Today's the day we give away an Inniskillin prize pack to a lucky winner!
We've done the draw and we have a winner - and the winner is...
ERIN!
Erin told us that her favourite treat is "a dark chocolate truffle, with a glass of ice wine at the end of a long day." Mmm, now THAT'S the kind of indulgence we could all use at the end of a long day, especially during the holiday time! Thanks for sharing, Erin!
We'll be emailing you, Erin, at the address you left us to arrange delivery of your prize pack.
Happy new year to you all, thank you all for entering the contest and sharing your favourite holiday treat with us! Yours in food, -Stacey
To enter, either comment on this post or tweet to us @TastingToronto telling us what your favourite holiday treat is! If leaving a comment, please make sure you leave a way for us to get in touch with you!
Best of luck! Yours in food, -Stacey Contest closes December 31, 2010. Open to residents of Ontario 19 years or older. Entry: Either comment on this post or tweet to us @TastingToronto telling us what your favourite holiday treat is (and if commenting on the blog, please be sure to leave us a way to get in touch with you!). Prizes to win: An Inniskillin prize pack valued at approximately $85. One entry per person. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Mathematical skill-testing question to be correctly answered to win. No purchase necessary. Full rules below.
Tasting Toronto / Inniskillin “Favourite Holiday Treat” Contest
The Tasting Toronto / Inniskillin “Favourite Holiday Treat” Contest (the “Contest”) is open to residents of Ontario who are 19 years or older. The Contest Period starts on December 22, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. and ends December 31, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. No purchase necessary. All times are Eastern Times.
HOW TO ENTER – Either comment on this post or tweet to us @TastingToronto telling us what your favourite holiday treat is. If commenting on the blog, please be sure to leave us a way to get in touch with you.
PRIZE – Entrants are eligible to win one (1) Inniskillin prize pack valued at approximately $85.
FINAL DRAW – The names of all eligible entrants will be entered into a random draw. The random draw by a representative of Tasting Toronto will be made December 31, 2010. The name of the winner will be posted December 31, 2010 via a Tasting Toronto blog post and via @TastingToronto on Twitter. The winning entrant is responsible to verify if he/she has been selected. Selected entrants must make themselves known by 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2010 by either tweeting to us or contacting tastingtoronto@hotmail.com.
If a selected entrant fails to make him/herself known by 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2010 or to claim the prize as instructed, incorrectly answers the skill-testing question, declines the prize, fails to sign a Release of Liability as may be specified by Tasting Toronto or fails to present valid ID, entrant will have forfeited the opportunity to claim the prize and Tasting Toronto reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to select another entrant or to cancel the prize.
Prize must be accepted as awarded and is not transferable, redeemable, refundable or exchangeable for cash. Tasting Toronto reserves the right to substitute a prize of at least equal value in the event of the unavailability, for whatever reason, of the advertised prize.
To be declared a winner, selected entrants must first correctly answer, unaided, a time-limited, mathematical skill-testing question at the time of claiming the prize and may need to sign a Release. Contest judges' rulings are final and without appeal in all matters related to the promotion and the awarding of prizes.
By entering this Contest and/or accepting a prize, entrants consent to the use of their entry and name for publicity, advertising or informational purposes carried out by Tasting Toronto in any medium or format without further notice or compensation.
The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations.
Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. All entries that are incomplete, illegible, damaged, irregular, do contain offensive material or inappropriate content, have been submitted through illicit means, using any robotic, automatic programmed method that artificially increases the odds of winning or do not conform to or satisfy any condition of the rules may be disqualified by Tasting Toronto. Tasting Toronto takes no responsibility for lost, stolen, delayed, damaged, misdirected, late or destroyed entries, or for typographical or other production errors. Tasting Toronto is not responsible for any errors or omissions in printing or advertising this Contest. All entries become the property of Tasting Toronto.
Tasting Toronto is collecting personal data about entrants for the purpose of administering this Contest. No further informational or marketing communications will be received by entrants.
By entering this Contest, entrants release and hold harmless the Contest Sponsor (the “Releasee”) from any liability in connection with this Contest or, if declared a finalist or a winner, the prize.
This Contest will be run in accordance with these rules, subject to amendment by Tasting Toronto. Entrants must comply with these rules, and will be deemed to have received and understood the rules by participating in the Contest.
