Y.E.E: No Bull Brazilian BBQ @ Touro

I remember it as if it was yesterday… or a few days ago.
I ran towards the entrance to get out of the pouring rain.
Dressed in the colors of passion and of course, fine wine.
I stood at the greeting area to look at what’s before me.
A breath-​taking super gorgeous restaurant that is Touro.
No Bulls were served but Beef a plenty and of various cuts.
Leslie «enomatic» H generously offered everyone wine-​cards.
Continuous conversations with shy new ones were a pleasure.
The mature core elites all well dressed to impress the very best.
As we happily, gracefully maneuver around the sexiest of lounges.
Kris U… All I can see now is R E D. All F I V E stars worth.

This is my first Unilocal Elite Event and it was just AWESOME!!!
I didn’t know what to expect before I came in. The warm welcoming by fellow Unilocalers, great hospitality by Touro, trendy and posh décor, delicious food and alcohol, all these just made my night perfect! I was glad that I made it through the nasty weather.
I especially loved the self-​served wine dispensers. Don’t think I’ve seen it elsewhere in the Richmond Hill area yet. With these wine dispensers, I was able to try out 4 – 5 different wines in small sips without getting drunk! Also loved the delicious appetizers. The grilled steaks and pineapples were very yummy.
Thanks our wonderful photographer Diego. I can’t wait to see the pictures!
Thanks for Glenfiddich’s offering of scotch tastings. So classy.
Last but not least, thank Kris for organizing this incredible event. You are awesome! :)

YAY Unilocal Elite Event for luring me out of work and promptly uptown to escape the commute disaster that night the with the downpour! thank you Kris! thank you Unilocal!nothing like a good dangling carrot (or STEAK) to have me quickly follow suit. Hors d’oeuvres started with the cheese balls (Pão de queijo): heavenly! the yucca dumplings and steak (OBVI) were a hit for me but the crab cakes unfortunately weren’t prong-​friendly and didn’t wow my tastebuds when i finally managed to chomp it. overall tasty food though, and walking past the buffet table of sides it looks like plenty plenty plenty more options available. I kept peering over to the dining area to see if there would be any meat on a stick being hoisted around — maybe it was too dark or maybe it was my my caipirinha-​clouded vision, but I saw none.
My girlfriends and I have been intrigued with this place even as Touro was being built and now I def have this on my list of places to go for a proper meal. excited for their patio to be built! andddd to use my wine card (how wonderfully generous, thank you Touro!). I admired the wine dispensers as I sipped on the caipirinhas all. night. long. so tasty!
Staff couldn’t have been more attentive and helpful, and I agree that this size of a Unilocal event is perfect for mingling!

It was raining cats and dogs, and I think I saw a pod or two of seals and whales on the way into the No-​Bull @ Touro’s.
Check-​ins — was smooth like a still pond just right when you walk in and the sommelier hit you up right away with a $ 25 drinks card, which is usable on the wine bar dispenser along the lounge area. Walking right into the event area — you can pick your cocktail of the night or the house red or white. I had a caipirinha as I was walking in — assessment — a good starter refreshing drink to start off the night. I had half a glass of the house red — which was dry but since we had meat on the brain — it matched well with the food being served.
We were in the Lounge area — which is just beside the salad bar buffet/​kitchen area. Ideally situated with the plethora of food coming out — there were crab cakes, yucca dumplings, cod fritters, bacon wrapped chicken, sausages, along with picanha with or without garlic sauce.
Fav’s of the night definitely the picanha, bacon wrapped chicken and the crab cakes. The crab cakes were pretty much all crab and melt in your mouth yum — but mite too hard to pick up since it would crumble because there was so much crab. Picanha was so good especially with the Garlic sauce and the dry red house.
There was a ton of wonderful feedback in terms of the amazing wine bar, and to mention all guys, who suited up especially for the occasion — which is fitting since we had whisky to sample. Customer service was amazing, plus so helpful making sure all attendees were well watered, fed and happy to make sure we’re looked after.
Over all — wonderful event — despite the less than excellent weather — it’s always nice to swank it up every now and then.

