A Day in Stratford

Last spring, we saw our first ad for the Stratford Festival's new season and we knew we would be heading out at some point to catch a play. Spring passed and then summer, and here we were in autumn and the time was running out for the year.

So even with all kinds of events we would have loved to do in the city, we headed out on the 401 West on a bright, clear Saturday morning. 

We arrived early and were surprised by the amount of available parking by the Festival Theatre.  Certainly, it wouldn’t be like this during the summer, when the season was at its height. It was great getting there before the crowds that would show up just a little later and not just because of parking. We were able to spend some quiet time, surveying the surround gardens without anyone else around.

When do we eat?

From there, we headed into town in search of a place to have lunch. This turned out to be a longer walk than we had anticipated but the weather was so beautiful that it was impossible to mind the time outside. We took a meandering route through the side streets, walking passed picturesque old homes and staying away from the busy main street for as long as we could.

We decided on Mercer Hall for lunch because of the many positive reviews it has received. It was a beautiful and surprisingly large dining room.  It was just the place we love to go for lunch: well-made casual fare and a good selection of Ontario craft beers on tap.

We started off with an amazing Thai chili chicken wings, they were more sweet than spicy, but good and crispy as wings should be. Then Jen had their excellent burger and David had the curry chicken salad off the specials menu.  The burger was good and classic and you could see the care the kitchen took in the way the stacked the fries on the plate. The salad with watermelon and feta was fresh and flavourful. Everything tasted great but there seemed to be an odd disparity in portion sizes as the appetizers we saw going out were huge and the mains tended to be smaller than average. Not that we left hungry.

Take me to the River

Heading back to catch our play, we followed the Avon River. Since its inception in the early nineteenth century, the town of Stratford has paid homage to its namesake. Every year swans are released on the river to add to Shakespeares birthplace. In addition to the swans, numerous species of ducks and geese flock to the banks.

In the wonderful autumn weather both people and birds filled the river's shores and the lovely green-space that flanks it. The water fowl brazenly claimed the shore, and in some instances the path as they awaited handouts.

But as warm and enjoyable as the weather was, there were signs that summer was quickly fading and fall colours were occasionally spotted.

It was impossible to stroll along there and not wish to have a picnic. We vowed next year, we would plan one.

The play's the thing

The town may have been honoring Shakespeare since it was founded but the festival has only been there for a little more than sixty years, but in that time the Festival has built a world-class theatrical destination.

We attended Love’s Labour’s Lost, one of Shakespeare’s earliest and perhaps least conventional comedies.  The cast and direction was amazing and proved that even after four hundred years, the play was still funny and a joy to watch.

If Shakespeare is not your thing, they perform a wide variety of plays. One of the big productions of the 2015 season is Sound of Music.  We would have loved to see just about everyone of their shows, if we had enough time to do so.

Stratford is at a distance that makes it unlikely that our visits will be often, but the quality of the Festival’s plays and the charming town has earned it a place in our plans for next summer.

Stratford Bound

After two hectic weekends, we will be taking things a bit slower on this one. But not too slow. Before the Startford Festival ends its season, we're heading out there and catch Love's Labours Lost. Jen has never been to Stratford, and David was last there fifteen years ago. So we couldn't let our first year in the area go by without making a visit. Aside from the play, we're hoping for a good meal, some fun sightseeing, and some interesting stops along the way. Check us out on Twitter and Instagram for live coverage. And we'll have the full account next week.

The weather forecast looks great, so make sure you get out and take advantage. There are still tonnes of things happening in and around the city.

Food and Wine... and Tequila

Coming into the grounds of The Evergreen Brick Works we felt like we were entering a relic lost to nature. The historic site of redbrick buildings and towers is nestled in the Lower Don Valley green space. Surrounded by lush foliage and with a bright sun overhead, we couldn't have asked for a better setting for the day's event. The event being, the much anticipated Toronto FOOD & Wine Festival.

Foodie Heaven

A major attraction of the show were the many demonstrations by celebrity chefs, some requiring a fee but mostly offered for free. Food Network has created a paradigm shift in our culture. We now know chefs by face and name and they create a draw that goes beyond their food. As we over heard a woman say at one of these event,s just before getting her photo taken with the chef, “He’s my kind of celebrity. This is foodie heaven: getting my picture taken with a chef.”

