[Event] St. Lawrence Market Summer Series – Season One

On August 4th, 2016, the outside of the St. Lawrence Market was transformed into a huge patio with tons of food and drink vendors, live entertainment and graffiti artists.

Season one of the St. Lawrence Market #Summerseries in partnership with The Food Dudes was a success! Sponsors included Amsterdam Brewery, Tromba Tequila, Solepower Productions and Chair-man Mills.

General admission tickets were $30 (plus taxes and fees) and included two food tickets. Although my ticket was complimentary, I would return again and think the price was worth it. Food tickets were $10 each and with 2 food tickets included in the price, guests can get pretty full, especially if they got the burgers! Grab a friend or a group and head to season two of the Summer Series. Check out http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/ for updates.

I went with my husband and we stuffed out faces (we both eat a lot!). This is what we tried:

Market Burger with fried halloumi, bacon, onion jam, gochujang aioli, pickles, arugula and pomme frites- From Olympic Cheese, Brown Brothers Meats and Food Dudes. The juicy burger was delicious and I had one all to myself.

Halibut Fish Tacos with guacamole, pickled red cabbage, smoked sour cream, hot sauce, scallions, and tomatoes- From Domenic’s Fish Market and Food Dudes. They didn’t skimp on the amount of fish in the taco. This was my perfect bite with a great balance of fresh ingredients.

Steak tacos with Korean BBQ sauce, FC cheese sauce, kimchi style spicy slaw, cilantro, mint, and taro crisps- From De Liso’s and Food Dudes. This was a little too saucy for me as it made the taco shells soggy but the meat was tender.

Brussels Sprouts with General Tao sauce, toasted sesame seeds, pickled chilies, fried onions, cilantro sprouts- From Urban Fresh Produce and Food Dudes. Deep fried Brussels sprouts is the way to go; not sure if I can have it any other way now.

Peameal Bacon Sandwich dish served on a fresh country bun paired with an authentic Portuguese custard tart -From Carousel Bakery. I have had this many times and it’s a must-have dish when I visit the St. Lawrence Market. It’s “Toronto’s official signature sandwich”.

Jamalaya Balls with tasso mayo and shrimp powder- From Rube’s Rice and Bulk Foods and Food Dudes. A creative take on arancinis.

Glacier Bay Oysters from Mike’s Fish Market. I love oysters and can have this every day!

Chopped Chicken Salad with chicken, seasonal vegetables, quinoa, jalapeno feta, harissa chickpeas and sumac -From Olympic Cheese and The Food Dudes. Loved the crunchy chickpeas.

Chicken dumplings, charred scallions, ginger, gochujang, soy glaze, herb salad and crispy leeks. Great combination and tasty fillings.

Street corn with jerk brown butter, cilantro crema, jerk sauce, lime queso from Urban Fresh Produce and Food Dudes. Who doesn’t like corn in the summer? This one is all dressed up.

Empanadas with a hibiscus drink from Manota’s. My favourite was the beans and rice.

I was too full to try the other food items (I think I tried 90% of the dishes) or have seconds! My favourite dishes of the evening was the burger, Brussels sprouts, fish taco and the Jamalaya balls.

Of course, there was lots of drinks to wash down all the food. On the extremely hot and humid evening, water was my friend. Water dispensers were available at the bar and free for all guests.

Aside from the food, I loved the live entertainment. You must check out Liz Loughrey http://www.lizloughrey.com/! I heard her over the speakers, not realizing she was performing live. Her voice reminded me a mix between Tori Kelly and Ariana Grande. She gained a new fan!