My Blog = My Life: 
Search results for traffic

When is the best time of day to upload and publish new blog posts? This is a question that readers keep asking me, and the answer is simple... it depends.

Each person's blog is different. Each person's content is different. Each person's audience is different. And, each person's best time to post will be just a little bit different. Some bloggers will do far better posting in the evening than they will in the morning. Other bloggers will see a lot more traffic if they post early in the morning.

Over the past ten months, I have heavily experimented on my best times to post, and I can tell you that there is no exact science to it. I believe there are a few different times of day almost anybody can post to get maximum traffic to their blog, and that each blogger needs to pick a time that works best for them, and for their audience.
Read & Comment >>

Over the next two weeks, I'll be focusing on a few things you need to have setup if you want to attract as many long-term followers to your blog as possible. In my opinion, there are five major ways that people will subscribe to follow your blog. Neglecting any of these methods will leave a percentage of your potential followers behind since some people only follow via each of these methods.

The first and most important "following platform" that every blogger should have setup is a Facebook Page for their blog. Setting up a Facebook Page is easy. Simply go to http://www.facebook.com/pages, then click the "Create Page" button in the top right corner.

For some reason, a lot of bloggers think that Twitter is the most important thing they can focus on when it comes to driving blog traffic, and we will cover that in the next post, but let me promise you this. If utilized consistently and correctly, nothing will bring you as much traffic as a solid Facebook Page.
Read & Comment >>

I know I said I wasn't going to write on WW4F until I got back from England, but I had a few extra minutes so I thought I'd discuss an interesting phenomenon that I've seen take place since the end of May/beginning of June. It seems that summer has changed my best time to post on Single Dad Laughing in a big way.

One way that I have gauged what time is best for posting is how many of my friends are currently available on Facebook chat. Since I started using this as one of my measurements, 8 AM MST has been just as good a time as any other, and often better than any other time.

The last few weeks though, I haven't been watching it too closely and my traffic has been dropping even though I've been posting at the same time I usually do. I was surprised when I realized this, and so I started looking at different traffic influencers to see where things might be causing the dropping. What was the first thing I noticed?
Read & Comment >>

The Round-up:

• Food - 1 out of 5
• Decor - 1 out of 5
• Service - 2.5 out of 5
• Total - 4.5 out of 15

2201 11th Avenue, Regina, SK
306-757-2288

_______________________________________________________

To me, there's something comforting about tucking into a restaurant below street level.

Those few stairs that lead down to the dining room make the noise of traffic outside seem even further away behind the glass windows. It's like discovering a secret getaway in the middle of the city.

Big Willie and I popped into J & A Restaurant across from The Bay on 11th Avenue last weekend. The place was fairly full for a Saturday so I figured we were in for a good time.

Friends told us that J & A, which specializes in Chinese cooking, does a mean dim sum. Being dim sum fans, we just had to check it out.

We settled into a table fairly quickly -- our waitress just had to wipe it clean before we could sit down. She wiped it, though I wouldn't say it was clean. But we got past that. We were hungry, after all.

We waited a few minutes for tea and then a few more minutes to order. With only two waitresses working the floor, the service wasn't exactly speedy.

Unlike most dim sum restaurants, J & A does not bring carts of hot food by your table. Instead, you are provided with a slip of paper on which to tick off your choices from the menu.

We went with a range of standbys, like dumplings and spring rolls, along with a few more unique items (like cassava cake).

As we waited for the food we started to take note of J & A's decor, which includes a strange mixture of fake flowers, pink chairs, and Walt Disney characters on the walls.

First to hit the table were the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. These weren't exactly proper Chinese food, but they sounded good. And they tasted good. At first.

I was on my third wing when our whole experience started to go downhill. I bit into the wing and noticed that underneath the crispy skin was a whole lot of blood. How a chicken wing can be deep fried and crispy on the outside, but bloody on the inside, I'm still not sure. I stopped eating the wings and waited for the next item to arrive.

The Vietnamese Spring Rolls were up. Three puny spring rolls came on a small white plate. That's it. No sauce, and an odd number of rolls (there were two of us, as I said).

The rolls tasted about as good as they looked. In fact, they really reminded me of frozen appetizers from Costco. I'm just saying....