As a bit of an intro for those who haven't been before, the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo is held in November each year at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. It has over 1,500 wines, spirits and beers from around the world to sample. You basically buy your entry pass, then are handed a wine sampling glass (don't break it or misplace it, or else be prepared to pay $3 for an extra - but they are so darn cute I almost wanted to buy an extra!). Then once inside, you buy a block of tickets you can use toward food and drink and you get little "sample sizes" to try for a few tickets each from whichever booths you deem interesting. We bought 20 tickets this year.
We hadn't been to GFWE in a couple years, but noticed there was a lot more wine than last time so if you're a wine lover, you'll really be enjoying yourself there!
Speaking of wine, we tried a Georgian red wine that was extremely spicy (when you smelled it, it was like black pepper up your nostrils, but I'm kind of a pepper lover - Mark liked it less than I did). It was certainly interesting, and I think it was the most memorable wine I've ever had for its sheer uniqueness.
In terms of ticketed food items, there were some options, but it seemed like less than last time we were there. Everything we did eat was good - we had a yummy vegetarian samosa from Magic Oven with a delicious spicy chutney drizzled over it. But of course I got drawn to DESSERT almost immediately! There was fudge on a stick dipped in chocolate from Northern Confections - what an awesome idea! It was delicious. I was sold at first glance. We also geeked out over the extensive variety of macarons from Ruelo Patisserie. Such unique flavour combinations - wasabi grapefruit, black truffle (no seriously - it was made with real black truffles! It cost more tickets than the others!) Very creative and very delicious.
It's a great night out, if you live in the GTA and haven't yet been to GFWE I'd say be sure to catch it next year because it really is a fun night out, we really enjoyed ourselves.
There's something inherently awesome about customization, especially when it comes to dessert. I mean, there is just something so sinfully appealing about the idea of choosing as many frozen yogurt flavours, toppings and sauces as I'd like, and arranging them in whatever fashion I feel like.
That's one of the reasons I love Menchies. We attended the store opening in The Annex at 511 Bloor St. W. (just west of Brunswick Ave.) and were not disappointed. The chain, which is popular in the U.S. (especially among celebrities) only has a few Canadian stores, but I'm glad to see one downtown.
The possibilities seriously are endless - they rotate different types of frozen yogurt (they have over 100 different flavours in rotation, and if I remember correctly, something like 10-12 at a time are available) and you can also mix and match flavours as you please. Each set of two machines also has a lever in the middle so you can swirl those two flavours together if you wish.
In fact, when we competed in their blogger competition to make the most inventive froyo concoction, we smushed cheesecakes pieces into the bottom of the cup as a bit of a "crust" - seriously, you could, like, make a moat of sauce. Or swirl froyo only around the outside of the cup to make a trench down the middle and drop all your toppings in along with sauce - A FROYO VOLCANO OF SORTS! Maybe I'm weird but, again, I think that's awesome!
You pay by weight, so it's up to you how little or how much you want to have.
Try it for yourself - we would love to know what you created!
P.S. Mark and I fell in love with the mochi, give it a try - glutinous Japanese rice pounded into little cubes - you can add them to your concoction, they are delicious!
We'll be emailing those winners / contacting them on Twitter but if you did not post a way to get in touch, please email us ASAP at tastingtoronto@hotmail.com to claim your tickets.
Congrats all! Thanks for telling us what gourmet means to you!
Chef Chris Mills of Joey Restaurants (Joey Don Mills to be more Toronto-specific, but he's based in British Columbia) was in town at The Burroughes this past Wednesday. He tested out his Pacific Rim-inspired menu on diners in Toronto before he takes it to the James Beard House later this month. The James Beard Foundation, a not-for-profit organization in New York City with a mission to celebrate, nurture and preserve America's diverse culinary heritage and future, has invited him back to cook at the House. Chef Mills was there in 2006 and, to paraphrase him, his second invitation means either he was phenomenal and they want an encore, or he screwed up and they are giving him another chance. My guess is it's the former, judging by the quality of the food - some of which Chef Mills actually foraged for himself. In my experience, he's one of the best chefs we know when it comes to fish and seafood. Living in British Columbia, he knows quite a bit about both.
We got to be his guinea pigs for that final test run before he and his team head off to NYC. We should also note this is the first time a chef has been able to bring servers with him (usually the servers are staffed by the House). So as much as the evening was about the food, the servers were also getting prepped for their big day.
