What do you get when you combine one of the finest food markets in Canada and the culinary creativity of the Food Dudes? You get the first edition of the Summer Series at the St. Lawrence Market.  I had been hearing about this event all over my social feeds and on a few newsletters I subscribe to but I didn’t make the effort to actually buy tickets.  On a last minute whim, a friend of mine and I decided to go check out especially since she just moved into the area, so why not explore what it has to offer.

It was a PERFECT day for this outdoor event. Not too hot in the evening and the perfect temperature when you’re in the shade.  Its a shame to say but I’ve never been to the St. Lawrence market so I didn’t really know what to expect. The event was being held on the patio that I believe wraps around the main building of the market.  It’s narrow in width but still quite large in area when you take the entire patio into consideration.  This event was summer vibes at its best.  There was steel drummer outside the check in area playing some chilled out beats, the check-in/registration process was a breeze and before I knew it I had a drink and burger in hand.  But before I get into the details of the food I do have to commend them on the pricing structure. $30 for general admission which also got you two food tickets.  With food tickets being $10 this was TOTALLY worth it once you see the portion sizes.

So the concept of the event was that renowned chefs were taking ingredients from the St. Lawrence market and their vendors and creating their own take on popular dishes/foods.  I’d guess that there were probably about a solid 10-12 options ranging from burgers to tacos, corn, empanadas and salads.  My buddy and I should have been smarter and used our 4 tickets on 4 different dishes but we got a little carried away when the burger food stall caught our eye.

I mean look at this.  The Market Burger.  BBQ burger with fried halloumi, bacon, onion jam, gochujang, aioli, pickles, arugula and pomme frites.  I mean who needs a big mac after this.  It was ridiculously good.  And see what I mean about the portion sizes.  I was full after this first one but had to keep going.

It was at this point we figured out that diversifying our food options with the tickets was the name of the game. After allowing some time for digestion and of course indulging in a glass of wine we decided that Mexican was up next.  Behold the Cheese Arepas with saffron rice, black beans and a spicy salsa.  Not my favourite but a nice change from the burger indulgence.

With one final food ticket we decided on finishing up our adventure with Brussels Sprouts. Now I know these are not everyone’s cup of tea but I LOVE ME some brussels sprouts.  These particular gems were doused in General Tao sauce, toasted sesame seeds, pickled chilies, friend onions and cilantro spots.  They were SO SO good, i want to figure out how to recreate them. Literally could not finish them based on how full we were.

Now the other amazing part about this event was that it wasn’t just about food.  They had live music and bands playing throughout the night and a DJ who was spinning some crazy beats in between acts.  To top it off, in between the food stalls they installed massive blank canvases and invited local artists to paint, graffiti and design to their heart’s content.  Super cool.

Really hope these guys do the event again next year.  I would fully go back. Now I also have to add the St. Lawrence Market to my list of regular grocery stores.

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Discover St. Lawrence Market:
http://www.stlawrencemarket.com
Twitter:  @StLawrenceMkt
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