After reading about the Taco Takedown at Harbourfront Center's Hot and Spicy Food Festival on theGridTO.com, I really wanted to check it out since it featured 6 different Toronto chefs/cooks all putting their own spin on the classic taco to compete for the title of best taco in Toronto and a $250 prize.
The Event Tent: The Line up was really long (and at around 8pm, they cut the line off because there wasn't enough food for everyone to get a portion).
The event guide
The deal was you get a sampler of 6 tacos for $8 and a ballot to vote for the winner. There were other categories like Most Original and Most Authentic, but the most important category was Best Overall.
Unfortunately, by the time we got to the front of the line, the pan-fried pork and kimchi taco ran out before we got to try it. So we got 5 tacos:
Clockwise from the top:
1) North South taco by Matt Basile of Fidel Gastro's
2) Tacos Suritdos by Luis Valenzuela of Torito Tapas Bar
3) Thai pork tacos by Aaron Foster of LA's Italian + Bar
4) Coffee and Tamarind Lamb Taco by Vanessa Yeung of Aphrodite Cooks
5) Piri piri chicken taco by Paula Costa and Peter Minaki
1) North South taco with chili basil aioli (spicy)
I found this taco very spicy: the heat gradually builds up and it eventually becomes overwhelming. I thought it was really cool that the chefs added an arancini (fried rice ball) in the middle of the taco underneath all the tender pork shoulder. It brought something different to the taco and added an element of crispy crunchiness.
2) Tacos suritdos
This taco was delicious! The tortilla was nicely warmed and soft. It was a little bigger than the rest of the tacos, but I thought it didn't take away anything from the actual taco. The pork meat was moist and the ingredients seemed relatively simple, but it was definitely the most authentic. I loved the guacamole! It was fresh and yummy - although not quite as good as Dos Caminos. After eating Chef Valenzuela's tacos, I really want to try Torito Tapas bar now.
3) Thai pork tacos with grilled pig neck
One of the more interesting takes on tacos. It was different and stayed true to key elements in Thai cuisine. The lime juice, fish sauce and cilantro added a nice crisp and cool taste. The Chef let us sample the grilled pig neck by itself and it was tender, perfectly seasoned deliciousness. He really knows his pork! The only down side was the tortilla - it was hard and almost crunchy in random parts and I thought it detracted from the ingredients. In this case, it may have been better with just the pork.
4) Coffee and Tamarind Lamb Taco with a carrot and daikon slaw and tomatillo avocado cream
This was the most original taco in my opinion. The name sounds really strange and it's not a combination you would think of for a taco contest, but all the ingredients worked really well together to make a refreshing and interesting taco. It was aesthetically pleasing and had a fresh and crisp taste.
5) Piri piri chicken taco (spicy)
The taco meat was spicy! You felt the heat immediately when you bit into it. I thought the yogurt helped to offset some of the burn, but it was still really spicy. I couldn't really analyze the flavours since my mouth was on fire.
After finishing the tacos and casting my ballot, I headed over to the Fruit Stand nearby for some coconut water:
Coconut $5
It was the perfect drink! Took away the spiciness of the last taco I ate (the piri piri) with one sip from the coconut!
Drinking out of a coconut was such an amazing experience that it was totally worth the $5 I spent on it.
And after you're done drinking, you can ask them to cut it open and eat the inside of the coconut (so economical!):
The flesh is almost like jello but with a thicker consistency and they shave you a piece of the outside skin to use as a spoon! (I'm so amazed by coconuts...)
I thought the coconut water and the coconut flesh would be sweeter, but it turns out it's actually kind of bland. I learned after that coconut water in stores have added sugar (makes sense now).
The Hot and Spicy Festival is great if you like spicy food. I was really only there for the tacos...
The final results of the taco contest were:
Best Overall - Piri Piri Tacos
Most Original - Coffee and Tamarind Tacos
Most Authentic - Taco Suritdos
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