WINTERLICIOUS: A Great Meal at Chiado!

There have been many instances where I searched for best Portuguese in Toronto on a night where we weren't sure where to eat, Chiado has always come up as the best but we had yet to make our way there - it is a fine dining establishment and I always found it a little pricy for just our average night out. I was happy to have made a reservation for Winterlicious, finally a chance to try it out and see if it's worth it!

For our $45 3-course dinner, we had a "bonus" amuse bouche, a fresh cheese served with balsamic and my preference, the honey with rosemary. The cheese was good, not very strong and served at the perfect cool temperature. Our mouths were "amused" indeed. For the first course, I had the lobster and shrimp bisque done with saffron and cognac. It was very tasty and the shell fish fresh in the soup. My friend Jen had the salad which was colourful and fresh looking - an enticing salad as any.

There were a lot of options for our second course but I decided on the pan seared skate fish on coriander risotto. It was AMAZING! The fish was perfectly flavoured and flakey, prepared just...well, perfect. I savoured every delicious bite. Tony had grilled squid, a popular dish in Portuguese restaurants, tossed simply with garlic and lemon. The thing with squid is not over-cooking and it was done just right, with just enough flavour. Needless to say we were both very happy with our dishes.

To finish off our meal, we had a white chocolate flan, which was tasty and not as sweet as I thought (since I'm not a fan of white chocolate). Flan is also traditional to Portuguese cuisine so I'm glad we had a taste of that. I tried molotoff for the first time, a traditional meringue dessert that was also well done.

We loved our meal at Chiado and can finally claim to know what all the buzz is about. We'd be happy to return to the restaurant at any time and can't wait to try out the regular menu.

Chiado

864 College St

416-538-1910

www.chiadorestaurant.com

WINTERLICIOUS: Fine Italian at Noce

Our 2nd Winterlicious adventure this year was at Noce, a fine Italian restaurant on Queen West. It was packed when we arrived last Saturday, filled with what looked more like regulars than just the Winterlicious crowd. Looks like Noce is an old favourite! We were warmly greeted by staff at the front and seated in one of the intimate dining rooms.

Although we normally try to taste as many different

dishes as possible, we both had the pappardelle with lamb ragout to start (the salad was not enticing and I'm not a fan of bean soup). Our food came quickly and well prepared, but the pappardelle was just warm and not quite hot enough.

My personal preference is also for fresh pappardelle vs egg noodles but it was still tasty and we finished it quickly. For mains, I had a perfectly seared trout on broccolini. This dish was an indication of the fine dining establishment Noce is, the fish was well prepared and the skin seared crispy and tasty. Tony had the braised veal cheeks, with mushrooms and leeks on mashed, a homey, saucy dish. Finally for dessert, we had gelato and a very frothy tiramisu that I could never finish on my own.

We had a nice meal at Noce but did not find it extraordinary or an exceptional value ($45 dinner menu - but perhaps a good deal vs regular menu prices). I appreciate that Noce did not skimp on the details for their Winterlicious menu and I have no doubt the restaurant has excellent standards and can live up to it's fine dining reputation for Italian lovers out there. This is the kind of restaurant to take your parents/in-laws to, solid performance.

Noce

875 Queen St W

416-504-3463

WINTERLICIOUS: Tender Kabobs at Banu

I had been meaning to check out Banu and was pleasantly surprised to find it on the Winterlicious list so I took the opportunity to make reservations. I don't profess to know much about Iranian food, but it was recommended by my friend Ata and I had trust he wouldn't steer me wrong.