Arriving a little late to the Brickworks, we went straight in to see Rick Moonen’s demonstration, which was just getting underway. He cooked up a barbecued salmon dinner and spoke about the importance of sustainable fish. He was a dynamic speaker and smells coming from the stove were amazing. Sadly, there were no samples, but there were cards with the recipes, so we will be making this meal at home.

A little later in the day, we caught Marc Murphy making ricotta fritters and zucchini salad. Chef Murphy was a last minute addition to the schedule and to be honest, we didn’t know him beyond his role as a judge on Chopped Canada. He was at the festival to promote his new Cookbook, Season With Authority. We were really taken with his personality and his ability to relate to the audience, which made the demonstration a truly worthwhile experience. And best of all at the end of his show, he invited everyone up onstage for a taste and happily took photos with an excited audience

Overwhelmed

But as big a draw as the celebrity chefs were, the real star was the food. Set up in rows of stalls inside the Brickworks Pavilion, it was overwhelming at first. But after we had made our first leisurely circuit, it felt more manageable. I might even call it pleasantly cozy compared with some other food festivals we’ve been to that either had fewer vendors spread out over a wider space or had venues that felt cramped and crowded. One of the things we enjoyed most about FOOD & WINE was the feeling that it wasn’t crowded. Not being there on Saturday, we can’t compare, but on Sunday, despite the constant bustle, lines were short, it was easy to get around, and you could always find a place to put your plate and glass down if needed. The other benefit of these rows of booths was that they facilitated grazing and you were only a few steps from the next offering. 

Another thing we liked about this festival were the prices. The tastes were very reasonably priced, with the most expensive item we purchased being six dollars and some as low as two. This is a big contrast to Taste of Toronto where six dollars was the rare, rock-bottom price. It really allowed us to taste so much more than we have at other fests. But even with the prices and our enthusiasm, we couldn’t taste it all. That is definitely where coming for more than one day would have benefited us. 

We couldn’t possibly describe everything we ate, so we’ll keep to our best bites. 

Jen: My best bite was Uncle Smoke’s pulled pork ribs and potato buckshot. This was some succulent barbecue, smoky and sweet, decadently tender, but still with enough texture to get your teeth into. And the potatoes were a revelation. I can't wait until the open a restaurant.

Runner up: Carver's porchetta sandwich. This was the first thing I tasted and I still remembered it after the end of the show. That says something.

David: My best bite was Rasa Bar’s Shawarma slider. It wasn’t much to look at but the taste was phenomenal. It had everything you could want in good Middle Eastern food, all the spice and garlic, the reach creaminess from a trinity of feta, hummus, and tzatziki, and the fresh herbaceousness of the tabouli all packed into a sandwich.

Runner up: Lisa Marie's pork and sriracha grits. This only confirmed to me that we have to go to Lisa Marie for dinner one night soon.


With two dollar tasting for some of the drinks and free tasting at the David Rocco Wines table, we were getting tipsy fast and had to slow down, so we didn’t taste as much in that department as we would have liked. The wine tasting was very enjoyable and not just because it was free. Celebrity chef David Rocco has released three Italian wines under the banner Dolce Vita Wines. They’re available in the LCBO and are offered at an incredibly reasonable price point for their smooth, easy everyday drinking quality. Some other stand outs were Walter’s bloody Caesar, and Split Tree's Rhubarb and Elderflower margarita. And we also got to taste our first pumpkin ale of the season with Nightmare on Mill Street.

Tequila and Tacos

After eating our fill, naturally we left and went for dinner. Yes, in perhaps a misguided attempt to take full advantage of the event, we purchased tickets to the after party dinner at El Catrin, that vibrant, always packed, Mexican restaurant in the Distillery District. It was a beautiful night to be out on their patio by the fire pit, but by the third course of the five course tasting menus the food was beginning to come out of our ears. Although that didn’t stop us from seeing it all the way through to the Tres Leches dessert.

