Canyon Creek Chophouse

Date Visited: Winterlicious dinner on Wednesday Feb 11, 2015

Company: Reservation for 6

Canyon Creek Chophouse was the restaurant I chose for this year's Winterlicious dinner with university friends. It was between that or Joe Badali's which were right next to each other and in hindsight, I probably should have chosen the latter. It was a packed night when I entered the restaurant around 6:45PM, they didn't have our table ready until 7PM on the dot. We were seated at a table in the far most corner of the large maze-like restaurant close to the kitchen. Our table for 6 was a very tight squeeze and was probably meant for only 4. When we were looking at the menu, we noticed that they didn't even give us the Winterlicious page and had to wait a long time for a waiter to return and then request it. Once we ordered, we got some warm, fresh bread with honey butter to start, so delicious.

For the appetizer, I got the Potato Dill Soup, creamy potato, diced garlic pickles, with sour cream, chives, and fresh dill. The presentation was nice and the soup looked pretty good but after the first few sips, all you can really taste is pickle. I didn't even read that it would have little pieces of pickles in the soup, I thought it was just going to taste of dill. It was a really weird combination and just didn't work for me. Near the end of the bowl, all that was left was basically pickles. The proportions were really off and the broth and potatoes were lost in the flavour.

I ordered the Peruvian Chicken, marinated and grilled double chicken breast, roasted red jacket potatoes and red peppers in aji amarillo chili sauce with jalapeno crema for my main. I was thinking about getting the Striploin but the waiter told +Gisele that it came medium-rare and they couldn't change that?? I'm glad though because when we did get some steaks, they were all different portion sizes. The Chicken looked like the better option, larger portion and lots of colour on the plate. Unfortunately, it didn't taste as good as it looked. The chicken was really dry and rather plain, they tried to dress it up with the sauces but made it too spicy. There were a lot of flavours from all the sauces but I'm not quite sure what I was eating as you couldn't taste the chicken at all. The fresh peppers were a random and unnecessary addition to the plate. The only redeeming part of the dish was the potatoes which were a bit crispy and everyone at the table seemed to enjoy them.

Finally, for dessert I ordered the Chili Chocolate Pot de Creme. I was warned prior to my visit that that dessert it has a kick to it but I was still intrigued and wanted to try it for myself. The chocolate taste of it was great, rich and thick, but the chili slowly creeps up at the back of your throat. It kind of scared me so I only had it in small bites while others downed the thing and got the kick all at once. I really wish it didn't have the chili part because it did taste pretty good but left a weird taste in my mouth.

Our waiter was also the hardest person to get a hold of, +Stephen was coming late and we wanted to put an order in for him but he was no where to be found. +Gisele said it was the worst service she's ever experienced. He was always friendly when he was around, but he was never there. Either way, I don't think it could have redeemed our meal at Canyon in any way. It's sad that the best part of the meal is the free bread and honey butter.

Food: 0.5/5 - Terrible meal, didn't enjoy any of the three courses.
Decor: 2/5 - Very standard looking chain restaurant.
Service: 0/5 - So bad, I'm not even sure if we had a waiter.
Willingness to go back: 1/5 - I would never recommend it to anyone but I've seen so many great reviews on this place so I could be convinced to return.
Overall: 1/5

Website: http://canyoncreekrestaurant.ca/

Le Papillon on Front

Date Visited: Winterlicious Dinner on Sunday Feb 8, 2015
Company: +Will

Will and I had originally planned to have a Winterlicious lunch at Le Papillon on Sunday but we ended up cancelling the reservation late minute. We were still in Waterloo and just decided to stay for lunch there instead. I really wanted to try their famous French Onion Soup which was one of the entrees during lunch and not dinner so I was pretty disappointed... Once we got back to Toronto in the afternoon, we Netflix-ed The Interview and then realized it was dinner time already! I suggested we just find somewhere nearby to grab Winterlicious and Will was actually down to try Le Papillon's dinner menu so we headed here for some french cuisine even though I couldn't have the soup.

