What can you say? Even without the World Cup and weather that would dampen any spirits, ITALFEST…read morejust kept moving on. Nice! The Yelpers were treated to a break in the weather with a few spots of sprinkles. After a little wait, our festival guide arrived. It was a pleasure to have Mr. Anthony Petrucci - President of Palma Pasta, be our festival representative. Anthony took us around the grounds and introduced us to several places. Let's list them off shall we? First stop...Mario San Francescos Catering. A full service catering service that is 30 years young and still going strong. Anthony introduced us to one of the owners (I believe she was Mrs. Fiore) and she provided us with Veal and Chicken on a bun. Which was greatly appreciated by all. It's always difficult to have hot and fresh food at a venue like this, however, as caterers they obviously have that talent mastered. https://mariosanfran.com/ Then off to Palma Pasta (est. 1985). Anthony is President of Palma Pasta and he is passionate about the food and his people. They cater, have retail products, and operate hot tables and kitchens. Had a sampling of the penne and meatballs. Delicious! https://palmapasta.com/ Ciao from Pizza Nova! Our tour continued to take out pizza. Who doesn't love pizza? I've been going to Pizza Nova since I was "single digit" years old. Not going to tell you how long ago that was! Anthony calls them the best franchise operations, because they really do use the best ingredients. A true testimonial is that his Family Nights have pizza from Pizza Nova. I have to agree. Between the big franchises, Pizza Nova is my favourite. https://pizzanova.com/ Ahhhh...Lemon Heaven! Who hasn't seen some kind of large fruit POS? After having some good food, we need to wash it down. There is something about a nice lemonade. Lemon Heaven uses freshly squeezed lemons. You can have it classic or you can flavour it as well. We all had a serving of their classic lemonade, and I for one was extremely grateful as I was really thirsty! http://www.lemonheaven.com/ Last stop on our food tour...FIRED UP! Fired Up is what they call a backyard grilling company. They operate out of Port Credit/Mississauga. I've seen them a few times when I have done the Stagger of Fame up and down Lakeshore Road. A sampling today was their Ribs and Mac'n'Cheese. The MnC was "Ri-don-culous"-(Guy Fieri) and the Ribs were better than Ribfest. http://www.firedupbbq.com/ Now for some history. I did not know that Mississauga had such deep roots with the Italian community. Being a Toronto boy, it was college street and then up to Woodbridge. That is all I knew. At the heritage part of the tour, we got a lesson on Pier 21. The pier in Halifax that immigrants, coming in by ship, landed in Canada. Anthony's grandfather and father (I believe) came via Pier 21. We had two ladies from Pier 21, now a historical museum, introduce us to their fascinating work. https://pier21.ca/ More information about the Brickyards and the Italian spirit was presented by Heritage Mississauga. Again, the information that they were able to gather about the shaping of the community was wonderful. https://www.heritagemississauga.com/ Thank you very much Yelp for getting me to go on a grey soaking day to get some culture. Personally want to thank Mr. Anthony Petrucci for his time, passion, and great insight into the lives of his community. Well colour me Green/White/Red and let's go again next year! CHEERS!

It was an amazing event despite the heavy rain and T-storm before the start of the food tour…read more Special thanks for Aisa being patient with all of us coming from afar and our tour guide, Anthony, who was the organizer. We started off near the VIP area and headed to On A Bun where we were treated to veal and chicken sandwiches. They were excellent and the owner told her story of her business. Next, we had some awesome pasta with meatballs. We stopped off for some pizza from Pizza Nova for some samples. In the middle, we had some lemonade from a franchise owner that operates during the summer months at festivals. Last, we had some mac n cheese with some ribs. To finish our tour, we heard some history about immigrants coming to Pier 21 in Halifax and also stories of families who settled in Mississauga. It was definitely a good experience.

Use to greet me on my way to write my exams when I was in university…read more The only one who believed in me.

