Today is the first day of Taste of Saskatchewan. For a foodie like me, this is heaven; it's a festival based around local food with live music entertainment and it's right downtown! I usually hit TOS about 4 times each year - 2 lunches, 1 dinner, and one evening for drinks and dessert. While it may not be the best food in town, I love the option of being able to try a few different places in $5 chunks (2 tokens = $5, and nothing is more than 2 tokens).

I saw all the classics out. Some of these restaurants have been involved with the festival for what seems like forever; more importantly, I also saw some new touches that I enjoyed. When I walked up, they had staff by the park entrance selling tokens in groups of 8 for $20, which is probably the standard amount the average person would buy. This way you can bypass the lines at the booths and get right to the food.

Here's what I got:

Japchae (stir fried in sesame oil w/Vegetables) from Seoul Korean. (Doused in Sriracha, of course)

I have walked past Seoul on 20th many times and have always been intrigued by it. What a perfect way to get a "taste," heh heh.

I was skeptical when it landed on the plate, but enjoyed this dish very much and the portion was generous.

Picanha w/Fresh Corn Salsa & Guacamole in a Tortilla from Saboroso.

This was taaasty! But if you skip the Jalepenos I don't think it would hold up as strong, so make sure you say 'yes' to those!

Also incredibly important to me enjoying TOS this afternoon was a great little set by Kirby Criddle (smiling below) and Elias Edlund (on the licks). I'd like to thank them for the shout-out to my hair, and their great rendition of Damien Rice's Volcano.

Before realizing that the entire menu is posted online here, I snapped photos of all the booths so that you may see what is offered this year.  My way is still more fun I think. Scroll through the booths below.

Two favourites. And bonus! I caught this lovely fashionable lady in the shot.

It's supposed to be a beautiful week in Saskatoon, so be smart and head down to the riverbank for some great local food and entertainers. If you'd like to plan your arrival based on the entertainment, the lineup is available here.

Until next time,

- C