School's Out for Summer

It's June, which means that the school year is almost done! It also means that this blog will be quiet for the next few months. Thanks again to everyone who has visited our blog. The students really appreciate it. Please feel free to leave comments as well.

Enjoy you summer and see you in September!

Red Robins

The other week I went to Red Robins for dinner because it was my little cousins birthday.  When we arrived we didn't have to wait very long at all and the service was surpirsingly good considering it was a large group of people.  It had a great family dynamic and the resturant was full of energy.  For my meal i had a barbucue chicken wrap with fries on the side it was pretty good food and the portion sizes were really large.  After our meal the staff came and sang happy birthday to him and it made his day.  As a fine dineing resturant it is not the greatest but as a family place where little kids are more then welcome it is great.  I recomend it to all familys with young kids or anyone who is in the mood for a large and very reasonably priced meal.

Onyx Steakhouse Review

Last Saturday my mommy and I went to Onyx Steakhouse and Lounge in Port Moody for dinner. From the beginning our service was fantastic and the food was delicious. I got the 16oz prime rib with garlic "smashed potatoes," and sauted vegetables with a 7up for my beverage. My mommy got the 6oz new york striploin with garlic "smashed potatoes," and broccolini with a diet coke. Both of our meals came quickly and our steaks cooked to the right temperature. Everything about the night, starting with the service, down to the meal, was all around excellent. I would reccomend anyone looking for a steak night out, to try out this restauraunt, it is in a convienient location in the heart of Port Moody. :)

Love it or Hate it?

My first trip to Stephos came at the age of 12. I woke up one summer morning, and my family had planned to go for a trip downtown. My aunt and my sister were debating over a few restaurants at which we should eat at. It was my sisters Idea to go to the small greek taverna on davie street. We decided to try it. After a long walk in stanley park, and some shopping, we drove to Stephos for the first time. My sister had already been there once, and she loved it. Stephos often has line-ups, its a really busy, popular restaurant. 

After waiting for maybe 20 minutes we were seated and I instantly loved the atmosphere, It was so well lit, not very bright, but not too dark either, there aren't really many lights at all, the candles make up most of it. The servers are fun and easy going. A proper Greek Taverna. Greek and middle eastern music (some persian too) songs are always played, and its never a quiet place inside Stephos. One of the reasons why its such a great place to eat.

The atmosphere and spirit inside stephos is only the second best thing about the restaurant. The best thing is the food. Specifically the amount of food you get, for the little amount of money you spend. The entrees are under $10, and the amount of food is more then enough to eat. For that money you get a big plate of rice, stephos's greek potatos, and a greek salad, as well as whatever entree in the dish. Many times we take the food home. For the money, compared to other restaurants, stephos is a great deal. It's well worth the experience. 

 The food itself is very well done. Some question the freshness of stephos, however, I believe much of their food is fresh and tastes great! I always order the 'Kalamaria dinner' which has all the rice potatos and salad except with a mountain of perfectly crisp, deep fried calamari on top, to eat it with. I've tried so much of their menu (just by tasting my familys orders) yet ive also ordered (myself) much of the menu. Having had most of it, I have never had enough of the calamari. Its not so crisp that it makes a crunch, but its not soft or breaded like. You can really taste the calamari, and its perfectly cooked. The worst part about ordering the Kalamaria dinner is running out of the tzatziki sauce, which goes so well with the calamari, its bound to finish before all of the calamari is gone. Im still learning about how to conserve it! If you love calamari, and would rather order it as an appetizer (as it is one) and try another dish, well, I wish you well. As the appetizer has about the same amount of calamari as the dinner, and is only two dollars less. Yes, the appetizer, a small plate of calamari (still stacked tall) costs $7.95, while the dinner, costs only two dollars more at $9.95. 

Stephos is in no way a fancy restaurant, but its not a diner or anything. It's a fun place to be. However, I recognize that Stephos is one of those restaurants were people either love it or hate it. Theres not much in between. Many love the food, many hate the food. I am a lover, I think the foods good quality for a very cheap price, big portions of food, and a great atmosphere. I've rarely had over or undercooked food at Stephos, and I don't think many others have either. The one thing you should take away from this review is this: Go down there, and see if your a lover or a hater! 

That day, at the age of 12, I had walked out of Stephos dieing waiting for the next time I could go. I loved Stephos, and I wanted to go again. We definitely did go again, many times, and I encourage everyone else to give it a go, if you're in the mood for greek, Stephos is the place to go. 

• Atmosphere: 10/10
• Food Quality: 8.5/10
• Value (price):10/10
• Service: 8/10

 (Click this link to get directions!)

Milad D.

Sleepy Foods

As we all know, certain foods will make you sleepy, like after a turkey dinner, you're usually ready for a nap. But why? Researchers have targeted most sleep-inducing foods to have marked amounts of 'tryptophan', an amino acid that increases the production of seritonin and melatonin. So how can we take advantage of these sleepy time foods? Here's six foods that have been proven to help you get those extra Z's.

1) Warm Milk;
While some researchers claim the effect of warm milk is purely psychological, but it does have a minor does of tryptophan (85mg). But cap your night time drink to one cup, too much liquid and you'll be running to the bathroom and waking up in the night.

