Mitzie's Jerk - The Homestyle Eatery Next Door

This week for Small Business Saturday, I picked one of my favorite small delicious eateries called Mitzie's Jerk.

It's a Caribbean restaurant in Etobicoke offering roti, jerk chicken and pork, oxtail, curry goat and more. They also offer catering services at very affordable rates. Very homestyle and very personalized too!

I've met Mitzie a couple of times and always enjoy chatting with her - she's definitely created an environment that makes it feel like a friend is making you lunch :).

I love Mitzie's Jerk!

Psst! Remember to join them on their Facebook Page!

Mitzie`s Jerk 
3337 Bloor Street West (@Islington)
647-345-0077
www.mitziesjerk.com
"Like" their Facebook Page

Follow @tinasheonline

re:cap

As always, I was doing my daily read on Toronto Life and came across this piece on Where to Get Good Stuff Cheap 2012. 

Burger Bar’s Brock Shepherd, a craft beer devotee, designed these ingenious, colourful silicone rubber caps. Good for keeping your half-finished brew fresh, or for preventing you from mixing up your PBR with someone else’s. 


Good Egg
267 Augusta Ave.,
Toronto,Canada
416-593-4663


♥ @tinasheonline

Esther's Cleaning - Personalized, Quality & Très Affordable,

So this week I decided to profile Esther’s Cleaning for Small Business Saturday.

For those who hate cleaning this is best thing ever! This cute boutique cleaning company has very personalized, high quality, affordable and definitely reliable cleaning services for both home and office needs.

Esther Guzha founded the company in 2006 after realizing that she can in fact combine her passion for creating clean livable spaces with providing a much appreciated service to homes and offices across the GTA.

They guarantee a strong work ethic with a personable nature that allow them to provide excellent residential and commercial cleaning services. I tried them and definitely recommend them!

Pssst. They even have gift cards so you can even get one or two for someone.

Visit their new website at www.estherscleaning.com and "like" them on Facebook.

Canopy Blue - Your Ultimate Walk-in Closet!

Canopy Blue opened their doors in August of 2008 and has become a mecca of style for trendsetting women of all ages. This hidden gem offers fashion savvy customers, a well edited selection of today’s top contemporary and designer brands and emerging collections. You will find everything from tees and denim to cocktail dresses and black tie attire hence - Canopy Blue is the ultimate walk in closet.

It's owners Nicole Bitove and Candice Ilton bring you an unparalleled shopping experience. From the laid back L.A feel of the boutique, to their stylist that serve as wardrobe builders, they aim to provide the best in customer service.

Located in Wall to wall, you will find recognizable brands like Smythe, A.L.C, Herve Leger, Haute Hippie, Missoni, JBrand, etc to serve the fashionista needing the latest trend, to the yummy mommy needing cute carpool attire, to dinner with the girls, date night, event attire and charity luncheons.

Canopy Blue has it all! It is the reason that we have become a favorite among celebrities, fashion stylists and Press in Toronto.

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Visit their website at www.canopyblue.ca for more and check them out on Facebook!

Canopy Blue
2582 Yonge Street (Major intersection Eglington Ave.)
416.483.2583

Small Business Saturday: Arts Market in Leslieville - Toronto's Only Year Round Artisan Market!

In Toronto there are lots of opportunities for artists throughout the summer months at some of our wonderful and diverse festivals, which happen right across the city from the Beaches to The Junction. But what about winter? What happens to the artists? Where do they go to make a living? Also, where can you buy interesting unique hand crafted local gifts from the artists themselves?

The Arts Market is a rare opportunity to see numerous artisans all under one roof. They are giving artists a chance to do something in Toronto that is very difficult; a chance to be a full-time artist and have their own shop.

It's a simple plan: give local artists a chance/place to show their work.

There's no better time than the present to drop in on these talented artists. Plus, you get to hangout in such a trendy neighborhood!

[Psst, did I also mention it's the perfect place to grab all your unique holiday gifts at amazing prices all under one roof?]

Visit the Arts Market in Leslieville and remember to follow them on Twitter @artsmarket and find them on Facebook.


Arts Market1114 Queen Street East (major intersection Pape Ave.)

Small Business Saturday: Corefit Private Personal Training

The holidays are almost here and what better thing to give this holiday than to share the gift of fitness or get it for yourself! We all mean well when we eat that extra cupcake after having a hearty pasta meal, we know we shouldn't. I also know that many of use pack on that extra pound this holiday season so why not cut the guilt this year?

At Corefit, their passion is fitness. They live it, breathe it and sweat it!!! And most of all, they want to share that with YOU!

Corefit is for everyone, from the individual wanting to get in shape to the serious athlete looking to increase their performance. They offer individualized personal training sessions in the Toronto and Mississauga area. You can train in the comfort of your own home or at a private training studio (many locations are available and generally we will have one near you).

Corefit’s founder, Guy Dufour is a bodybuilding and martial arts tournament competitor, with a 1st dan black belt in Karate and a 2nd dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Guy has been training in both weight lifting and martial arts since 1990. He also practices kickboxing, as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been teaching martial arts and personal training since the late ‘90’s. Aside from being uber fit, Guy also has a great sense of humor and is a fantastic conversationalist, meaning he actually makes working out an enjoyable experience.

