For years my friend Vanessa and I had been talking about taking the jump: participating in Toronto's biannual two-week prix fixe restaurant festival that allows the plebes like myself to dine at the top-tier restaurants in the city without breaking the bank.
The photos above are from my three course meal at Canoe this past Sunday: the Chilled Holland Marsh Leek & Potato Soup with Marinated Baby Shellfish & Chive Oil, Wellington County Flatiron Steak with Smashed Cookstown Fingerling Potatoes, Corn & Wild Leek Aioli, and Lemon Thyme & Apricot Semifreddo with Almond Nougatine. That was a mouthful.
The previous Saturday, Vanessa and I, along with my friend Haley also dined at Sassafraz for Summerlicious and I honestly wish I had remember to charge my camera battery the night before. The restaurant was beautiful - well lit with lots of natural light (important for food photography!) with a great ambience, very chill but still upscale. I loved the fact that Sassafraz in located right in the heart of Yorkville; it's the perfect place to take a hopping break and eat a great meal with your girlfriends. (That is, when I'm grown and making the kind of money that is needed to pay for a regular meal at this restaurant.)
Canoe didn't necessarily have a worse atmosphere, but it was different from Sassfraz and one I was less comfortable in - Canoe is more of place for Toronto's execs to wine and dine over business. However, the food at Canoe was fantastic. I recommend that any fellow Torontonians try out either next Summerlicious (or Winterlicious!) A three course meal at either of these restaurants for $25 is a steal, and I encourage you to take advantage.
