A Taste of Toronto at Fort York

Festival:  Taste of Toronto
Date:       June 15-18, 2017
Date visited:  June 15th
Location: Garrison Common Fort York
What:      Culinary Festival
Website:  https://toronto.tastefestivals.com/
IG:           @tasteofToronto
Twitter:    https://twitter.com/tasteoftoronto

Although this is a bit late and the festival has already ended a while ago I wanted to write a post about my experience this year at Taste of Toronto.

This year I only went once on the Friday night.  It was a very HOT muggy sunny evening when we arrived for the Festival.  The weather really affects these outdoor festivals.  It probably wasn't the best time for me to go to the show because it was after work on a friday after a very busy week but since my friend and I both work downtown it was easy to meet up after work and head over to Fort York.  I have to say that Fort York is not my favourite venue for an event because it's very hard to get to.  This time since I went from work I took the Yonge subway to Harbourfront to take the streetcar which dumped me at Lakeshore and I had to walk up to the entrance which moved to closer to Bathurst.  I probably should have waited for another streetcar going north on Bathurst but I walked and remember it was hot outside so by the time I got to the event I was pretty tired and hot.   TIP if it's in the same location next year take the streetcar from Bathurst station if you can.  It's easier.

Well this should give you a glimpse at my energy level and why I didn't fully participate in all of the Festivals attractions this year.  For the past couple of years I have tried to get into the Metro masterclasses and they have been filled up but this time we got the last 2 spots for Rob Gentile (Buca)''s Pasta making demo.  Hosted by Abbey Sharp while Gentile demonstrated a very simple pasta made from Semolina and water.  The dough was pre made but we rolled it out and cut it and cooked it and the sauce and were able to eat our spoils of the demo.  It tasted great but without the egg it was a bit tough. It really filled us up though so we weren't hungry enough to try all the food booths and by that time the lines grew pretty long.

 

We walked around checking out the menus and tried some of the samples like this Brie Grilled Cheese S'mores which was stuffed with Nutella and as soon as I took a bit it oozed out and landed on my white shirt.  Big Thanks goes out to Richmond Station's staff for trying to help me get the stain out with soda water.  it helped a bit but this white shirt seems to like food as much as I do.

We also went to one of my favourite returning Sponsors the huge Nespresso booth smack in the middle of the festival.  This year they had this fun little boat set up for pics.  I didn't even realize that we matched each other and the whole display.  We really enjoyed our Iced coffees so thanks Nespresso for always being there with delicious beverages and snacks.

The trend of the Festival this year was HOT BBQ's and pits.  I really felt sorry for these super hard working chefs who were in charge of manning the meat pits all weekend long.

We didn't sit in on any of the roundtable discussions or the cooking stage demos, although I caught a bit of Chef Carl from Richmond Station while I was at the Uniqlo booth.  It seemed strange for Uniqlo to have a booth there but they were giving out free under shirts that are supposed to keep you warm or cool, new super tech.  They also had something I really enjoyed,  they were making Hibiscus cocktails.  It was so refreshing.

Normally I spend a lot more time and get to chat with some of the Chefs I have met over the years but I didn't have the chance to see them this year.  I did wave to Chef Mark McEwan and I had a great chat with my friend Nancy who is an Ambassador for Blue Goose Pure Foods who had a booth set up there.  What I like about this festival is the fact that all of the best chefs in Toronto go there and I usually sit in on the demos and get to see what's up in the Toronto food world.  Every year new trends emerge and it seemed that this year it was all about meat and doing different things with it.  Chef McEwan's booth had crispy pigs ears, compared to year 1 where they had insane lines for their fried chicken that sold out.  There were some booths with really long lines and some didn't have any lineups so I think that's pretty telling about our discerning Toronto palates.

I would love to see this festival have a free admission so that there is more money to spend for the food booths or have a one price fee.  This year they got rid of their crown cards and you had to pay with credit or debit cards.  I had cash which wasn't accepted.  I understand the no cash policy but maybe there's a better way to accommodate all kinds of payments and maybe if it moved to a more accessible venue and I think people would hang out longer and try more food and attend more demos.
 

BBQ dinners with friends

In Canada we wait through months and months of cold, snowy, rainy weather for those days that we can go outside and spark up a BBQ and hang out with our friends.  Some people can't wait for that summer weather and will go outside in Parkas just to grill their meats.

But the reason we can't wait for the limited great weather is to enjoy BBQ's with friends.  It really is what the perfect summer is all about.

I lived in a house most of my life and could have BBQ'd whenever I wanted to but I didn't BBQ much, and now that I am in an apartment I wish I could BBQ on nice days.

So It's always nice when I get to go to my friends house for a BBQ.   It's even better when you call up one of your friends to see what they are doing and they ask if you want to come over for a BBQ that day and you combine forces and cobble a dinner together.  That's what happened last weekend.  I sent my friend a text about 4:30pm to see what he was doing.  He was at his sisters but said he would be home around 7pm.  Then he texted back and asked if I wanted to come over for a BBQ.  I was itching to get out of the house so I said "heck ya" and he picked me up on his way home.  He said all he had was chicken and maybe a salad.  I said I could bring some of the veggies I got in my Fresh City Farms delivery that week.  I had a mini watermelon, a whole fennel, a bunch of Swiss Chard and some Green Beans,   I blanched the green beans and tossed them in a light garlic coconut oil vinaigrette.  That took all of under 10 minutes to do.  I trimmed the fennel and cut it up for grilling.  I left the Chard whole because I hadn't decided what to do with it.  And the watermelon was whole.