We've never really noticed the location before even though it's in an area we walk by quite often. Upon entering the restaurant, you really get a rustic feeling from the high ceilings, brick walls, and dark wooden accents. It also came off a bit fancier but with some charm to make it less itimidating. We were placed at a table near the bar which separates the front and back sections of the restaurant. You can't really tell how large the restaurant is until you enter the back section. Our waitress was very sweet and gave me the best news of all when she said that you can switch the appetizer soup for the French Onion for an extra $5. We got some bread to start but it wasn't the best. It was hard and dense and the packaged butter was rock hard.


But of course I had to order the French Onion Soup to start, it's considered one of the best in the city. The bowl didn't look very large but it was actually very deep. I tried to get a photo of some cheese drooping and soup underneath but as soon as I punctured the top, the soup burst out and almost overflowed. The broth was the perfect thickness, temperature, and taste, I was very impressed. The cheese was gooey but most of it sank to the bottom and I was left with a lot of difficult cheese to eat at the end. My only complain was the little burnt pieces of cheese at the top, I could really taste the burnt flavour even after it being drenched in the soup.

For my main, I ordered the Duck Confit, duck leg confit with wild berry sauce, potatoes and market vegetables. I don't think I've had proper duck confit before so I was pretty excited to try it. The presentation was very appealing, the leg was larger than I was expecting and placed on a colorful bed of sides and sauce. The leg was very tender and the sauce accompanying it was just superb. The combination of the creamy mashed potatoes, sweet sauce, and some duck was just heavenly. Definitely up there on one of the most memorable dishes I've ever had. I wish I hadn't been so full from the soup to fully enjoy every bite of it.

For dessert, I went for the Traditional Cheesecake which was topped with some whipped cream, fruit sauce, and chocolate sauce. The slice of cake I got was pretty small (not that I needed more), like the smallest slice they could cut for someone. The taste was good but didn't blow by mind, it could have been more creamy and cheesier. The graham cracker bottom had an excellent flavour though. I also wish they had a bit more fruit drizzle on it as I got one piece of berry and it gave the cheesecake some personality paired together. The waitress also wouldn't take my dish until I finished my last bite of cheesecake, it was hard but I did it. She was super friendly and also said I picked the perfect menu :)

Food: 4.5/5 - Amazing meal, haven't stopped thinking about it since.
Decor: 3.5/5 - Very spacious, warm, and romantic.
Service: 4/5 - She was a bit chatty but extremely friendly and not annoying.
Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Definitely, I'm a bit intimidated by french cuisine though so Winterlicious was a good time to go.
Overall: 4/5

Website: http://papillononfront.com/

Milagro Cantinas

Date Visited: Winterlicious dinner on Tuesday Feb 3, 2015
Company: Annual Licious meal with the high school girls.

Again this year, the girls were down for a Winterlicious meal in Toronto to enjoy one of the many great restaurants in the city. +Krystal was the one who picked out Milagro, a Mexican restaurant on Queen from looking at their enticing Winterlicious menu. Unfortunately, she herself was not able to make it to the dinner but we gladly still took her up on her suggestion and booked a table for 5. Our reservation was at 6:30 but unfortunately, 4 of us were 40 minutes late coming from Oshawa and left +Clare to fend for herself at the restaurant.

When we finally arrived, our waitress was quick to ask us if we wanted anything to drink. Even though it was Margarita night, none of us took her up on the offer and went straight for the water already on the table. We also got 2 plates of Chips and Salsa for the table shortly after. The tortilla chips were very crispy but also greasy, the napkin at the bottom was covered in oil. You couldn't really tell when you were eating them though, very delicious still. The salsa was also mild, light, and refreshing, very different from what you would get the store.

For my appetizer, I choose the Ensalada Cesar as I heard good things about it here. It was served with a ton of Parmesan on top, whole Romaine lettuce leaves, and a large crouton in the middle... a little different from what you would normally see but I loved how different it was. I think my salad could have used a bit more dressing, it would have made the cheese easier to stick on. The leaves weren't that fresh either, needed a bit more crisp to the bite.

For the main dish, I ordered the Filete Poblano, grilled rib eye steak in a creamy poblano and white wine sauce with diablo potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the steak and overall heftiness of the meal, there was a lot of food on the plate. The steak was very tender and cooked with perfect grill marks on the side. I had no idea what Poblano was but the sauce was a light but still creamy. The potatoes were in a sauce that was a bit oily but mixed well with everything else. It was topped with a bit of fried onions which added even more flavour and complexity to the dish. There was a lot going on with all the spices which gave me the indication that it was authentically Mexican. When I was finished, I just had no idea what I had just eaten was there were so many new flavours introduced to me .