Unfortunately we missed being served some of the appetizers (Peaches & Cream Chicken 'Corndog', Japanese Hummus, Chicken Tacos) but we did have the Pacific Tuna Chopsticks, which I loved the presentation of and told Chef Mills exactly that when he came around to say hi. The hors d'oeuvres were served with Joie Rose from British Columbia.
Dinner was a multi-course experience, each paired quite nicely with an appropriate wine, followed by a delicious dessert - here's what we had (in addition to a Waldorf Salad as a palate cleanser and some Blackberry/Lavender Financiers to finish off the meal):
Citrus-cured Haida Gwaii Salmon with Dungeness Crab Flan and Cornbread - The crab flan was delightfully rich, I think some thought it was *too* rich but I personally loved it. I'm a salmon freak (raw, cured and smoked being more my favourites than cooked) and curing it with light and tangy citrus was just heavenly. This was probably my favourite dish if I had to choose one. Wine pairing: L'école 41 "Walla Voila" Chenin Blanc, Washington
Atlantic Black Cod, BBQ Pork Belly and Squash Dumpling in a Matsutake Mushroom Broth - Never have I tasted such richly-prepared fish - I thought it would fade next to the rich pork belly, but it really stood up to it. Punched it in the snout, even. Loved it. The mushroom broth was poured over top of the dish by the servers and you could smell it wafting up from the bowl. A well-executed job at mixing fish and meat in one dish. It was topped with a ginger shoot (essentially that's what starts growing off ginger after a while, sort of like potatoes grow those "eyes" - it was a milder ginger taste, and was absolutely delicious) Wine pairing:Sandhill "Small Lots" Viognier, British Columbia (not widely available since it's part of the small lots program - this was the first time I've had a Viognier and I loved how viscous it was, plus the fruitiness and sweetness of it)
Licorice-lacquered Duck Breast, Summer Cherry Conserve, with a Hazelnut-Crusted Korean Duck Roll - The anise lacquer on the duck breast was delicious, and cherries with duck = match made in heaven. The duck roll was good also but the real star was the duck breast, cooked just to the right doneness. Wine pairing: Sonoma Cutrer "Russian River Valley" Pinot Noir, California
45-Day-Aged Beef Rib Eye with Yukon Gold Potato, Braised Oxtail and Black Trumpet Mushroom Lasagna and Bellmann Farm Carrots - Delicious all around. Loved the idea of doing the "lasagna" with layers of potato rather than noodles - it was quite delicious. Wine Pairing: Efeste "Ceidleigh" Syrah, Washington (I think this was Mark's favourite wine, he was talking about it the rest of the night!)
Vietnamese Banana Cake with Tropical Fruit Salad and Toasted Coconut Ice Cream - This was incredible, the cake was INSANELY moist, the coconut ice cream was better than any coconut ice cream I've had as it had another dimension of flavour with the toasted taste coming through nicely. The tropical fruit salad starred kiwi and banana - what a great combination that I've just never thought to put together... This item will soon be hitting the dessert menu at Joey Don Mills so if you're there, I beg you to give this a try - It's incredible. Wine pairing: Inniskillin "Okanagan" Riesling Ice Wine, British Columbia
If you want to learn about fun things to do in Toronto, see Toronto Smarts. Learn about places to visit in Toronto, get concert information and sports info like when the Blue Jays play the Red Sox.
On an imported slab of heat-retention stone from Australia, you cook your own meal. Looks like fun! However it might be more about the experience than anything else - we heard some not-so-good reviews from a friend recently. We'll try anything once though!
¤Kultura (King East - Furniture District) Heard a lot about Roger Mooking's restaurants - think we're more obsessed with going there because of the fact that he used to be in Bass is Base!
¤ Cafe Gilead (King East - Furniture District) Jamie Kennedy's stuff is usually pretty good so we want to try it. ¤ Guu (Church St - The Gaybourhood) This place is trendy, so some people go there for that reason alone, but we'd be heading there to see what "Japanese tapas" is all about.
Follow a couple of foodies around the city as they discover the best (and worst) of what Toronto's culinary scene has to offer.
You can visit this site for some more info on the bloggers: http://www.tastingtoronto.ca/2009/06/so-who-is-behind-tasting-toronto.html
Today's the day we give away an Inniskillin prize pack to a lucky winner!
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