Gourmet Food & Wine Expo 2011

Hundreds of gourmet food and wine vendors under one roof? Not even a giant tarantula could keep us away.

Well...ok. Maybe.

Fortunately, we didn't have to battle any creepy arachnids as we skipped off to the Metro Toronto Convention Center for a heavy afternoon of eating and drinking at the annual Gourmet Food & Wine Expo.

We love the take-home tasting glasses

Six hours, $120 of sample vouchers, and numerous tastings of wine-vodka-gin-whiskey-and everything else later, we stumbled out of the exhibition hall with our bags of yawn-worthy swag - a miniature can of Motts Clamato and a couple of brochures. Terry smelled like a brewery, and Titus flirted with his new, equally-inebriated friends along the way.

We indulged so much, but here's what truly rocked our worlds:

Best sample eats: Maritime Lobsters smothered in vodka sauce & the flavourful Le Gruyère cheese from Switzerland Cheese Marketing.

Best sample drinks: A16-yr old Port from Marcay Estates & the new Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey.

Terry preps for some wine tasting action. Seven wines for $5. Could life be any sweeter?

A workshop that had nothing to do with ghosts...as Terry fortunately discovered.

As afternoon turned to night, a party atmosphere took over the packed expo, and in the words of our uber-cool friend Theodore, "The event was bangin'!".

We can't wait till next year.

Ice, Wine and Dine

Terry & Titus love cheap eats. And cheap drinks (like really, what's not to love about cheap drinks?)

So when we heard about the $6 Martinis down on Elm Street, for the Downtown Yonge Ice, Wine and Dine festival, we were there faster than a rabbit on crack.

The culinary treats were alright, but the festive cocktails were what really got our tongues wagging. And seriously, at $6 a glass, it didn't take much. Titus is such a cheap date.

Terry's 'Winter Magic' was a magical concoction of Malibu Rum, curacao, vodka, and pineapple juice.

A giant Ice Bar in unusually warm weather just don't mix.
Titus didn't enjoy stepping in puddles every time he went to order a drink.

bannock

We LOVE all that is O&B. So, naturally, we were super-eager to try out their latest arrival at Queen and Bay -- bannock.

Touted as 'Canadian Comfort Food', bannock is more than just...well, bannock.

If you're as puzzled as Titus was (and it doesn't take much with him), 'bannock' is a type of flatbread common in North American native cuisine, with its true roots linked to Scotland. It is a simple bread, generally leavened with baking powder rather than yeast and can be baked, fried in a pan or sometimes even deep-fried.

Consider yourself edjumacated.

bannock (the establishment) is part cafe, part restaurant -- designed as two (or three?) unique personalities -- a bit like us, really. The restaurant side has a massive window looking into The Bay store, which probably explains our overwhelming desire to buy a Canadian Olympic Team sweatshirt. 

Terry & Titus argue over ordering the Roast Duck Poutine Pizza or the Carne Pizza.

After much debating and discussions with our lovely server, Jean, we chose the Carne Pizza and the Fettuccine with Lamb Ragù special. Yes, we're hardcore carnivores...the elephant too.

Both meals were nothing short of deeee-licious. The pizza, with its trifecta of meat toppings layered on a bed of cheese and meat sauce, was tasty and (not surprisingly) quite filling. The pasta, with its simple delivery and presentation, provided a burst of unexpected flavour and was (as Terry would say if he were British) rather quite lovely.

The Carne Pizza - a meatlover's delight with smoked meat, pingue prosciutto and soppressata

Fettucine with Lamb Ragù was très nommers!

We couldn't leave without trying at least one dessert, and because we were far too full to debate the merits of donuts over ice cream, we opted with lovely Jean's recommendation of a 'warm s'mores pie', which, dear friends, was heaven on a plate.

Chocolate and marshmallows? Oh bannock, you had us at s'mores.

bannock's warm s'mores pie - BEFORE.

bannock's warm s'mores pie - AFTER.
Guess we weren't that full after all.

No dinner is complete without a glass of the good stuff. Terry opted for a fruity Shiraz from the Prospect Winery, Okanagan Valley, BC...because we support local. In fact, Terry supports it so much, he felt inclined to have more than one glass. He's such a giver, that pterodactyl.

Staring out at Old City Hall while enjoying a glass of Okanagan Valley's finest.

We really liked bannock and plan on returning...for that Roast Duck Poutine Pizza, if anything. Duck-fries-pizza on one plate? We couldn't ask for more.

earl's

Even though we're puzzled by the whole club-like door policy (at five in the afternoon), we'll admit there's something about earl's on 150 King Street West that keeps calling us back.

Titus says it's because of the proximity to the parents' office. Terry just likes the sense of entitlement he feels whenever he walks past the velvet ropes.

Yes, it's a fancy pants type of place, split into a perpetually-crammed bar area on the left and a less-congested restaurant to the right. We squeezed past the scary bouncer and waited as the hostess scanned her computer for our reservation.

Hostess:          What name is it under?
Terry & Titus:   W****
Hostess:          Hmm, is that the first name or the last? I don't see it.
Terry & Titus:   First name. 
Hostess:          No, I still don't see a reservation.
Terry & Titus:  You definitely have it. Our friend is at the table. Last name *****. W***** *****??
Hostess:          Nooo, I don't see it. Oh no, wait. Here it is.

Points deducted for stupidity.

The food was enjoyable, but nothing to write home about. And if you're hoping to have a conversation on a busy evening...fuggedaboutit.

But if you want to people watch and make flirty eyes with the working denizens of Toronto's Financial District, then look no further, you naughty thing.

As we left, we noticed a flock of well-dressed, young professionals waiting in the sidelines hoping to gain entry into the exclusive kingdom of earl's. And we walked away, still puzzled.

Terry & Titus like Mojitos.

The Santa Fe Chicken Salad tasted much better than it looked.

Spot the pterodactyl in the Cajun Chicken Cheddar Sandwich

Terry likes anything covered in white wine sauce. Anything.

T2 battle over the Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Unnecessary, given that it was the size of a brick.

The Ceili Cottage

Anytime you have to enter through an unmarked red door, you know there's bound to be magic on the other side.

Pass the red door and the heavy curtains, and you're transported -- from an unassuming shack in Leslieville, to a country tavern in the Emerald Isles. The Ceili (pronounced kay-lee) Cottage is chock full of personality, with its peeling walls, exposed brick, low-lying beams, wooden tables and Irish servers with their delightfully-thick accents.

The place is apparently famous for its oysters, and is owned by a Guinness World Record-holding oyster shucker.

Terry & Titus feel that calls for a tongue twister: "Shucks, sure Chuck the oyster shucker shucks oyster shells at the oyster shell shucker’s sea shell shop on the south side of C street next to the shoe shine shop near the sea shore."

Suh-weet!

No, we did not have any oysters. And his name is Paddy, not Chuck.

The 'Full Irish' was our perfect choice for a late Saturday brunch. It had all the staples - mushrooms, bacon rashers, eggs, beans, grilled tomatos, black pudding, and something that looked like a slice of naan bread, but we were informed was a potato farl. And that is what we call a 'Lunch and Learn' session.

We felt fully Irish with the Full Irish meal.

But, but but...if there is one thing you visit The Ceili Cottage for, let it be for the Sticky Toffee Pudding....quite possibly the world's most amazing dessert, oozing with sugary goodness.

World's best Sticky Toffee Pudding fo sho.

 Ooh we like. We like very, very much.