We asked the waitress if she had any type of sauce for the rolls. She brought us some plum sauce. In a package.

Next we got the Cassava Cake. This dense, yellow cake was hearty and very filling. Cassava, a root vegetable common in the tropics, is mixed into a sweet cake and then cut into squares. It tasted OK but I'm no cassava expert so I'll refrain from judgement here. Big Willie grew up eating the stuff and he thought J & A's version was on the sweet side.

Next up, another item and another disappointment: the Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings.

Unlike any other dim sum restaurant I've ever visited, J & A serves dumplings in metal steam baskets instead of traditional bamboo steamers. That's a bit of a shame because the metal seems to dry the dumplings out while bamboo seems to retain more moisture. Plus the bamboo adds a touch of authenticity.

These dumplings were overcooked and the pastry pockets weren't even staying closed. And they had almost no flavour. Good Lord, it was time to take action.

We still had at least three more items to come, but me and Big Willie had more than enough by this point. We called the waitress over, pointed out the bloody chicken and asked her not to send any more items. Oh, and Big Willie mentioned that his teacup was dirty when it came to the table.

You might be thinking that we should have pointed out the chicken incident sooner. And we probably should have. But I like to be an easygoing diner and I was willing to let it slide at first, until everything else turned out to be a disappointment too.

We asked the waitress for our bill and she brought it quickly. Thankfully, she took the chicken and the items that never made it to our table off the bill.

We settled up, threw on our jackets and made a beeline for a real dim sum restaurant: The Four Seas on Rose Street.

To read my review of Four Seas, follow this link: http://www.reginafooddude.com/2009/10/four-seas-restaurant.html

As for J & A, your quaint basement location in a convenient spot downtown almost had me at hello. Unfortunately, you blew it. Big time. We won't be back. And please lose the Mickey Mouse decorations.

The Round-up:

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Total - 11 out of 15

1946 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK
306-352-8424

_______________________________________

When I first heard there was a Thai restaurant on Hamilton Street downtown, I have to admit I was a little skeptical.

I pictured a little hole-in-the-wall place that would see a lot of foot traffic during the day (but few actual customers) and almost no one at night (when Regina's downtown transforms into a semi-deserted ghost town).

Boy, was I wrong.

First of all, Hamilton Street is undergoing a huge makeover. Over the last couple of years, new shops and eateries are popping up and filling in the holes left by vacant storefronts. There are still a few gaps, but given time they'll fill in too.

Second of all, Regina's downtown office crowd loves the place. Pay a visit almost any weekday at lunch and you'll be lucky to get a table if you're not there right at noon.

If you're new to Thai food, Siam's lunch buffet is an excellent place to start. There's always a good selection of meat, vegetable, and noodle dishes (Pad Thai is a sure bet), along with a couple of appetizer and dessert items.

Best of all, you can be in and out of the place with a full belly in 30 minutes or less. And get this, the grand total for the lunch buffet comes to less than $10 per person, tax included. I know, shocking.

Hold on now, before you drop the laptop and run down to Hamilton Street I need to talk more about the food.

On a recent Saturday morning, a group of us paid a visit to Siam for a not-so-traditional brunch (there's no buffet on Saturdays, FYI). We got off to a rocky start when we showed up at 11 a.m. (opening time) and the doors were still locked for another 15 minutes.

This didn't sit well with me -- unlike my usual Saturday morning of sleep and relaxation, I'd already done two loads of laundry, shopped for groceries, and ran a couple of other errands. I was hung-ree.

Once we were seated, things went more smoothly. Our gracious waiter was patient with us as we waited for others to arrive and took our time figuring out what to eat.

We ordered a ton of food, by the way. Siam makes this relatively easy by including pictures in the menu and on nifty digital photo frames hung on the walls next to tables.

These are my top three picks, for the first-timer:

- Appetizer: Mieng Kham (Leaf Wraps): This dish is a pleasure to behold and to eat. Crispy fresh coconut, fresh ginger, red onion, Thai chili, lime, cashews, and plum sugar sauce, served on top of bok choy leaves that you roll up yourself, then pop in your mouth.

