Winterlicious Galore

Every winter the City of Toronto hosts events in the city hoping to attract locals and tourists to venture out in the freezing temperature to explore what T.dot has to offer! One of the most popular events in this Winterfest of sorts is called Winterlicious. (Winter + Delicious = Winterlicious) Many restaurants around the city participate by preparing a three course prixfixe meal - lunch or dinner menu ranging from $15 - $35! It's a tremendous steal since most main course dishes itself costs in the 20 zone if not higher.

Sooooooo...being the food lover I am...I went to three different restaurants to check out what they had to offer :) Below are my choices and my feeble attempt of playing the food critic :)

Winterlicious Dinner #1
FLOW Restaurant and Lounge
($35)

Appetizer
Yellow Potato Gnocchi - crisp pan fried gnocchi, tea steeped mushrooms and crisp pancetta in a light roasted tomato cream sauce

Main
Roasted Black Angus Striploin - herb and garlic crusted striploin, sauté of forest mushroom, Yorkshire pudding and pan jus

Dessert
Plantain Rolls - crisp plantain spring rolls served with white chocolate ice cream and 6-spice caramel sauce

***/***** (3/5 stars)
Food was alright, service was alright - it was just alright. They gave us a private room which was nice except for the fact that their heater was out of wack. They lost our dessert but gave us free dessert wine as we waited for the second batch. But ambiance was pretty and company was fun-o! The gnocchi was interesting since I've never had it before. I want to learn how to make it! The steak was a bit cold when it came but the Yorkshire pudding was delicious! The fried plantain rolls were also yummy but I still think the fried banana ice cream at Spring Rolls is the best!

Winterlicious Dinner #2
5th Elementt
($15)

Appetizer
Salmon Wrapped Scallops - Bay Scallops wrapped with smoked salmon grilled and served with tomato & onion relish

Main
Pondicherry Shrimp Risotto - Risotto cooked in Pondicherry style with tiger shrimps, asparagus, white wine lemon cream & fresh herbs

Dessert
Creme Brule

*****/***** (4/5 stars)
This new restaurant on Bloor took us some time to find! It was a super windy and cold night so we were glad to find that the service, ambiance and food was warm! There was a special deal off Menu Palace (an online food site guide) $30 for two people! The salmon and scallops were succulent and was in good size portions. The shrimp risotto was soooo good! It was a pretty large portion for the main dish comparatively to FLOW's main. It was full of cheesy goodness! The dessert was soo good but I was already pretty full so I couldn't finish it. A make-over afternoon, night out with the girls with great food and a lame movie was definitely the highlight of my weekend!

Winterlicious Dinner #3
Annona Restaurant
($35)

Amuse Bouche - Compliments of the Chef!
Mushroom Bruschetta

Appetizer
Hand Rolled Potato Gnocchi, Smoked Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce

Main
Veal Scallopini, Preserved Lemon Jus, Potato Gratin, Sautéed Swiss Chard

Dessert - Select Two to Taste Warm Apple Fritters, Mayan Chocolate Ice Cream
Warm Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, Caramelized Hazelnut Ice Cream, Honey Gaufrette

*****/***** (5/5 stars)
This one tops my list! It was the BEST Winterlicious dinner thus far! Found in the gorgeous Park Hyatt Hotel - the restaurant gave off a truly romantical feel with the dark decor and candle lit lighting. The service was top notch and each course was simply mouth watering. The portion was just right too - not over the top but not leaving you hungry for McD's afterwards. I had the gnocchi again which was prepared differently than FLOW's. They looked like maggots but tasted like heaven. The veal striploin came with this melt in your mouth potato gratin. I'm drooling just thinking of it! Each bite was filled with cream and cheese and potato...what more could you ask for?! Then for dessert...you got to choose TWO items! TWO!!! It was so delicious...the pictures really can't do justice. The set up, ambiance...everything was so nice. A perfect night out with the boyfriend :)

YUM-O!