TASTE OF TORONTO RETURNS TO FORT YORK (JUNE 15-18)

Me last year at Taste of Toronto!

Me last year at Taste of Toronto!

Toronto is officially buzzing with activities now that summer is here! With the warm weather comes numerous events and festivals in and around the city and so I wanted to share one of my favourite events of the summer with you, Taste of Toronto! Can you feel your inner foodie getting excited already!?

If you have never been to Taste of Toronto it is one of Toronto’s biggest annual food festivals and this year they are going all out for Canada’s 150! For the 4th edition of Taste of Toronto the festival will return to Garrison Common at Fort York and featuring only the best of the best of Toronto’s chef! New addition to this years line up include Momofuku Noodle Bar, Bar Buca, Cafe Boulud, and Bar Isabel! Just like last year you do need to buy entry tickets for this event and pay for food once on the premises but in addition to the 100 taster sized dishes from 25 of Toronto’s top restaurant chefs there will also be cooking demos, interactive masterclasses sponsored by Metro (I did this last year it was so much fun), intimate Q&A’s with master chefs, mixology classes, and food and drink samples from over 60 exhibitors! With 6 sessions to choose from and a limited number of tickets per session I implore you to plan ahead with this festival because they can easily sell out!

Chefs you can expect to see:

Rob Bragagnolo from Carver and Camp Food Hall - Remember my Carver video?
Elia Herrera from Los Colibris
Trevor Lui from Kampai Snack Bar
Victor Berry from Piano Piano
Ivana Racafrom Raca Cafe & Bar
David Lee from Nota Bene
Carl Heinrich from Richmond Station
Ted Corrado and Alexandra Feswick from The Drake Hotel
Sonia Mondino from Pray Tell
Mark McEwan from The McEwan Group

TASTE OF TORONTO

Sessions:

So there are 6 sessions as mentioned which means a general admission ticket is only good for the session you choose - here are the times for each session.

Thursday June 15th - 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Friday June 16th - 11:30am - 4:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Saturday June 17th - 11:30am - 4:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Sunday June 18th- 12:00pm - 5:00pm

Tickets:

I will include the price for general admission tickets below but if you buy in bulk or a weekend pass I do believe they get cheaper!

Thursday and Friday $17.00 each
Saturday and Sunday $21.00 each
Youth $10.00 each

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

****Please note that Cash will not be accepted to purchase food only Credit Cards and Debit Cards

So this year they are doing some things a little different. Last year they had these cards you had to fill up with ‘crowns’ which essentially would be used to purchase those tasty bites. This year things are changing and you will no longer need to get the card but instead pay at each vendor using your credit or debit cards (cash will not be accepted).

Are you as exited as I am? Im probably going to be there everyday so come say ‘HI!” if you spot me and cheers to the freakin' weekend!

The Calamari Po'Boy with a Black Sesame Bun from Mark McEwan at last years Taste of Toronto

The Calamari Po'Boy with a Black Sesame Bun from Mark McEwan at last years Taste of Toronto


 

 

 

BOSK CHAMPAGNE DINNER AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL FEAT. CHARLES HIEDSIECK

This week I was invited to a champagne tasting and dinner at Bosk Toronto. This refined, modern and, most importantly, delicious restaurant is located in the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto’s downtown core. Heading into the dinner I had never dined at Bosk even though I have been, on several occasions, to their bar located adjacent the Shangri-La’s newly remodeled lobby. The Bosk bar is a social hot-spot for the Bay Street crowd but during TIFF it was definitely the place to spot some drool worthy celebrities like Ryan Gosling!

The dinner was elegantly set up in the Bosk private dining room – each place setting aligned with champagne glasses a plenty. I knew from the first moment I entered the room that this was going to be a great event. All the champagne for the evening was supplied from the cellars of Charles Heidsieck in France and I was quickly introduced to their cellar master Cyril Brun who led us through a brief history of the champagne house.