We arrived to find Banu a casual chic restaurant on Queen West and greeted by an artsy cool server. I butchered the ordering of every item but he still encouraged me to try. We started with aash e reshteh, a potage (thick stew) of vegetables and buckwheat noodles nd a tasty spread made of olives and pomegranate molasses, which was surprisingly quite filling. Our main kabob choices were easy: koobideh, ground Angus sirloin, and the torsh, beef tenderloin marinated with pomegranate and and walnut. I love koobideh, the meat falls apart in your mouth. The torsh was prepared perfectly, each piece still a little pink in the middle. It was very tender and tasty! Our skewers were served with thin wraps on the side, to be combined with a light creamy garlic sauce and a turmeric powder on our meat. The desserts did not seem very exciting at first but I have to say, they were ultimately the perfect end to our meal - Soma dark chocolate with pomegranate pieces and Soma gelato in lemon sour cream flavour. Somehow the dark chocolate was just the right taste to wrap up our delicious dinner. The gelato was a little stronger than I had imagined, although I am still glad we tried the very unique flavour of gelato.

As I look through Banu's regular dinner menu, I'm intrigued by other kabobs like calf's liver and cornish hen with saffron. For the adventurous there is also cow's heart and lamb testicles marinated in vodka....do you dare? I just might when I return!

Banu

777 Queen St West

416-777-2268

www.banu.ca (click HERE for Winterlicious menu), reservations available on OpenTable

WINTERLICIOUS 2012

Winterlicious will be upon us soon again January 27th to Feb 9th...have you made your reservations? Trying out new restaurants (or old favourites) can motivate you to leave the house on cold Winter days, nights and weekends. Last year, we tried Auberge du Pommier for the first time and loved it, having since sent others there for special occasions. Some restaurants do Winterlicious well and others do not - Auberge and North 44 are two that I guarantee will be a good experience. Trevor Kitchen is another favourite worth visiting if you have not been before.

I always try to check out places we have not been before and use the opportunity to catch up with friends over a nice meal. This year, we will be trying out Banu, an Iranian restaurant recommended by a friend, Noce (Italian), and Chiado, a Portuguese restaurant I have always wanted to try but found the menu pricy....this will be an opportunity to see if it's worth it!

I've posted my Winterlicious tips in the past - look for good value, be flexible, take recommendations or try places you've been "meaning to," be social, and don't overbook! If you have trouble narrowing down from the list of hundreds, check out Toronto Life's 62 top recommendations.

I'd love to hear where you're going, where you've been and how you'll Winterlicious this year! Check out the full list of restaurants here (hint to navigating: browse restaurants letter by letter, it'll feel less intimidating!).

Jen

WINTERLICIOUS: Contemporary French at Celestin

Another Winterlicious has passed us and time to reminisce about our last meal of the "season." Our first taste of Celestin was several years ago when Tony bought me a delicious birthday cake from the bakery. Truthfully, I had heard mixed things about the restaurant so I couldn't wait to check it out for myself. And really, you can't go wrong during Winterlicious - even if a 3 course meal were bad, it's not like you blew a lot of money trying a new place out.

Celestin is a fairly small intimate restaurant, contemporary in nature but not too sleek and still holds some traditional charm. The good and bad thing about Winterlicious is you don't need to spend a lot of time studying the menu, you only choose between a couple set options, but part of the fun is evaluating the options and deciding what to eat! In any case, we were quick to browse the menu and made our decisions.

There was no doubt what started I would have, the lobster bisque, one of my most favourite things in the world, how could I ever resist?? It was as delicious as I expected, with a light froth and solid lobster meat (it is my pet peeve when there is no actual lobster meat!). I definitely could have used more in my little bowl. Tony had a delicious ricotta gnocchi, was light and just right as an appetizer.

I had a braised lamb shoulder with prawns and white beans as my main, which was quite good except that I don't like white beans very much (I must have overlooked it on the menu!). Tony's roast sea bream was really good, the fish was prepared just perfect and served beautifully. Although both our mains were tasty, I thought the fish was more exceptional in its preparation. I love good fish when it is cooked to the right level with just enough flavour added.

I can't say the portions were exceptionally large so I definitely had sufficient room for dessert - a Creme Arlequin which was some version of a creme brûlée topped with this amazing layer of dark chocolate. It was amazing! We also had a Winter Pudding with caramelized apples, which was also very yummy. i think the best part was that the desserts were delicately prepared and not too sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed them both, but the Creme Arlequin was definitely the better surprise of the two.

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at Celestin. The food was good, the restaurant nice and quiet enough to catch up with friends, and the service was friendly and intimate. It's a little more modern than Auberge, but food still quite good, although more simple. I appreciate when a restaurant doesn't overbook themselves for Winterlicious. We felt comfortable and had a nice time. As we looked around the room, it looked like a lot of regulars visiting. A nice side benefit is that there is a public parking lot across the street from Celestin - having parking is an underrated asset. We've wasted a lot of time driving round and around the block to find street parking in the mid-town areas and is very annoying, enough to deter me from visiting again.

Celestin
623 Mount Pleasant Rd.
416-544-9035
www.celestinrestaurant.com

WINTERLICIOUS: Quality Food, Service and Ambiance at Auberge du Pommier

We were most excited about our Winterlicious reservation at Auberge du Pommier, a lovely French restaurant in North York. Although minutes from my office, it has always been a bit far to trek on the weekend. This year, we got an early reservation to drop in right after work with our friends Al and Gloria...perfect!

I think Auberge is one of those restaurants that really takes pride on delivering a great Winterlicious/Summerlicious experience, which can't be said about all participating restaurants. When you make a reservation at Auberge, you know it will be a quality experience. It was our first time at the restaurant so we were eager to start eating.

To start, Tony and I were both most interested in the puff pastry with goat cheese...but since we always want to try as much as possible, we also ordered the sweet shrimp cocktail salad. The puff pastry did not disappoint - it was a simple dish (not to understate the actual complexity to make!), delicious, and served beautifully accompanied by delicate. The shrimp cocktail salad was a VERY good choice, it came as a tower of shrimp served with dill and tarragon and was super tasty! I felt like I could have had a whole second plate and was eager to sweep up the remaining sauce with bread. It always pays off to try more items on the menu! In the end, I think this was my favourite dish of the night.

Choosing mains was tough, all 3 options sounded good. We ultimately settled on peppered Wellington County beef and baked pickerel, giving up the coq au vin. The beef was very good, had great "beef" flavour, which is always hard to find. The flavour was almost baked into the meat, it was slightly dry but great flavour made it for me. My fish was prepared just perfect, although not outstanding in any particular way, I still really enjoyed it. It's not always easy to serve baked fish with just the right texture, tenderness and flavour.

For dessert, I opted for the cheese plate with "Le Blackburn" and

Tony salted caramel mousse with caramelized white chocolate torte and banana chocolate sorbet. My cheese plate was good, but a little disappointing. I was expecting an assortment of cheeses - simply my misunderstanding. The cheese was actually quite good, but as I prefer soft cheeses, I think I "under" enjoyed it. Tony's dessert, on the other hand, was wonderful. Everything on the plate was good! I was initially hesitant because I am not in love with caramel, but the salted caramel mousse was really tasty along with the torte and the sorbet...it all came together beautifully. Having chocolate banana sorbet is just awesome - who doesn't like chocolate and banana??

We had a great experience at Auberge - it is a solid French restaurant, a rustic house adding to the simple and understated charm. I also appreciated the exceptional attention to service, our plates always came with two servers at a time...these small details matter. I always feel a tad rushed for Winterlicious meals, but and although our food came quickly Auberge did not compromise quality or service.

Auberge du Pommier - guaranteed for a good Winterlicious experience!

Auberge du Pommier

4150 Yonge Street

416-222-2220

Click here for Winterlicious Menu.

WINTERLICIOUS: Great Braised Rabbit at Globe Bistro

Our first stop for Winterlicious this year was Globe Bistro on the Danforth. It's one of those restaurants we've always meant to try but never got around to it...and Winterlicious is one of those great opportunities to get a taste.

We were pleasantly surprised stepping into the modern restaurant at how far big it actually was, stretching deep to the back and with a second (and maybe third?) floor, where we were seated. The hosts at the front seemed a bit scrambled, Winterlicious is probably an exceptionally busy time, but we were quickly taken to our seats. We dined with our friends Julie and Daniel, and we knew right away what we wanted:

To start, we had the elk broth and salumi plate. The broth was tasty but nothing extraordinary, and the salumi plate was quite good...I'd say the salumi plate was the better choice. For mains, we had the roasted wellington country rib, which looked and smelled delicious but was a bit on the dry side. The braised rabbit accompanied by polenta and a rosemary froth, on the other hand, was fantastic - every bite was tender, flavourful, and just amazing. After passing it off for Tony to try, I quickly tried to steal it back! The rabbit was definitely the best main, but I recommend anyone going to visit to maybe try the Ling Cod, we couldn't decide between that and the rib. For dessert, I had a tasty walnut butter tart while Tony had originally ordered the goats milk panna cotta...but when he received the espresso chocolate mousse cake made the wise decision to keep it (he had a taste of the panna cotta from Julie and Daniel).

Overall, we were pleased with our Winterlicious experience at Globe. The rabbit was really outstanding enough to warrant a return at some point! The restaurant is very modern and would make a great place for a small party or gathering.

Globe Bistro

124 Danforth Ave

416-446-2000

Click here for Winterlicious Menu.

It's Time for WINTERLICIOUS!

Well it's time for Winterlicious again! Reservations start today for a great deal on a number of restaurants across the city - whether you need a place for a night out or just interested in trying some new restaurants, this is the time to do it!

This year, Tony and I have settled on 3 restaurants to check out: Globe, Celestin, and Auberge du Pommier. It will be our first time at all these restaurants - very exciting.

Where will you go??

For some tips on the Winterlicious experience, see my post from 2010: How to Winterlicious :) I also shared some great experiences at North 44 and Trevor's Kitchen from last year, 2 restaurants I highly recommend. Reservations open today, so start calling!

WINTERLICIOUS: Trevor Kitchen is Chic and Delicious!

Trevor Kitchen is one of those really cool restaurants that you can go again and again, with friends, for a party, for a date - it has a warm, modern vibe that isn't too pretentious. And the food is good too! Last night, we went with our friends Allyn and Gloria for our next Winterlicious outing.

First I have to mention that the Winterlicious menu is very good - an assortment of choices for appetizers and mains. There were several that I would have been happy to eat, but of course, could not resist the duck confit shepherd's pie. In the end, this was probably my favourite food of the night, the duck was drowned in a delicious gravy with light mashed potatoes on top. I was glad we still had bread on the table as Al and I both took to cleaning out our bowls of any remnant sauce. Yum! Tony had the ricotta gnocci - also delicious but simply overshadowed by the unique shepherd's pie. Gloria had the parsnip soup, which was a beautiful colour when served, and although I did not taste it, I have no doubt it was delicious as well. We had a great start to our meal!

For mains, I had surf & turf - Alberta beef with jumbo pawn and goat cheese poutine. Honestly, how could I turn that down? My steak came perfect, medium rare but closer to rare (I appreciate when they get it right!), but my poutine was a little cold and generally unspectacular. Tony's suckling pig with split pea puree (pictured) had a very unique taste with just a hint of spice. Gloria's port braised beef cheeks was delicious - a very tender, homey dish served with a horseradish cream that added just a kick to the beef cheeks.

Dessert was a WOW experience for me - the passionfruit tiramisu was served as a big fluffy pastry and I devoured the entire plate. Al had the chocolate and caramel torte which came with a smooth peanut butter chantilly. Although I am generally not a fan of caramel or peanut butter, this dessert was undeniably very unique. Tony had a creme brulee to finish his meal, and although it was good, again, I felt it was overshadowed by my delicious tiramisu and Al's unique torte. To top it all off, our bill came with freshly made blue cotton candy - what a fun way to finish our meal! We left happy, bellies full, and tongues blue.

I highly recommend Trevor Kitchen, a fun place for a drink and of course, a great place to have dinner. We had a great experience and felt like it could have been any night at the restaurant, not defined by Winterlicious but it's a bonus that our three course meal was only $35....simply can't go wrong!

WINTERLICIOUS: Quality Food, Service, and Ambiance at North 44

North 44 has been our favourite Winterlicious outing to date, and we couldn't resist making another stop in this time around. I fondly remember the braised pork belly and rabbit pappardelle we had last year! We originally took a Friday, 9:30pm reservation, which of course was less than ideal, but when calling to confirm, we thankfully landed a 6:30pm cancellation!

Appetizers:
Seared ahi tuna with jalapeno, coriander and sriracha mayo - firm, fresh and tasty light flavour bringing out the best of the ahi tuna.
Steak tartare with fried capers - delicious but not exceptionally unique.

Mains:
Pan seared supreme of Artisan chicken, egg yolk and truffle risotto, onion compote and natural reduction - "supreme" refers to the chicken breast that has been removed when raw (just eating chicken breast after it is cooked doesn't count!). I rarely, if ever, order chicken in a restaurant, because it is almost always dry and rough; but this chicken dish was unbelievable, it was incredibly smooth and silky in texture and the meat was firm and juicy. The risotto was also heavenly, prepared just perfect - I can never resist a truffle infused dish!
Organic salmon with crisp skin and bok choy - while this was less unique than my chicken, the fish was quite fresh, boasting a clear salmon taste (rare out here in Atlantic salmon). The fish was served beautifully with a light foam and traditionally prepared bok choy bringing out the fresh flavours.

Dessert:
We both had the delicious dark chocolate truffle tart. The biscuit bottom tasted like shortbread (yum!) and the indulgent chocolate was exactly the right finish to our meal. On our last visit, the dessert paled in comparison to the appetizers and mains, but this time, the dessert really completed our meal. This tart was to die for!


North 44 is undeniably one of the best restaurants in the city - great food, great ambiance. They deliver exceptional food with quality service that you expect from a fine dining establishment, sacrificing nothing during Winterlicious. The restaurant was well staffed and our dinner came quick, allowing North 44 to turnover several times - good planning, and great way to attract loyal patrons. While we've never splurged for a regular meal, we know it can only be better from our small experiences during Winterlicious!

WINTERLICIOUS: The Chaos That was Toula

Tony and I had our first Winterlicious outing to Toula on Friday night. I forgot how crazy Winterlicious restaurants can be, because we arrived for our 7:30pm for our reservation and the restaurant was PACKED. I don't imagine that Toula is normally that busy, known more for the view than the food (situated on the 38th floor of the Westin Harbour Castle). The hostess told us there would be a bit of a wait because patrons were staying beyond their 2 hours; while I was ok to wait, I am generally put off by that excuse. While I understand they cannot force people out, it is up to the restaurant to manage the situation and gently remind patrons their reservation is up. There is some good news to this story: Toula understood how to manage the chaos that seemingly overwhelmed them. Waiting patrons were offered glasses of champagne for the wait, a small but welcome gesture to make up for the inconvenience of waiting despite a reservation; bread and water also arrived as soon as we sat down, which helped ease the wait to place our order. The waiter was friendly and by all means making the best of the situation and the effort is appreciated - we want to know people are trying!

Despite the initial wait, our food did come quickly. I think on a normal night, Toula is probably better quality than we had, they seem to have the right foundation - reliable, and accompanied by an amazing view of the city. I had a seafood salad to start, with giant prawns and scallop, and Tony had a mushroom salad with polenta. For mains, I had tagliolini with lobster, and Tony had lamb. My pasta was just average with little discernable pieces of lobster, but I could tell the pasta was fresh. Tony's lamb was quite delicious, but not extraordinary. We could tell the base quality is there but it seemed the food was being produced en masse in the kitchen, sacrificing a bit of quality and perhaps any uniqueness.

