Canadian National Exhibition: Summer 2013 — Food!

So, the boys and I finally got to go to The Ex this afternoon. After Friday's parking fiasco, we managed to find a parking space in a neighbourhood about five minutes away from the CNE off of Dufferin. Of course, once we bought our admission tickets and got into the grounds, we made a beeline for the Food Building. Even with all the food safety reports over the last week, nothing could stop us from getting in on the goods. After all, deliciously disgusting food is the whole point of going to The Ex, you know?
Kalbi bao and bulgogi taco from Far East Taco
We started off our heart attack-inducing journey at Far East Taco. We decided to forgo the kimchi fries and focused on the — what else? — meat. You can choose kalbi or bulgogi wrapped in either a steamed bao or a soft tortilla shell, which is then topped with kimchi, pickled radish, hot sauce, and sour cream. We decided on a kalbi bao and a bulgogi taco, and decided that the taco was ultimately the better and tastier choice. I enjoy a nice steamed Chinese bun as much as the next Asian, but we decided it was too thick and fluffy and sweet to go well with all the meat and toppings. Aside from being able to eat and hold easier, the tortilla shell doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients. In general, though, I thought Far East Taco managed to do Korean fusion fast food really well.
"The Mexican" from Bouchard's Poutinery
Of course, no trip to The Ex would be complete without some sort of poutine. I mean, we're not going for authenticity here; we're just going for the grossest or, um, most intriguing option. Since Bouchard's Poutinery was right next to Far East Taco, we decided that we'd kill two birds with one stone by getting our poutine fix there. They offer five options and all of them sound fantastic, but "The Mexican" sounded the most interesting: Classic poutine (fries with gravy and cheese curds), topped with ground beef, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and jalapeños. It was like a zestier, spicier version of a Fries Supreme from Taco Bell. Looks gross, tastes awesome.
"The Behemoth" from Epic Burgers and Waffles
Okay, so Epic Burgers and Waffles has gotten a pretty bad rep lately with its cronut burger food poisoning fiasco (I was so sad about this because the cronut burger sounded disgusting and therefore was something I really wanted to try), and they had to close for a few days so health inspectors could check it thoroughly, but they were eventually allowed to re-open (sans cronut burger). Clearly, this didn't stop people from going to Epic Burgers because it probably had the biggest line-up out of any other vendor in the Food Building. We decided to skip the Krispy Kreme cheeseburger this time around and went for "The Behemoth" instead, which sounds like their version of Burger's Priest's "The Vatican City." Essentially, it's a cheeseburger in between two grilled cheese sandwiches. It tastes exactly as it sounds, so while there wasn't really a huge "surprise" component to eating it, the experience was still incredibly glorious.
Lobster roll from Jake's Lobster
I'll always take any opportunity to eat a lobster roll if I can find it in Toronto because it's just not a common menu item around here. So, when we saw Jake's Lobster, a new vendor this year and a stall dedicated solely to lobster rolls (and lobster fries), I had to jump on it. I know, lobster at The Ex? What? But mark me as being very pleasantly surprised. There was an exceptional amount of lobster meat in that bun, and it had just the right amount of creaminess so that the integrity of the meat was intact (e.g. perfectly chunky with a good amount of lobster flavour, not runny and tasteless). At $14.50 after tax, it was probably the most expensive food item we had today, but considering how much a lobster roll of the same size can cost nearly double the amount, I thought it was entirely worth it. 
The "Stack'd" from Pull'd
We were nearly hitting our limit by the time we finished the lobster roll, but the Pull'd stall was right next to Jake's Lobster (actually, I think they're owned by the same management) and since we didn't get one of their sandwiches last year (we only got the poutine), we had to indulge in one this year. They have four options on their menu, but we decided on the "Stack'd," which consists of their signature pulled pork, two seared potato perogies, and whatever toppings of your choice (we got lettuce, ketchup, and mayo) in between a German pretzel bun. The perogies were kind of bland and ultimately didn't do much in adding to the sandwich, but pulled pork can basically save any sandwich from being a fail. On its own, it was good, not great. But we discovered that slapping on that side of baked beans adds an amazing smoky flavour that really elevates its standing and totally negates the disappointing perogies.
Chocolate hazelnut panini gelato from Sweet Escapes
The one new item I knew I really wanted to try this year was the panini gelato by Sweet Escapes, which is actually found in the midway. We were really full after leaving the Food Building, so we walked around the Direct Energy Building for a while first before heading into the midway and finally getting our hands on this beauty. The panini gelato is Sweet Escapes' play on the ice cream sandwich: you choose a flavour of gelato and a topping (if you so choose, for an extra $1), which is then pressed in between two soft grilled brioche buns. We decided to go for the "Extreme Choco Hazelnut," which includes their chocolate hazelnut gelato and crunchy chocolate topping. Somehow, despite the warmth of both the crunchy chocolate spread and the heat emanating from the freshly grilled brioche bun, the gelato remained intact and not melty at all. Using a brioche bun is perfect, too, as it's substantial enough to hold everything together and still mildly sweet to go well with ice cream but never overwhelms. There is absolutely nothing about the panini gelato that I can complain about. It was, dare I say, the perfect ending to our CNE food journey this year. 

Canadian National Exhibition 200 Princes' Boulevard Toronto, ON M6K 3C3 (416) 393-6300