Article and photo by Cyndi Ingle
My mission: eat, drink and be merry all afternoon long. Happy to report it was done like dinner, or in this case…an afternoon of slow dining spent sampling one-of-a-kind delights.
On Sunday, August 12/12 Burlington’s Spencer Smith Park was transformed into a dining paradise for over 500 people as the Rotary Club of Burlington Central presented their annual fundraiser, Lakeside à la Carte.
Guests couldn’t have hoped for better weather as they spent a relaxing afternoon seated under huge white tents, listening to music, chatting with friends, and sampling gourmet fare from over 40 different local restaurants and wineries.
With four hours to indulge I did my best to test drive as much as humanly possible – tough job, I know! Several food trends were readily apparent: local and seasonal ingredients used wherever possible; an abundance of fish and seafood; sliders crowned as the “new black” (and not because they were overcooked) and many chefs putting “pork (back) on their fork.”
There was also plenty of wine, and other liquid delights on the menu. And I couldn’t bring myself to neglect them!
Here’s a few of the culinary and wine/cocktail highlights that kept me smiling all afternoon.
Culinary standouts:
Water Street Cooker: Generously sized pieces of crusted perch drizzled with a peach and chipotle sauce.
Chef and Wife Catering: An oregano infused watermelon cube, with in-house sea-salt ricotta, and chicken skin crackling brûlée.
Honey West: Delicious smoked potato salad, and smoky pork ribs marinated in, of all things, Dr. Pepper.
Sunrise Senior Living: You don’t usually expect amazing cuisine from a retirement home, but Sunrise was on hand to do some myth busting. This was their 2nd year at Lakeside, and last year they were a sponsor and didn’t showcase their food.
They not only sponsored this year, but demonstrated what residents enjoy on a daily basis. Presented was a light, smoked haddock fish cake, with horseradish aioli, on top of greens, and for dessert, a carrot pecan cupcake with orange compote. As staff explained, “This is what we usually serve our residents, something simple, that’s homey.”
Prime Steak House: Toasted mini-buns stuffed with chunks of lobster, and green onion.
Spencers at the Waterfront: Presented sliders…on a slide! Their sliders were pockets of pork belly, braised for 12 hours, accompanied with pickled cucumber, hoisin sauce, cilantro, and green onion.
Blacktree: Whole ripe pitted cherries, piped with foie gras, and rolled in fine pretzel crumbs.
Dessert Standouts:
The Rude Native: Their mini vanilla, lemon and strawberry ice cream cones packed with dulce de leche and crowded with a ball of chocolate pâté were a hit with people of all ages.
Water Street Cooker: Blueberry peach crumb cake with grand Marnier infused whipped cream.
Wine/cocktail Standouts:
Rockway Glen Winery: The winery, situated in St. Catharines, featured a Cabernet Rose; Patio 9, a Vidal based wine; 2010 Baco Cabernet Merlot; and two brand new wines just released at Lakeside: a small lot Riesling from the 2011 vintage, and 2010 Cabernet Franc. All wines are available at the winery only, but Patio 9 is being released by the LCBO for the next summer season.
Finlanda Vodka: Featured a colourful cocktail with white tequila, and vodka, mixed with mango and passion fruit, lemon and grenadine.
Collingwood Whiskey: Featured a spicy cocktail created with one part rye, 2 parts ginger beer, and 3 parts apple juice.
The Dickens: Served Jacob’s Creek Moscato, a sparkling wine with tropical and white peach aromas.
So many restaurants, so many wineries and only four hours…so this isn’t by any means a complete list of all I experienced. Come try it for yourself! If you’d like to attend Lakeside next year, bookmark the site for easy reference.