I kept thinking about him for the past years. And the Lord has brought him in my sight. May the…read moreLord bless him and reward him in heaven for all the sacrifice he has done for the past 30 years of his life by compelling the people to Believe in the Lord that they might be saved. I have seen him during my early years of life as I went to college and then for work and every time I would go to dundas square on my lunches he would be there loudly saying: "Repent, the kingdom of Heaven is near, BELIEVEEEEE in THE LORD!! All these years after being married and a mother of 3 I told my children about him. And last week like never before, after a decade of not seeing him I had a chance to see him again. We shook hands and a sweet mutual conversation sprung up, even though he was struggling to talk because of old age and me barely hearing his responses, but his smile brought so much joy. You could see he was really a happy man, he was a man with joy in his heart that couldn't be expressed into words. Due to his advanced age he was feeble & weak but content, happy & believing in the One he was preaching. What a blessing he has been for many, even if many don't notice that, even if some from the crowds out there were mocking him or counting him as crazy; for him his reward in the world to come which is the eternal heaven is gonna be far greater, he will be crowned with future glory and honor for the work he has done here on earth and he will receive his great reward from God as God's faithful follower and servant of Jesus Christ! All his beautiful mission unapproved my many, startled by others, everything was accomplished for one reason: to awaken the city to the true reality of God and His existence, and His kingdom and for those that rejected his pamphlets which were meant to be taken to read and BELIEVEEE IN the message of salvation and KNOW ABOUT the suffering & the eternal wrath of God that will soon come upon all the unsaved, woe to them that have rejected and mocked the plan of salvation through faith in Jesus and the multitudes that still reject it up to this day. His voice will echo throughout the generations that follow. May God raise up people like him. I asked him how long he's been preaching out at dundas Sq. and he said for over 28 years. I was left in tears for he has told me that he stopped going there because he has been badly attacked by someone. He is so weak now he can't defend himself, he is dragging his feet behind him. He was so happy to see me yesterday also. We shook hands again and had a small conversation. I said to myself that, I will surely prepare him a warm meal and give it to him next time I see him.

The restrooms are all individual room equipped with hand washing basin and hand blow dryer. The…read morestyle of the room, the hallway that leads to the restroom, even the lamps in the whole section are classy and beautiful. Everything was very clean during my visit.

I can't say I've ever "checked in" at a bathroom on Yelp before but I guess there is a first for…read moreeverything. The facilities are quite clean and there are at least 6 private washroom stalls complete with sink, decorative gilded mirror, and similarly gilded lighting features. The doors to each of the stalls is very tall and gives you the sense of utmost privacy as you do your business. There are also nice thick folded paper towels should you require those rather than using hand dryers provided. There is a private family lounge area for breastfeeding. A central sink is located in the common area between the stalls in the event that all of the stalls are occupied and you only need to wash your hands. But with such nicely appointed stalls, it is probably worth checking out the facilities even if you don't need to use them!

Yeah yeah, Markham as a city is expanding and urbanizing and becoming a mini metropolis. That's…read morewhat everyone is so focused on. But so often, we forget that a short drive up north will land you smack dab in the middle of Markham cow country. And it's GORGEOUS. Green pastures stretching off into the horizon and country roads taking you on winding adventures. One particular country road took me to the Harvest Moon Festival, a charming little festival celebrating local foods and farmers. Harvest Moon Festival is a derivative of the Markham Fair, which has been around forever. For a festival that's brand new, only one day, and on a Thursday for that matter, there were a good amount of people attending. It was $20 to get into the festival which includes 4 sample tickets. These tickets could be used at approximately half of the vendors there, most of which were alcohol samples. Food trucks and non-sampling vendors were also present, like Love Gelato and local farmer's markets. My sample tickets were well-spent at Touro Churrascaria. They were cutting off large portions of meats and pineapple straight from their mini rotisserie grill. I also got to try mini smore squares from The Smokery (decadently rich), and Waupoos' new hopped grapefruit cider (amazing and refreshing). I luckily had the chance to take part in the gourmet dinner experience as well, catered by Marca on Main and using local ingredients. Dinner included a delicious caesar salad, a beautifully presented braised short rib, and a creamy tiramisu. The red wine they chose was a great accompaniment to the beef, even though it was quite warm after being in the sun and a fly flew into my glass halfway through :( I think for what it was, Harvest Moon Festival had a pretty successful initial run and I'd love to see its continued success. These simple and quaint events really bring you back to a time when townhouses weren't popping up like hot corn. And with all the exotic night markets and greasy food fests, it's nice to be reminded of the beauty in our backyard and the foods that come with it. (77/100) - 2016