For dinner Chef De Cuisine Richard Singh of Bosk restaurant carefully picked four perfectly paired dishes that both stood out in beauty and complimented each champagne.  It was with this delicate and deliberate curation of food and drink that our palettes would soon be sent buzzing with vibrant flavors after each bite. To start of the dinner we had a 'Sunchoke' soup with cranberry turnip and black truffle accompanied by an elegantly assembled bagal lavash and paired perfectly with the Charles Heidsieck Brut – a champagne with a complex and voluptuous nose of fresh brioche and sun drenched fruits.

Next up on our Bosk menu for the evening was scallops with zucchini, chorizo oil, baby fennel and romesco vinaigrette.  This dish was one of my favorite dishes of the entire night. The scallops were cooked to perfection and each bite came with a burst of sweet flavors. It is no wonder that it was paired with the Charles Heidsieck rosé reserve, a champagne with rich warm notes that mimic homemade strawberry jam followed by smaller notes of gingerbread and cinnamon.

For our mains Bosk featured a delicious halibut dish with pommes puree, arrow leaf spinach, glazed chestnuts, samphire and red wine béarnaise. This dish is a fish lovers dream and really rounded out the meal perfectly. To complement the dish it was paired with Chales Heisieck’s 2005 vintage which had a sharp nose of stinky cheese. The funny thing about the nose on this vintage is that I believe it would only be as pungently noticeable when tasted beside other champagnes. If you were not comparing and tasting multiple champagnes you may not pick up on it right away. Another thing to note about this champagne is that the nose is intentional and comes from the aging/fermenting process.

Dessert was melted raclette cheese with oat crumble, sour cherry, celery and walnut! I really enjoyed this dish especially to finish off my Charles Heidsieck 2005 vintage before moving onto the Charles Heidsieck Black de Millenaires 1995 vintage which also contained nose notes of cheese but not as pungent as its 2005 petit frère.  Other notable notes for this champagne were dried and candied fruits which was perfect to finish off the meal.

I knew that the Shangri-La Hotels always offered luxury products and high-end service, but Bosk restaurant can certainly carry the savoir faire of Toronto’s top restaurant all on its own. The only thing that had me all perplexed was why I hadn’t eaten there sooner.

If you would like to make a reservation at Bosk, visit their website HERE

If you would like to learn more about Charles Heidsieck visit their website HERE

#SCOTCHCAMP - LAST GREAT MALTS OF SCOTLAND

The only thing I really know about Scotch is that it comes from Scotland and on occasion when I do drink it, it makes my face turn redder then a tomato! Nevertheless when I was invited to Scotch Camp last week neither my ignorance nor my red face was going to keep me away.

So off I went last Wednesday to the Pomp and Circumstance office to settle in with the group before departing on a bus to Scotch Camp. With no real idea of what the afternoon would entail I wholeheartedly embraced the unknown, grabbed a single malt and made myself comfortable.

Once arriving at Scotch Camp we were greeted with welcoming libations and told that our hike would start shortly. Leading the hike was John Dewar & Sons North American Ambassador Gabe Cardarella and he was going to teach us the history behind 5 of Dewar's great malt's!

If you are interested in learning more about the Scotch Whisky's we tasted I have included some information about each Scotch below, including tasting notes and price points at the LCBO. I also made a short highlights video from my day at Scotch Camp so you can come along for the journey too.

 

Video music provided by Running Red Lights - Mulberry Love
Check out their Soundcloud

I have to say that this was one of the best and most interactive tastings I have ever gone to. The event location and setup was so well executed.  Although I went in there with very little knowledge about Scotch I definitely left with a new appreciation for Scotch that made getting all red in the face so worth it. If you are ever in Scotland and want to visit the Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery you can book a tour and tasting -> HERE

If you have any questions or comments about the Dewar Scotch Whisky's or Scotch Camp feel free to leave them below and I will try my best to answer them!