n the wake of Toronto’s valued street meat coming under heavy criticism from various media outlets (i.e. radio, magazine, web) about topics that the naïve consumer is happy to ignore (i.e. where the meat comes from, sanitation issues, a comparison to the international street eats scene) in exchange for a delicious Polish sausage or straight up dog, the city has organized the Toronto Street Treats Fair taking place, where else, at Nathan Phillips Square on July 13.

Local 9-5ers in the area and the occasional tourist will be treated to some of the best portable snacks that Toronto’s top chefs have to offer. But, before I get into all the gory details, here’s a little summary of the state of Toronto’s current street dining scene.

As of now, most (or pretty much all) vendors with a street cart purvey hot dogs or sausages to typically intoxicated clubbers or the brave and sober individual tempted by the delicious aromas of BBQ meat. All beef, chicken, turkey and pork are the usual offerings, but if you travel to the veghead friendly areas (i.e. The Beaches), you will find those orange-coloured soy byproducts also on the grill. Yum.

A night of drinking and thus stumbling out of the Horseshoe Tavern at Queen and Spadina lands you in prime street meat territory where the vending scene is a fierce competition between rival meat outlets, but at the extremely low $2 per dog, whatever cart is closest and/or has the shortest line is always the best option.

Since the political force behind Toronto’s international reputation have staunchly declared Hogtown a “World Class City” on numerous occasions, then it should be compared to other “World Class Cities” on a street eats scale.

Up first, our American competition, NYC. If you’ve ever taken a jaunt through Central Park, you’ve stumbled past the delicious pretzel cum hot dog cum popcorn cum Popsicle vendor. While three of the four offerings are pretty basic, the pretzels are extraordinary. Those with a penchant for the salty things in life die for the molten-cheddar-infused twisted German dough with just the right sprinkling of salt on the outside, and a healthy dosage of mustard (spicy and honey only). Did I mention they’re kosher?

Unlike Toronto Health’s harsh bylaws that clearly limits street vendors to selling “precooked meat products in the form of wieners or similar sausage products to be served on a bun”, the city of New York has a more progressive attitude that allows anything that can be sold in a resto to be sold on the street. Thus, eating Shwarma on the stick, falafel with hot sauce, Colombian arepas, South Indian samosas and a variety of other ethnic cuisine is not uncommon. When NYC does do sausages, the meat is wild boar. 'Nuff said. Again, Toronto is denied by the current ruling North American “World Class City”, the Big Apple.

Across the Atlantic, London (England) is an exception, as the Health & Safety department has implemented such strict laws that all but prohibit the sale of meat on the street. When you do find such an elusive vendor (perhaps near Big Ben), it will be the worst experience of portable food in your life (trust me – been there, done that).

Despite this set-back, the British capital more than makes up for the lack of street eats vendors with the abundance of markets in the city (Camden, Smithfield, Billingsgate, Shepherd’s Bush, Covent Garden, Brick Lane, Piccadilly, Portobello and Borough markets come to mind).

Yearly London markets in perpetual operation: 19
Yearly Toronto markets in perpetual operation: 1
I guess we’re not winning this battle either.

Before you hang your head in shame and resort to self-loathing, allow the chefs participating in the Street Treats Fair to show Torontonians the future of the street-dining landscape. At the press conference, the Rubino brothers from Rain restaurant offered samples of Frogs’ Legs Porridge, a Chinese-French fusion dish that surprised the unsuspecting crowd.

With a roster of chefs including Pat Riley (Perigee), Didier Leroy (Didier), Claudio Aprile (Colborne Lane), Guy Rubino (Rain), Chris McDonald (Cava), Irene Morales (Jumbo Empanada), Amanda Bent (Kali’s Crepes) and Carole Ferrari (Local Cafe) participating in the fair, you can expect to be overwhelmed with creativity, innovation and practicality when it comes to dining on-the-go.

On the menu: Fruit Skewers, Chili Lime Corn, Indian Dosas, Grilled Tofu, Chicken and Pork Souvlaki, Empanadas, Spring Rolls, fresh Asparagus, Curried Vegetables, and many more bite size, portable samples that fall within the budget friendly $1-$6 range.

The two hour event (noon to 2:00pm) will be swamped with epicurious individuals, however a skipped breakfast will result in the right amount of hunger aggression to bud, cut and push through the lines of people salivating for a change. Bring elbow pads for optimum line-cutting performance.
-E.J.