Respect is Burning Supperclub

Earlier this month in my weekly blog I wrote about the downtown core and how it has transformed into a prime location for shopping, cafes, clubs and fine dining. Well the Tourism group got an opportunity to visit one of downtown Sudbury's finest restaurants, Respect is Burning. Rob Gregorini owner of Respect is Burning was nice enough to invite us to his restaurant to taste his delightful food. As we walked through the doors we were quickly greeted by the hostess. I quickly glanced around and was immediately impressed with the decor, lighting and overall ambiance of the restaurant. As we were escorted to our seats I couldn't help but notice the various kinds of artwork and photographs scattered through out the restaurant. The staff were very polite and friendly, and offered us drinks as soon as we got seated.

Shortly after Rob Gregorini came to our table to introduce himself to us and enlightened us with a short story of the history of RiB (Respect is Burning). His story was touching and it was great to see how passionate he is about food and the work he puts into his restaurant. One of his
goals was to make Downtown Sudbury a better place to be. RiB truly adds something to the downtown and it is a great place to hang out and eat or drink.

Now lets talk about the food, one word describes it all... AMAZING!

Rob wanted to give us a little taste of everything (tour of Italy). First, Rob and his staff brought out two different types of brushetta. The first, a Deep Woods Brushetta (made with mushrooms) the second, the Original Bruschetta (made with ripened tomatoes), both of them were fabulous! With that he brought out a delicious ceaser salad. The last item he brought out for an appetizer. Yes there is more... yup, Pizza. The pizza was simply amazing, it was made with with prosciutto, mushrooms, and green olives.

After we completed our appetizers Rob brought us out baby back season ribs that were so tasty, everyone at the table just loved them!

Now it was on the main dish pasta, yummy my favorite! We were able to try two different pastas. One was penne with tomatoe sauce and white wine and procutto (my favorite) and the second one was a linguine with mushroom. Both of them were exquisite, I just couldn't get enough!

By that time I was stuffed, but of course I saved room for dessert. We went with the tiramisu; it was a great way to finish the meal because it was so light and delicious.

I had a great time at RiB, the food and the atmosphere are astonishing. The staff are all very friendly, quick and professional. Iwas very interested in the story Rob shared with us and I'm very glad he did. Its people like Rob who make Sudbury a better place for locals and visitors. I left RiB satisfied and stuffed. I can't wait for my next visit back to RiB, I sure hope its soon! I would recommend RiB to anyone who wants to taste excellent quality food in a sophisticated atmosphere. You wont be disappointed!

HEY...RiB also caters!

For more information on RiB and to check out there menu visit there
website at:
www.ribsupperclub.com

For reservations call:
705.675.5777

Dragon Boat Festival

This past weekend the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary on beautiful Ramsey Lake. The opening ceremonies took place Friday night with the Chinese Heritage group performing the pre-race ritual dance and the races began on the Saturday. They were calling for rain on Saturday (race day), but that didn't stop hundreds of people from attending this years events and with close to 60 teams participating. The Dragon Boat Races was once again a big hit. The rain ended up holding off and the weather was just perfect! The Dragon Boat Festival is always a popular one. Not only do people come out to enjoy the races but the great entertainment , good food, crafts and wonderful games and activities for the children. The entertainment was fabulous, they had Chinese performers doing different dances, playing music and other amazing arts. Jenna and I were able to capture some amazing pictures and video footage of the races and the entertainment. While walking around Bell Park we were able to see all the different teams and it was nice to see how they designed their own unique team uniforms. Team spirit was alive and well at the participants village. Everyone looked awesome and it looked like they were having a really good time. We were able to catch a couple of the races and it was great to see how well some of the teams could paddle. It sure doesn't look easy. It turned out to be yet another amazing Dragon Boat Festival. If you weren't able to make it out to this one, hopefully we will see you out next year! :)

Italian Festival

This past weekend was a busy one! Both the Italian Festival and Northern Lights Festival Boreal were going on. There were so many things to see and do, with so little time.

I always look forward to the Italian Festival every year, mainly because I am Italian. The Italian Festival always has something going on, whether it is the pageant or the pasta night. This festival is great for people of all ages. It is great to see how many people come to Sudbury from Italy just for the festival. They had a beer tent set up outside the Caruso Club where they had tables set up, live music, and food. Throughout the weekend they had different events set up, such as, the pageant with so much amazing talent, a soccer game, and activities for kids to participate in. The best thing about the Italian Festival is the food. They have so much delicious food. If you are planning to attend make sure you are ready to eat, because after all Italians love to eat! There is no way you can attend this festival without trying some of the food because it all smells so good, and it just draws you in. They always had a big lunch going on (porketta, sausage lunch), and even bigger dinner (the pasta dinner). You don't have to be Italian to attend, everyone is welcome. If you didn't have the chance to check it out this year, I suggest you try and make it next year! :)

Northern Lights Festival Boreal

Hey!