Once I got to my friends place the plan was to Char the Chard and the Fennel.  I never BBQ'd Swiss chard before but there are a lot of people that grill lettuce so why not.  I just washed it and trimmed the ends and we put a bit of olive oil and salt on it and placed it on the grill.  Once they were charred we took them off and I cut them into smaller pieces.  The smell was interesting.  It was kind of like Kale chips.  I read that you could blanche the Chard first but I didn't bother and it was interesting and crispy this way.  We also grilled the fennel in a metal tray with holes after just a drizzle of olive oil and salt on it.  

My friend insisted that I cut up the watermelon into tiny cubes so I worked on that.  It would have been great if we had limes and mint to make it into a refreshing watermelon salad.  Next time.

My friend put the chicken on skewers and grilled them to perfection.

Once everything was ready my friend Randy insisted that we make a fancy plate and he wanted to layer the chard and fennel.   In a bowl I added some more olive oil and salt and pepper and some cayenne and splash of vinegar and tossed it lightly for flavour.  

He took a bit of the Chard and placed it on the side of the plate and then put the fennel on top.  He said it needed more color and something red, so I went inside and grabbed a few grape tomatoes and we cut them in half and placed them on top and drizzled a bit more olive oil.
The green beans went on the side and then I used a Balsalmic glaze to fancy up the plate and the skewered chicken was placed on top of that.  

It was not only a beautiful plate but everything came together fantastic.  It was a total team effort between three of us and even for a last minute meal you would think we planned it.  We were all pretty impressed with ourselves.   My friend said "I like it when Linda comes over for dinner because she brings great food".   It helps when my friend has a nice BBQ set up and everyone pitches in to make it work.   I handle prep and my friend Adam does the grilling and Randy does the clean up.  What a combo.  And now we have a new thing to grill on the BBQ that is amazing.
And for dessert even though I thought we were just going to eat the mini watermelon my friend Adam comes out of the house with fancy toasted waffle ice cream sandwiches.  So much for our perfectly healthy meal.  It's all about balance I guess.

I am planning a BBQ at another friends condo for some blogger friends but it's a little more planned but I gave them the option to bring something to make it a bit more spontaneous and interesting.  So will see how it goes and I hope that we don't have any insane storms like we had yesterday.

Here's to summer BBQ's with friends.  They are the best thing ever!   Go forth and Grill Master!.

Great Canada Day BBQ tips

HAPPY CANADA DAY

You don't have to spend a fortune to have a great Canada Day BBQ with friends and family.

Here are my tips for a great BBQ.

I headed over to Walmart and picked up a few of Walmart's Our Finest BBQ staples and had a low cost BBQ with friends and their new baby.  Baby Kenzie was really excited to celebrate her first Canada Day BBQ and she was literally drooling over all of the food.

               

The MENU

From Walmart:

Our Finest Cheddar Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon Beef Burger    $10.99

Our Finest Chipotle BBQ sauce                                                                               $1.78

Our Finest Strawberry Lemonade                                                                          $2,00

Our Finest Thick Cut Grilled Onion and Balsalmic vinegar chips                      $2.00

Our Finest Tzatziki Yoghurt Dressing                                                                     $2.00

Our Finest Lemon Herb Shrimp                                                                             $10.00

Coleslaw                                                                                                                     $1.47

Fresh Corn                                                                                                              5 @ .57each

Also on the Menu:

Roasted Beets with goat cheese

Taco layered dip with red and white nacho chips

Jerusalem artichoke salad

Fingerling potato salad

Cucumber and Cherry Tomato salad with the Tzatziki dressing

Dessert:

My friend made Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I picked up a Walmart brand Smore's kit

I also got a fresh pineapple from Walmart that I cut into slices and we grilled it with sugar cinnamon and topped it with vanilla ice cream and dulce de leche caramel sauce

I also got a little round watermelon that we cut up into slices and then cut out maple leafs with a cookie cutter.

My friend also picked up a Red Velvet Canadian Flag Cake.

To DRINK:

I brought over some Walter Caesar mix that I had and topped it off with celery and of course a Canadian Flag and a celery salt rim and ice.

And of course there was lot's of wine, perrier and water too along with the strawberry lemonade which tasted very refreshing.

I think we had as much dessert as we did dinner.

I spent just under $100 at Walmart and that fed 5 people and enough for 6.

We decked out the table family style so it wasn't fancy but very fun and festive.

Everything tasted fantastic and the weather was beautiful after 2 solid days of gloomy rain.  

We were really surprised on how much we enjoyed the Applewood Smoked Bacon and cheese Stuffed Burgers.  Because of the cheese inside they were moist and flavourful.  I would recommend them anytime.   I bought sliced cheese but skipped it because you could see the cheese oozing out so it really didn't need it.

