Chefs Cory Vitiello & Curt Martin; The Harbord Room Restaurant & Bar

So after a long week of stressful events, a girlfriend of mine and I decided to head up to the Annex for some Friday night restorative yoga. Fortunately, once we met up, all we wanted to do was talk, drink, eat, and catch up so we decided to skip the "om" and headed to Harbord Street. After a brief discussion on where to park ourselves, I remembered a lovely little spot that I use to go to when I worked at Splendido. Oh yes....The Harbord Room. I hadn't been there for about 2 years and what a shame. I always liked the Harbord Room but now it is even BETTER than it used to be. The Menu is amazing. It is built for living a healthy lifestyle without having to compromise on taste. From cocktails down to side dishes, everything is wholesome and health conscious. It is so nice to look at a menu and not have to modify anything! Wow...dream come true! So first I will tell you what I ate....then I will tell you of some of the extra bonuses of the menu.

1. Hand cut fries with sea salt, thyme, served with house catsup - FYI that's home made ketchup - and house aioli; both delicious of course. Fries are my "cheat" food so they have to be amazing or I feel like it’s a waste.

2. Risotto with sweet corn, roasted tomatoes, pickled honey enoki mushrooms, toasted hazelnuts, and fresh SHEEP'S milk cheese. There was a hint of sage in the risotto as well which made it extra fresh tasting. This was a beautiful vegetarian dish. Sheep’s milk which is the only kind of milk I consume was so delicate it added richness to the dish without making you feel completely stuffed- like most risottos do. It was so nice to be able to have sheep’s milk other than Manchego at a restaurant. A great source of complete protein, local vegetables and 2 happy girls!

3. Braised swiss chard with roasted squash, and pine nuts. Savory and sweet...not too oily and packed full of fiber, minerals and vitamins! How can you go wrong?

These 3 dishes were enough for the two of us to share. I was completely satisfied by the end of my meal.

So on to a few interesting topics...

• The Harbord room promotes OCEAN WISE. www.oceanwisecanada.org
• The Harbord room also uses agave nectar in some of their cocktails. I really enjoyed the Tequila Maggy! It’s made with lemon, basil, agave syrup and tequila. If you are borderline Type 2 diabetic, this would be a better choice for you if you wish to have a cocktail. It's just nice to know that there are options out there these days!
• There are many vegetarian options that the chef can accommodate as well. All you have to do is inquire. It says it right on the menu!

At this point, I am not sure if any of their ingredients are organic and I am not sure if they have gluten free substitutes in house but I am going to make a solid effort to return in the near future to actually meet the chefs and have an intelligent discussion with them about food, cuisine, health and wellness!