For dessert, they ran out of the one I wanted, so I went with the Mousse de Mango instead since everyone else was getting the Flan. The small bowl looked to cute when I got it, filled to the brim with a thick yellow paste. The mango flavour was amazing and very prominent. It was almost like a yogurt dessert and topped with some chili spices to give it a kick.

Food: 3.5/5 - Awesome authentic Mexican food at the price we paid, salad wasn't great though.
Decor: 3.5/5 - Very traditional looking, the lady 2 tables away was talking so loudly though.
Service: 3.5/5 - Really happy with the service except it took forever to find our waitress for the bill.
Willingness to go back: 3.5/5 - For sure!! They have a few locations too.
Overall: 3.5/5

Website: http://milagrorestaurant.com/

Big Daddy's Bourbon Street Bistro & Oyster Bar

Date Visited: Dinner on Saturday Feb 8, 2014
Company: Reservation for 4

I wasn't very active in looking for restaurants for Winterlicious this year, I got lazy and hoped other people would choose places to go. Big Daddy's was on a list of suggested places to go with my high school friends but we didn't end up choosing it. I checked out the menu though and thought that it would be a good place to check out with +Will as I was hoping we could go to at least one Winterlicious meal together. We booked it for a Saturday dinner before a Birthday/House warming and +Stuart and +Laura joined us last minute also. 
Big Daddy's is a New Orleans inspired restaurant and oyster bar. When I saw where it was on King Street, I realized that I had passed by it many times and wanted to try their much advertised oysters! The restaurant is really large and had tons of seating and decor, everything was accented with bright, bold colours, trying to bring out the lively, Southern atmosphere. Our waiter also let us know that Big Daddy's always has a prix fixe menu at $26 or $31 (depending on the main course) in case we wanted something different from the $25 Winterlicious menu.

We took a while to decide all our orders as they were many options to choose from, especially from their prix fixe menu. But we started with drinks and I ordered a Caesar which was pretty cool because they let you dress it yourself. It came with two types of tabasco sauce in a rack and the Caesar itself had a toothpick with a shrimp and olive on it. I really don't know how much hot sauce bar tenders usually put in Caesars so I did go a little bit overboard and had a rough time with finishing the drink.

Eventually we had all decided and the waiter took our orders, he was very accommodating for mixing some of the Prix Fixe and Winterlicious menu. I decided to go with the $26 Prix Fixe as they had everything on the Winterlicious menu and more to choose from. We were then asked us if we wanted some bread to start, we stupidly said yes even though we had a huge meal ahead of us. 

For my appetizer, I had a tough time choosing from the many Creole options but I decided on the Seafood Gumbo. I didn't really know what to expect for most of these dishes, I had heard of them before but never tried them myself. The Gumbo was a dark, thick stew with a lot of rice and meat. I didn't find very much seafood in this, mostly small shrimps but it didn't have much of a seafood flavour either. The flavour was very rich and the temperature was perfect. It was a very hearty and filling appetizer though, I probably wouldn't recommend it to start a 3 course meal.

For my main course, I had to go for the Jambalaya which wasn't on the Winterlicious menu (only lunch). The Gumbo and Jambalaya actually have very similar ingredients and flavours in the dishes, so if you wanted some variety, I would definitely not recommend getting both of these. At this point, I was thinking I should have started with a salad as I was already kind of full. You have the option of having the Jambalaya with Rice or Fettuccine and I opted for the Creole-style rice. The ingredients were amazing for this one, the chicken, Chorizo sausage, and shrimps were huge. It was very aromatic and had a rich flavours, more so than the gumbo. It was very delicious but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish it as my stomach was about to explode and we had to go and drink afterwards! I was very sad to leave this dish behind.

For dessert, I went for the Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream from the Winterlicious menu. They gave us good portion sizes but I found the apples very sour and the crumble part wasn't very good either. Pretty disappointing since it's one of my favourite desserts. 

