Ah Summer, how we love thee! 

Shades readers, as you may well know, we are in the throes of a Canadian summer at last!  It is about time, especially when you consider that just a few weeks ago, we were still wearing some of our winter garments.  I remember seeing someone walking on the street one day, wearing a winter coat and flip-flops!  We just did not know what to expect weather-wise. 

Now as we head into the rest of July, we are experiencing temperatures in the mid to high twenties and it feels amazing!  Not only is it BBQ season, it is patio and summer festival season too!  There are so many places to go to enjoy a nice meal with friends and family and some outdoor time as well.  If you are interested in finding out about all of the patios out there that you can try, as well as the plethora of summer food festivals for you to attend, head to Blog TO’s website at www.blogto.com  which gives a lot of information on things going on in and around the city.

The biggest foodie event in July is Summerlicious, which is held annually and allows you to try prix-fixe (fixed price) menus at restaurants all over the city.  Summerlicious and its colder season counterpart. Winterlicious (let's not talk about the cold weather just yet) have both been staples in Toronto for over 15 years and more and more restaurants sign up every year.  You can head over to www.toronto.ca to find out more details about Summerlicious, which is on until July 21.  It is not too late to check out a few restaurants. 

Do you have a favorite summer restaurant or patio you would like to tell us about?  Please share in the comments. 

Have a great week, Shades readers, enjoy every minute of the great weather and please share us on your social media channels!