favourite thing # 17 : Holding hands while driving.

My morning. Thanks baby xoxo (Taken with instagram)

My phone wallpaper. Taylor inspired. #boyfriend #chasingjacs (Taken with instagram)

So my boyfriend and I are FoodNetwork junkies. We come from a heavy food influenced backround and crave new ways to enjoy old favourites. We have made it a regular to watch “You Gotta Eat Here!” on FoodNetwork Canada and at the risk of divulging our secret, we follow the local eateries! 

Enter Hadleys. This restaurant was featured on Friday for their in house smoker and fine quality food without having to tear out your purse strings! They are located on Dufferin Grove in Little Portugal. I have a good familiarity with the area so Taylor and I decided to pop in for a bite!

We got to the restaurant only to find that they open at 5pm for dinner! Luckily it was only 4:30 so we had some time to sneak into The Caledonia for a couple of Creemore half-pints. With a grumbling belly and a small buzz (I’m sorry but despite it’s deliciousness, beer does not sit well with me!), we found our way back to Hadleys.

Once there, we got a table and watched the place fill up like a jug of water. As sour as le boyfriend was about arriving too early, he was quickly thankful we weren’t on time. 

The wait staff and owners were lovely people with general gusto for their profession and dive but to our dismay, it was a horrid ONE HOUR before receiving our food. Most of the people in there were sent by the same show that fueled our interest so I don’t think Miss Hadley was prepared for such a huge crowd but calling a spade a spade, my food was sub par.

I started with the hush puppies that locals have been swearing by only to discover that their uniquely wonderful taste was drenched in salt. I only ate the insides.  My entree was their pulled pork sandwich and coleslaw which would have been spectacular if it hadn’t been sitting on the counter for an hour. By the time it reached my table, the once toasted bread had gone soggy and the pork had set itself into an uneditable chill. The only steaming food I had was my side of fries which I didn’t have the luxury of enjoying because the flavor was hidden by, you guessed it, more salt! Taylor had a half rack of ribs, Goddess Salad and their prized Mac’n’Cheese. While the salad had gone a bit brown and soggy, it was the only thing he ate. The acclaimed ribs fell short when the bark of his food turned into a rubbery jerky. Again, this is the product of the food having been set aside for so long. The meat itself had gone dry and that seasoned rub had disappeared into a cold mush on top of his dish. The Mac’n’Cheese wasn’t the greatest. I don’t think it had much to do with they way they cooked it but we discovered that Emmental cheese wasn’t our favourite. 

Having spent an hour and half waiting for food and 15 minutes hating it, we decided to leave. We let Hadley know of our disappointments and she sweetly offered to pay our bill. There was no doubt that the people who work and own this restaurant are genuine and passionate people but my experience here prompts me to “Not Have To Eat Here”. The reviews of Hadley’s have been spectacular and I don’t doubt on a regular day they serve up fine food but last night was terrible. The boyfriend and I plan to revisit in a year’s time and hopefully by then, they would have hired another server and learned how to deal with massive crowds without compromising their food.

My boyfriend’s trying to sleep but I’m annoying him. I’m such a brat.

My valentine’s gifts & myself getting gussied up for our dinner. I will do a full on post either tonight or tomorrow. I know, please bare with me. :)

THURSFRISATSUN ;

The boyfriend and I had a lengthy visit this week. Four glorious days of being a normal couple, doing normal things that feel like we’re the only one’s who do it. I know my photoset isn’t exactly the most ideal but on days when I see my baby, we hardly take pictures. I tend to forget or get to wrapped up. I did manage to snap a few rando shots which include our dinner makings, our grease ball deli food and Hudson, the wonderlab. I can never really express how extraordinary my weekends with Taylor are through pictures or words, but for the lack of trying, I will say that the feeling when we’re together is like an on-going and constant excitement that runs right through me. I feel like I’m spinning and dreaming at the same time. In any case, our weekend was perfection. The events I failed to capture in jpeg are our movie night in Orangeville watching The Grey, Jshore night, Our makeshift theatre in my living room, checkin out my new apartment, rando Erin moments and all the gushy stuff in between. I love him, obviously. I can’t wait for next week!

GPOY

(Source: youjustinspiredme)

Rebel Emergency.

They played in Erin! I really like this song. I would totally summer jam to this in my car. Thanks baby for the new ear candy.

Wander Far Away