FRINGE KITCHEN PARTY

The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual 10 day festival celebrating independent theatre productions held during the summer. The Fringe movement is international and festivals are held in cities all over the world each year. Theatre shows range from musicals to puppets, emerging artists to festival favourites; the 10 days are packed with presentations and it’s often a juggling act to fit everything in and get a hold of tickets.

My best friend and I were drama students all through high school and today she teaches high school drama so needless to say, it’s impossible to get a hold of her during Fringe each year as she’s usually in line for a play or in a seat of a theatre. I try to attend at least one performance each year but that’s usually the extent of my “Fringe-ing”. This year, when we found out about the Fringe Kitchen Party, I was on board in a heartbeat. Supporting such an amazing event and getting fed by Matt Basile, chef of Fidel Gastro and Lisa Marie, done.

Food: Dinner consisted of a four course meal catered by Matt Basile and cupcakes from Bite Me Bakery. The bulk of dinner was prepared at Lisa Marie restaurant, transported to the venue and plated on site. We started off with a plate of four pickles including carrots, beans and bean sprouts. They were packed with flavours but refreshing and light.

Next up was a generous plating of ribs with a spice rub. The meat easily came off each bone. Smoked salmon tacos were presented, two per plate and with a wedge of lime. I liked the salmon itself and the touch of sesame seeds but didn’t love the taco shells. Mine were a bit floury and might have been better served warm. Before dessert was a light beet salad. I loved this salad, the light bitterness of the fresh greens were cut nicely with the sweet beets and drizzled with a citrus dressing.

By the time dessert arrived, I only had room for one cupcake and it was worth it. The icing wasn’t overly sweet or rich and the cake was moist. Once dinner service was completed, the tables were cleared, the DJ started his set and the space turned into a dance floor. We didn’t stick around too long, but long enough to make room for a couple more cupcakes. I needed to make sure that I had tasted each flavour after all.