* UPDATE * : Ascari have closed this location on King Street West however you can find them in Leslieville, Toronto, at 1111 Queen Street East.
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Hello!
My good friend Julie and I celebrated our “Friendiversary” recently, having met 7 years ago.
I love this lady and am so glad that we both decided to go out to a book release event on that Wednesday evening back in 2012. We were in a crowded bar on Ossington Avenue, and after listening to the author read from her book, people began lining up to get their copy signed. Nick was with me and we were tired and ready to head out. I distinctly remember thinking that we could skip the wait and get her to sign ours another time. But then Nick and the bartender began chatting while he settled our bill, so I decided to go for it, wriggling my way through the crowd and joining the line-up. Moments later, the cheerful and friendly person who is Julie, turned around and said “hi”.
We began talking in that line-up and continued after our books had been signed. We quickly discovered things in common, mainly that we each had a blog and both had a passion for making things with yarn, she knitting it and I crocheting.
But, of course, sharing common interests is not all that’s necessary to keep a friendship strong over the years. You also have to really like the person and to feel comfortable and able to be your natural true self when you’re with them. And, that I do with this loving, courageous, smart and fun friend!
I could easily go on about how great I think Julie is, but I’ll let you discover her many talents through her blog “Knitted Bliss“, her published books of poetry, and her charming Instagram account.
And, now about our dinner together … We tried out a new (four months old) place on King Street West, called Ascari. In short, the restaurant ended up being a very good choice!
↑ I had the Pasta Puttanesca, made with homemade noodles and a sauce which included cherry tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, capers, gaeta olives and smoked cod, seasoned with just the right amount of heat. ↑
↑ Julie had a dish which combined muscles, calamari, white beans and olives. (She let me have a taste and it was delicious, as was my pasta). ↑
↑ We also had dessert, “Pannacotta Alla Fragolo : ginger pannacotta and strawberry gelee” for Julie. ↑
↑ and “Bigne Alla Crema Paticcera : crispy choux pastry, espresso, chocolate, amaretto chantilly and almonds” for me. This was wonderful but huge, resulting in my first time ever taking some dessert home in a doggy bag! ↑
Not only were the food and drinks excellent, so was the service. I look forward to going back.
In closing, I want to thank Julie for being such a good friend — Happy Friendiversary, my dear! Also, thank you for reading this article. xo loulou
