Before I jet-set off on my adventure to Mexico, Swimco invited me to drop by one of their stores so that I could get ready for my trip. Swimco is a well known swimwear retailer in Western Canada but prior to this trip I had never stepped foot in one of their stores. Crazy, right?

But it's because I've always been the type of girl that picks up a $30 bikini and is done with it. All that matters is the colour and pattern, and I'm sure I'm not alone! Specialty swimwear stores are by no means cheap, but after spending some time at Swimco I've realized the difference between low and high end swimwear.

As I walked into the store I was immediately greeted by one of the associates and asked what I was looking for. With so much product to look through, I was able to tell the associate what I was shopping for and she quickly gave me a run-down of different areas in the store before respectfully allowing me to browse. Being on a mission for the perfect swimsuit makes you want to look at everything, so if you're anything like me, set aside a good chunk of time in your day to shop!

After sifting through the racks I had chosen 3 different pieces to try out. Swimco's fit experts really know their stuff about swimwear, and I was so thankful to have their help that day. With each different swimsuit I was able to describe what I liked and disliked about the fit and style of each, and the fit experts would go out around the store to find me more options tailored to my preferences. They know the product inside and out, and what each different brand has to offer. They're not afraid to tell you if something looks bad, 'cause nothing is worse than not feeling confident in what you're wearing out on the beach or in the sun.

What started out as 3 swimsuits ended up being close to 15 that I tried on, and it was definitely a difficult decision to narrow it down to one. I never thought that I would ever be so picky about swimwear, but I've realized how important it is to get the right style and fit for your body. There are so many different styles available, and I was surprised to find that there is a wide range for price points. You can find separates for as little as $30 per piece, or they can run upwards of $200 depending on the brand and style.

In the end I did narrow it down to one piece and I couldn't have been happier with what I chose. Swimco carries product for women, men, and children of all ages and sizes. And it's not just swimwear either - cover ups, surf gear, hats, flip flops, you name it and they probably carry it. The fit experts at Swimco were so helpful and I don't think I would have been able to walk out of the store happy without them. All the employees in the store are knowledgeable, patient, and willing to help you find exactly what you're looking for. After all, Swimco's mission is to help you feel good half naked.

Want to know what bikini I ended up with? Stay tuned for another post with pictures and we'll talk swimwear trends for 2014!

Disclosure: Swimco provided me with a $100 gift card to shop for swimwear. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. I was not expected to feature my shopping experience, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

The inaugural Host Edmonton conference is coming to Edmonton next week - has anyone already purchased tickets? Having the chance to learn about the conference and meet Kevin Brauch back in March had me excited! The conference is primarily geared towards the hospitality industry, but Host Edmonton also wants to bring out home cooks to share the conference experience.

Host Edmonton is a combined trade, food, and educational show that puts you in the mix with top hospitality professionals, exposing you to trends, techniques and ingredients that are guaranteed to elevate your next home or restaurant hosting experience. The conference is open to all people with a passion for food and delivering great hospitality. It takes place May 22-24, 2014.

The conference kicks off on May 22 at 7PM at the Shaw Conference Centre where you can mix and mingle with celebrity chefs and treat yourself to some fine food and drinks! The Sheepdogs are playing that night, so it's going to be a ton of fun. Ryan Jespersen will host and guide you through a sampling of what the conference has in store to celebrate Host Edmonton’s premiere.

But I haven't forgotten about the conference itself. Over Friday and Saturday there are numerous sessions, demos, and keynotes that are led by some of Edmotnon's finest culinary talent and celebrity chefs alike. You can sit down and listen to one of your favourite Food Network hosts - it beats sitting in front of the TV and watching them, right? The full conference schedule can be viewed here.

So what does this have to do with you? I want you to join in on the fun with me at the conference! Follow the instructions below.

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THE GIVEAWAY

FIVE pairs of admission passes to the Host Edmonton kick off party
(7PM - 1AM, valued at $70 per pair)
*Note: sampling tickets are available for purchase at the event

ONE pair of two-day conference passes to Host Edmonton
(Friday/Saturday - your choice of sessions, valued at $400)
*Note: this does not include access to the Fine Wine Gala and the Prud’homme Certification

DETAILS

To enter, you must specify whether you'd like to attend the kick off party, conference, or both. Leave me your email address in the giveaway widget below. Please make sure you leave a valid email address, as this is how I will be contacting you.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

1. Follow Little Miss Andrea via Facebook
2. Follow me via Twitter (@littlmissandrea)
3. Tweet about the giveaway and tag @HostEdmonton, @littlmissandrea & #yegfood
4. Follow me via Instagram (@littlmissandrea)
5. Leave a comment below telling me which session you would want to attend (Lineup here!)

This giveaway is open to everyone able to attend the conference from May 22-24. All entrants must be 18+ years of age or have guardian permission to enter. You have until May 20th to enter, and the winners selected by random and be contacted via email. All winners must confirm their attendance by May 21st 12PM MST or a new winner will be drawn. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whenever the Century Hospitality Group opens up a new restaurant, there's lots of buzz. With Hart's Table being the 8th restaurant to open under their direction, there are high expectations associated with the food and service. The use of social media prior to the restaurant's opening created a lot of excitement. Tweets including pictures of dishes and a daily countdown to the opening had me really curious, especially since they were only a five minute drive away from my house.

