Forgot to make reservations? These restaurants still have space
Natalia Manzocco
NOTE: Restaurants still had availability as of January 24, 2019. For best results, try booking weekdays or at lunch. For the full list of Winterlicious restaurants, check out the Winterlicious site.
Amano’s ‘Licious menus ($23 lunch and $33 dinner) include options like white anchovy crostini, black tagliatelle with mushrooms, pan-seared pickerel with celeriac and dulce de leche bomboloni. Menu / reservations
Our 2018 Reader’s Choice honouree is offering a $23 lunch, $33 dinner prix fixe slate of Thai dishes, including crispy curry fish, Thai basil duck and pineapple fried rice. Menu / reservations
O&B’s Queen and Bay spot is offering $23 lunch and $33 dinner prix-fixe menus dishes include jalapeno-cheese curd sausage with sauerkraut, beef tenderloin and mushroom kebabs, and baked salmon. Menu / reservations
Enjoy French dishes on a dime with the $23 lunch and $43 dinners at Biff’s. Among the options: spaghetti with duck confit and rapini, local tri-tip steak with creamed spinach, and gnocchi with Gruyère, mushrooms and white wine cream sauce. Menu / reservations
Grab one of the city’s best mac and cheese dishes (or a burger, steak frites or duck confit) with Carens’ $28 lunch and $43 diner menus. Menu / reservations
Dine in the shadow of a Basquiat with Cactus Club’s $28 lunch and $43 dinner menus. Choice dishes include butternut squash ravioli with prawns, 8 oz. peppercorn sirloin and the house Angus burger. Menu / reservations
Dig into some of Toronto’s best Filipino food with the massive prix-fixe menus ($23 lunch, $33 dinner) at Casa Manila. Our picks: Fries topped with chicken sisig, pork adobo, coconut ginger shrimp, and cassava cake for dessert. Menu / reservations
If you haven’t checked out Mike Bradshaw’s College St. kitchen, now’s the time: His $33 Winterlicious dinner menu features dishes like confit pork belly, seared trout and an Earl Grey crème brûlée. Menu / reservations
This long-running Portuguese spot on College oozes old-world charm. The $33 lunches and $53 dinners are a bit pricier than some, but the options — pan-roasted skate, smoked swordfish, shrimp bisque with cognac, roasted capon — will make this a night to remember. Menu / reservations
Get Missy Hui’s renditions of Italian classics with a $28 lunch and $43 dinner prix fixe slate. Dishes include cacio e pepe, salad with romaine, parm and pancetta, and pork loin with roasted squash and crispy polenta. Menu / reservations
Get to know new head chef Othón Gayosso’s style of Mexican cooking with a $23 lunch/$33 dinner slate that includes tomato-guajillo tortilla soup, cauliflower tacos, grilled carnitas burritos and tequila flan for dessert. Menu / reservations
Fornello’s new vegan offerings feature prominently in the $23 lunch and $33 dinner Winterlicious menus. Try an avocado caesar salad, vegan lentil bolognese, pizza margherita and vegan hazelnut gelato – or go old-school with cheesy pizzas and a linguini di mare. Menu / reservations
Along with a solid roster of housemade brews, Bathurst brewpub Northern Maverick is doing $23 lunches and $33 dinners featuring pumpkin barley risotto with scallops, a brisket-chuck burger, a kale Caesar, and more. Menu / reservations
Check out O&B’s brand-spanking-new trattoria at Bayview Village with $23 lunch and $43 dinner prix fixe menus. Highlights: Roasted pumpkin soup with toasted pistachios, bruschetta with olive-oil-poached tuna, chicken cacciatore and a roasted pork loin with olives. Menu / reservations
Always a fun destination for cocktails and novel Asian small plates, Alvin Leung’s Spadina eatery is offering a $33 prix fixe slate that includes torched salmon belly, suckling pig with barley risotto, veggie japchae and pig trotter bao. Menu / reservations
Snag some of Toronto’s most reliably delicious Mediterranean eats for $23 at lunch and $33 dinner. The broad menu of classic eats includes lentil soup, a combo plate of mezze, lamb basterma, salmon kebabs, baklava and more. Menu / reservations
Pescatarian Italian is the name of the game at this Dundas West kitchen. Highlights from the $28 lunch and $43 dinner menus include chef Ivana Raca’s house salad (shaved brussels sprouts, pickled mushrooms, hazelnuts, ricotta and truffle), plus porcini agnolotti and a grilled branzino. Menu / reservations
Check out our full list of Winterlicious 2019 picks here!
food@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco
