Planning: eG Chocolate and Confectionery Workshop 2016

[curls]

41 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

How many interested in Thai? I'll see about a reservation tomorrow 

 

 

Count me in for Thai!

[curls]

2 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Looks like I was looking at the wrong George Brown campus. 1/2 km walk wouldn't be a big deal for some of us - others we can drive.

 

 

For the metric challenged, like me, that is approximately 1/3 mile.  :-)

[jim loellbach]

I'm in for Thai.

[Gwbyls]

Count me in for Thai! So excited for this weekend with all of you!

[tikidoc]

Spoke to MelissaH. Count both of us in for Thai.

[boris on eG]

Hi Kerry,

Hate to be a nuisance but rather than getting to Soma I was wondering if I could get a lift there by meeting the group at your hotel. If so can you tell me what time to meet.

Boris

[RobertM]

Thai?  But of course!  

[Kerry Beal]

Reservations made for 20 people -  question came up if we want to do prix fixe menu for $40 before tax or order ala carte -said I'd get back to him.  Prix fixe would be a bunch of apps, soup, variety of mains, dessert.

 

Thoughts?

[Gwbyls]

Ala carte IMHO

[MelissaH]

2 hours ago, boris on eG said:

Hi Kerry,

Hate to be a nuisance but rather than getting to Soma I was wondering if I could get a lift there by meeting the group at your hotel. If so can you tell me what time to meet.

Boris

Another possibility: it looks like Soma at 35 Golden Ave. might also be accessible from the hotel by a subway ride, which would eliminate the need for parking. (If I'm wrong, someone please correct me!)

[curls]

4 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Reservations made for 20 people -  question came up if we want to do prix fixe menu for $40 before tax or order ala carte -said I'd get back to him.  Prix fixe would be a bunch of apps, soup, variety of mains, dessert.

 

Thoughts?

I would prefer ala carte but am willing to do prix fixe. What time did you make the reservation for (do we have time to go to the post demo reception?)?

Edited May 11, 2016 by curls
fixed autocorrect generated typo (log)

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, boris on eG said:

Hi Kerry,

Hate to be a nuisance but rather than getting to Soma I was wondering if I could get a lift there by meeting the group at your hotel. If so can you tell me what time to meet.

Boris

I suspect you can - I wonder if I could get an idea about the numbers of cars?

 

 I have to run down to College Street on Friday am from 8:30-9:15 to videotape exams for the College of Family docs - should get back to hotel by 10 I hope. 

 

Lets figure out car numbers - then maybe Uber the rest.

[Kerry Beal]

47 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

Another possibility: it looks like Soma at 35 Golden Ave. might also be accessible from the hotel by a subway ride, which would eliminate the need for parking. (If I'm wrong, someone please correct me!)

I'll bet it is - I rarely take the subway in Toronto. Can you print out directions to Soma - then Soma to distillery district - then back to 3507 Bathurst?

 

[Kerry Beal]

37 minutes ago, curls said:

I would prefer ala cartel but am willing to do prix fixe. What time did you make the reservation for (do we have time to go to the post demo reception?)?

Shit - how long is the reception? Made res for 7. I'm sure I could push it back a bit.

[Chocolot]

1 hour ago, curls said:

I would prefer ala cartel but am willing to do prix fixe. What time did you make the reservation for (do we have time to go to the post demo reception?)?

 

I prefer ala carte as well.

[curls]

53 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Shit - how long is the reception? Made res for 7. I'm sure I could push it back a bit.

The reception is 6:15-7:30 pm.

[Kerry Beal]

I'll push us back to 7:30 then.  And I think I'll confirm al a carte seems to be the choice.

 

Done - the fellow in charge is very interested in what we are up to - we'd better bring him some chocolate!

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Definite
 
RobertM
Chocolot
curls
MelissaH
Gwbyls
tikidoc
Robyn 
Dilittante + 1
YetiChocolates
Beets3 +1(AB)
jim loellbach
ChocolateMom
Chocolatespassion +1
lambrecht gourmet
chocoera
patris and Chris

mkayahara

Matthew Hayday

Bernie

Boris  

DianaM

Chelsey

 
Morato for Sure
 
dilittante +1
chocolot
YetiChocolate
Gwbyls
RobertM
lambrecht gourmet
chocoera 

Beets3 +1(AB)
Chelsey from Lentia

jim loellbach

Tikidoc

curls
Chocolatespassion

MelissaH

ChocolateMom

lambrechtgourmet

Bernie

 

Saturday dinner list  - one ovolacto vegetarian

 

Chocoera

Dilittante and wife

curls

tikidoc

patris and Chris

chocolot

Chocolatespassion +1

YetiChocolates

Boris

Gwbyls

MelissaH

jim loellbach

RobertM

Beets3 

AB

lambrechtgourmet +1

Bernie

 

SOMA

 

boris

dilettante and wife

chocolot

YetiChocolates

beets3 and AP

curls

tikidoc

DianaM

tikidoc

Gwbyls

jim loellbach

RobertM

chocoera

MelissaH

Chocolatespassion +1

lambrechtgourmet

Bernie

 

 

Master Class Friday - limited to 10 

 

Robodoc000

Chocolatespassion

lambrecht gourmet

jim loellbach

RobertM

Bernie

 

PIZZA

 

jim loellbach

boris

dilettante and wife

curls

patris and chris

chocolot

YetiChocolates

beets3 and AB

tikidoc

Gwbyls

RobertM

chocoera

Chocolatespassion +1

MelissaH

lambrechtgourmet +1

Bernie

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by Kerry Beal (log)

[MelissaH]

12 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I'll bet it is - I rarely take the subway in Toronto. Can you print out directions to Soma - then Soma to distillery district - then back to 3507 Bathurst?