The Unilocal Elite Event was… wait for it… AWESOME!!!
Barney Stinson and I approve :)
Thanks Kris for planning, definitely the best event I’ve been to.

Well, don’t we all clean up nice!
My lovely +1 and I braved the storm and it was more than worth it.
Gorgeous venue — those light fictures! — yummy foods, A WINE VENDING MACHINE (or slots for alcoholics as Kris so aptly put it).
Our new resident photographer Mr. Diego was there to snap pictures in front of our snazzy little backdrop, and take more candid shots of us with our mouths’ full.
The absolute best Unilocal event I’ve been to so far.
Kris, you continue you one-​up thyself.

4 elite events in the span of 6 weeks and Kris manages to save the best for last! Your hard work has clearly paid off; it is for this reason that I am declaring you the winner of Unilocal!Well done sir. Well done.
All I can say is WOW to everything at this event. First and foremost what an absolutely stunning venue. Touro certainly proved to be one of the nicest spots to host an elite event yet. The food, OMG THE FOOD! The appetizers were awesome, loved those little dough ball things, dumplings and crab cakes were legit, steak was nicely done, and the bacon wrapped chicken, MY GOD that blew my mind. Grilled pineapple with cinnamon was the perfect dessert.
In addition to the copious amounts of food the drinks were free flowing. That Brazilian cocktail was packing quite the punch. House wines were delicious and of course scotch tastings by our friends at Glenfiddich added a touch of class. I am not a scotch drinker but the 18 year old scotch was quite delicious. Didn’t get around to using my wine gift card on the wine vending machine (which should be available at all public places) so I guess I will have to return to make use of it. Thanks so much to the lovely folks at Touro, the even lovelier staff and especially to Glenfiddich for the hard stuff.
Special thanks to our resident GTA photographer Diego who brings his passion for photography to every event, you sir are a gem.
A shout out to all the Unilocalers who managed to bring their A-​game to this swanky event despite the torrential downpour, y’all clean up pretty good. Special shout out to Johnny and Edwin for suiting up with me!
Lastly to Kris, there is NO WAY you manage to top this one, in fact I am thinking of not going to any more events because they will all pale in comparison to the spoiling we received last night, keep up the good work you titan of CMing!

A jolly good time all around.
The décor in this restaurant is absolutely beautiful. The patio which looks like it was still under construction will be an absolute hit when it’s done, or furnished.
Like my fellow Unilocalers have commented below… wine vending machines… wonderful and scary at the same time. Heck, I think I need to bring my parents here. I am not much of a wine drinker, but I know many people who are.
I want one of those bars in my house! Or something made out of that material… that looked fantastic.
And I’m gonna say it… THOSE BATHROOMS ARE AWESOME!!! After almost walking into 3 different W washrooms for women, I finally found the M and walked in. Ah! I understand now. Personal bathrooms. This place is unique. Everything I drank and ate tasted good. The staff were wonderful and attentive.
I am organizing a group event with some work friends to come to this restaurant as we speak.
So… mission accomplished. Well done Kris. Another slam dunk.
I hope this is correct… Obrigado. Restaurante bonito. Estarei de volta.
And boom goes the dynamite.

