Recently I gave one lucky reader the chance to attend Brewers Plate in Toronto and last week the hubs and I managed to sneak out on Wednesday night for a quick date night. We were leaving for Chicago early the next day but we simply knew we had to check out this much talked about event. I can tell you that THIS is THE foodie craft beer event of the year. Looking for gift ideas for next year? Put the Brewers Plate on that list because it’s absolutely worth the $125 ticket price.
The event was held at the CBC Atrium and I highly recommend arriving early because you will want to spend the entire three hours exploring. I loved that there was plenty of space and not many line ups. Most places moved things quickly but the chefs and brewers were available to chat and share their passion if you were interested. We got in quite a few good chats and made lots of new friends! Andrew Muto, Health and Wellness Chef was definitely one of the better chats for us that evening as he touched on the topic of feeding the kids. This is a 19+ event but I did spy someone baby wearing and while I enjoyed being away from Baby Boy, I did wonder if he’d have enjoyed nibbling some fresh burrata!
Given our early departure I only sampled a handful of beers and ciders but I did eat at every single booth. I was beyond stuffed but the food was amazing. Lots of pork dishes were on offer and an incredible selection of meats. Beer and meat go hand in hand and nearly every vendor had paired up with a brewery to really highlight the beer on offer. A quality menu of locally sourced and inspired dishes were on feature and I really do love that The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation was this year’s charitable partner.
With over 20 pairings of food and beer (there was wine and cider too folks!) it’s hard to say who my favourites were but there’s definitely a couple that really stood out for me.
Black Oak Nut Brown Ale paired with Mexican Chocolate from ChocoSol made for a fab beer float. Not sweet at all but with the perfect beer-chocolate balance. I’ll be trying this at our next beer club!
Dolce Lucano’s cheese spread was unreal. I hope to visit this spot very soon and since Luxy’s Beer School visit I’m all about the cheese and beer pairings.
Chef Brook Kavanagh’s (La Palette) stuffed goose was incredible. So rich and decadent and despite wanting more, I knew I had to stop at one sampling. Definitely need to take the kids and dine at La Palette.
Steam Whistle and rosemary marinated duck suckers from Paint Box Bistro has me thinking of new BBQ recipes for this summer!
p.s – Remember how I didn’t eat the frog legs at Recipe for Change? Well I did it this time! They were good.. I can’t lie. But I did feel odd eating them!
There was plenty of entertainment, including a tabla session, and what I loved most was that there was a rinsing station set up in the middle. Get that sample glass clean and you can enjoy the fresh pints in true form. There was also a fabulous auction line up and the hubs was thrilled when he won his bid on the Nickle Brook basket. We`ll be re-living our Brewers Plate memories until the 8th one next year! Mark your calendars already!
