Posted by Greg Clow in events, events upcoming on October 3, 2008 at 8:48 am

The biggest thing happening in Toronto this weekend is obviously Nuit Blanche, where three big chunks of downtown will be transformed into multimedia extravaganzas of art in various forms. Aside from a few bars and restaurants staying open late, food and drink doesn't play a very big role in Nuit Blanche, but there are a couple of exhibits with an edible theme, including a heritage apple tasting at the Cookbook Store, a post-modern dinner party called "Appetite" at St. Lawrence Market, and video installation "Organiclicious!!!" at Fresh on Crawford.

More exciting to foodies, perhaps, will be next Wednesday's interview/Q&A at Isabel Bader Theatre with renowned chef Ferran Adrià (pictured). The $95 ticket price is pretty spendy, but it includes a copy of the new book "A Day at elBulli: An Insight into the Ideas, Methods and Creativity of Ferran Adrià".

The full list of happenings for the next week follows below, and as always, our Events page has more information on these and many other upcoming events in Toronto and area.

continuing until Sat, Oct 18, 2008
Lakeshorelicious
various restaurants in South Etobicoke
various times
various prices
Experience the styles and flavours thast make the Lakeshore community so diverse, as 13 unique restaurants in South Etobicoke offer a prix-fixe dinner menu.
[more info]

Fri, Oct 03, 2008 -- Sun, Oct 05, 2008
Niagara Food Festival 2008
downtown Welland
free admission
The Niagara Food Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary in historic downtown Welland. The annual showcase of all things food and drink in Niagara brings together growers, producers, restaurateurs, chefs, wineries, brewers and entertainers to celebrate the best the Niagara region has to offer.
[more info]

Fri, Oct 03, 2008
C'est What Fall Festival Of Small Breweries
C'est What, 67 Front Street East
5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
free admission
C'est What's 20th annual Fall craft beer festival will feature over three dozen of the best brews Canada has to offer in sample sizes at a loonie each.
[more info]

Sat, Oct 04, 2008
The Taste of Place: Chef Nettie Cronish
Brick Works Farmers Market, Don Valley Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue
10:30 AM to 12:00 noon
$25 - email events@evergreen.ca or call 416-596-1495 x242 to register
The Taste of Place food workshop series features a stellar lineup of chefs who will guide you through a world of food - from field-fresh produce to the masterpiece on the plate. First, you'll shop the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers' Market with one of Toronto's finest chefs. With bounty from the market, participate in a hands-on cooking workshop in our new Chef's Corner, and enjoy the delicious results while chatting with the chef. You'll take home recipes, tips and a new appreciation of how our food goes from field to table.
[more info]

Sat, Oct 04, 2008
Explore Toronto's Culinary Neighbourhoods: Little Italy
Little Italy
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
$40 for single tour - $125 for all four - call 416-973-4093 or email learning@harbourfrontcentre.com to register
A four-week series of tours through the city's fantastic culinary hot spots, markets and neighbourhoods. Get the insider's scoop with a cultural perspective, and learn the personal stories of Toronto's food experts. This week, discover Belle Italia in your own backyard as you visit shops, restaurants, and sample amazing fare from some of Toronto's best.
[more info]

Sat, Oct 04, 2008
Apple Day
The Cookbook Store, 850 Yonge Street
2:00 PM to midnight
free admission
After last year's hugely successful Apple Day, in conjunction with Nuit Blanche, we are reprising it again. Taste heritage apples from Siloam Orchards during the afternoon and evening. Also appearing for an in store performance between 7-9pm is the talented jazz group Electro Current. There will also be a movie presentation on the top of the building along Yorkville, so lots of fun.
[more info]

Sat, Oct 04, 2008
Appetite
St. Lawrence Market, 93 Front Street East
6:52 PM to sunrise
free admission
"Appetite" is a contemporary art project organized a bit like a dinner party. Food will be served, friends will drop by, stories will be told, and appetites will be satiated. Not everything will happen at once - different courses will appear at different times as the night progresses. We can't eat everything at once, can we? Centered from the Kitchen at the St.Lawrence Market, other locations in the neighbourhood will be employed to offer visitors a multi-faceted experience. Public spaces and restaurants will all be part of the project, and basic functions of how to eat at 4:30 am in Toronto will be addressed by "Appetite". Part of Nuit Blanche.
[more info]

