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.
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.
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
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