious on its own, but the whole experience together with the atmosphere was truly priceless, and is now added to my happy memories.

    Counting down the days until I can visit again.

    xo

    Stephanie

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  • Queen Margherita Pizza

    Queen Margherita Pizza

    I love me some pizza.

    Not as much as I do gelato, but I love pizza. And unfortunately, my tastebuds have been a little spoiled because coming from an Italian background, I’ve had the privilege of visiting Italy and eating all the pizza my belly can handle.

    So, every now and then, I get a craving for authenticity that needs attending to. Especially since I recently returned from a trip to Italy. Sadly, I’m not yet rich enough to fly across the world at the drop of a dime, every time I please. So I have been on the hunt to find a delicious stone oven pizza place here in the GTA. And luckily, earlier this year I came across this gem, Queen Margherita Pizza.

    Queen Margherita Pizza in Leslieville
    All you need is pizza! ❤

    Initially, I wanted to find a place that is comparable to the ones in Italy. I was looking for something authentic and true to taste. However, after being disappointed numerous times, I knew I was going about it all wrong.
    I learned not to compare the taste of pizza here to the pizza in Italy. Unless every single ingredient is imported, it’s never going to taste the same. And I’ve accepted that. Even pizza in Italy tastes different every region you go, from north to south. So it was a totally unreasonable goal.

    I then decided to simplify.
    Find a place that makes good tasting stone oven pizza.
    Basic. And as I do with many new Instagram discoveries, I mention it to bae until he finally caves and takes me.

    With Queen Margherita having three locations, we went to the one closest to the east, on Queen Street in Leslieville. We dined on a weekday afternoon to avoid crowds and, upon first sight, it looked like a pub. As you first step in, it’s a little small as there is only a bar, a staircase and a few tables. I was surprised, but didn’t want to jump to any conclusions or go in closed minded because I was there to eat pizza. So if I can grab a slice of 99cents pizza on a busy street corner in Manhattan with no tables, I can eat in the little corners of this restaurant.

    Queen Margherita Pizza interior
    Queen Margherita Pizza interior

    After being greeted, we were then lead upstairs to our table and I was impressed when I saw a cool, loft style, open concept restaurant. It was complete with wooden benches, chairs & tables, a white painted brick wall and unfinished flooring. The factory style windows allowed for all the natural lighting to come in, which I love. Most importantly though, the food was delicious.

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    *Appetizers: (L) Eggplant, (R) Grilled Kale Salad
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    *Pizza: (L) Gio Oldschool, (R) Cinque Stagione

    The portions were good and they have some interesting options for toppings, including kale and sunflower seeds. We got 2 appetizers and 2 pizzas between the both of us. The apps we devoured. We got a grilled kale salad which was so good. We’ve never had anything like it. It had this slight smokey taste and mixed with the cheese was absolutely scrumptious.
    With that, I had high expectations for the pizza and they did not disappoint. We chose one white and one red sauce so we could try both styles. Topped with a glass of Brio, the pizza was super tasty and very filling. We even had enough leftovers to make a whole pie, which we took to go. I was hoping there would be a pesto option because that’s alway a favourite of mine, but maybe on a future menu.

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    In the end, I was very excited to come across Queen Margherita Pizza. The pizza tastes just as delicious as the photos look. (I’m drooling right now as I scroll their feed... And cue hunger).

    This pizzeria is for sure a go to, if I’m ever craving thin crust, Italian style pizza. I’m due for a visit, since I haven’t had pizza in almost a month. So I definitely recommend you go check them out too!

    xo
    Stephanie

     

    *Note: I visited Queen Margherita back in February 2017. Their online menu is slightly different so some items may no longer be available to order… which sucks if the grilled kale salad is gone. It was delicious!