Toronto cooks and servers are girding their loins today as crowds of diners, ravenous for reasonably priced set menus, descend upon their dining rooms for Winterlicious 2016. If you’re among those looking to taste otherwise out-of-reach dining experiences during the promotion (starting today and running until February 11), you’ve got almost 200 restaurants to choose from. Obvious (and almost certainly totally booked-up) best bets include Cafe Boulud, Canoe, and Momofuku Daisho – but here’s where else you should ‘fixe’ your attention.
Concession Road
If you haven’t already eaten your way through through Derek Valleau and Harsh Chawla’s reimagining of French fare, now’s your shot. The St. Clair spot, which opened last spring, is making its first Winterlicious appearance (their first restaurant, the modern-Indian Pukka, is also taking part). Options include escargot forestiere with white wine and garlic, steak frites with a red wine jus, and their “JFC” Japanese fried chicken (which defeats the purpose of making a special ‘Licious trip to a fancy French spot, but is still worth eating). [$25 dinner]
760 St. Clair West, 416-658-0460, concessionroad.ca
Nota Bene
This upmarket spot is already well-trod ground for ‘Licious crowds looking to eat like an exec on a call centre worker’s dime, but those who were lucky enough to snag reservations for this promotion will be among the lucky first few to see the joint after a month of extensive renovations. The menu entices, too: fried-chicken “ramen” in chicken and pork broth at lunch, while dinner features a Quebec venison terrine and cavatelli with a truffle-mushroom bolognese for the veggies among us. [$28 lunch / $45 dinner]
180 Queen West, at Simcoe, 416-977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com
Barnsteiner’s
The owners of The Corner House, a Casa Loma favourite for decades, moved on to midtown last summer, opening up this eponymous spot near Yonge and St. Clair in the former home of John and Sons. They’ve turned their knack for comforting continental cuisine into a surprisingly expansive Winterlicious menu, with five options for apps and mains at both lunch and dinner sittings. Frankly, though, after ‘Venison Stew, Braised in Juniper Red Wine Sauce, Porcini Bread Pudding, Brussels Sprouts,’ I sort of stopped reading. [$23 lunch / $35 dinner]
1 Balmoral, at Yonge, 416-515-0551, barnsteiners.com
To make reservations and see the full list of participating restaurants, check out the Winterlicious site.
food@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco
