with the latest version of my thesis hot off the Microsoft Word press & in my supervisory committee's inboxes, i finally have the chance to publish my gastronomical adventures at toronto's winterlicious festival. i was lucky enough to sample the prix fixe dinner menus at three restaurants with my lovely & wonderful boyfriend (and financier!!!) matthew, whose invaluable insights and reviews will be shown in green, and our collective reviews in orange. all menu items save for those marked with an asterisk (*) are also gluten-free! the last of our dinners was also the scene for a birthday surprise for matt's mom, whose fam provided some great insights as well!
earth bloor west ($25)
~ cheese platter (regular menu): 2.5-3/5 : we weren't informed what cheeses were featured, but the blue cheese was too earthy for our tastes, nor was it coupled with an appropriate pairing. the honeycomb was a nice addition, and the other two cheeses were nicely couples with the rosewood pinot noir, which was the standout of the whole meal~ squash consommè: 2.5/5 : underwhelming, seems like a cost-saving item to put on a prix fixe menu, no salt&pepper on our table to add the taste that was almost totally lacking, and i received mine well before matt did (whose
arrived after i had ate mine - sorry!)
~ wellington country ribs: 2.5/5 : lacking spice and a "wow" factor, very small portion & disappointing were it not for the spicy beans on the side
~ chicken fried mennonite chicken: 4/5 : good size (thankfully large enough to share with my still-hungry mate), juicy & crispy without being greasy, great rue & mash on the side, collards were flavourless & quite rough
~ chocolate flourless tarte: 3/5 : very fudgey, but disappointing
~ apple crumble*: 3/5 : too much crumble, not enough apple
service was disorganized and slow, despite being a moderately sized restaurant. emphasis on local fresh ingredients lost in underwhelming plain dishes. the wine & company were the best part.
OVERALL: 6/10
Célestin ($35)
~ beet salad : 4/5 : tasty, but squash was cold & stale~ charcuterie platter : 4/5 : items unknown, but (bravely) conquered & found tasty with nice textures
~ sea bream provençal: 3.5/5 : very soft & juicy, stand alone from the veggies that were a tad dry
~ new zealand lamb shank: 5/5 : "sexual", succulent & sumptuous
~ créme brûlée: 5/5 : great contrats between crunchy caramel and soft velvety créme, as expected from a French restaurant - superbe!
~ chocolate lava cake (sub for the moelleux): 5/5 : perfectly light, not too rich
~ lemon tarte: 6/5 : divine, highlight of the entire meal, lavender ice cream - wow!!!, such a delicate flavour that i never would have expected to match perfectly with a sweet and slightly but perfectly tart lemon custard topped with a purifying caramelized lemon zest and pillowy meringue(...and yes, we got all three dessert options...well worth it, don't judge!!)
nice jazz music complimented the romantic backdrop of this converted bank (you can even see the vault-turned-wine cellar behind the bar at the rear of the restaurant, and a view of the clean kitchen through long windows along the side of the dining room), and we both look forward to returning after winterlicious. definitely a place to take your sweetheart!
OVERALL: 12/10
Centro ($45)
despite the disappointing cocktails, the cabernet sauvignon flowed in celebration of matt's mom's birthday surprise - a family trip to las vegas!!
~ beet & fennel salad: 4.5/5 : juicy and fresh, smoked ricotta was the standout
~ arugula & fig salad: 3.5/5 : mama bear said the fig was flavourless, out-of-season, but an otherwise nice starter
~ cod: 4/5 : light, fresh & juicy, a larger portion than the duck that the others got
~ brother bear's cod: 3/5 : veggies were atrocious, fish was delicious, and the "lemon fairy sauce" was "interesting"...a tough sell, but what do you expect from a 17 year old?
~ duck: 4/5 : spinach was underwhelming & too tough, duck was flavourful & tasty, but has to be eaten quickly while hot
~ papa bear's "hulkinator" pesto pasta: 5/5 : well cooked, sauce was very creamy & "exquisite to the palette"
~ lemon curd: 4.5/5 : very fresh, great combo of lemon, meringue, and marshmallow
~ caramel pudding with sea salt: 6/5 : thick caramel balances the light pudding, and mama bear says the sea salt is "spot on", brother bear says caramel was 5/5 and ate 2, so it must be good!
~ chocolate pave: 5/5 : decadent, rich, and well balanced
a very chic yet un-cozy ambiance set the stage for the 55+ aristocrat crowd (not to mention celebrity sighting of maple leaf alumni mats sundin, tie domi, and nick kyprios dining on off-the-menu delights!!), and despite feeling like fish in very froufrou waters, the birthday surprise and $45 menu for an otherwise pricey place made this a smash hit!
OVERALL: 10/10
can't wait to share more tasty adventures! and thanks to matthew & fam for the great company and insights :)
p.