- Entrees: Larb Moo: This item technically falls under the Salad category on the menu, but its size and filling portion makes it more like a meal. Spicy ground pork is mixed with roasted rice, red onions, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice. It's got some heat but not so much as to scare the beginner away.

Pad Thai: You haven't truly lived until you've had this Thai classic. A bed of warm rice noodles is covered in fried tofu, bean sprouts, and shrimp, then layered with sauce. Practically everyone likes Pad Thai. If you're completely unsure of what to order, start here.

On the whole, Siam is one of downtown's best restaurants with a huge menu, good service, reasonable prices and decent opening hours.

OK, you're dismissed. Eat much and prosper.

www.siamrestaurant.ca

With the official start of summer, comes the official start of soaking up the sun on restaurant patios.

Here are a few of my recommendations in Regina:

Cafe Orange: At the moment, Orange is doing coffee and sweets, but they tell me that a full menu is coming soon. Hopefully by Canada Day. In just two years, this place has gone from a coffee house/kitchenware store; to an all-out coffee house; and now a restaurant. The latest transformation looks to be the best. And the deck out front on Robinson Street (by the 13th Ave. Safeway) is so new you can still smell the sweet scent of new wood. (306) 779-0779 (no website)

Sweet Bakery and Coffee House: An ever-expanding list of baked goods, combined with comfortable surrounds in a heritage building (and a very nice, if small, patio outside) are turning this new Broad Street place near College Avenue into a favourite of many. Recommend an Americano with a Lemon Tart, if you're at a loss. (306) 352-9338 (no website)

La Bodega: the treetop patio at this Cathedral Village favourite is... tops, no pun intended. Sip a few drinks or have lunch high above the Albert Street traffic. You won't even notice the cars going by. www.labodegaregina.com / (306) 546-3660

Fireside Bistro: while opinions on Fireside often vary, their patio on the corner of Smith Street and 15th Avenue is second to none. Definitely worth a drink or two and an appetizer on a hot day. (306) 761-2305 (no website)

Beer Bros.: Watch the people go by on downtown's pedestrianized portion of Scarth Street. Beer Bros newly refinished patio is small but full of sunshine. Stop by and sample an exotic beer whose name you can't even pronounce (and that's before you start drinking). www.beerbros.ca / (306) 586-2337

Atlantis: This downtown coffee spot isn't licensed for liquor, but that doesn't keep the crowds away. Open from the early morning until late, and offers free wireless. Oh, and the artwork on the walls is all by local artists. www.atlantiscoffee.com / (306) 565-2213

More to come! Please follow the blog for updates to this list, and new reviews.
Follow me on Twitter: @The_FoodDude

There are thousands of webpages and blogs telling you how you should blog, the vast majority of whom actually have no clue how to turn your blog into a big blog. Most of them have been started by people who, usually with good intentions, want to make a quick buck advertising, so they glom the content off of other blog building blogs, write quick generic blog posts, and hope for traffic. While there are a few very high quality, good sources out there, most of what you read on other "blog building" blogs must be taken with a grain of salt.

Now, I'm going to say something that might be hard to swallow. The truth to blogging is that there are no "rules." None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

But, here are a few of the ones going around, all of which you should immediately forget.

Rule #1. To make a blog big you have to come up with something completely different than any other blog.
Read & Comment >>

One of the greatest debates in the blogging world is whether or not the Alexa Rank of your blog matters.

When I started Single Dad Laughing, I had no idea what the Alexa Rank even was or why it was important. Today we'll discuss what it is and we'll also discuss whether you should worry about it or not. Today's post is a little long, but hopefully it's simple and thorough. And believe me, it's important.

The Alexa Rank (which can be viewed for any website at www.alexa.com) is a number assigned to almost every domain on the web. The number assigned to your domain simply tells how your website compares to every other website in the world. The lower the ranking, the more popular the website. For example, Google.com is the world's most visited domain, so it has an Alexa Ranking of 1. Facebook is the second most visited, so it has an Alexa Ranking of 2. As of writing this, Single Dad Laughing has an Alexa Ranking of around 62,000. That means (if it were exact) 61,999 websites currently register more daily traffic than mine does. We'll talk more about what that means in a minute. First, let's talk about how Alexa.com assigns that number.
Read & Comment >>

Helloooooo beautiful ones!!

I'm trying to get back into the blogging grove... It's been so long I've forgotten how anything works!

I'm so thankful and grateful to all of you who emailed me and left me a comment to see if I was still alive. I missed y'all more than I can say! Thank you so much for your kind wishes for good health. I'm doing much better. It's still a struggle day to day... But enough about that... On to the Finds!

I do have something wonderful to share this week (well it's wonderful to me anyway *winks*) It's a 19th century French sedan chair vitrine. I have wanted one of these little buggers for years! I would spot them in magazines and dream of finding one at an estate or better yet... a garage sale! They're not very easy to find...

Sedan chairs (the full size version) were commonly used in the 17th century to carry people around the streets and paths of Europe too narrow for a carriage to navigate. As well as helping to alleviate some of the street traffic. Some things never change huh? *winks* I found this littler version on ebay and for a steal of a price! And because I'm a blog that does share prices (I always wonder what others have paid for a cool treasure?... Don't you?) I'm gonna tell you with shipping from France it was only $270. Yes I do know that that's a lot (It's a lot for me!) But not for one of these cuties this large (15" tall) I'm still doing the happy dance over finding one that I could actually afford!... Even if it does possibly mean more boxed macaroni and cheese... It'll be worth it!

Covered in a quilted silk brocade with gold metallic trim and gold cording... Isn't it fab?!

The glass is beveled.

The front door has a little handle latch that opens up to two small glass shelves for display. I had a hard time actually finding little things to fit in here, so please excuse my less than stellar composition... I needed to use something!

The little figurine couple at the top are Nymphenburg (History HERE if you're interested)

They're so sweetly detailed for only 3.5" tall

At the bottom sits this cute little nude bronze lady with a French trinket box. Doesn't it look like she's gazing fondly at the beach and chateau? *winks*

Now on to my latest obsession... these vintage porcelain stem flowers... I just LOVE em! Can't get enough of them! They probably date from the 70's and were also probably really inexpensive back then, but now they're getting dear! I'd love to have an ENORMOUS bouquet of these beauties!

This pink vase is Victorian bristol glass and came from a local garage sale for $15.

And in a twist of perfection... I had listed this 1920's wicker vase in my etsy store HERE when I found these large Capodimonte blooms also on etsy. They were so much prettier in person, but I didn't know what to do with them? I searched the house for inspiration and finally tried them in this wicker vase and "VOILA!" Loved them! So I pulled the vase off etsy faster than you can say "match made in heaven" Lol!

Chippy shabby tattered love... *sighs*

The leaves are made of foil.

Another wonderful garage sale find was this 1920's wicker barbola vase for $7. (They were asking $10 but I wheeled and dealed) *winks* I've never seen another like it. You might have already guessed I'm crazy for the 1920's AND for barbola! Old flower swags make me swoony! I think this is one of the neatest vases I've ever found and it's a keeper!

It stands about 10" tall. Have any of you ever seen a barbola vase like this? Just in case you didn't know, barbola is : the decoration of small articles (as of wood or glass) with colored models of flowers, fruit, or other ornamental objects made from a plaster paste

Well... did I tempt any of you to look for a sedan vitrine of your own? Rubylane has some cute ones HERE. Do you already have one? Below are two examples that have me drooling!

Or how about the porcelain stem roses? Mounded together like this don't they make a luscious picture? *winks* The carnations are my favorites.

Here's a group shot.

Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you'll leave me a comment and I'll do the same. I LOVE hearing from you! Vanna
I'm joining my sweet friends Paula and Patti for:

Cindy at My Romantic Home for:

And Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

And Common Ground for:

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Decor - 4 out of 5
• Total - 10.5 out of 15

3255 Quance Street, Regina, SK.
Phone: 306-586-7625

____________________________________________

I have to admit, Regina's East End isn't a part of town I visit all that often. I make the long drive down Victoria Street East once every week or two, usually to pay a visit to Costco. The rest of the time, I prefer doing my shopping in other parts of town where the traffic is a little less likely to cause a headache and a little more likely to support local business.