On our way out we had a treat with a tequila tasting that was set up by the entryway. Herradura, which was a sponsor of the dinner (not to mention David’s favorite tequila) had set up a tasting table alongside some extremely fine brands that have recently or will be arriving soon in the LCBO. It provided the perfect, if entirely unnecessary, nightcap. 

At the end of the day

Walking back to King Station on our way home, trying to work off a little of the days calories, we once again discussed how amazing it was to be living in Toronto and to be able to spend the day like this. There are other cities also with wonderful events, but here feels like something special is always happening and each weekend is chance to discover it. The day at Toronto FOOD  & WINE is only the most recent in the collection of magical memories we have built since coming here.

Too Much to do in T.O.

There is officially too much to do in Toronto this weekend. In festivals alone, we have the second weekend of The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the Toronto FOOD & WINE festival, the Toronto Urban Roots Festival (TURF), Riot Fest, the kick off of Toronto Beer Week, and at least four Oktoberfests (that I counted) including the Toronto Oktoberfest and the Steam Whistle Oktoberfest

If you're willing to go a little further afield, there's also the Niagara Wine Festival and the Pioneer Harvest Festival to check out.

Plus, the Jays are playing every day this weekend.

And that's just the short list of what's on!

With so much happening what are two urban explorers to do? Already our schedule is jam packed. We have TIFF tickets to see The Family Fang Friday night with dinner reservations at Gaberdine afterwards.More tickets Saturday night to see Anomalesa from the master of strange cinema, Charles Kaufman, and The Witch (reputed to be one of the most chilling horror films in years). After what will likely be some very bizarre dreams, we will be spending all Sunday at FOOD & WINE—we even have tickets to their closing Tequila and Tacos party at El Catrin to make it a true all day event. So that just leaves Saturday afternoon to do everything else. Although we might be spending it resting because this is going to be a busy one.

If your in or around the city, we absolutely urge you to get out and enjoy this cornucopia—this embarrassment of riches our region has to offer. But if you can't, you can still share in the fun vicariously by following us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or even Pintrest (see those pretty icons on the top right of your screen).

Next week, we will be posting a full report on our day at Toronto FOOD & WINE.

Opening Weekend at the TIFF

On a cool, wet morning that felt a lot more like autumn than the Saturday before, we emerged from St. Andrews Station to the site of bright orange balloons. If we didn’t already know our way, these beacons would have led us straight to Festival Street.

The morning’s set up was still underway and crowds were thin when we got there, but the dreary weather hadn’t dampened the volunteers’ enthusiasm. As we stopped to have a look at the iconic TIFF sign which marked the start of the street fair, one volunteer cheerfully greeted us and offered to take our picture. it felt like a good omen for the day to come.

The Toronto International Film Festival is marking its fortieth anniversary this year, but this would be our first experience at one. Not that TIFF is new to us. Since moving here last December, The Bell Lightbox has become almost a second home. TIFF year-round activities revived our love for cinema and we are proud members. So to finally be getting the chance to set foot on the festival’s grounds was a big occasion.

Let’s eat

After picking up our tickets from will-call, it was time to get something to eat. David was already beginning to suffer from coffee withdrawal and at ten a.m. breakfast was long overdue. We picked Canteen.

TIFF 2015 Preview

Tonight the 40th Annual Toronto International Film Fest kicks off with the gala showing of Demolition. But for us it is a different story. This is our first TIFF and it will officially begin Saturday with the regular showing of The Martian. Seeing big stars would be nice, but it's not nearly as important to us as the experience. Seeing the noon showing of The Martian will get us down to the heart of TIFF so we can spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying Festival Street,

Since coming to Toronto, the TIFF has played a significant role. One of the first things David did in town was go to the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Bell Lightbox. Soon after, we became members and began attending special events like Books On Film, Food On Film, Master's Classes, and we could never forget Summer in Italy. In a very real way, TIFF has reinvented going to the movies for us. What had become a once or twice a year event to trek out to a mall to see a blockbuster, has returned to that more joyous sense of discovery that film once was.

So we felt it appropriate to make TIFF 2015 our launch event for this blog. Expect live Tweets and posting on Facebook and Instagram over the weekend and a detailed recap on this blog early next week.

See you there.