At Home with Kim Vallee

DINING, EATING out | November 3, 2009

Tea Service at Windsor Arms Hotel

I went to Toronto for two days last week to research stories for my blog, to attend a social media event and to meet people. One thing on my list was having a formal tea service. When I saw that Windsor Arms starts serving their tea service at 1 pm, I jumped at the occasion. Some [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | September 26, 2009

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Harney & Sons Teas in a Tin

Amongst the tea brands that are served in restaurants around Montreal is the American brand Harney & Sons. I often drink their Supreme Earl Grey and the Dragon Pearl Jasmine. Their production facility is located in Upstate New York. Since 2006, they are a member of 1% For The Planet. + Photo by Kim Vallee taken [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | September 26, 2009

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A bias on serving coffee vs tea in restaurants

Why it is so hard to find a restaurant that serves tea in style? I want my tea served with a porcelain teapot or an iron cast model. It seems that most restaurants skipped the memo about the current tea popularity. PHOTOS by Kim Vallee: + Awesome teapot at Art Java on President Kennedy in Montreal – [...]

ENTERTAINING, PARTY ideas | September 7, 2009

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Decorate Your Tea Party with DIY Cardboard Hats

When I saw this store window yesterday decorated with corrugated cardboard rolls, I grabbed my iPhone to take pictures. This is something that you can reproduce at home. I immediately imagined a twist for the hat making activity that is so popular in Alice in Wonderland theme party. After all, why not set the theme in [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | August 25, 2009

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How to Make the Best Iced Tea

First of all, you need to use loose leaves. No powder and no special machine. All you need to make the perfect iced tea is a glass jar, cold water, possibly a kettle, loose tea leaves, other ingredients to add flavor and garnishes. Chances are that you make iced tea with hot water but I prefer [...]

DINING, TABLEWARE | August 12, 2009

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Handcrafted Coffee and Tea Sets by a.j

I first introduced the work of a.j creation as a gift ideas for last Christmas. a.j is the crafted work of two Montreal-based artists: a ceramist and a glassblower. I am happy for them that more retailers have picked up their wonderful products. Coffee Cups and Saucers The first thing that caught my eyes this morning were [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | July 29, 2009

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Save Time with the Frozen Gourmet Food at Gastronomia

I was invited for a tasting at Gastronomia that are located here in Montreal. Since 1998, they sell to upscale hotels, restaurants, bars and caterers across the United States and Canada.. What’s best is that they now operate a warehouse store open to the public. Most of their products are imported from France. This is high [...]

COOKING tools, DINING | July 27, 2009

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What’s Hot in Teakettles: Color and Water Temperature Gauge

When it comes to kettles, you first have to decide if you are looking for a stove model or an electric model. My preference goes to a classic teakettle that you put on the stove. I own a beautiful Italian design stainless steel whistling kettle. Many friends told me over the years that my kettle looks [...]