I have come to realize that my childhood was simple and easy. Communicating and sharing weren't as easy as just clicking a button. I mean we had no computers, no tablets, no wireless phones and no handheld devices of any kind. If I needed to talk to my friend or show them my findings, I had to either pick up the phone (landline) and call them, walk about 2km to their house or depending on the proximity of their location yell out of my bedroom window! I find that people before technology appreciated the finer things in life but also appreciated communicating, sharing and staying "connected" with one another.
Today, it is totally different. We have all the tools as mentioned above and of course some new ones. I have decided that it was important for myself and for my brand to keep up with the times and stay connected with all of you. I have an established Instagram - @askfordino , Here you will find my daily routines, findings, and exceptional eats. You will also find pictures of my hobbies, lifestyle, and of course my family. Having been an avid photographer for many years and watching the internet shape the photo industry, I have always been skeptical about having my photos on the web for people to steal and call their own. I have finally decided that it was time to share my albums online for the world to see and created a Flickr account - Ask For Dino. I even opened up to the world of Twitter - @ask_for_dino. Twitter is a fun and easy way to share thoughts, quotes, and RT others with all of you. Twitter is a great tool to help me gain exposure and I have linked my Instagram account to it. I was skeptical of doing the whole Facebook thing as I have noticed that not to many people use or talk about Facebook like they use to. Like my brand, I like to be current and up to date with social media and I have decided to start my Google + page instead. Google + is an exciting way to share information, pictures, videos and content across my Google platform. I believe that social media has made it easier to connect, share and interact with all of you. I still look forward to writing my blog and sharing my life experiences on here. I believe like my quote, writing is the key to all information and knowledge, basically thinking. Please continue to share my experiences and make sure to add me to your social media platform. Dino.
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Have you ever had that feeling of wanting to express yourself but can't find the right words? Have you ever had an experience so mind blowing that you still feel it several days later? Has something ever left you speechless for days? Well my friends let me introduce you to "Greenwood Smokehouse - BBQ Done Right". The BBQ experience that will leave you mesmerized and in a food coma! I'm going to give you a little background on how I was introduced to this place. Since about late July I've been craving really good BBQ. A BBQ that leaves you satisfied, aroused and jumping for joy. I'm talking about a BBQ that is finger licking good, mouth covered in sauce and sticky goodness no napkin could clean. I started my usual search "BBQ", "BBQ Toronto", "BBQ Montreal", "Smokehouse", "Smoked ribs and brisket". Each one of my searches lead me to the same place - Greenwood Smokehouse! After looking at my watch and noticing it was already 9:30pm on a Thursday evening, I quickly decided to get in my car. Greenwood Smokehouse is located on the Danforth beside Pape subway station. It will be the only restaurant with an R2D2 BBQ waiting to great you. Upon entering Greenwood Smokehouse reminds me of my favourite backyard. It was packed with people, smoker on high and alcohol flowing like water! Oh wait, they serve water in empty alcohol bottles... Everyone seemed to be having fun and enjoying the endless amount of meat coming off the BBQ. Greenwood reminds me of the mob, people dressed in black, everyone knows their role and the customers leave happy. It doesn't take more then a couple of seconds before the aroma attaches itself to you. Like a luxury parfumerie in France, Greenwood Smokehouse is mixing the best ingredients for their special creations. Your mouth quickly waters, your hands and fingers become loose and you loosen/unbuckle your pant button. They offer inside and outside seating both with spectacular views of the smoker/BBQ and of course the succulent meat! I was skeptical about just how good their meat selection would be. After all, I've been told my pulled pork, ribs, and prime rib roast are to die for *thank you, thank you!*. After a quick look at their menu and noticing staples like pulled pork, ribs, brisket and wings, I quickly made up my mind and ordered their medium plater. The platter was nothing less the spectacular. Ribs, pulled pork, brisket, wings and two pints aka sides. They offer a small, medium and large platter each offering a larger portion than the other. The ribs were absolutely phenomenal, beautifully smoked and just the right amount of bark. Meaty, juicy and fall off the bone, these were amongst the best ribs I've ever had, and yes they covered each of my fingers with that oh so beautiful sauce. The pulled pork was on another level, no I really mean that. Beautifully tender and shredded with ease. It was so tender that it kept pulling when I grabbed it with my fork. Their house made Carolina mustard spread was just the perfect combination to tie everything together. That beautiful smokiness and with the tang from the mustard, it was a match made in heaven. The brisket, let me tell you about the brisket! The Memphis BBQ sauce and the caramelized onions were just so soft, so tender, so mouth watering that it left the biggest smile on my face. It was like I was five again and saw the ice cream truck turning the corner of my street. I had to pace myself and make sure I saved some real estate for the wings. These wings were different, they had a beautiful glow to them. Smoked goodness, with just the right amount of seasoning. Juicy and tender these chicken wings could do battle with the best in the business, and win of course! These guys aren't kidding around! Now for our sides, I opted to get the hand cut fries and double smoked beans. Oh BABY! These beans