The Fifth Blogiversary Roundup: Five Top-5 Lists

 

Five years ago I was lost. Adam and I had just moved to Halifax while he went to law school, and I had no job, no friends, and no direction.

Deep down I had always wanted to write and I shyly started The Food Girl in Town as a hobby, to secretly pursue a dream I’d pushed down because I thought I wasn’t good enough to be a “real writer.” The blog was something to occupy my time (and my stomach).

So I ate my way through the city.

Five years ago I had no idea where my blog would take me. I’ve made BFF (best food friends), attended amazing events and even went to journalism school to pursue writing as a career path because of my blog. Now I work full-time as a freelance writer, somehow people pay me to stay in hotels, and think about all the cheese I’ve eaten! All because of The Food Girl in Town.

I found my voice on The Food Girl in Town. It may be muffled by mouthfuls of food on a regular basis, but it’s here.

To commemorate five life-changing-mouth-watering years of travelling to eat, here are five top-five lists of all the awesomeness that is The Food Girl in Town.

Collage 5th Anniversary

Top 5 Restaurants

Alo | Toronto, Ontario

Arguably the best restaurant in Canada, the experience we had at this restaurant was like none other. They let you choose your napkin colour for god’s sakes.

Dinner at Alo | Toronto

Tratorria del Tribunale | Parma, Italy

Eating parmigianno reggiano and prosciutto in the town where they were invented made for the lunch of a lifetime (the cold bottle of Lambrusco wasn’t bad either).

Lunch at Tratorria del Tribunale | Parma

L’Eden | Houlgate, France

Dinner at this Michelin guide restaurant was unforgettably stinky in the best kind of way: The cheese plate will go down in history.

LEden Houlgate France

Boca | Chicago, Illinois

Where Adam and I popped our Michelin cherry. From the Motown to the impeccable desserts, this place rocked!

Eating for 72 Hours in Chicago (in the winter)

Edulis | Toronto, Ontario

I’ve had not one, but two amazing experiences at this place. We spent one amazing dinner there to celebrate our move to Toronto, and another night two years later to celebrate our elopement. The best restaurant ever.

Top 5 Destinations

Valencia, Spain

Spending the day learning to make paella with my best friends? Yes please.

Why you need to take a cooking class when you travel

Bangkok, Thailand

When you’re best friends got married on in island in Thailand, A LOT of eating in Bangkok was required.

We ate dinner in a Bangkok construction site

Florence, Italy

From the Aperol Spritz to the Renaissance architecture, I fell in love with Florence. Hard. And then sometimes you stumble on one of the best restaurants in Florence without knowing it. And then you eat, and you know it.

Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino | Florence

Salzburg, Austria

One of the most magical cities I’ve ever visited. The hills were alive indeed!

36 Hours in Salzburg

Paris, France

The first time I went to Paris I hated it, the second time I fell in love. Somehow, there isn’t a single blog post about my week there with Adam, and writing this retrospective I’m frankly pretty embarrassed about it. The view from our Airbnb alone made me want to move there.

Airbnb Paris View France

Top 5 Eggs Benny

If you’ve spent any time on The Food Girl in Town, you understand my love for Eggs Benedict. Whenever I go out for brunch, I tell myself I’m going to expand my horizons, and then I order my Eggs Benny. Every. Single. Time.

Tempo Food + Drunk | Halifax, Nova Scotia

They don’t make this type of Eggs Benny anymore, and it’s a travesty.

Brunch at Tempo Food+Drink, Halifax: The history of Eggs Benedict

Hollandaise Diner | Toronto, Ontario

The ultimate place for brunch. Maybe one of my favourite places in the world.

Brunch at Hollandaise Diner | Toronto

The Perfectionist’s Cafe | The Queen’s Terminal at Heathrow, London

Yea, that’s right an airport meal makes the list. This may very will be the best Eggs Benny I’ve ever had. Thick, tangy and rich hollandaise balanced precariously on top of two ridiculously fresh eggs on classic English muffin.

Eggs Benny.The Perfectionists Cafe Heathrow

The Merchant Tavern | St. John’s, Newfoundland

The BEST hollandaise. Hands down.

Brunch at The Merchant Tavern | St. John’s

Le Petit Dejeuner | Toronto, Ontario

The best Eggs Benny combined with the best Belgian waffles makes for a regular occurence in my life. We ate here a lot, inlcuding our wedding day.

Le Petit Déjeuner | Toronto

Top 5 Hotels

Angeline’s Inn | Bloomfield, Ontario

48 Hours in Prince Edward County

Hotel Sidorme Madrid Fuencarral | Madrid, Spain

Hotel Sidorme Madrid Fuencarral 52 | Madrid

Chicago Athletic Association | Chicago

Once an old boy’s club, now a trendy hotel. Our stay included breakfast poutine in bed, and an afternoon of cocktails in the games room.

Chicago Athletic Association Games Room

Casa Gracia | Barcelona, Spain

The best kind of poshtel in the amazing Gracia neighbourhood.

Casa Gracia Barcelona

Bold Hotel | Munich, Germany

BOLD Hotel | Munich

Top 5 Blog Posts

My favourite blog posts I’ve written.

Carmen’s Capers Recipe

carmen’s capers (with no capers) casserole recipe

Nova Scotia Peaches

Probably one of my favourite things I’ve ever written in collaboration with my BFF (best food friend) Kelly.

In Search of Nova Scotia Peaches

The history of Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara: the history and recipe for two

Market Day in Egirdir, Turkey

This post symobolizes the three years I’ve spent in Turkey and all the things I love about that country.

Market day in Eğirdir | Turkey

How to pack for carry-on

My obsession for travelling carry-on has found it’s way onto The Food Girl in Town.

How to Pack a Carry-on for a 10-day Trip Home for Christmas



11 thoughts on “The Fifth Blogiversary Roundup: Five Top-5 Lists”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.