It’s officially ‘Licious Time of the year! What’s ‘Licious Time? I’m glad you asked. It’s what I call the period of time that cities in and around the GTA have their prix fixe lunch and dinner dining program at various restaurants. In Burlington, the program is called the Taste of Burlington, and their launch party is one of my favorite events to get invited to. Their summer edition will be running from July 20th to August 3, 2014.
Their party is held at the beautiful Burlington Performing Arts Centre and it’s not exclusive to media people (that’s what I call myself to feel a little special). Anyone who wants an all-you-can-eat night from the twenty-something participating restaurants can purchase a ticket. And if you thought that the chefs from these restaurants would have trouble creating unique dishes for both the summer and winter dining programs then you’d be very wrong.
In what has now become a tradition, I was joined by my eating partners Chanry Thach, Christine Pantazis and Margaret Bourne. Chanry is also a member of the famous Belly Monsters group, so I know this girl can put away some serious food and still maintain her girlish figure. You can see the damage (shameless self plug) here that this group caused when they visited Hamilton a little while ago.
Ok, enough of my talking, let’s get to the food:
Beef dumplings
Rib Eye Jack’s Gyoza – Beef dumplings with sweet soya vinaigrette, sesame and green onion was the first thing I tried that night. The wrapping was a little tough, but the filling was delicious. One of my favorites.
Spinach salad
Wendel Clark’s served their spinach salad with fresh blueberry vinaigrette. I love goat cheese and I thought that the combination with the vinaigrette and orange slices all worked well together. But, although it was tasty, it’s something I could make at home.
Crispy pork belly
Pepperwood Bistro always presents great looking samples at these events and they didn’t disappoint. Their dish was a crispy skin pork belly on house made salt and vinegar chip with a chipotle glaze and mango salsa. Not only was this a nice looking dish, it was also a delicious one. I won’t lie, I had more than one of these. This mouthful of deliciousness won third place in the People’s Choice category.
Shrimp and orzo
West Plains Bistro had their grilled shrimp dressed with lime and black pepper with buttered orzo topped with cilantro oil. To me, flavours like lime and cilantro mean summer, so this light dish was a perfect one for this event. A glass of chilled white wine would go well with this.
Ice cream cake
Queens Head Pub has been bringing their ‘A’ game to to the Taste of Burlington for the past couple of events. This time they presented their caramel pretzel and peanut butter ice cream cake and then topped each piece with thinly sliced peaches that they brûléed just before serving. For this past winter’s edition Chef Will Edsall won the “Best Taste” and he skillfully defended his title one more time. Not only did the judges like this dish, it also won second prize in the People’s Choice category. I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeves for the next TOB.
Pecan crusted salmon
Stone House Restaurant had the dish of the night in my eyes. Pecan crusted salmon with sweet potato hash and honey Dijon cream sauce. To say I liked this dish would be the understatement of the year. I’m sure I ate at least half of the samples that they offered. To prove that I sometimes know what I’m talking about, and not just being greedy, Chef Mitchell Lamb won the “People’s Choice” award for the second consecutive time as well as being the runner-up in the best taste category. Congratulations to him and Stone House Restaurant.
So that does it for my recap of the summer launch party of Taste of Burlington. If food isn’t your thing (rolls eyes) then Burlington offers a lot more to encourage you to come visit, from scenic trails along the water front to art galleries to exotic car shows. It’s so close to the hustle and bustle of Toronto but it feels like a world away, and sometimes that’s just what you need.
Previous TOB Launch Parties: Summer 2013, Winter 2013
Disclaimer: I received media passes to attend this event but all opinions expressed are 100% my own
