The Stop's Night Market 2015 – The Hit List

Another year, another gut busting edible adventure courtesy of The Stop's Night Market. There was a new venue and a fresh crop of participating restaurants. There were boosted ticket prices and an increase in capacity – all of which amounted to a whopping $200,000+ raised in support of The Stop's food access and community-building initiatives.

Night number two might as well have been dubbed "The Stop's Fried Chicken Festival". I never thought I'd utter these words in my life, but there was too much fried chicken. If you're  fan of statistics, out of the 34 vendors, 20.58% of the vendors served some sort of fried chicken. Despite the overload of hot-oil bathed bird, it was pretty much all delicious. And keeping with the theme of delicious, let's indulge in a hit list from one of my favourite food fests of the year...

Nasi Jinggo by Babi & Co. was one of the prettiest and most balanced dishes of the evening. I loved being able to see the individual components – fragrant rice, chilli chicken, egg, cucumber, sambal, shredded coconut, fried tempe, roasted peanuts and anchovy – before mixing them together.

Unsurprisingly, Rose & Sons wowed with their wild take on a Coney Island dog with beef and cow heart chili and wild leek relish.

My favourite of the fried chicken offerings, Hopgood's Foodliner presented their take on a hot chicken sandwich which was hard to eat but easy to please.

The stuffed grape leaves by Woodlot weren't as impactful as the message they displayed. The camaraderie at The NM is always palatable.

Carmen made me anxious for my impending trip to Spain later this summer with their pretty little grilled octopus skewers with fingerling potato, olive and jamon.

Not my best photo ever, but definitely one of my favourite dishes – lake trout ceviche with tartar sauce and potato chips – by the talented hands of Charlotte Langley and Trish Gill, repping Small Town Food Co., but unfortunately not for long. Chef Charlotte is going on to work with farm-to-fork marketplace Provender and focus on her awesome buiz Scout Canning and T.O is losing Chef Trish to Windsor next week.

La Carnita's chicken escabeche taco made an impact with crema, tamarind sauce, mango salsa and dehydrated serrano chilis.

Many people's dyslexia kicked in, excepting popcorn okra, instead of o-k-a-r-a – a soy pulp that forms in the making of soy milk or tofu – paired up with miso cucumber and baked kale chips by Abokichi.

Vegetarian dishes aren't always thrilling in my personal opinion, but this smoked eggplant flatbread by Midfield.

Fresh and fabulous albacore tuna conserva with olive chili and onion by Enoteca Sociale.

Hands down my favourite dish of the night. Citizen Catering made my mouth water with their grilled tongue on toast. I'm remised to say that I'm not sure what the toppings are. I think I blacked out twice while eating them. Kudos, Chef Chris Brown.

The homies at FARMHOUSE Tavern busted out some banging smoked beets with goats milk cheese and toasted watermelon seeds(?).

Another fried chicken fav was the simple hot chicken slider with hot sauce and pickle.

The sweetest finish possible (only one of two desserts in the house) by one of the sweetest chefs in the game. Miriam Streiman of The Mad Maple Country Inn wowed with her strawberry rhubarb rugelache with graham cracker crumble.

With the summer solstice looming, the Night Market seems to always be blessed with beautiful sunsets. A fitting accompaniment to a tremendous event and a worthy cause.

See you next year food lovers, philanthropists and sweethearts...

Interview: Chef Rob Gentile on Ingredients, Italian Influences and Buca Yorkville

“The best ingredients” – Chef Rob Gentile uses the phrase repeatedly in our conversation, stressing their importance. The repetition is not redundant, there is no lack of meaning. The ingredients constitute his dharma; they are a representation of his childhood, his family, his education, his mentorship, his pride, his work, his restaurants and his life.

Ingredients take centre stage in the live Gaspé scallop w/ chamomile infused olive oil, sea asparagus, buffalo milk yoghurt and lump fish caviar.

Like his two previous award-winning restaurants – Buca King Street (described as "Nona" – the tank, the originator) and Bar Buca (the "spunky nephew") – Chef Gentile has an ingredient-focused approach to Buca Yorkville (formally titled Buca Osteria & Eoteca), whose maritime twist forms the basis for his somewhat simple, yet sophisticated new endeavor....

READ my interview with Chef Rob Gentile on View the Vibe. Take a look at some of the sensational menu items at the new Buca Yorkville below. Note: the menu constantly changes and there's no guarantee you'll be able to order what you see here. 

Also, worth noting for those that like to splurge – a special Chef's Tasting Menu is slowly being introduced at Buca Yorkville. It will feature 19-courses at $180 for food, plus $100 for wine pairings. 

Puntarelle Salad: roman chicory, crisp white smelt, pesto genovese, pine nut, quail yolk, gremolata

Bucatini alla Carbonara: bronze die-extruded duck egg pasta, herring bottarga, hen's egg

Spaghetti Pomodoro: bronze die-cut pasta di gargnano, seaside tomatoes, garlic, olive oil

Polipo e Vongole: braised octopus, B.C. clams, bone marrow, black kale, baby artichoke, fregola sarda

Peperonata: baked eggplant, sweet pepper, zucchini, parmiginao

Flourless chocolate cake, hazelnuts, compressed orange, squash ice cream

Vegetarian Dinner Series Coming to Bent Restaurant: Veggielicious Menu Preview

Susur Lee has never been one to shy away from a carnivorous selection at his restaurants but his reverence for the humble veggie is not to be ignored. Of course, for a chef who made his mark serving a Singapore Slaw – a vegetarian staple dish – the veteran chef has a special appreciation for the diversity and distinctiveness that can be achieved without the use of meat. To that end, and to satisfy a growing number of veggiecurious eaters, he’ll be hosting Veggielicious by Bent from September 9th to 20th.