Sat, Oct 04, 2008
Organiclicious!!!
Fresh on Crawford, 894 Queen Street West
6:52 PM to sunrise
free admission
Influenced by a world where we are constantly bombarded by media influx, The TANOMS Collective comments on today's latest craze though a video installation in the windowfront of Fresh on Crawford. Being green has become the new trend to follow... but are we missing the eco-point? Part of Nuit Blanche.
[more info]

Sat, Oct 04, 2008 -- Sun, Oct 05, 2008
Gates Open: Savour Durham
various locations in Durham Region
various times
$10 for a weekend adventure pass
Gates Open is a Durham-wide farm tour celebrating the region's natural resources and cultural heritage. This public, two-day self guided tour of Durham Region offers agriculture education experiences and an opportunity to try local foods. Along the way you will discover a variety of culinary finds such as local farmers' markets, chef's table dining and tasting menus and restaurants serving locally grown foods.
[more info]

Sun, Oct 05, 2008
FarmStart Feast
McVean Farm, McVean Drive, Brampton
3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
$75 - tickets available at Marben, C5, Torito, Amuse-Bouche, Perigee & Matchbox Garden and Seed Co. booth at Trinity-Bellwoods Farmers Market
Benefit event for FarmStart and McVean Farm, featuring local food prepared by the chefs from Crosstown Kitchens (Amuse Bouche, C5, Marben, Perigee & Torito), paired with local beer and wine. Ticket price includes food, 2 drink tickets, and shuttle bus from Kipling Station.
[more info]

Sun, Oct 05, 2008 -- Mon, Oct 06, 2008
Ethnic & Speciality Food Expo 2008
International Centre, Hall 1, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
trade/media only - see website for details
A focused trade event highlighting ethnic & specialty, and organic food products for both foodservice and retail industries.
[more info]

Sun, Oct 05, 2008
High Park Harvest Festival
Colborne Lodge, 1 Colborne Lodge Drive (High Park)
12:00 noon to 4:30 PM
free admission to High Park - $2 admission to Colborne Lodge
Come celebrate the Harvest in High Park and enjoy family activities at Colborne Lodge and the Children's Garden. Enjoy food, horse and wagon rides, music, warm apple cider and more. There will be storytelling, face painting, pumpkin carving, nature and garden crafts, a marketplace for foods, and community displays.
[more info]

Mon, Oct 06, 2008
Czechvar Launch
Abbot on the Hill, 1276 Yonge Street
8:00 PM
$30 - call (416) 920-9074 to reserve
The debut of Czechvar on draught in Ontario will be marked with a three-course dinner, including a pint of Czechvar.

Tue, Oct 07, 2008
Durbanville Winemaker Dinner
Stonegrill on Winchester, 51 Winchester Street
6:30 PM to 10:00 PM
$95
The straight-talking wine maker, Martin Moore, believes that the hills determine which wines are released under the Durbanville Hills label, underscoring his winemaking philosophy that the wines are made in the vineyards. Martin's wines are full-bodied and the whites are, in his words, "fat". They are ready to drink within two years but Martin recommends that they mature for four to five years.
[more info]

Tue, Oct 07, 2008
Australian Wine Society Best of the Cellar
University of Toronto Faculty Club, 41 Wilcocks Street
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
$58.00 for members - $68.00 for guests
Join us for the "Best of the Cellar" tasting event on Tuesday, October 7th. We are returning to the University of Toronto Faculty Club, in the Main Dining Room, to sample many, special selected wines, that John Macdonald has picked out. As we have many single bottles, some twos and some threes, we decided to offer something different with a walk around, discovery experience. Good wines, good company, good food and a great way to spend the evening.
[more info]

Tue, Oct 07, 2008
October Farmers Night
Cowbell, 1564 Queen Street West
7:00 PM
$90 - additional $50 for optional wine pairings - call 416-849-1095 to reserve
Enjoy a five course dinner from Chef Mark Cutrara featuring Monforte Dairy’s whey-fed pork as well as many of Monforte’s excellent cheeses with wine pairings from Stratus Vineyards. Ruth Klahsen of Monforte Dairy will be in attendance and will join the diners at the communal table.
[more info]