As a result, I often forget about one of our city's best casual restaurants. Rock Creek Tap and Grill opened about three years ago. The sight of a locally owned restaurant among the many chains that line the East End's streets was a welcome one. To boot, the food was great and the decor was classy, without being all uppity.

I've made several more trips to Rock Creek for good appetizers and great meals since then, but my last trip was almost a year ago. Until yesterday.

We arrived around 1 o'clock and the parking lot was almost totally full. A pretty good sign for a Saturday afternoon. As usual, we sat in the lounge where a table for six was easier to come by. We made ourselves comfortable and managed to score a couple of menus (literally two). Like I said, it was busy. Drinks were a bit slow to come by, as was the waitress to take our order, but thankfully we weren't in any hurry.

When it came time to order, we stuck mainly to pub-food classics, or Comfort Food, as the menu calls it: Chicken Fingers with fries; the Hickory Barbecue Chicken Burger; the Black and Blue Burger (a Cajun-style sirloin burger with blue cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato); and the Quance Street Club (grilled chicken breast, smoked bacon, pea shoots, tomato, avocado, jack cheese and pesto aioli).

The food hit our table in good time and we dug in with gusto. Things suddenly got very quiet. Only the sound of chewing and the odd, "Mmm, this is good," broke the silence. The portions were hearty, as were the sides. I had a spicy cup of Chicken Vegetable with my Club. With four or five slices of jalapeno pepper floating in the broth, it was an interesting soup. I'll leave it at that.

Big Poppa, my dad, was making short work of his burger with yam fries next to me. Across the table my sister, normally an adventurous diner, was munching on the chicken fingers. It was a choice she didn't regret. The Calgary Boys also had no complaints about their sandwiches. Actually, they ate them so fast that I'm not totally sure what one of them ordered.

Rock Creek's menu is a savvy one -- there's the right mix of classic standbys and new inventions to keep you interested, and to keep you coming back. On the appetizer menu, you'll find everything from Cajun Blackened Guac Scallops to good-'ole nachos (with bacon and banana peppers). The lounge has food and drink specials almost every night of the week, and a bevy of fancy TVs. Can't get tickets to the next Rider game? Try hanging out here. If you can get a parking spot, that is.

www.rockcreekgrill.com

A free trip to Universal Studios. Another awesome perk of big blogging. When I started Single Dad Laughing, I didn't have any plans to be a big blogger. I was working a highly salaried job as a business executive and the thought of making money through blogging never even crossed my mind. Within weeks of starting the blog, I realized that I could probably make a few bucks here and there. Two months after that, I quit my job and decided to chase my writing dreams.

At that point, I wasn't making much of anything blogging. In fact, I had decided to keep ads off of my site while I grew my blog. I felt that I'd do much better advertising myself and my blog (with my best webpage real estate) than I would making pennies advertising for others. It was all one giant leap of faith, especially considering the traffic I was getting.
Read & Comment >>

I have a secret...

And it's a dirty little one...

I have been living in shame for some time with something I dared not mention...

For fear of being shunned and the subsequent social isolation...

But it's time to come out of the closet with my pain...

Please don't judge me too harshly...

I really need your support in this desperately embarrassing time...

I... have lived with... *gulps* Please be gentle...

Carpet in the BATHROOM!!

There I said it...

And not for a short time either... I'm sorry to say. Yes I've been living with the dreaded toilet rug *shudders* At least it's just my "crap"... pun intended.

Please don't think I'm trying to make light of people who are really suffering. Prayers being sent to all those in real need. I'm very very blessed to have a roof over my head and enough (Way too much) food to eat... and I know it...
And this bathroom in question is all my own so I'm the only one who had to know...
But whenever people come over and ask for the house tour I DE-tour them away from my bathroom.
Only a man who had never cleaned a toilet in his life would put CARPET in a dang bathroom! What was he thinkin'??!!

Well I've had a few bloggers ask me if I was ever going to put up any pictures of my bathroom? (You know who you are)
So now I have... Don't say I didn't warn ya!

If you are living in bathroom carpet shame (Or ever have) please let me know I am not alone.

So the little thing that I've been working on for the last couple of weeks was my mini bathroom remodel... I know it was way beyond high time!

