Foodists

Fare on the Square

Seared Bison from Aqua Terra in Kingston, ON

Spending the long weekend in Kingston, Ontario had an unexpected reward: Fare on the Square

An homage to the farmers market and local products, Fare on the Square provided 12 local restaurants with products from vendors at the Kingston Public Market.  The chefs were challenged, Iron Chef style, to show these ingredients off in their best light. The results were served for $2 each to anyone with a ticket, and all the proceeds were given to charity.   

The square behind Kingston’s City Hall was bustling with the regular Saturday public market, the oldest continuously-running market in North America.  Along the street bounding the top of the market were tents with Fare on the Square restaurants and crowds of people lining up to sample their concoctions. 

Our favourite dish was the Beef & Shiitake Mushroom Meatloaf Sandwich with Tomato Jam from Le Chien Noir Bistro.  Close on it’s heels were Aqua Terra’s Seared Bison on heirloom potato salad and The Kitschen’s “Roll Down The Window” Pork & Beans, and King Street Sizzle’s Hearty Pork Stew.

In addition to the tastings and vendors there was a fantastic Heirloom Tomato Tasting. A 16 foot stretch of gingham clothed table was covered with martini glasses displaying each varietal beside plates of diced tomato ready to be sampled.  A great way to show visitors the range of tomatoes available beyond the ubiquitous Beef Steak.

You can see a quick Flickr slideshow of the other things we tasted and saw during Fare on the Square by clicking here