Fish not included on the Veggielicious menu

“I feel that vegetarianism is very important but not enough vegetarian food tastes very good,” Lee admitted to a group of fellow bloggers at a recent workshop (#veggielicious101) held at his Dundas West restaurant. “There are a lot of ways to make deep and interesting vegetarian dishes. Many veggie restaurants are afraid to put spices in their food.”

Lucky for those interested in the 5-course, $45 prix fixe tasting menu there will be no shortage of bold flavours. The menu is designed to play off of Toronto’s cultural diversity, while incorporating a few of Lee’s signature touches

From Marrakesh to Montego Bay

A trio of tantalizing dips will be first on the table. Velvety hummus of romano beans with salted chilies, a spicy mustard seed tomato stew with walnut and curry leaf as well as a Caribbean eggplant babaganoush are served with baked garlic lavash. Take your palate on a culinary world tour while cleansing each bite with warm roasted olives with sumach and lemon preserve. This will mix well with a twist on a Canadian bar classic – the Asian Caesar with sriracha, sesame chili oil and hoisin sauce.

A mound of freshness and flavour

Proving still that he’s able to assemble a wicked salad, the tingly chilled soba will truly tickle your taste buds. Taiwanese vinaigrette spiked with tongue numbing Szechuan peppercorns makes this noodle salad of local veggies, braised shitake mushrooms, shiso leaf and nori crisps really pop. Interestingly enough, Chef Lee actually grows many of his vegetables and herbs in a garden a couple doors down from Bent on Markham Street.

I could eat this all day

Mild shishito peppers are not understated alongside crispy bites of chickpea tempura tofu drizzled with a sweet Korean chili sauce. Like all of the dishes, including the main course finisher of creamy wild mushroom quinoa risotto, the execution is exceptional. Ask your server to hold the romano parmigiano emulsion for a vegan option.

Pretty and perfect

Guests will finish with a sweet a sweet plate of French meringue infused with golden licorice as you sip on a complimenting Karate Kid 2. The airy meringue is topped with a lemon curd, wild blueberries, peaches, passionfruit syrup and raspberry coulis pairs perfectly with this sour of negori sake, jasmine tea gin, yuzu juice and vanilla syrup. Yes, this is real life.

Reservations are now being accepted for Veggielicious, so if this meal sounds as good to you as it tasted to me, it’s worth booking soon.

Garnishing the Karate Kid 2

Susur Lee's garden on Markham St.

Wild mushroom quinoa risotto with roasted cauliflower, romano parmigiano emulsion and tempeh crouton

The Asian Caesar

Susur's signature Singapore slaw

A beautiful afternoon at Bent

Side up to the bar if you'd like

Toronto's Food Truck Bylaws – One Month Later

It’s been just over a month since Toronto’s new food truck bylaws came into effect in mid May. For many, the amended regulations, including the lifted moratorium on vending in downtown and the availability of more permits was overshadowed by the “50 meter rule” and the $5,067 price tag per permit. In the wake of these changes what kind of action have we seen around town?

Not much.

Photo courtesy of Me.n.u's Facebook page

Of the 125 new mobile vending permits that are up for grabs, only nine have been issued thus far (Me.n.u, Kal & Mooy, Polar Express 1, PrinceEdwards Fries, Tang’s Family Restaurant, Buster’s Sea Cove). A total of 26 licensed food trucks exist in total.

While local appetites are panging for greater access to food trucks, perhaps it’s not such a shock that existing operators are choosing to waive the additional cost of a mobile permit...

READ what food truck operators and eaters around Toronto are saying about these new bylaws in my full View the Vibe article.

The Stop's Night Market 2014 Was Full of Goodness

The Stop’s Night Market’s third year started and finished with resounding success – another swift sellout, months in advance, plus massive anticipation leading up to the two-day edible extravaganza. And while it wasn’t all smooth sailing as the event kicked off, there was no complaining at the exit (except that we were all too full). 

Enjoying the evening lights in the Honest Ed's Alley

The clouds rolled in with fury on night one, soaking the crowd with a brief but torrential downpour. Night two saw a few showers as well, but a little rain couldn’t deter the assembly of eager eaters. It certainly didn’t slow down the production lines of some of Toronto’s most appreciated eateries.

If nothing else, The Stop knows how to amass talented chefs, an engaged audience, and innovative artists in an awesome venue. What could be better? It’s in support of a good cause. Whether you knew it or not, your $65 entry fee didn’t just grant you access to an unlimited array of food and drink, it kicked back to The Stop’s community food programs.

Check out some of the shots below and READ the full article and MORE PICS on View the Vibe. 

Hey Meatball's Saigon Sub 

Ham Hock Terrine by Table 17 

People's Eatery put out a Watermelon Salad w/ Feta, Mint, Avocado & Chili 

Fidel Gastro Teamed Up with Neal Brothers for these Chip Crusted Sriracha Wings 

Beautiful Smoked Eggplant, Cured Trout and Green Emulsion by Farmhouse Tavern 

La Cubana's Mini Traditional Medianoches w/ Cuban Corn

Whippoorwill's Drool Worthy Mustard Spatzle

Living Wellness Put Together a Tasty Black Rice Tropical Mango Pilaf w/ Toasted Coconut

Yours Truly's Super Special Salt Cod Inari

Yours Truly Pushed the Envelope w/ Garlic Knots 

Charlotte Langley's Perogies w/ Warm Sauerkraut and Sour Cream

Beef Corn Dog w/ Housemade Mustard by Snakes & Lagers

Maizal's Ensalade de Nopal 

Momofuku Shoto's Seafood Ball w/ Nori and Kimchi 

Richmond Station's Tasty Veggie Shawarma  

See You Next Year!