So last night I went to the harvest moon festival at the Markham fairgrounds. Huh? You might ask…read more Exactly. I had not heard of it either. I got to go because of yelps advertising. If I would have missed this it would have been a pity! It was great. So heres a rundown: - food trucks -gourmet special dinner -rockingly great band -farmers market -guy in a scarecrow costume ( fun not horror) -microbrewery tables and samples -local vineyard booths and samples -local restaurants sampling -fancy smancy smores -flowers -free parking I'm gonna be the first person to buy tickets next year! I've told all my friends and they want to go to. Great job on a great event! Cheers!

Big round of applause to AMY for hosting her very first event in MARKHAM!! Great Job!!…read moreI've never heard of any place that has salon, lounge and cafe all in one place and here we are at Initium, where you can find all these in one place! We got customized printed lattes, mocha, cappuccinos, with Yelp logos on them, SUPER COOL! The pineapple bun with ham an egg was something interesting as well as the maple syrup cotton candy, something you don't see very often! Amy and Kris sure started up the party tonight with their karaoke skills! I absolutely had a great time, and sure everyone that attended had one too!! Looking forward to more Markham events to come because this one was absolutely amazing!!!!

Great vibe, lively atmosphere, friendly vendors, awesome hosts! This is event is truly memorable!…read moreLots of activities and good exposure for vendors as I've never heard some of the businesses that participated. Despite the gloomy and rainy weather, my plus one and I had an awesome time. Markham Museum is a nice place to visit and parts of it has this "romantic feel" which is great for first dates or if you'd like to try something new as a couple. The museum also caters to event spaces (if y'all are interested in renting it out). Thanks Kris and team for setting this up!

Full rack of ribs 34.00. I ordered that. It used to come with beans and coleslaw but not anymore…read more Now it's 6.00 extra for that. Complete rip off. I cancelled my order. Also cost 2.00 to enter. Complete ripoff. I will never go again. I have been going for years but never again

High heels meet flip flops and cowgirl boots. Yeah...it's one of those places that all "walks" of…read morelife meets to get just downright messy! This is my second year doing the Ribfest via a YEE with a VIP Experience. Nothing says cool like a VIP pass to the grounds. Just walk pass all the people in line to get in. Just walk pass all the lines for food. Sit in a covered and less crazy VIP lounge. Snobbiness to the Maximus! The only thing that the VIP thingy doesn't give you is the run down of the Rib-bers. That's your own adventure - with your RED Foam Cowboy hat in hand! I get to run around from BBQ to BBQ and look at hardworking fares of the brotherhood/sisterhood of the travelling grill. It doesn't matter where they come from. They stay in character the whole time. Good Ole Peeps from the South! YAH-Hoo! Now which one to go...I've been to a couple of the Rib-bers in the past. I just need to pick one out. Hmmm...find the one with the longest line and then pull a Disney move. Wave the fast-pass VIP thing and go place your order. Oh yeah - that's what I did. :D Sat down with a group of Elites. Enjoyed our treat, told stories of our adventures, met new online friend IRL. As the day ended, I got to watch the Stiletto Club trying hard not to get stuck in the grass. The Flip Floppers trying to not get debris stuck on their feet, and the Cowgirls (who thinks that clothing is optional at times) doing their strut. A great time was had by all. Though Port Credit is quite far away from Richmond Hill, it was worth it. Come on...ribs, beans, slaw, corn bread, and BEERz! Now you understand why we call it a PIG OUT! CHEERS!!!

