Another year of Taste of Toronto means another year of stuffing our faces with delicious food made by some of the best chefs in Toronto!
Craig and I were so excited to attend the event again this year after having so much fun last year. We received an alert from American Express Canada letting us know tickets were available and jumped on it right away. A perk we love about being Platinum cardholders is that we’re always given alerts and early access to some of the best events around Canada, from concerts to events like Taste of Toronto! This year we went with two friends and made it a double date. It was a perfect sunny summer day and we showed up with our appetites and we were prepared to live up to the tagline “For Friends Who Feast”.
My favourite snack was a delish dill cucumber salad by Bar Raval. The salad was phenomenal and so light and refreshing, I have been craving it ever since the event and my friend Julie Miguel and I agreed that we must re-create it at our next brunch date! Oh, and their slow cooked chicken…unreal, we all had two orders! Bar Raval has Spanish inspired cuisine with a ton of delicious options. Craig and I are big fans of barbecue and these guys prepared rotisserie chicken over a fire slowly, the best way in my opinion. Grill master, David Neinstein of Barque Smokehouse, was also hanging out at the event doing how-to demonstrations sharing barbecuing tips. It was great to watch (and smell) while learning secrets to smoky, slow cooked saucy goodness!
As American Express Platinum cardholders, we enjoyed some wine tastings and had access to the Amex Lounge, where we could take a break from the hot sun, while enjoying great music by the DJ. That, paired with some refreshing cocktails, complimentary water and Nespresso coffee, plus adorable décor, served for the perfect photo opportunity!
After relaxing in the lounge, we headed to the Taste Theatre to watch live cooking demonstrations and of course hit up a wine tasting. Jacob’s Creek even had some FROZÉ! Have you ever tried this incredible concoction? I am not a big drinker, but I enjoy a good wine or champagne and this genius refreshment was a frozen rosé…so, so yummy. If you are familiar with a frozen bellini, this is quite similar. This is another fun recipe I would love to re-create on the blog this summer, because everyone should know how to make and enjoy frozé in my opinion!
By the end of the weekend, which was also Father’s Day, we took advantage of more of our American Express perks at the festival by taking part in a Metro Master Class that we had reserved. With some of the best chefs in Toronto helping us to create our own mouth-watering dishes, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to cook and learn together like we did last year (see last years blog post on Taste of Toronto with AMEX here)! No matter how many times we take a cooking class together, we are always learning new tricks to use in the kitchen. I love learning how each chef has their own way of preparing food and opinions on ingredient pairing, so interesting every time!
All-in-all, this year was another great experience, thanks to American Express Canada who sponsored this experience. All opinions are my own and I am a proud American Express Platinum Card holder that loves sharing the perks with you guys!
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