Spend the afternoon making scones and sipping tea in St. Lawrence Market’s “Market Kitchen!” Learn the art of scones: you’ll make savory scones (think white cheddar and organic bacon), and sweet scones (lemon poppyseed, vanilla cardamom and pecan, dried cherry and chocolate), and of course, you’ll get to sample the fruits of your labour!
The Scones, Scones, Scones Cooking Class goes from 1 until 3pm, and costs $50 per person. Pre-registration is required: call 416-860-0727, or email kitchen@stlawrencemarket.com.
Everyone’s Irish on St. Patty’s Day, so don your green attire and head out for a night on the town! Yes, it’s Thursday night, but every Irish pub in the city will be in fine form tonight – the Guinness will flow, the music will lilt, and you may not feel so well in the morning, but this day is simply not complete without a pint of the “black stuff.”
There are plenty of Irish pubs in Toronto: here’s a few:
Dora Keogh – 141 Danforth Ave. (Greektown on the Danforth)
Fionn MacCool’s – 181 University (Entertainment District), 21 St. Clair W. (Summerhill), 70 The Esplanade (King West)
Since 1803, what is now the St. Lawrence Market has been known as the “market block” – the place to get fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm. Today, the City of Toronto carries on this 208 year old market tradition, featuring a Saturday Farmers’ Market where seasonal produce from over 50 Ontario growers and producers is available for sale.
Purchase freshly made sausage, perfectly aged cheese, delicious baked goods, and of course, all the fruits and vegetables you need for the week, right in the heart of Toronto! Located in North St. Lawrence Market, the Farmers’ Market starts bright and early at 5am. For more information on St. Lawrence Market, go to http://www.stlawrencemarket.com.
Spring is in the air which means…it’s maple syrup season! You don’t have to go too far outside of the city to celebrate Canada’s most famous export – Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area (near Stouffville) and Kortright Centre for Conservation (just north of Woodbridge) are both participating in the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival from March 5th until April 10th. Activities include demonstrations, wagon rides, crafts and family activities, and of course, pancakes and maple syrup!
Admission is $9.00 for adults and $6.50 for seniors and children 4 years old and up. Pancake meals vary in price from about $2.50 for a pancake and a drink to $20.00 for a family platter. Canada produces about 85% of the world’s maple syrup, so get out there and show your Canadian pride (and celebrate spring!) by checking out the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival!
Whether you’re a strict vegan, or just want to cut back on your food-costs, using beans and grains in your cooking is a great way to create delicious, nutrient-packed meals that are vegan/vegetarian-friendly and easy on the wallet! The Big Carrot offers a series of vegetarian cooking classes on Monday evenings, and tonight’s class, Beans and Grains, will have you whipping up delicious dishes such as Pinto Bean Cashew Rice Salad, Buckwheat Potato Pancakes, Quinoa Tabouli, and Barley Flake Rice Crispie Squares.
Taught by Nettie Cronish, Natural Food Chef Recipe Developer and Culinary Instructor, you’ll be in good hands as you learn about the value of incorporating beans and grains into your diet. Single Monday evening classes with Nettie are $79.10, start at 7pm and continue until 9:30pm. Bring your own apron, hand towel, and reusable containers to take home leftovers! Register by calling Customer Service at 416-466-2129. The Big Carrot is located at 348 Danforth Ave. For more information on this and other cooking classes, check out www.thebigcarrot.ca.
Whether or not you were forced to hand over your lunch money to the school bully as a child, today is the day you’ll actually want to give up the equivalent of what you would usually spend on lunch. By donating this money to Second Harvest’s Lunch Money Day program, you can help to feed Toronto’s hungry by raising $330,000 to provide over $660,000 healthy meals. For every $5 donation, Second Harvest can provide fresh food for 10 nutritious meals!
Want to get your whole office involved? You don’t have to wait until next year – “everyday is Lunch Money Dat at Second Harvest,” so organize your own Lunch Money Day and get your coworkers in on this very worthy cause. For more information about Lunch Money Day, or to organize your own event to raise funds for Second Harvest, check out the Lunch Money Day website.
Want to impress your sweetie with a delicious Valentine’s Day Brunch, but have trouble boiling water, let alone flipping pancakes? The St. Lawrence Market Kitchen is hosting an interactive demonstration, helping to make you into an expert brunch chef just in time for the 14th.
You’ll learn how to whip up some delicious baked goods, make eggs to order, and of course, what would Valentine’s Day be without a little dessert?
For $50/person, you’ll enjoy a sampler menu and take home recipes and treats, not to mention a much improved knowledge of how to create a memorable Valentine’s Day for that special someone. The two-hour class starts at 1pm; to register, call 416-860-0272, or email kitchen@stlawrencemarket.com. Visit St. Lawrence Market’s website for more information.
You know that certain types of wine complement certain foods, but did you know that the same is true of beer? Dieu Du Ciel! Beer Tasting Dinner is your opportunity to become a beer connoisseur! You’ll enjoy a ten course beer dinner at Beerbistro, where beer is not only on the menu, it is an integral part of every menu item!
Whether it’s the cheese and lager fondue, beer bread pizza, or mussels steamed in beer broth, beer-lovers will rejoice as they enjoy a feast, featuring beer from Quebec-based master brewery, Dieu Du Ciel! Many of the beers on tap for tonight’s event were crafted specifically for this event and are unavailable anywhere else in the world.
Tickets are $125 plus HST and gratuity; you can book by phone: 416-861-9872. For more information about this event, go to the Winterlicious website, and to learn more about Beerbistro, check out their website.
A family-owned restaurant in operation since 1978, Rosedale Diner is well-known for serving “real food to real people” – Winterlicious is your opportunity to sample some of this “real” (and delicious!) food!
The eclectic wares of this establishment are reflected in the prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner: as an appetizer, why not try a sweet pea soup with crispy leeks and chili oil drizzle? Or how about Israeli hummus with za’atar and warm chickpeas with extra virgin olive oil? Entree choices include everything from a brie and apple omelet with onion frits, curried chicken mango salad, Moroccan lamb shank tagine, a vegetarian moussaka, and “poutine au canard:” off-the bone duck confit and Québécois cheese curds with frites and demi-glace gravy! Assorted desserts will leave you completely satisfied with this Bohemian-style restaurant with an unmistakable Israeli flair.
Serving local artisanal food, featuring produce purchased directly from farmers at St. Lawrence Market, Winterlicious at The Wine Bar is nothing short of delicious! A $15 lunch or a $25 dinner are both fantastic opportunities to sample locally-sourced wares.
Whether you choose the wild mushroom soup with white truffle oil and thyme, the pulled pork poutine with Monforte goat cheese, BBQ sauce and green onions, or the organic shrimp bisque as your appetizer, you’re sure to enjoy unmistakably local flavours. Lunch mains include an inventive purple beet risotto, mushrooms and smoked chicken on toast, and an open faced beef cheek sandwich, while dinner entrees include a delicious wild mushroom polenta, seared wild fish, or grilled Miami ribs. Dig into dessert – whether you select the rum raisin bread pudding with crème anglaise, the Lindt chocolate mousse with maple chantilly cream, or the house preserved fruit crème brule with almond cookie, you’ll find the experience unforgettable.
To learn more about The Wine Bar, check out their website at http://9church.com/, and be sure to learn more about the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood by watching our video interview with The Wine Bar’s chef, Bryan Burke!
