3.5 (also please note that this review is from 2014. When reading the reviews take note of the date. The Festival has made changes from year so your expectations not be met if you don't bear these facts in mind.
This was the maiden voyage for the worldwide 'Taste' festival in Toronto. It was a well organized event from start to finish including their on line ticket purchasing and use of the crown system to purchase food.
The lineup of restaurants was well varied and offered a wide array of trendy foodstuffs from many acclaimed Toronto chefs and their establishments.It was also great to see a huge number of small companies with excellent samples and information about what it is they're doing and selling. As a big supporter of small craft companies who are doing a great job, I was very impressed with almost every kiosk we visited.
Lineups moved quickly and we rarely waited long for anything. We tried to watch some of the live demonstrations, but there wasn't much shade, which made standing difficult in the heat and the seating was taken quickly. The VIP lounge was advertised as being Air Conditioned, but it was either not working, or the open windows prohibited from the cold air being contained. it was very hot in the tent and there was no breeze to cool things down. I purposefully bought the VIP tix since I thought that it might be nice to have a place to cool down on a hot day. Fort York is not a location with a lot of shade.
It would have been nice if there were more lounges set up around the venue with umbrellas and shelter as many people were sitting on the grass.
Most of the food that we tried and paid for was quite good, but the value factor was not high for this event. The Ribs and potato salad from Barque were great, but 10 crowns (= to $10 CAD) for 3 ribs and a little squirt of potato salad was pretty steep considering that you can get almost a whole rack of ribs at any local ribfest for a little more than double the price.
Duck Scotch egg from Hudson Kitchen was pricey, too. especially for only half an egg.
McEwan's Lobster Poutine for 10 crowns seemed to be a little more on the money, featuring lots of lobster, crisp golden fries and a lovely gravy that was tinged with a really nice amount of nutmeg.
If you were hungry, I'd say 50 crowns would do you well for the day. If you have extra crowns, try selling them to other festival attendees for a reduced price. They say the extra goes to charity, but there is no proof of this or tax receipt. I prefer to make donations in lump sums and don't donate to any charity that can't provide me with a receipt.
Overall, a pricey day, but very fun! I would go again but I wouldn't bother with the VIP tickets. I'd buy the minimum entry and spend the extra on crowns.