lucky penny often suffers from indecisiveness. with so many great options in the city, she cannot be blamed for being a little scatterbrained.

counting her lucky stars, er, pennies, she is grateful that one of her *favourite* sandwich bars, black camel, makes life easier with their menu. choose 1 of their 5 basic sandwiches, then personalize it with a couple of house-made sauces and toppings.

an ever-popular pick for patrons is their slow roasted beef brisket, but the roasted pulled chicken gets our girl salivating. to lucky penny-ify her ‘wich, add: pesto mayo, arugula and caramelized onions!

now if only choosing other things in life were just as easy and delicious. le sigh.

***psst… to avoid the disappointment of their “sold out” sign, be sure to check their live twitter feed at @black_camel!

lucky penny should know better.

after pink panthers at le petit castor, concoctions from her lovelies behind the bar at goodnight, and with the hoxton *now* open around the corner… post-libation hydration is a must!

being told she should adhere to the 8×8 rule (eight glasses, eight ounces each), our fashionable heroine continues her annual tradition of grabbing a limited-edition evian bottle.

this time, the french water company partnered with compatriot fashion house, courrèges. similar to last, les fleurs are the theme with this year’s graphics printed in rose et blanc.

these bottles will be available as of novembre. à votre santé!

lucky penny is on a high… a sugar high, that is… from accompanying her lovely bride-to-be and wedding planner, naomi serkin, to a dessert tasting at the incomparable bobbette & belle.

styled like a chic cottage, the shop in leslieville grew out of the perfect partnership between sarah bell (pastry chef and chocolatier extraordinaire) and allyson meredith bobbitt (award-winning cake designer).

the hungry trio were treated to the most magical parade of confections… almost too gorgeous to eat.

first up were cupcakes: chocolate hazelnut, vanilla with mango passionfruit buttercream, salted caramel and the bride’s kryptonite, red velvet.

followed by bite-sized lemon meringue, raspberry, blueberry tarts and lucky penny’s all-time favourite… you guessed it… butter tarts!

homemade marshmallows delicately flavoured with fruit juices or cocoa, and amuse bouche-sized caramels laced with crunchy crystals of fleur de sel delighted their palates.

yet still, after all this, one treat still puts a smile on lucky penny’s face…  les macarons, just like patisserie ladurée in paris and new york (which just opened). the crunchy exterior breaks and its airy filling melts in her mouth leaving whispered flavours of black currant, pistachio, salted caramel or hazelnut. magnifique!

with too much to choose from, the darlings decided not to decide…  on her bride’s wedding day, guests will be treated to a buffet of all these delectable sweets… unless our girl gets there first. *tummy grumbles*

lucky penny lived abroad in bella roma for a few years… so from time to time, she craves something italian to eat.

when a nearest and dearest learned that st. clair west’s pizza e pazzi serves up authentic neapolitan pizza (as certified by the associazone verace pizza napoletana), she had to give it a whirl. baked for 60 to 90 seconds at 905 degrees, the crust comes out doughy on the inside and crispy on the outside. yummers!

their “margherita verace” was smothered in san marzano tomatoes and mozzarella di bufala… with a side dish of her sitting in a roman piazza and staring at the beautiful men in beautiful italian suits. mamma mia.

the resto also has a solid selection of starters, pastas, salads and desserts but diners beware—there is absolutely no pineapple, half-and-half combos or substitutions allowed… only true italian pizza.

traditional aperitivo is served daily from 5 to 7pm, so order a drink… and enjoy a selection of snacks for free!

lucky penny misses her brunches at the hoof café. (r.i.p. foie gras french toast and suckling pig eggs benny.)

until bhco’s grand opening next spring, the black hoof erected a pop-up bar in the meantime. it is all about the cocktails… speak-easy style.

she sipped, er, gulped on the “corpse reviver”, a mix of gin, cointreau, lillet blanc and absinthe. wheeeeee! worry not, tipsy penny hustled back across the street for bone marrow and, um, more libations… lavender pisco sour in a mason jar and fruity pimm’s tonic.

plenty of bar hopping to be had in one square block radius. next!