2)Whole Grain Bread;
While whole grain bread doesn't have much in the way of tryptophan, carbohydrates increase insulin, which clears the bloodstream of amino acids that compete with tryptophan. So eating a piece of whole grain toast (or other whole grain food) will increse how much of tyhe calming amino acid reaches your brain.

3)Peanut Butter;
Tryptophan occurs naturally in almost all foods that contain protein, including peanut butter. Put a little peanut butter on a slice of whole grain bread and wash down with a cup of milk and then...wait. It takes about an hour for the brain to register increased tryptophan levels. So while you wait relax with your regular bedtime routine, having a routine helps signal your brain it's time for sleep.

4)Bananas;
This fruit is filled with tryptophan and natural sugars to naturally boost serotonin production, plus magnesium to keep muscles relaxed. If you suffer from sleep apnea, according to researchers from the University of New England, bananas contain certain compunds that help keep the throat open several hours after eating (brief throat closure is a common symptom of sleep apnea)

5)Eggs;
A single egg contains approximately 180 mg of tryptophan, making scrambled eggs on a slice of whole grain toast a great sleeper hit. When it comes to eggs and other protein-dense foods, always pair with a carb, like whole grain bread. Eaten alone, the many amino acids in proteins work to blunt the effects of tryptophan; adding carbs triggers the rush of insulin that clears the bloodstream of these competing amino acids.

6)Sesame Seeds;

Sprinkle these tryptophan rich sesame seeds and you might get to sleep early tonight. Try this  Thyme and Sesame-Crusted Halibut (pictured below) as fish is also a good bet for tryptophan. Or try tahini (ground sesame seeds) used in place of peanut butter on crackers or toast.

But why does a turkey dinner make us want to sleep until dessert? While tukey does contain tryptophan, you could omit the turkey from your chirstmas dinner and still feel that fatigue after eating. That's because we overeat at big family meals, and when we overeat we overwork our stomach and it takes a lot of energy for our body to digest the food, making us tired.

So if you feel like you aren't getting enough sleep, try some of these sleepy foods. Remember to give yourself an hour or so after eating to get ready for bed. Sleep tight!

My Neighbours, Mega Sushi

Kara L
     As some people may or may not know, I work at the Starbucks at Austin Station. Also at Austin Station is a little sushi restaurant called Mega Sushi.  I have been going there for a few years now, since they opened in their original location, and I have to say it is my new favourite sushi place. The inside is very small with only 3 or four small booths and about 2 tables, but it doesn't feel claustrophobic. The staff is extremely friendly, and I have always found the service to be very fast, unless you happen to have an abnormally large order.
     Now, not only is the food great, and the service great, but these guys know me by face (which is a little embarrassing for me, but oh well), and they always give me free food. Whether I'm eating in, or taking out, I always find them handing me extras. They know my favourite roll, a finger roll (which is delicious, I recommend it), and they always seem to be appearing in my orders when I haven't ordered any.
     Around Christmas this year, it might have been Christmas eve, I was working along with my fellow baristas, and one of the cooks walked over and delivered a huge platter of sushi to us, completely free! He said it was their way of wishing us a merry Christmas, and I don't think I will ever forget that. That platter was full of beautiful sashimi and rolls, it was probably over $60.00 worth. Whenever I am working and I go to pick up sushi on my break, they will give me extra rolls and appetizers to share with my coworkers, they always say "for our neighbour."
     As you can probably tell, I love the atmosphere here, and though they aren't the cheapest place in town, they definitely charge a fair price for what they serve. All in all, Mega Sushi is a place you have to try.

Here's a link for their website with a menu: http://www.megasushi.ca/

Their dragon rolls are delicious and adorable!

The Perfect Hot Chocolate

This March it was snowing, which I think most people would find odd, but it also gave me the idea of how it was still before spring and there were still some few days of winter left. So I had decided to make myself a warm brew of hot chocolate, but I wanted to prepare one that was particularly unique and special to the rest to close off this year's winter season with a perfect soothing delight. Here's a video on how to make a delicious homemade hot chocolate;
(here's the link if the video doesn't work;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6COa9lISZGo&feature=player_detailpage)

I know, that woman has a really monotone voice... Anyway, I haven't used this method before, my way for making hot chocolate is way simpler; I heat a mug of milk in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, and add about 2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder and stir. I also add a scoop Cool Whip on top for an extra treat. So, I tried making the hot chocolate in this video to see how it differs with mine, and hope that it really is as good as it's depicted to be. That's the picture of mine on the left. It's too bad I didn't have any chocolate I could use on top though. Still, after I made the hot chocolate and tried it, I was amazed about how delicious it was! The primary difference it made between my original hot chocolate and this one was probably the cinnamon sprinkled on top. It added a very satisfying taste that was sweet and made a cozy feeling. I would like to try it again some time and maybe add small marshmellows or whip cream with chocolate syrup. If you have ever ordered a hot chocolate from Tim Horton's, they have whipping cream with chocolate syrup, and it really tastes good. I'd like to find out if combining the video's hot chocolate with Tim Horton's hot chocolate will create the perfect hot chocolate that I've been looking for. Don't get me wrong, this hot chocolate I've made has been the best cup of hot chocolate I've ever had, and I recommend you try it at home, it's really easy to make and takes no time at all! Whatever the perfect ingredient to hot chocolate is, there's no better beverage to enjoy at home in the cold months of winter.