Steak?! Did you really think some rain was going to stop me from coming to a Brazilian Steakhouse Elite Event?! I’m from Miami! We swam to work!
Despite Mother Nature’s best efforts (That bitch), many of us were still able to enjoy good food and good wine (not me though). The wine dispenser thing is genius. Not only does it prevent some people from drinking up all the wine and acting a fool, it allowed all of us to get a sample of various wines we would have liked to try (though the former would have made for a great event as well). The drinks being served up at the bar tasted great like the Leblon and the Caipirinha, which is like a Brazilian lemonade for adults. Despite all these drinks and my best efforts, the +1 didn’t get drunk enough for my liking.
As far as the food goes, the round of hors d’oeuvres coming around, coupled with the fact that I was in a suit (bright orange tie — couldn’t have missed me if you tried), made me feel pretentious but who cares. The little bites of meat-​filled yucca, crab cakes, sausages, codfish fritters, and steak were more than enough to satiate anyone. All the food was good, but the steak was wonderful. I felt for the servers who were lugging around giant trays of food. I offered to take the plate off their hands for a bit, but they didn’t fall for my tricks.
All in all, I would have to say that this event was a fantastic time. I was hoping for more people but with all the rain and such, I didn’t expect there to be. Lastly, Thank you to staff and management for hosting this event and thank you to Kris U. for putting up with us again.
One last note: To everyone around the GTA, I hope you guys are doing OK and that the flooding and severe weather did not affect you too much. Looking forward to seeing you all at the next one.

The 5 minute run in the rain to my boyfriend’s car, the 2 hour drive to Richmond Hill in the rain and the torrential rain itself… This event was worth all of this and more. Touro presented an array of samplers, $ 25 gift cards for the praise-​the-​lord wine vending machines (a new and unique concept), caipirinhas and a classy Unilocal event!
I think Kris did a fantastic job, in arranging the event and promoting the restaurant. Especially since I am sure that everybody at the event is contemplating going back to Touro for a meal.
Let’s talk samplers. From the samplers itself, I felt that the food was a ton better than Copacabana (and I loved Copacabana). My favorites were the cheese puffs, garlic steak and crab cake. My boyfriend loved the chicken wrapped in bacon but then again, he’ll eat bacon anything and bacon everything!
The event started with quite a buzz. Atleast I was quite buzzed because of the good things that Caipirinha did to me. And then the wine vending machines. What a ridiculously amazing concept that more restaurants should incorporate! I love shiraz but this gave me the opportunity to try some other stuff and I liked quite a few. My phone died and I couldn’t take a note of the ones I liked. Definitely reason #4 974 982 979 to go back to Touro!
I had a fantasmic time. Love Diego, the photographer; what a friendly and talented guy! I am a little bit of an introvert and sometimes I have a tougher time meeting and talking to people so a big shout out to the Unilocal Elites who came up to me and started a conversation. Definitely a gesture I’ll pay forward in the upcoming events.
Kris, if you are reading this, I la-​la-​la-​la-​la-​la-​la-​la-​LOVED this event. That’s a lot of la-​las.

What a great night! Very pleased to have made the trip in the crazy weather to Markham/​Richmond Hill.
This is what I love about these events, is that I get to places I normally would never try.
The crab cakes were very good, and really enjoyed the wine dispenser! That can get dangerously fun!
Definitely going to come back to try the place for dinner.
Thanks again Kris, and was great seeing everyone!