After all this waiting I hope you weren't expecting something fabulous?
Sorry it's pretty minimal. And when it comes to DIY? It's DN'T for me as in DON'T! There isn't any granite or inlaid marble or pretty much anything that costs much of anything. In fact the whole shebang was under $200... But the carpet is GONE!! Oh HAPPY DAY!!! Thank you Jesus!! God bless sub floor!! Because even that was an improvement! *winks* I just shopped around my house for little this's and thats so you'll recognize quite a few of my recent flea market finds.

I re-purposed this little guy from my Living room. He's parked on the reproduction Victorian fern stand I found for $9.99 at the Value Village.

Are you ready for the befores?
I'm cringing as I write this...
I think our builder must have gotten the "super deal" on a gazillion yards of beige carpet.
I suppose I should be happy it's not in the kitchen...

Builders grade and blah...

In process...

And here is the AFTER... Sorry you're going to see lots of shots of this chair because this room isn't very big and I LOVE this chair!! *winks* The floor is done in Traffic Master Allure flooring from the Home Depot in Country Pine. It's vinyl flooring that has a 25 year warranty and is totally waterproof AND REALLY AFFORDABLE!!... But the best part of all is that even I could put in this floor (And I did) This is THE easiest floor to put down in the history of the world!..OK I do tend to exaggerate, but it was really simple and foolproof! It's so soooo much better in here!

Then I Annie Sloan'd the joint in old white. I couldn't just start my first AS project small and easy... Oh NO! I went the BIG kahuna! Lol! I'm still working with it.. and it's still a work in progress. I'm waiting for new faucets to arrive. They sent me high pro glow silver ones instead of bronze. So I'm stuck with the Miami Vice (Deco wannabes) for the short term. I'll share my new ones as soon as they're in. Sorry about the dark pics. It's raining again here in the Pacific Northwest... That never happens... says no one who's lived here EVER!

We didn't want to put major money (Or any actually truth be told, just sayin') into this remodel because this house is destined to be a rental in the next couple of years. So simple clean and user friendly was the ticket.

This French chair is one of my favorites despite it not being terribly special and the silk is rotting and falling off... The arm rests are gone. I still love it! It's truly shabby chic! *winks* I'm just glad this bathroom is actually big enough for a chair...

Much better... but it still really needed some drama and a "wow" factor... Sooooo I purchased two of the most beautiful shower curtains EVER from the Victorian Trading Co. HERE And I asked my sweet Mother in law if she would sew the two panels together top to bottom? I thought this would be a nice simple task... Alas it was not! My poor MIL worked on them for two days! And she's a very talented seamstress! She's also a perfectionist and the grommets at the top of one curtain had to be eliminated. Not simple at all as it turns out... However she did a beautiful job!

So now I had my gorgeous 12' shower curtain drape and I was all ready to attach it to the ceiling. (Cuz I'm a blonde) I didn't even think about the issue with the varied ceiling height. Or the fact that the ceiling is 14' high and the shower curtain 12'... Sometimes I really wonder about myself *sighs* How to put the curtain up and keep the ruffle lines straight and have a nice little drop on the floor? The hubster pondered a few minutes and then went out to the garage and found some chain, hung it at varying heights and VOILA! Now my curtain droops and drapes just right!

This shot is to give you an indication of the ceiling height. This bathroom may not be very big but it does have a lot of vertical space.

The chain gang solution *winks*

I found a home for one of my large plaster urns ($15) Still doing the happy dance over these babies!

On top of this towel cupboard

I moved this pretty portrait from the gym to here in the bathroom.

My little bombe cabinet is looking so much prettier now!

I found this architectural piece on ebay for $28 with shipping and I mitered and painted it to create this window valance. The Austrian drapes were $4.99 for three and the Austrian valance was $2.99 at the Value Village. The lidded blue urns are Dresden. The ribbon barometer is antique and German. The candle chandelier was $75 at a local auction.

This cute little chubby cherub made of marble dust was a find at a local antique store. And if there's a cherub in sight I'll put a crown on it!... Actually pretty much anything that stands still! Lol!

The two gold framed prints came from the Goodwill for $3.99 each. The sconces were an ebay find from years ago. They actually have holes for crystals, but when I added them it was just too much... You'll probably never hear those words from me again!

