This weekend I found myself in a spot of Toronto that I’ve never been before – Wychwood Barns. Wychwood Barns is a public space in Toronto. The main structure was built 100 years ago and used to be a streetcar maintenance facility. Since 2008, it’s been a mix-use venue for several different festivals and events.  True to form, I went there for food.

Every Saturday, The Stop’s Farmers’ Market is held in Barn #4. Vendors show of their wares, with an emphasis of locally-grown, healthy food products. Everything from produce, beef and poultry, marinades, fair-trade coffee and pastries can be found.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to purchase anything this weekend, as I had to take off without a chance to access my refrigerator, but I plan on buying the materials for my new juicing habit in the very near future.

On Sunday, I took part in the finale of Burger Week in Toronto, also held at Wychwood Barns. I never even heard of such a week until a few days prior, but apparently it’s been a thing since last year in my city, organized by The GridTO.  Throughout the week, participating restaurants have been selling featured artisanal hamburgers for a mere $5. I deliberately did not take part in the week’s festivities to save up for the weekend. For $30, I enjoyed all-you-can-eat sliders.

Oyster Burger – How Fabulous!

I was impressed by virtually every burger I had. I had a burger with an oyster in it! I also had a burger that was fashioned like nachos – tortilla chips with cheese, fresh salsa and jalapeño peppers on a beef patty. I think the one that takes the cake is the slider I had from the new gourmet burger joint called The Rude Boy. The slider was made with smoked tongue pastrami, bacon, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing and house-made sauerkraut. So delicious. They are all quite good, so good that I was too busy eating to take several pictures.

It really was an event for everyone. I’ve never seen that many hipsters north of Queen Street! There were also several families with young children. Bouncy castles, swing and slides, and water fountains kept them entertained.

While the all-you-can-eat outing was a good deal for the money, I think next year I’ll do the daily burgers. I got pretty full pretty fast. But it was a fun afternoon, and I got to learn about burger restaurants in Toronto that I’d never heard of before.

All that being said, the strict workout and diet regimen starts today!