Wed, Oct 08, 2008
Harvest Wednesdays: Late Harvest Tasting
Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
$15 - call (416) 531-4635 to reserve
Check out the flavours of Ontario's late season harvest! A final chance to sample our chef's seasonal canape creations. Enjoy live music as you mix and mingle and meet the farmer and producers. Make this event a prelude to dinner in our Ballroom Cafe or Melody Bar where the specials will feature seasonal produce.
[more info]

Wed, Oct 08, 2008
Bountiful Wednesdays
Stonegrill On Winchester, 51B Winchester Street
seatings start at 5:00 PM
$40 (plus taxes & gratuities) - call (416) 967-6565 or reserve online
Every Wednesday, Stonegrill On Winchester teams up with Henry of Pelham family estate wines and Riverdale Farmer's Market, to produce a menu featuring organically raised fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. The 3-course prix fixe menu features local seasonal dishes and desserts feature organically grown Ontario strawberries. Experience the true taste from farm to table.
[more info]

Wed, Oct 08, 2008
Crush's Top Ten Class
Crush Wine Bar, 455 King Street West
6:30 PM
$35
Every month Jamieson Kerr and Eric Gennaro of Crush Wine Bar will work together to source and compile their favourite cutting-edge wines in Crush's Top Ten Class. Each of the featured wines are available exclusively through Crush's private wine agents. For both die-hard fanatics and novices, this class helps expand one's wine knowledge. An added bonus will be meeting the wine agent from various vineyards.
[more info]

Wed, Oct 08, 2008
Tasty, Local and Sustainably Grown: Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
Culinarium, 705 Mount Pleasant Road
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
$35 - call (647) 430-7004 to register
Experience wines that are good to drink, and good to think. The farming practices that Henry of Pelham employs to maintain water, soil and wildlife resources also produce delicious wine. Enjoy a guided tasting of Henry's greatest hits, led by Paul DeCampo of Henry of Pelham. Learn about direct sourcing from Ontario wineries.
[more info]

Wed, Oct 08, 2008
Ferran Adria
Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street West
4:30 PM
$95 advance at The Cookbook Store, 416-920-2665 or 1-800-268-6018
The Cookbook Store presents an on-stage interview, Q&A session and book signing with renowned chef Ferran Adria of elBulli, recently voted the #1 restaurant in the world for the third year in a row. Admission price includes a copy of the new book "A Day at elBulli: An Insight into the Ideas, Methods and Creativity of Ferran Adria".
[more info]

Thu, Oct 09, 2008
Right To Your Front Door: The Home Delivery Business of Milk In Days Gone By
Montgomery's Inn Museum, 4709 Dundas Street West
7:00 PM
$10 for CHO members - $12 for non-members
Presented by the Culinary Historians of Ontario. Herb Kingston used to help his Dad deliver milk in his horse and wagon for Blantyre Dairy. The grown-up Herb drove for Blantyre Dairy, Silverwood’s Dairy and Simpson’s department stores. Herb has an astonishing collection of photographs, stories and memories of delivering groceries, particularly dairy products, to Toronto homes.
[more info]

Thu, Oct 09, 2008
Chile Trio - Structured Tasting & Dinner
The Granite Club, 2350 Bayview Avenue
6:00 PM
$249 - call 416-365-5767 or 1-800-266-4764 to reserve
Vintages invites you to discover what top international critics and savvy wine lovers around the globe are raving about. Taste the premium wines of Chile from winemakers Casa Lapostolle, Errazuriz and Montes, and experience why unique terroir and passionate winemaking are setting this nation apart.
[more info]

Thu, Oct 09, 2008
Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale Launch Party
Victory Cafe, 581 Markham Street
6:00 PM
free admission - email info@greatlakesbeer.com to get on the list
Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale is now available at our brewery and select LCBO stores. To celebrate the kick-off of our fall seasonal, we'll be having a launch party featuring live music, pumpkin themed food and other great tricks and treats.
[more info]

Thu, Oct 09, 2008
How To Taste: Part Four
Vineyards Estate Wines, 228 Queens Quay West
7:00 PM
$15 for single seminar - $48 for series of four
How To Taste is a series exploring wine tasting in four parts, based on the book by Jancis Robinson, and presented by Sommelier Glen Siegel. Part four: Continue to explore the impact of different flavours (sweet, sour, salty and bitter) on wine and the surprising matches, mis-matches, hits and misses.
[more info]