We kind of had a Pot Luck style BBQ with some things I had made at home,  some things BBQ essentials that I picked up at Walmart and a few other things we either purchased or made.

You can really have a great BBQ on a Budget if you pick up a few great things like some great Burgers like the Our Finest ones we tried and get some great hamburger buns and some condiments.  We really liked the Our Finest Chipotle BBQ sauce.  Add some fresh coleslaw and some fresh corn on the cob and some cherry tomato and cucumber salad or you can even skewer them.  We also skewered some of the cherry tomatoes with some boconcini cheese that my friend had but we forgot about them until after we had everything.

Since you already have the BBQ going the grilled pineapple is also a great easy idea or just toast up some marshmallow after you finish grilling your meal.

We grilled the corn but you can also grill peppers, zucchini or even potatoes and asparagus.  These are some of my favourite things that grilling really enhances.

Get creative and find some great food and friends and spark up that grill whether you do it at home or on a campsite or at a local park.  It's always fun and the food is always better this way.

Don't forget the Canadian Flags, hats, and festive decorations.

Enjoy a safe and Happy Canada Day!

Disclaimer:  This post is sponsored by Walmart Canada, as part of the Our Finest program. In exchange this review, I have received special perks in the form of products and/or compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own.

Beretta launches a better hot dog

It was a hot, windy and sunny day in Toronto and I was invited to go to a Rooftop BBQ on top of the Burroughs Building on Queen Street in Toronto.  So how could I say no to that?   The reason for the BBQ was to sample some of Beretta Farms hot dogs with lot's of accompanying condiments. Just in time for BBQ season if the weather gets a bit warmer and a little more consistent.   Walter caesar cocktails were also on hand for people that enjoy a caesar with their hot dog.  There were 3 different hot dogs on the barbie.  Beef, chicken and turkey.  I tried 2 out of the 3 of them.  I had the Beef and the Chicken and I also had some fries that were super flavourful but I don't know who made them. What's different about Beretta's hot dogs is what's not in them. Beretta’s contain no nitrates, other than those naturally occurring in cultured celery juice. Their hot dogs are made from exclusively Canadian-reared animals all raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones.  Beretta’s hot dogs are made with premium proteins, and no mystery meat.

Each package contains 6 wieners, is 375 grams and is sold for $10.99. Shoppers can find Beretta’s new line of organic hot dogs at select locations where Beretta is sold. On the way out I received a bag with a bacon glazed doughnut but I was already stuffed by that point. Disclaimer:  The meal was complimentary but the opinions in this post are my own.  Assorted hot dog photo image provided by ButterPR. Photo collage images by Linda Matarasso

Rock Lobster thanks Leslieville residents with a FREE BBQ

I am not a Leslieville resident but I spend a lot of time in Leslieville because a couple of my friends live in Leslieville and I like to go to the Leslieville farmers market on sundays sometimes.

So when I heard that RockLobster Food Co. on Queen St. East was going to be throwing a FREE BBQ to thank the residents of Leslieville for their first year of business in the neighbourhood I had to let my friend know.   We had been to the restaurant fairly recently and she jumped at the chance to go to their community BBQ.   They had face painting for the kids and some really cool balloon animals too.   For the adults there were Caesars and lots of food.   While my friend is almost a total vegetarian she did try the hamburgers because the only vegetarian option was vegetable skewers.   On their menu they do have mac and cheese though, but on the BBQ was lobster tails, hot dogs and burgers and lobster frittata burgers.    They also had some fresh shrimp on cucumber rounds.   Since I am not a vegetarian but I do like vegetables I had lots to eat.

It was a very generous gift on their part as they only asked that people make donations as they wished to a jar set up at the bar for the RED DOOR SHELTER.   Key to success is it's owners with a big heart and concern for their community.   If you support your community they will in turn support you.


I commend all of the Rock Lobster staff for their friendliness and their big hearts.

I was waffling if I was going to go because at 10am it was pouring rain and a BBQ outside in the rain isn't exactly a good idea.  But magically it stopped raining just before 11am and the sky opened up and the sun started shining bright at just the right time for me to leave to get there in time for their start of the day.   Mother nature likes FREE BBQ's it seems.    So I made a quick decision to head down and meet up with a couple of friends.   The plan was to meet for lunch there and then head over to Word on the Street.    While the weather was dark and stormy in the morning and then it started raining at about 8pm it was a beautiful sun shining day all day for the BBQ and Word on the Street.   That's what I call good timing.    I also managed to squeeze in a FREE movie of Dr. Cabbie at the Bloor Cinema after the Word on the Street Festival so the Universe aligned for a good day.... in comparison to my flooded kitchen sink day the day before.   I still can't cook or wash dishes but at least I enjoyed my day yesterday in the sun while it's still here.

Follow them on Twitter @Rocklobsterfood

Thank you ROCKLOBSTER staff for starting my day off with some great food.   I hope to see you again for your 2nd year anniversary and many more locations too.   P.S.  think about expanding to NORTH YORK where a cool resto is badly needed.