Toula probably did not do itself any favours participating in Winterlicious as the crowded restaurant took away from the fine-dining charm, but they held their own and managed to feed everyone promptly. For $35, the food was acceptable, and in the end, we can't say we were disappointed, just not amazed.

How to Winterlicious! Jan 29- Feb 11

Winterlicious reservations started this week! I was among the eager and started making phone calls on Tuesday thanks to American Express Front-of-the-Line (sidebar: it is a great AMEX benefit!). Reservations opened to the public today, and sure, many of the most popular restaurants might be full already, but there is likely still a good-value foodie opportunity for you.

When we first moved to Toronto, we were excited by the bi-annual promotion of dining out via Summerlicious and Winterlicious; however, we were also overwhelmed by the number of participating restaurants! In both Vancouver and Calgary, I had a really good sense of what was a good deal and which restaurants were worth booking; but here in Toronto, there are so many restaurants I am unfamiliar with that it was simply daunting to review all the menus and decide which were worth calling. I figure others out there might share my experience, so here is how we do Winterlicious, after 3 seasons of taking advantage:

1. Look for value: We like Winterlicious, and any good variation in other cities, because it is a good opportunity to try restaurants at an affordable price. Restaurants offer a mix of lunch and dinner menus at different prices. Some restaurants are worth the $35/$45 menu, others are simply re-packaging the regular menu at normal prices - I believe that misses the point of Winterlicious and we generally avoid these offerings. Restaurants should create menus that highlight the character and flavours of their food to visitors at great value - this is the opportunity to entice loyal patrons! Knowing a restaurant's regular menu (which is often available on-line) can help you find worthwhile experiences.

2. Filter: There are over a hundred restaurants - the keen may look through every menu but I simply don't have the patience. I look for well-known restaurants that I may not have tried before, those that have been recommended by friends where I have not had a chance to visit, and sometimes I simply "judge a book by it's cover" by randomly viewing menus of restaurants that have interesting names. I always look for at least one item that I would LOVE to eat - if there is nothing that excites me immediately, I move on.

3. Be flexible: Certain restaurants are exceptionally popular (Canoe, North 44 etc), so be flexible with your dates and times if you are dying to try it out during this period. It may also be hard to book a table for 6 of your friends - if you MUST check a popular place out, you are probably better off trying for smaller parties. There is a wide array of restaurants participating in Winterlicious that you may have never heard of or intended to try so be open to new experiences and you may surprise yourself.

4. Be social: We always leverage Winterlicious as an opportunity to meet up with friends - it's always better to share food with others! With prix fixe menus, it is easy to manage expectations with food costs - no one will be surprised by menu prices and everyone takes part in the experimentation so no one has to be responsible for finding the "right food" for everyone. The downside, however, is that there are limited selections, and as I mentioned, large parties can be hard to come by. We've always managed to make reservations for 4 so pair up!

5. Timing: This really depends on your style, but I recommend spacing out your reservations. Dining out should be a fun, social experience - the last thing you want is to pack your schedule and barely recall the meals you have had. We normally target 2 to 3 restaurants based on quality and value vs maximizing # of restaurants. This also give you flexibility over the week to secure reservations at popular venues.

We love to eat so we have enjoyed both Summerlicious and Winterlicious. Even if you are not into scouring the menu or researching best deals, check out the site if you just need a place to eat from Jan 29 to Feb 11 - we've often landed on some good restaurants just by chance. This year, we'll be checking out Toula (at the Westin) , Trevor's Kitchen (we have been before, but the menu was enticing), Auberge du Pommier, and possibly a return to North 44. Check out menus here and let me know of any great places you find!