I’m so excited to write my review for my first Unilocal elite event, which was held at Touro Churrascaria Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Let me just start by saying if this is what Unilocal events are selling I am more then happy to buy. This event was the perfect teaser because I am already ready to go to Touro with my fork and knife and swallow that menu.
Let me start by saying the customer service was absolutely fantastic. Their staff went above and beyond to exceed my expectations. There were two people who really stood out and it really sucks that I forgot their names probably because of the abundance of alcohol. There was a bartender/​server she was short and brunette I think her name started with a B, complete sweetheart! Always made sure there was food in my mouth and I saw her making a bunch of drinks at the end of the night by herself with a smile. There was also this tall caramel dude, he always made sure my table was clear and he would bring me drinks. I didn’t even have to get up. He would come by and say «Britany would you like another drink?» HE WAS READING MY MIND! They were just great; if I owned a restaurant I’d scout them and offer them more money. I hope you guys tipped!
Now on to the food! Some people expressed that they thought there would be more food but it’s a sample menu not a free meal (oink oink). The purpose is to seduce your taste buds and make you come back for more. I think they were extremely successful at that. That garlic steak left me SALAVATING! The pieces of steak were moist and seasoned to perfection. Complete orgasm in my mouth. My best friend’s eyes widened with excitement upon her first bite. I enjoyed the cod cakes, the yucca cakes were ok and the crab cakes were a pass for me. They also had sausage and chicken wrapped in bacon but I don’t eat pork so I didn’t try them. The grilled pineapple with cinnamon was like eating bites of comfort. You know after Christmas dinner when your mom breaks out the apple pie and ice cream and the aroma fill the room and everyone is full and snuggled on the couch just mmmming and ahhhhhing. Yeah, I felt that in one bite. Overall their complete menu is extensive and there is more then enough selection for me to come back.
Oh and lets not forget about the drinks. I thought the wine bar was super cool opportunity to try out wines. I’m not a huge wine drinker because I find a lot of them too dry so I definitely appreciated the opportunity to try some wines I would not normally buy. They had complementary house red and white at the bar which I didn’t try but I saw many slinging back. The show stealer was the caipirinha!!! I’ve already started googling recipes. I’m going to lcbo today so I can drink them all weekend =) Am I the only one who felt tipsy? They were so generous with the alcohol.
Overall, I had a great experience. I was a bit nervous for my first event because I had no idea what you expect so I brought my best friend with me to brave the storm but I didn’t even need her (lol joking). Honestly everyone just made both of us feel so welcome especially the elite veterans. Thanks Kris for throwing such a great event. You are great at your job.

WOW! This is the best elite event I’ve been to in a while. Kudos to Kris for holding an amazing event at a place that I’m so glad that he introduced me to.
First of all, the highlight of the night (besides Kris’ speech) has got to be the self serve wine dispenser. These things should be everywhere. I do not see why they are not at every bar, hotel, bus station, and onroute. The whole experience of taking a card (kinda like chucky cheese) and «playing the wine game» to get some wine of choice is absolutely brilliant.
The food was pretty good too. I guess not many people saw them, but I really liked the dough «timbit» looking muffin things in the paper cones. Also, I was a fan of the dumplings (no idea what they were called). In my opinion the steak was too cooked (but then again I like it blue rare) but the peppercorn sauce was pretty damn good.
I wish there was more food, but the wine vending machine definitely helped.
I’m so sad to hear about the glenfiddich brand ambassaador who got into an accident. I’m glad they’re ok. Hope to see you at the next event! I was super enthused to have tried a lineup of scotches side by side and was amazed to have the opportunity to try the differences between the 3 ages of scotches. Thanks Kris for educating me on scotches! I kinda feel like more of a man now.

Thanks Kris for an awesome event! my 2^nd elite event and this is very good. Interesting place with the self serve wine dispensers.
Thanks for the gift card that allowed us to try a few different drinks from the self serve wine dispensers. The food was yummy and I really enjoyed the ambiance.
Since I’ve never really tried Brazillian food before, so it’s hard to compare. I enjoyed the food. Personally, I wish there was a little bit more food but the wine was the main tonight!
The beef, cheese balls (I think), chicken, sausage were all yummy… especially the dipping sauces.(those were great!)
Thanks again for a great Elite event! Hope to meet more people at the next one!
Cheers! =D

Classy! Awesome!
This is one of my favourite Unilocal Event to date!
Touro is an excellent venue for any event! I had been wanting to visit Touro even before it open! And I was not disappointed: those self serve wine dispensers are the coolest thing in RH? Great for wine lovers that wanted to try different wines.
Love the lounge area. So chic and cozy. Sipping wine and chilling with my fellow Unilocalers and with staff serving me food?!! LOVE
Thanks Kris for organizing and finding all these awesome sponsors.
I definitely will be back again to use my complimentary wine cards and enjoy Touro’s hospitality! Thanks Christine Y and Johnny L :)
PS: I love Elite events of this size since I can meet every single Unilocalers and their +1 personally.