just meshed everything together. Take a bite of ribs followed by a spoonful of beans. Take a nice helping of pulled pork and mix it with beans. The sauce was thick and solid with just the right amount of jiggle, I mean it was double smoked! This was the best BBQ/Smoked food I've had in a very long time. My experience was so overwhelming that I entrusted Greenwood Smokehouse with an important dinner party of mine. One of my good friends, let me call her A and her good friend, let me call him Lin had made arrangements to come over to my condo Friday night for some of my Famous pulled pork. Guys I'm really not kidding, I have to take orders for this stuff, its so good! I mean Lin came all the way from Romania just to get a sample. After realizing that I wouldn't have my customary 10 hours of slow and low cooking time available I made some phone calls, pulled some strings, made some DM Instagrams, and even made a drive by. Greenwood Smokehouse was my right hand man, other wise known as my Consigliere for the evening. I ordered brisket and pulled pork and a box of hush puppies - gold brown balls of goodness. Instead of worrying about the party, my only concern was doing take out. I have been to restaurants before and well their dine in options are rock solid they offer sub-par take-out. Usually the big failure is the packaging. Many people use the conventional styrofoam containers and measly decorated parchment paper. To me these things are mini saunas! The meat came packaged in what I believe to be high quality plastic containers. You know those plastic ones you get when you're at the grocery store selecting olives and other antipasto? These ones are twice as thick and have a secure lid that locks everything in place. No air gets in or out and it creates what I like to call an aroma seal. These guys mean business. The hush puppies were my only concern now. I didn't see them go into the bag, which was paper! Who uses plastic, like really, those flimsy, stretchy, thin, and always torn and beat up from simple usage, bags. Greenwood uses quality paper bags, brown paper bags at that. Oh, the hush puppies, right, they were done right. A beautiful thick paper container, foil paper to keep the heat in and little vents from the cover to allow excess steam out. So simple yet GENIUS! I was very impressed with the take-out preparations. This only helped solidify my choice in Greenwood as my Consigliere. The food made the trip home, still hot, still warm, still with all the juices and of course that beautiful aroma. After a little "Yard Work" A and Lin were finally able to enjoy my beautiful creation. I was undecided on how to serve our food. I had major doubts about the bun, after all the bun is like home. It helps hold everything and everyone together. I ended up selecting an egg brioche bun with two layers of meat (bottom layer pulled pork and mustard spread / top layer brisket with Memphis BBQ sauce) which were divided by a beautifully thick slice of real Canadian aged cheddar cheese topped with a golden brown hush puppy! As per usual it was a great hit with both A and Lin. After telling them that this was not prepared by me *Sigh* and informing them on my little secret, it only helped cement Greenwood Smokehouse a spot in my Black Book. To many more "Meat-ings" and most of all that oh so important "Yard Work", Greenwood Smokehouse is not only about great food, but creating a beautiful dinner party fit for any king. Looking forward to coming back and hopefully seeing the "Dino Special" on their menu... "Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!" - Dom Pérignon Dino. Sometimes you just need to break all the rules and take a minute for yourself. You need to pull the plug, unwind from your daily routine and just relax in pure bliss. There are very few places within the world where I can actually say that time stops and literally stands still. Of course there would be the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, Italy or maybe that Super Yacht sailing the French Riviera. But no, I am talking about the one and only, The Ritz-Carlton. To me, The Ritz Carlton is like that special edition Ferrari, very exclusive and that only a select few will experience. Everything about the Ritz-Carlton screams luxury. They spare no expense and absolutely strive for excellence on every level. They treat every customer on equal grounds and make sure everyone gets to experience the luxury that is the Ritz-Carlton. I have had the luxury of spending multiple nights at different Ritz-Carlton locations around the world. Each property has their own characteristics and uniqueness. Each property embraces their culture, heritage and mystique. My favourite to date would have to be the Montreal Ritz-Carlton. Although the Paris, France location "Ritz-Paris" has been under massive and extensive renovations for the past two-three years they have finally opened reservations for mid 2016. The Ritz-Carlton chain of Hotels is among the best in the world. To some, they're the bench mark of luxury, customer service, dedication and uniqueness. They excel at making your trip, scratch that... your accommodation, one of a kind. At each and every stay, The Ritz-Carlton has gone above and beyond all of my expectations. A few examples of this, would be my annual stay in Montreal. The Ritz-Carlton hosted the Red Bull Infinity Team Party and gave us exclusive access. They also held the exclusive Bugatti Family event! On each stay they upgraded our room to a corner unit, top floor and every evening left wonderful French macaroons. What an experience it was! Another example, was right here in Toronto. On my anniversary weekend, The Ritz-Carlton surprised both my wife and I with spa dates, two lovely bottles of Clicquot Champagne and the most exquisite maple shortbread cookies ever! The Ritz-Carlton to me is like an extension of my home. No matter where I end up, the Ritz-Carlton has me covered. I can't wait to book my Paris vacation and finally enjoy the forbidden fruit and take in the air of The Avenue des Champs-Élysées. "A worldwide symbol for the finest in accommodations and service." - The Ritz-Carlton Dino. |
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