What a great food festival this is. Definitely one of the busiest food festivals in Toronto. The…read morefood items here are outrageous. Lots of seafood offerings on a sick, lots of meats on a stick. The flavours are not only Chinese, but also Indian inspired. Think Hakka. Make sure to try some of the tasty and interesting drinks, from fresh fruit drinks (some served in a pineapple), to ice teas to bubble teas. The perfect accompaniment on a hot summer day. The festival is very busy, so be prepared for the crowds. Parking can be a hassle, but there is lots of street parking in the surrounding neighbourhoods. On a hot summer day, you can step into the adjacent Pacific Mall to cool down. So, why not a 5 star review you ask me? Simple reason: The place has a very unappetizing smell. I asked around, and was informed that it's the Sticky Tofu. I do believe that people eat it as a novelty, like durian fruit. So, I hope I'm not being culturally insensitive when I mention it. But honestly, I think this festival would be much better if the Sticky Tofu truck was stuck on the 401. Sorry. In case I'm misunderstanding the whole Sticky Tofu thing, please enlighten me! Other than that, I would definitely recommend this food festival. As an added bonus, there is a stage with dance and song performances.

Taste of Asia just isn't what it used to be. Sure there's still lots of food stalls this year but…read moreit's a far cry from the past. It feels more like a community fair now with many non-food stalls like GO transit, embassy of India, MPs, plants and even Scientology (lol). Food options were good, but predominantly Chinese. There's a few Thai and other Asian cuisines but the variety was rather poor and selections were limited compared to a Night Market that I attended last year in New York. Food prices definitely went up by quite a bit this year ($20 for 4 scallops/oysters).

A couple of friends and I were hanging out at Square One. We wanted a place to eat after exercising…read moreour credit and debit cards. One of them suggested heading to Celebration Square. She had noticed a number of food trucks. They walked over from our friend's place. I left my car parked at the mall and we all walked over. It only took five minutes or so. When we got there, we figured out that we were attending Iriefest, a celebration of all things Caribbean, from all sorts of music, to food and crafts. There were a decent number of food and drink vendors. We settled for good eats from Blue Mahoe Catering. Our logic was that it was a shorter line. I had wanted the oxtail, but it was sold out. Bummer! Instead, I went with the goat curry with two festivals and a pineapple beverage. My friends split the fried chicken. One of them also got fried chicken. The goat curry was stellar! I loved the curry sauce. It was incredibly flavourful. The goat was tender and perfect. My pineapple drink was refreshing. It was sweet, but I didn't mind it one bit. It balanced my meal out nicely. I tried a plantain. It was battered and seemed to be deep-fried again. It was a disappointment. My friends devoured the fried chicken. It looked good. I didn't have a shot at taking a pic. They loved it! We caught some dancers on the stage, strutting their stuff to good Caribbean music. I loved the energy here. Folks brought their folding chairs, planted themselves on the green AstroTurf, and relaxed. There were clothes, artsy items, and more available for purchase. You can either park at Square One, like I did, or try parking in the underground parking lot at Celebration Square. I recommend the former, as it's free. I'm glad I attended my first Iriefest. I had a great time eating, chatting, and taking in the music. (197)

I decided to drop by to check out the Yelp booth on the weekend and check out the action in…read moreCelebration Square. It was a great venue with tons of room and plenty of action happening in the square. Lots to see and Iriefest is a great outlet and expression for the Caribbean culture. The main stage hosted all the live music and demonstrations. The crowd was happy, energetic and awesome! The food vendors were my favorite as I got my Caribbean weakness...ROTI...sooo good...There were also some local food trucks there to serve up their wares as well. The Yelp booth was also great, as it allowed people to chill out on the couches and charge up their phones if they needed it. Props go out to the YelpGTA interns for awesome service! Good food, great venue, awesome live music and free! 4 stars