Hart's Table & Bar - 14229 23 Avenue - Edmonton AB

Opening in the residential area of South Terwillegar, Hart's Table and Bar joined nearby XIX Nineteen as a full service sit down restaurant. I popped by on a Monday evening to celebrate a friend's birthday and was surprised to find that they do not take reservations. The first come first serve basis wasn't too big of an issue for us at 7pm, but the restaurant was busier than I had expected it to be.

We decided to order a couple dishes to share so that we could sample and get a bit of a grasp of the offerings on the menu. There's a ton of variety, but there isn't a cohesive theme. The menu spans from Asian to Italian to Mediterranean and more, so it's hard to decide what you want to eat. We chose to start with the Beet Salad ($13): red & candy stripe beets, fresh baby greens, slivered almonds, goat cheese, honey balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was quite atypical of what I have come to expect and love about beet salads. For me, I prefer my salad to be predominantly sweet beets with savoury goat cheese to balance. Hart's version is comprised mainly of baby greens with a beet here and there, and the dressing is quite sour. While the beets were cooked well and had a natural sweetness, the sour flavours of the vinaigrette dominated the dish.

I have an obsession with shishito peppers and was very excited when I found out that Hart's Table was going to be offering them on their menu. These peppers are slightly spicier than your regular green bell pepper, but it's said that one in ten peppers is very spicy. And I can attest to that! I've had my fair share of spicy shishitos, so the Hart's Table Shishito Pepper Roulette ($9) is aptly named. However, the peppers that were served up with a sweet soy glaze was more than disappointing for me. The peppers were incredibly oily and overly sweet. The glaze sunk to the very bottom of the dish and hardened into a sticky mess which made them nearly inedible. Thankfully, from what I can gather, the dish has since been removed from the menu.

Next up was the Tuna Tataki ($16): fresh Albacore tuna, candy stripe beets, orange segments, sweet sambal. I had hoped to have this as a main since the price indicated to me that it should be a bit of a bigger portion, but I was shocked by how small the dish was when it arrived at the table. Price point aside, the tuna was very fresh and unnecessarily seasoned heavily with pepper. I enjoyed the fresh orange segments as they were very sweet and juicy, but the use of the sambal made the dish a little too sweet for my liking.

The birthday girl ordered the Fish Tacos ($16) for her main which came with fresh Albacore tuna. Definitely a different take on the traditional fish taco as the tuna served with this dish was lightly seared as a tataki would be. The taco was quite spicy, but the use of lettuce and cucumber for garnish in the taco really helped tone down the flavours. I'm not the biggest fan of hard shell tacos as I find them difficult to eat, and the menu didn't state that the dish would be presented with one so it was a little bit of an unwelcome surprise. The fries served on the side were crisp, but nothing to write home about. Again, from what I gather, this dish has since been removed from the menu.

Another dish ordered to the table was the Chancey's Famous Beef Dip ($18): grilled New York steak, sliced thin, caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, swiss cheese, toasted garlic loaf, rich beef jus. All the sandwiches at Hart's Table are served with a side of 'scratch' soup, hand cut fries, house salad or the Parlour Caesar, and we chose to go with the soup. The beef dip was flavourful mixed with the sweet onions and jus for dipping, but we found the meat to be a tad tough. But the bread was soft with a crisp exterior, making it a pretty well rounded sandwich. The soup on the side, however, left something to be desired as we found it to be quite bland.

Last but not least, we ordered the Hart's Burger ($18): house ground 8oz Heritage Angus Beef, honey glazed brioche bun, Hart’s secret sauce, caramelized onions, classic cheddar, bacon jam, vine ripened tomatoes, fresh arugula, colossal dill pickle, duck fat fries. The burger patty had great flavour and most importantly, it wasn't dry. The bun was warm and soft, and the use of arugula gave this burger unexpected flavour that worked well. We were really looking forward to the side of duck fat fries but couldn't find that distinctive flavour. It was disappointing for us as we compared them with the regular fries that came with the fish tacos. Aside from a different seasoning, there wasn't a difference, but our server assured us that we were given the correct fries.

To end the evening we ordered the Salted Caramel Bread Pudding ($9) which came topped with a scoop of Pinocchio's vanilla bean ice cream. The dessert was very strong in cloves and nutmeg and full of raisins. It wasn't overly sweet which was nice, but I wouldn't have been able to eat the dessert without the scoop of ice cream on top. I found the bread pudding to be a bit on the dry side, so the ice cream gave it that much needed moisture and a little extra sugar.

The evening at Hart's Table had a lot of hits and misses. As I said previously, being part of a well known management group brings a lot of high expectations to the table. The evening was pleasant, but of the dishes we enjoyed, nothing particularly stood out for me. I think price point is definitely something that needs to be pointed out, as dining at Hart's Table is going to run on the expensive side. Appetizers and sandwiches average at about $15, while heavier main courses will set you back about $25. With dessert at $9 each, I'll let you add up the price for a three course meal for one person. You could argue that the restaurant is located in the wealthy suburbs of Edmonton, but I firmly believe that prices should always reflect the quality of dishes that are placed in front of you. It will take some convincing for me to return despite being located conveniently in my neighbourhood, but that isn't to say I won't. Hopefully the restaurant can continue to improve (as seen with the removal of some items on the menu) and grow in this part of the city.