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Sara and I arrived at the NLFB at noon, just in time for all the fun to begin. It was gorgeous out, the sun was finally shining, but it wasn't overly hot, just right! The NLFB is one of Sudbury largest festivals of the summer. If you like live music, unique crafts, and good food then the NLFB was the place to be this past weekend. Sara and I were shocked at how fast the festival filled up with people. The NLFB is so overwhelming, there were so many people and so many amazing things to see and do. There were SO many people out just having a good time! Sara and I decided to walk around and take a look at everything they had. They had a lot of booths set up with homemade crafts, jewelry, pictures, and clothing.They had a lot of different types of food places set up for people to enjoy (it all smelt amazing!). It was great to see how many kids activities they had going on. For example kids yoga, face painting and arts and crafts. They even had a stage set up for kid to enjoy some story telling and sing-alongs. The moment the gates opened people were rushing to the music tents near by to catch some of the opening acts. There was always something fun and exciting going and the music never stopped. It turned out to be a great three days of music, entertainment and arts. It was great to see such a good turnout and I'm anxious to attend the NLFB next year.

Downtown Sudbury

When the weather is nice and I am on my lunch break my mom and I like to take walks around downtown Sudbury. I find whenever people mention downtown they always feel as though it is unsafe or dirty. I am guilty of thinking this way too, but not anymore. I have come to find that downtown Sudbury is a wonderful place. I feel safe walking downtown, and there has never really been anything to scare me away from the downtown area. For people who are a bit frightened to walk around downtown, we have the Downtown Ambassadors patrolling the streets for your safety. There is also Lions Eye in the Sky, another means of patrolling the downtown through cameras. They are all there for the protection of Sudburys community and trying to make the downtown a safer and better place. They want more people to feel safe and comfortable downtown.

There are so many different things to see and do, and people should take the opportunity to experience it. For example there are many wonderful restaurants downtown such as Respect is Burning, Peddlers, Laughing Budha, etc. They are cute little cafes such as Books and Beans, Williams Coffee Pub, Bubble Tea and so much more. The restaurants and cafes in downtown Sudbury are endless. Wait, that’s not all, downtown also has great shopping! The Rainbow Center is located downtown, as well as other little shops along the way.

But hey, why stop there? Might as well check out the Market Square. Market Square is home to the Downtown Sudbury Farmers Market. The market features specialty crafts, fresh local produce, food and much more! Stop in at Memorial Park and check out the World War memorabilia. Memorial Park also features a water fountain that the kids just love to play in. Next time you’re in the mood for a walk, trying walking downtown!

While you’re downtown come check us out (the summer students) down at VIA railroad station, at the information booth in the back. Tell us about your experience or ask us any questions about Sudbury tourism you may have. Sudbury is a wonderful place, it's time you start experiencing it :)!

For more information please visit our website:
http://www.sudburytourism.ca/
or
http://www.downtownsudbury.com/

Canada Day

Hey!

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Canada Day!.

I had the opportunity to check out the festivities happening at the Sudbury Arena yesterday. Unfortunately the rain was coming down hard, but that didn't stop hundreds of people from coming down to enjoy the Canada Day Celebration inside the arena. The arena was jammed packed with people dressed in red and white, and it looked like everyone was having a really good time! Sara and I arrived at the arena around 11:00 am. Just in time for all the stage acts and the amazing smelling food. They had lots of food booths set up around the arena. Each booth featured food from a different ethnicity. For example they had an Italian booth, Greek booth, Chinese Booth etc. all set up with delicious looking food for people to enjoy. I was disappointed I didn’t have my wallet on me, because walking around for a couple hours smelling the amazing food sure made me hungry! I would of loved to try food from a different ethnicity, next time I know to always carry my wallet with me. They had a stage set up with live bands performing from different cultures. Next they had different dances from different cultures, including some of Sudburys own local talent from Happiness Is Dancing. I was able to catch a couple of the dancers including the Ukrainian dance and the Irish dance. It was very interesting to see the different types of dances for different cultures. There were tons of seating for people. They had tables set up on the floor, as well as seats in front of the stage. They also had the stands open for people to use, so there was plenty of seating for everyone. The diversity in Sudbury is endless, so it was amazing to see everyone come together on this very special day. Rain or shine Canada Day will always be a good time. I can't wait for next years Canada Day celebrations. :)