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.
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.
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).
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.
Boca | Chicago, Illinois
Where Adam and I popped our Michelin cherry. From the Motown to the impeccable desserts, this place rocked!
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.
Bangkok, Thailand
When you’re best friends got married on in island in Thailand, A LOT of eating in Bangkok was required.
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.
Salzburg, Austria
One of the most magical cities I’ve ever visited. The hills were alive indeed!
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.
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.
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.
The Merchant Tavern | St. John’s, Newfoundland
The BEST hollandaise. Hands down.
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.
Top 5 Hotels
Angeline’s Inn | Bloomfield, Ontario
Hotel Sidorme Madrid Fuencarral | Madrid, Spain
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.
Casa Gracia | Barcelona, Spain
The best kind of poshtel in the amazing Gracia neighbourhood.
Bold Hotel | Munich, Germany
Top 5 Blog Posts
My favourite blog posts I’ve written.
Carmen’s Capers Recipe
Nova Scotia Peaches
Probably one of my favourite things I’ve ever written in collaboration with my BFF (best food friend) Kelly.
The history of Spaghetti Carbonara
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.
How to pack for carry-on
My obsession for travelling carry-on has found it’s way onto The Food Girl in Town.
Happy fifth blogiversary! Here’s to many more years of blogging! 🙂
Thanks Shareba 🙂
Happy 5th Blogiversary! I also celebrated 5 years this year (in June). Like you, my blog has lead to so many amazing opportunities and meeting food friends. The Canadian blogger community is made up of a bunch of really amazing and talented people (especially us food bloggers 😉 😉 ) I love your restaurant bucket list, and reading along with all your foodie adventures! Can’t wait to see what the next 5 years hold!
Thanks Nicole! And congrats to you on your 5th as well! I love all the friends I’ve made through my love of food!!
Happy blogiversary! It sounds like the last 5 years have been very eventful, in the best possible way. Hopefully the next 5 years will be even more amazing than the last… can’t wait to see where else your adventures take you.
(PS: So jelly you landed a table at Alo. I’ve been trying to get in there for moooooonths, but it never seems to work out.)
Thanks Isabelle!! I can’t wait to see where the blog takes me next 🙂 and yes it was not easy getting a table at Alo — we made a reservation 3 months out (the max) and it was after me calling everyday for awhile lol!
Happy Blogiversary!! Wow – 5 years is a huge commitment. It’s so cool to see what your blog has done for you. I only celebrated my 1st year in May and I look forward to the opportunities I will have in the future – your story is inspiring. I get your eggs benny fixation too – I just cannot order anything else! 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words!! Congrats on your first anniversary — making it through that first year can be tough!
Congratulations! Love your photos! BTW, I eloped 35 years ago. Don’t regret a thing.
Thanks so much 🙂 And congrats on your elopement and long marriage!
Lol – thanks!