Life Outside the Inbox

With the SARS epidemic in 2003, the City of Toronto wanted to find a way to revitalize the restaurant trade during slow times of the year. They came up with Winterlicious and Summerlicious events where participating restaurants offer prix fixe menues at $15, $20 or $25 for lunch and $25, $35, and $45 for dinner. Each season, they cater their menu to the different harvest. While this event has had it’s criticism, it’s still proven to be a huge success with a $12 million economic impact within a mere 2 weeks for Winterlicious in 2009 (I sound like I’m summarizing a university essay here…).

I don’t take pictures of my food but here is a general overview of the restaurants I recall visiting since 2006:

Acquolina Ristorante – 2011 – C

• If you ask the group we went with for their feedback, the only thing they can remember was that the server was rude and service was slow. Besides that, I personally remember enjoying the steak and highly recommend their Chocolate Tartufo. They had a great selection of food too, more than the typical 3 choices per course.

Big Daddy’s Bourbon Street Bistro & Oyster Bar – C

• This was the first Summerlicious event I went to so I’m trying to jog my memory. Big Daddy’s had a casual atmosphere and great oyster selection (of course – but it wasn’t apart of the Summerlicious menu).  Food was typical and wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Benihana – 2014 – C

• This teppanyaki restaruant is located inside the Fairmont on the first level.  For a $45 summerlicious meal, you get 4 pieces of average tasting sushi, a good portion of your choice of: Teriyaki/Hibachi Steak, Chicken or just vegetables followed by a choice of decadent dessert. Had it not been summerlicious, I’m not quite sure I’d be back.

Biff’s Bistro – B+

• We braved a snow storm to get here and though we were pretty late, the staff was patient with our group. Carl had rabbit here for the first time and he’s asked to go back since.

Canoe – 2011 – B+

• I kept wondering what was all the hype about. Carl insisted we try it so he called the first day reservations was opened (even then they were almost fully booked). Besides the admittedly great view, Canoe is known for their fresh ingredients and small portions. I’m pretty sure Carl had McDonald’s on the way home. The wait staff was friendly and would always ntroduce the local ingredients on each course – it’s interesting to know where your food comes from.

Fred’s Not Here – A

• The steak was done perfectly (medium rare) and it was amazing. The juices spilled out of the steak as you cut into it. They definitely did not size down on the food portion even though it was for the Summerlicious menu.

Jump – 2014 – B+

• They gave us a shot of watermelon soup as we were seated which was quite refreshing for the summer. We had a decent sized group and service was consistent. In some restaurants we felt rushed through our meal, this was not the case. Being a part of the O&B group of restaurants, food is consistently good and I do recommend the Crab BLT.

Luma – 2013 – A+

• Another O&B restaurant but Luma exceeded my expectations. With its melt-in-your-mouth albacore tuna sashimi to it’s mouthwatering creme fraiche parfait, Luma is on the top of my list of favourite restaurants. It has a great atmosphere and service felt so genuine.

Shore Club – 2014 – A

• We loved the Shore Club at the Ritz and the booth we got felt very private. The Trio Fish Tartar was fresh and their steak was perfectly cooked. For what you would expect at the Ritz, their portions was the perfect size – it left enough room for dessert! I also quite enjoyed their service as well.

I’ve since gone back to Jump and Fred’s Not Here and will go back to Luma throughout the year. The quality and quality of the food is pretty consistent with their prixe fixe menu so they’re worth a try. This year, Winterlicious is from January 30th till February 12th, 2015 and we’ll be trying Blu Ristorante and Marcel’s Bistro.

Which restaurants have you tried?