Keep on truckin’
Mississauga, the GTA’s food trucks are coming to you this weekend. On Saturday the 29th, Sound Bites is pulling into the Mississauga Celebration Centre, bringing along 25 different food trucks (including a few of our picks for best new truck of 2015). Try some street eats, vote for the festival favourite in the AwesTRUCK awards, and stick around for a set by July Talk. The event kicks off at 5 pm.
If you’re closer to downtown, remember: The CNE’s Food Truck Frenzy is also taking place this weekend (provided you haven’t already blown your appetite on bacon-wrapped grilled cheese and Timbit poutine).
The mother of all food events
What’s more “authentic” than getting fed by somebody’s mum? At Fonda Lola this week, you can enjoy an upscale take on the home-cooked experience (it’s more expensive, but you won’t have to endure a forced third helping or any probing questions about your love life). On Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th, the owner’s mum, Vickie, will be showing off her culinary skills in a multi-course dinner. On the menu: shrimp aguachile (a Mexican-style ceviche), tacos with poblano peppers and creamy shrimp, fried plantains, and more. Tickets are available ($40) at Eventbrite.
The mains of Spain
Just a year after opening, Barsa Taberna is transforming its menu. Earlier this year, the Spanish eatery, which sprung up as part of the new Market St. strip, brought on ex-Cava chef Chris MacDonald to guide the restaurant’s renaissance. MacDonald’s influence is slowly trickling onto tables, with new dishes like sea bream ceviche and Galician octopus charred in a corn husk appearing as the weeks progress. Stop in and ask for the latest, and grab a slice or two from the hand-cut iberico station while you’re at it.
Heads up
Taking the sting off vegans’ KFC cravings is the recent craze for deep-fried cauliflower: Here in Toronto, you can find it chicken-fried at Patois, kung pao-style at Thoroughbred, or buffalo-tossed at Home Of The Brave, among others. But the Gladstone Hotel holds the honour of being the first to turn it into a novel – and indulgent – veggie burger substitute. The cauliflower burg, a new addition to the hotel’s menu, also features some cheddar and aioli, as well as some harissa and apple slaw to offset the grease factor (but not enough to stop it from being fun, obviously.)
Do you know of a food event, special promotion, incredible new dish, or hole-in-the-wall cheap eat in Toronto? Email me your tips.
food@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco
