I heart County General

I love my neighbourhood in Toronto! I’m surrounded by awesome cafes, shops, bars, restaurants…However, I tend to be a creature of habit – when I find something I love, I become obsessed. I have been frequenting the County General, a fairly new restaurant in the neighbourhood, located on the Northeast corner of Queen and Shaw.

I absolutely adore the restaurant’s atmosphere – intimate, comfortable, and warm. The decor reminds me of a beautiful country home that you would never want to leave…and the music…THE MUSIC! Nothing but rock n’ roll, bluegrass, and motown – basically, everything I listen to.

They offer a wonderful selection of hearty sandwiches and other treats during their lunch hours, a mouthwatering dinner menu, brunch on the weekends, in-house made desserts (their pie is to die for) AND an incredible selection of cocktails! The food is not overly ambitious or experimental, but they add new twists to home-cooked meals that mom could have made (if your mom was Martha Stewart). County General’s menu is well-priced with the perfect portions. My recent favourite was the “Verga” grilled cheese sandwich with rosemary and pear – delicious! What I love most about the County General (aside from the food) – the staff!!! It is apparent they strive to create a community oriented establishment. My only complaint? It’s gotten so popular that it’s sometimes hard to get a table! haha.

You wanna go out for brunch? Lunch? Dinner? Guess where I’m taking you…

Liam and my best friend, Carlene, at the County General for brunch.

It’s always warmer in the Bahamas…

I just saw the new Bahamas video for Caught Me Thinking and I needed to post it right away. It’s amazing how a concept so simple can still be so effective. HATS HATS HATS! Not only do I love this song…but his new record, Barchords, is incredible too! This video just warms my heart – I hope you like!

She Said…

Living in Toronto has given me the opportunity to meet some fantastic and creative people. My friend Cara is an amazing artist and I am a huge fan of her work! She makes beautiful jewelry that really inspires me. When I first met Cara, her work focused mostly on feather earrings, but her creations have evolved into a wide range of diverse pieces for both men and women.

I love Cara’s work because she has such an amazing eye for detail, colour arrangements and her pieces appeal to so many different people. No matter what your style is, her pieces can pull together any outfit! Cara uses light materials for her earrings so no matter how elaborate the piece is – your ears are happy! For our recent video, Kill Count, Cara made me an incredible feather earring that really completed the outfit! I love love love this earring!

Here is another earring Cara made for me for NXNE last year.

Here is a picture of me and my friend Courtney Lee Yip on the rooftop of the Hyatt hotel during NXNE last year. Both of us are wearing pieces by Cara.

Here are a few of my other favourites…

Cara’s pieces are also available at Melmira Bra and Swimsuits in Yorkville!

When someone writes a song about you…

My dear friend Rajiv from Secret Connection wrote a really catchy tune and named it after me. YEA! So I felt compelled to make a video for the song…!

My amp is bigger than your amp…

Bit of a nerd moment…

Back in the summer I got a new amp. A blonde and oxblood Fender Supersonic-100 head with two 4x12s!!! Pretty crazy huh??!!!! It's even taller than me…and taller than Steve's amp!

Easy Brunch!

I got an intense craving for crepes the other day. I was feeling a little more creative than usual and ended up making a delicious brunch that was pretty quick and easy! Cinnamon and dark chocolate crepes, whiskey fried potatoes and shallots, arugula salad with goat cheese and blueberry jam.

I tend to make things up as I go, but I used a very basic crepe recipe that my mom used to use when I was a kid…

1 cup of all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of water*

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of melted butter.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water while continuing to stir. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan (I used an ungreased cast-iron pan) on medium heat. Pour batter onto the pan/griddle, using approximatelt 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so the batter coats the surface evenly.

3. Cook the crepe for about 1-2 minutes per side.

*Instead of using regular milk, I used pure dark chocolate milk. It made the crepes so thick and creamy tasting.

*I also added about half a teaspoon of cinnamon in the batter for extra flavour then topped the crepes with fresh whipping cream!

I was recently in Collingwood, Ontario playing a show at the Casbah and the owner knew how much we like whiskey. As a gift, he gave us a bottle of Collingwood blended whiskey. I poured about an ounce of whiskey into the pan while the potatoes were frying. The whiskey really brought out a sweet almost caramelized flavour. I’m really happy with how this meal turned out! So yummy!

The reason why I don’t go to Subway…

THAT’S WHY!

I made a triple layered pumpernickel bread sandwich with hickory smoked maple bacon, garlic and herbs de provence cream cheese, whole grain dijon mustard, honey, smoked turkey breast, capicola sausage, lettuce, and cucumbers.

NOM NOM NOM.