This year, I was really excited about Big Taste 2019 but I couldn’t find any information about it. However, I found Food and Drink Experience which is just like Big Taste during March 1 - 10. Restaurants offer a $30/$40 three course lunch, $30/$40 three course dinner or a $65 five course gourmet dinner during the course of a week.
The first restaurant I went to this year is The Guild, opened by the restaurant group Oliver and Bonacini, they’ve taken over a corner space in The Bay right on Stephen Avenue. They also have a huge Argentinean charcoal burning parilla grill.
SMOKY DEVILLED EGGS - smoked paprika, chives, crunchy stuff
With the $20 three course lunch menu, they offered a feature wine, Mission Hill ‘Estate Series’ Pinot Noir for $13 (6 oz.). For the first course, you get to choose from the Soup of the Day, Mixed Greens Salad, Smoky Deviled Eggs and Dry-Aged Meatballs. All three of us chose the smoky deviled eggs and it was delicious. The filling was smokey/creamy and the crispy garlic chips gave a nice crunch to the mushy eggs.
WOOD-GRILLED SQUID - puttanesca-style, capers, lemon, tomato, olives, anchovy sauce, braised Cumbrian lentils, grilled lemon
For the second course (main) there was a choice of Dry-Aged Chili Dog, Beretta Farms Chuck Burger, Wood-Grilled Squid and Tomato Penne Pasta. The Beretta Burger was similar to your standard burger however, the beef patty was cooked to the perfect medium rare. It had the right amount of lean and fatty ground chuck beef and it was juicy. The smokey wood-grilled squid was really tender and the lentils were cooked perfectly, I would definitely get this again.
BERETTA FARMS CHUCK BURGER - cheddar, smoked mayo, pickle, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, fries
To finish, it was a choice of Carrot Cake or Brown Bread Ice Cream. None of us liked carrot cake so we all chose the Brown Bread Ice Cream (Earl Grey Ice Cream for one of my friends because he was gluten free). The brown bread ice cream tasted like cinnamon bread and the sweet crunchy crumbs gave it a nice contrast in textures.
BROWN BREAD ICE CREAM - maple syrup
Last time I was at The Guild, I enjoyed their huge Tomahawk steak and would love to come back again for their Happy Hour with cheap cocktails and half off bar bites!
Recommend: Wood-Grilled Squid
Price: $$$$$
Taste: 3.5/5
Environment: 4/5