 

My friends call me the queen of public transit. And IMHO this is all doable by public transit, especially if you don't mind a bit of walking. (I don't mind walking, especially given the amount of eating I expect to do throughout the weekend!) The only potential downside is that transit can take a little longer than driving in a private car sometimes.

 

These directions are what Google Maps told me, and what I have printed. There may be other options available, as well. I have a paper map of Toronto that I can bring along, since my USA-ian cell phone will be expensive to use for navigation purposes.

 

From the hotel to Soma: the subway stop by the hotel is near the Yorkdale stop of the Yonge-University line (#1). We'd take that south 6 stops to Spadina, transfer there to the Bloor-Danforth line (#2, the main east-west line), and ride 6 stops west to Dundas West. From there, it's a 750 m/0.5 mile walk to 35 Golden Ave. Total travel time including the walk on both ends is about 50 minutes (plus however long you have to wait for that first subway). For a comparison, the car travel time is supposed to be 20 to 40 minutes...plus however long it takes you to park, if you've driven your own car.

 

From Soma to the Distillery District (this is what I put into Google Maps, and it seems to have taken that to mean the intersection of Mill St and Trinity St, more or less): this is basically a straight shot east on King St. on the 504 streetcar, with about 500 m/0.3 mile walk on either end. To get to the streetcar stop we'd walk to Roncesvalles Ave. The catch is that streetcars can be reeeeeallllly slow, and Google estimates that this trip will take nearly an hour. If time is an issue, this is one leg where we might do better using cabs or another car service, which could cut the travel time down to something on the order of 20 minutes (that's what Google said, using the highway instead of surface streets to get across town).

 

To get from the Distillery District back to 3507 Bathurst: take the streetcar (#504) from west to Yonge St (or to walk the 1.8 km/1.1 miles there), and transfer to the subway. The Yonge-University line stops there at the King station, and it's 14 stops to Yorkdale (via Union Station; the overall shape of the line is like a U, with Union Station at the bottom. Our hotel is most of the way up the western leg of the U; the Distillery District is near the bottom of the eastern leg of the U). From there, it's a 1.6 km/1 mile walk, or if you have your car at the hotel you can drive from there. If you want to get closer than that, get off the subway at St. Clair West (10 stops) and walk around the corner to the bus stop on Bathurst St at Tichester Road for a #7 Bathurst bus north toward Steeles, which will basically take you within a block of 3507 Bathurst. Any way you do it, even if you choose to walk rather than take the streetcar to the subway or walk the last little bit instead of using the bus to get closer, travel time is a little more than an hour. There doesn't seem to be a fast way to do this leg; when I told the map to travel by car, it still came out to be a 40 to 50 minute trip.

 

Is it worth noting that St. Lawrence Market is between the Distillery District and the subway station?

 

FWIW, the Morato demonstration at 300 Adelaide Street E is not too far from the Distillery District. It's about an 800 m/0.5 mile walk from the subway's King station, which might be a valid option for those who arrive early enough on Thursday and don't want to deal with parking.

 

We could do each of these trips with one token (and a free paper transfer) per person. Even if I don't plan to transfer, I like to take one anyway, because it serves as a proof of payment in case there are ever questions. Tokens cost $2.90 each, as long as you're buying three or more at a time. If you're a senior (65+), you can buy fare tickets for $1.95 each. All of the above will be available at the subway station.

[lambrecht gourmet]

I'll have a car for three riders when needed. Will check with wife on Thai.

[Kerry Beal]

34 minutes ago, lambrecht gourmet said:

I'll have a car for three riders when needed. Will check with wife on Thai.

Staying at same hotel?

 

[jim loellbach]

Kerry, I'm deciding how many US dollars to bring. You prefer US cash for pretty much everything, correct?  The overall workshop, dinners on Friday and Saturday, and the master class.  Am i missing anything?

[Kerry Beal]

28 minutes ago, jim loellbach said:

Kerry, I'm deciding how many US dollars to bring. You prefer US cash for pretty much everything, correct?  The overall workshop, dinners on Friday and Saturday, and the master class.  Am i missing anything?

Some people wanted IR thermometers too.

[curls]

I'll have room for one passenger.

[Dilettante]

I, too, will have a (rental) car during the weekend.

 

Will be staying at the Holiday Inn Yorkdale and have room for two (three if willing to squeeze) to get to SOMA Fri. am.

 

i don't know exactly what we will be doing after the SOMA tour so take note that riders might be on their own after the tour.

 

We will pass in the Thai dinner Thursday. Heading to Toronto from Algonquin Park tomorrow so likely will just go to the hotel to check in after Morato.

 

Diletante (Greg)