Opa!

While Athos was having the time of her life down south, I also had a little food adventure, at the Taste of Danforth, an annual Greek street festival that stretched far and wide on one of the busiest roads in Toronto. I went with another food lover from the humble capital of our nation (Ottawa), who came to experience the Taste of Danforth for the very first time. 

The Taste of Danforth was advertised to be along Danforth Ave. from Broadview to Pape but it actually stretched a few blocks beyond Pape Ave.

A vendor showing off his Greek pastries and his smile.

A couple of chefs working away at gyro rotisseries as big as their own torsos.

Samples of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing prepared by cowboys.

The great thing about food festivals is that the food sold there aren't meal sized (or priced for that matter) and we were able to sample quite a selection of Greek cuisine. First up, cheese pie.

Cheese pie, Athens Restaurant & Tavern, 707 Danforth Ave. Toronto M1K 1G4

This 'Athenian' babe you see basking in the sun tasted as good as it looks. As I took a bite, the crip, buttery pastry layers crumbled away, revealing the cheese filling within. I admit, I'm a cheese pie newbie and expected that strong salty cheese taste to hit my tongue, but instead was surprised to be greeted by a creamy, light sweetness. I wasn't sure what kind of cheese it was but Google tells me it is ricotta cheese with a possible mix of feta and romano. With our stomachs and my sweet tooth still unsatisfied, we also purchased a cup of loukoumades, or for us non-Greeks, donut puffs.

Loukoumades, Athens Restaurant & Tavern

Perhaps this is a testament to the fact that desserts should come after a complete meal for I developed a stomach ache shortly after consuming just a few of the sugary balls. How horrific indeed, a stomach ache at a food festival. The little circular treats were too sweet and after a few bites, my throat drowned in the sugary greasiness and was in dire need of water. 

The making of loukoumades. I should have been warned by the angry bubbling deep-fry oil.

As we continued onwards, we were both unable to consume any more food, what with my stomach ache and my friend with general fullness, partially caused by Chicken Rosemary Pie (which she told me was absolutely amazing in its savouriness).

Chicken Rosemary Pie, Ouzeri Restaurant, 500A Danforth Ave, Toronto M4K 1P6

This was not too big of a loss since by then, we were short on time and many of the food stalls had lines literally stretching from one side of the road to the other. Although, we were very curious about some of the stalls offering a more exotic variety of foods. Calamari will just have to wait until the next time I visit Greektown on the Danforth.

-L