E11even Spring Menu Tasting

I recently was invited to the E11even restaurant to try a NEW Spring Menu Tasting that is not yet released on their menu. It was a great opportunity to sample some of the dishes and cocktails served and created by Chef Graham Pelley @E11evenChef. The New Spring menu will be available at E11even in the near future. A highlight for me was that some of the ingredients used in the dishes are local from the Mennonites and are Ontario hometown grown. It's always nice to see chefs and restaurants supporting local community.

I've always frequented Real Sports which is located next door to E11even and are owned by the same parent company MLSE which owns the Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. E11even is more sophisticated and refined than it's counterpart of Real Sports but don't let that fool you. It's quite affordable and fair in it's pricing. For example, the 2 hotdog sliders for $5(NEW Menu item) is a great game day appetizer to enjoy before a Leafs or Raptors game.


Shareable hot dog sliders from E11even.

I'm not going to bore you with more reading and just get straight to the food porn. Check them out next time you head to the ACC or want to find a spot to enjoy the patio in the heart of Toronto.


This is my favourite offering of the tasting: Tuna Tartare

It's tuna tartare with fried shallots, a touch of sirracha, chives, chiles, cilantro and ailoi. This reminds me of Hawaiian Poke or sashimi. It's plated like a small mini cake. All tuna goodness in there.


Wedge salad with oven dried tomatoes, blue cheese and country bacon. The cheese is from a Mennonite farm.


Sweet Peas. Simple and very addictive. Great healthy snacking.


Ling cod organic fish with wild mushroom and sweet pea purée squeezed with lemon citrus.


The dishes featured here will be on the Spring Menu at E11even. I still had the opportunity to try 3 different desserts. All 3 are great, my favourite is the Oreo ice cream cookie sandwich with Tahitian vanilla. All the dessert portions are shareable. Order the Oreo ice cream cake if you don't like to share your desserts. It's good enough for one person.


Oreo ice cream cookie.


Broken banana pie: Graham crust, bananas, banana cream and whip cream.


This Pavlova Meringue was amazing. It's got a "Macaron" chewy texture to it. Very nice and light dessert.

Please give E11even a visit and enjoy the downtown patio. It's a great opportunity to try many of the menu offerings. This is a shortlist of the Spring menu offerings. They've got a gnochhi dish and Caprese salad which are amazing too! Thanks again to the E11even staff for the hospitality and great food and drinks.
 

Raptors Social Media Night

It's the one and only Mark Cuban. Owner of Dallas Mavericks and Reality show superstar.

This past weekend I was invited to the 1st ever "Raptors Social Media" event. As you know I'm a fan of the Toronto Raptors and Social Media. To combine both interest was just an ultimate and unique experience for me. I find it interesting and smart that the Raptors organization has reached out to the fans using the Social Media channels. It's a level of engagement that is unprecedented within major sports organizations in Toronto. You will begin to see other teams follow suit. Open to anyone at a special discount via Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook you had a chance to be invited to pre-game shootaround before the general public. This exclusivity brings value from a "Fans" perspective. We also received t-shirts from the @rtzfans who spearheaded this event in conjunction with the Toronto Raptors. If that wasn't enough we also got the opportunity to meet one of the players post game. In this case we met @Jerryd Bayless better know as the emerging young point guard for the Raptors. It was only fitting that he be the player selected for the postgame interview because he himself is an avid user of Social Media. He maintains his own blog and Twitter handle.


Shootaround. Practice makes perfect, right?





Here is Jerryd Bayless talking about playing in Toronto



Just want to Thank @RTZfans @Joelreilly @Nat77 @Bigthinkerjon @Raptors for making this all come together! Here's a quick look into the shootaround with Joel Reilly.



For more info on the night, check out RTZfans