A close up on one of the Dresden urns with hand painted courting couples.

The water closet has a matching sconce to the one over the tub. The nekkid lady with cherubs print was a find from an antique show years ago.

Maidens and cherubs get me every time!

I put this plateau mirror in here from the bedroom to hold my perfume bottles.

And that's all for the bathroom tour!... Are you still speaking to me after my revelation? What took so long you might be asking?... I don't know. I really wish I had done all this years ago, and more recently the toilet broke when my hubbs was tightening it down so I had to wait for a new bowl... The (aforementioned) faucets came in the wrong finish. The shower curtain took longer than expected. The cabinets needed (and still do) what seemed like a bazillion coats of paint... But all said, I like it all so much better! It's starting to feel like my own little escape from the world *winks*
So if you'll just follow me out through the bedroom I'll make us a nice hot cuppa in the kitchen (No carpet there ever I promise *winks*)... I've got freshly baked banana bread too... (Whole wheat with egg beaters so you can indulge in an extra piece *winks*) and you can tell me what you think? And what you would change?

I hope you'll stop by next week for more flew market finds. I LOVE to hear from you!
I'm joining Sherry at No Minimalist Here for:

Patti and Paula at Elephants & Ivy for:

Debra at Common Ground for:

Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

And Cindy of My Romantic Home for:

THE ROUND-UP:

Food - 4.5 out of 5
Service - 4.5 out of 5
Decor - 4.5 out of 5
Total - 13.5 out of 15

2375 Sainte-Catherine est
Montreal, Quebec
514-522-5105
restolegraindesel.ca
____________________________________________________________

If you're anything like me, TripAdvisor has become a trusted travel companion before, during, and after a trip takes you out on the road.

TripAdvisor offers more information about hotels, restaurants, and activities in almost any city than you could probably ever read. And more often than not, the information is reliable and straight-up honest.

Until recently, it had been more than seven years since the last time I visited Montreal. I was at a total loss as to where to eat, especially in a city with as many options as Montreal. So, I took the web's advice.

Do a search for restaurants in Montreal on TripAdvisor, and the number 1 result is a little bistro by the name of Le Grain de Sel (at least at the time of writing in September 2010).

Thank you yet again, TripAdvisor, for an amazing night out.

While no one visits Montreal without strolling down Sainte-Catherine Street at least once, Le Grain de Sel is on a stretch of the street that sees little traffic (about five blocks east of the Papineau subway stop).

The main dining room out front is cozy. White linens dress each table with darker colours on the bar and walls.

Staff were immediately welcoming and friendly, offering us a choice of available tables. The menu is completely in French, but our waiter took the time to explain almost every item, mostly without even being prompted.

I think Le Grain de Sel's total lack of pretension is one of its best qualities. The head chef even came out to our table to ask how the food was at one point in the meal. And he looked like he genuinely wanted to make sure we were having a good time.

We ordered the Escargots en Croute and a pair of fresh Quebec Scallops for appetizers. Both dishes were delicious. The escargots came served in a piping hot bowl covered by a thin crust of glazed phyllo dough. Beneath the doughy dome were our escargots, buttery and mixed with wild mushrooms. Mwa!

The scallops were seasoned perfectly with oil, salt, and pepper, and served with a side of corn and red pepper. Not your usual sides, but they were a perfect match for the scallops.

As for main courses, we ventured for the halibut and a duo of haddock and pork belly. The fish was truly delicious and makes me wish that I lived nearer to the ocean.

The pork, on the other hand, was extraordinarily fatty. So much so that once the fat was cut away, just a few morsels of meat were left. When our lovely waitress asked how I liked my meal, I had to confess that I wasn't nuts about the pork. But she made a good point: the fatty pork was intentionally paired with the ultra-lean haddock as a contrast. I still can't say that I enjoyed the pork, but at least the kitchen is thinking seriously about the food it serves.

For dessert, we gorged on a homemade cheesecake, and a cold raspberry and balsamic vinegar soup with fresh doughnuts on top. It was all too, too delicious.

If I had to give Le Grain de Sel a grade, it would be an F++.

Hold on now, that stands for Fresh, Friendly, and Fantastic.

When in Montreal go to Le Grain de Sel. Just go.