Visit the Corefit Training website by clicking here.

It's beginning to feel like Christmas!

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I love this time of year! We got our first snowfall today! I'm beginning to feel all Christmassy and so encourage you all to check out one of my favorite holiday displays at The Bay on Queen St. and Yonge St. here in Toronto.

Do you wear your seat belt in a cab?

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So yesterday my mother and I took an undisclosed cab to her doctor's appointment at the Toronto Western Hospital. The cab guy's personality towards us was neutral, i.e neither thrilled nor disappointed to have us as his car-mates.

I get really nervous about cabbing in Toronto because of the speeding and rogue natures of many of my cab experiences here. His driving however was a true Nightmare on King Street:

• He was talking on the phone while driving.
• Rushing through traffic and almost going through reds lights.
• Speeding.

It got me thinking, do people generally wear their seat-belts when you're a the back of a cab? Because I have rarely done so and I'm not sure why not especially given the discomfort I tend to feel in them. 

I hate to say it but I think a huge reason for me is that I've never actually seen someone wearing one in a cab before and it's influenced me to think that's normal, same with a limousine. Also, I'm a bit paranoid about being in a cab alone and getting kidnapped by the driver- I mean how can I escape if my seatbelt is one? They sometimes lock you know :D.

Okay, perhaps that's a dumb reason not to.

Moral of the story: 

1. Wear your seatbelt at ALL times and 
2. You can tell your driver to slow down if you're uncomfortable with the driving - afterall, you are a paying customer you know.

Small Business Saturday: Sweet-Lime Designs

One of my lovelies happens to be one of the coolest people I've ever met AND a talented designer. 

Meet Marjorie Castro of Sweet-Lime Designs, a web designer and front-end developer from Toronto.

Marjorie designs websites under the brand Sweet-lime. She named it Sweet-lime for a couple of reasons, but mostly because she L--♥--V--E--S limes. (Ask her what the other reasons are :)

As a designer, She's worked on various interactive media projects for Canadian and international brands such as Workopolis, Loblaws, Molson Dry, Molson Ex, Coors Light, Fosters, Hotels.ca, Expedia, CTVglobe media, Carling, Dove and more!

Her style has evolved over the years, but at its core, she strives to create designs that are beautiful, clean and intuitive. From brainstorming to execution, She enjoys using the design process to produce memorable interactive experiences for users.

Marjorie loves design in all its shapes and forms, so she soaks up as much as she can on art, fashion, illustration, photography, and DIY projects. For fun, Marjorie likes to play volleyball, rollerblade, dance and travel to explore languages, cultures and music.

Visit her website to view her portfolio, follow her adventures on Twitter @sweetlimeca and remember to LIKE the new Sweet-Lime Facebook fan page.

Hire her for your next design project or just send her note to say hello!

A little taste of Serbia

Bonimi Restaurant

The other day a client of mine took me to this wonderful family owned Serbian style restaurant out in Etobicoke called Bonimi. The food was quite delectable despite the portion sizes being pretty large. Apparently Serbians eat a lot of red meats and pork which for those who know me, I don't so I thought I would be stuck with menu options but was pleasantly surprised.

Shopska Salad ($6.75)

I trusted him to go ahead and order my meal for me and so he ordered their signature Shopska Salad ($6.75) which is filled with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, onion and lotssss of feta cheese. It sound simple doesn't it? But I'm telling you it was delish! The only note I'll make is that if your aren't an onion fan, this salad will probably overwhelm your palate so maybe ask them to cut back. Same goes with the cheese although I hear it's the feta that makes the Shopska :).

I also had the Grilled Chicken Panini ($9.25) and he had the classic Vienna Schnitzel ($10.25) on a home style  bun with cream cheese.

You should check it out, it's just by outside the subway on Bloor Avenue [at Islington Avenue]. Visit their website to check out their menu.

A night out in the Alley!

So when I used to live in the Yonge and Eglington Area, Alleycatz Live Jazz Bar was one of my fave spots to hangout at. It's a bit hidden - I think that's why I like it much.

Alleycatz Live Jazz Bar @Yonge & Eglington

A friend and I decided to head there for a bite so we wound up there.

I had the ORGASMIC PENNE ($17) which is basically roasted chicken, portabello mushroom, asparagus in a pesto cream sauce. He had GIANT LOBSTER RAVIOLI ($20) filled lobster and blue crab, cured tomatoes, asparagus, herbs, roasted garlic butter topped with lobster pieces. Both delicious!

As always, there was a live band performing though I can't seem to remember their name. They did a number of Motown hits and took requests from the patrons.

Delicious meals delivered to your office!

So you know how you're always eating those crappy weekday lunches because you have no time (or are too lazy) to cook? I may have the perfect solution for you - Tiffinday lunches are delicious, good for you and ethically made to be gentle on our planet.


Name: Tiffinday
Type: Food/ Meals Delivery Service
Location: Toronto based Online Business
On the Web: www.tiffinday.com

Description: Tiffinday is founded on the premise that everyone has the right to delicious and nutritious meals, their commitment to environmental responsibility and enriching the community is evident in every facet of the business - from the reusable tiffins for meal delivery, to providing a living to those who face barriers to employment.

The idea is simple: order by 3:00 pm today for delivery at lunch time tomorrow!