Food: 2/5 - Gumbo was amazing and the portions for everything were huge! Everything else was mediocre.
Decor: 3.5/5 - Bright and vibrant atmosphere, fun place for large groups.  
Service: 3/5 - Our waiter was pretty good and wait time was decent.
Willingness to go back: 3.5/5 - Just because I know the location well and that they always have a prix fixe menu, might be good place to take friends to try their many Louisianan dishes (and osyters!). 
Overall: 3/5
Website: http://www.bigdaddys.ca/

High Tea at Casa Loma

Event: High Tea presented by Winterlicious Culinary Events & Liberty Group
Location: Casa Loma
Time & Date: 11AM-4PM on Saturday Feb 8, 2014
Price: $30 (+$7 Ticketmaster fees) for admission to Casa loma, assorted pastries, finger sandwiches, gourmet teas, & gift bag.

When I saw that Winterlicious had an event for High Tea at Casa Loma, I immediately messaged my girlfriends from high school to make sure they were all down for going. We had previously talked about visiting Casa Loma as most of us had never been to this historic Toronto castle before and I couldn't think of a more fun experience to have there than high tea! The event looked like it would have great food (Winterlicious event) and it wasn't too pricey either considering admission to the castle was included. 

We all took the subway together to Dupont station as the castle was only a short walk from there. It was a cold but clear day and we could see the castle up on a hill in the distance during our walk over. We had a large set of stairs to climb to get to the grounds but it had an amazing distant view of the Toronto skyline from there. We entered to a short line scanning tickets but it became a bit chaotic in the foyer after that. I think most people aimed to be there early like us so there was quite a line to do a coat check so we just decided to hold on to them instead. They had many workers trying to move traffic and one told us to try to get a table in the Billiard room as it was less busy. 

We decided to look around the Great Hall for a bit and admire the world record setting cake stand with all its delicious pastries on it. We saw some people grabbing the tea so we decided to get in line behind them. The tea they were offering was by David's Tea and they had two kinds, Earl's Garden (a flavoured black tea) & Jessie's Tea( a rooibos). I started with the Earl's Garden. As soon as we got our tea though, they closed the section off and I don't believe people were allowed to grab tea to walk around with anymore. 

We got in line for a table in the Billiard's room which had a much smaller line than the crowd on the other side of the hall. It seemed very unorganized as many people were asking us where we got tea and how they could get some. The one lady seating people let us know that we could also give our phone number to the reservation booth and they'd text us when they had a table ready. We decided to wait since we weren't allowed to walk around with our teas past the area we were in and there was only two groups in front of us anyways. They luckily had a table for 4 about 20 minutes later and we got to pass the groups of 2 in front. We ended being sat in the Oak Room which only had about 4 tables on the border of the room. 
A server said she'd come to us soon and after a while, our teas were re-filled. We waited almost half an hour for food and no one had said anything to us! There were servers (with fancy costumes) coming around with trays of desserts but we were wondering if that was the only food they had. We finally asked the lady serving who got us tea if we got food and she was surprised that we hadn't yet. A few moments later, she came by with our trays of finger foods. I was shocked as the food was just right in the room next to us but they didn't know we weren't served yet. 

The finger foods were all bite sized and very warm. My friends and I had 2 variations on 1 or 2 of the foods but the rest were the same. It came with Cucumber Sandwich, Egg Salad Croissant, Quiche, Smoked Salmon on Corn Bread, Mango-y Tart, and a Scone. The foods were actually all quite good, I gave away my salmon one though because I don't like smoked salmon. The rest were great and a good amount of food! A waitress also finally came around with desserts for us. I choose a Raspberry Tarte and a Raspberry Macaroon the first time around. I also got to try a Chocolate Eclair like thing and a Chocolate Cheesecake Pop which was so delicious! Once we were satisfied with our meals, we decided to explore the castle! 

After walking around, we weren't quite ready to leave yet so I grabbed some more tea. I tried Jessie's Tea this time and it was very lovely, I think I preferred that one to Earl's Garden. While standing near the dessert tree, they always were coming around with new plates of treats for the onlookers to try! We finally decided to try to get another meal in the Observatory. We asked for a table and I couldn't believe that we were immediately seated, maybe because it was like 2PM that they were less busy now. So we had another high tea! The food was a bit colder this time but the surroundings were much more beautiful and fitting for the occasion. The castle is quite beautiful and we learned so much about the Pellatt family throughout the day!

Finally we headed home, but not without our gift bags! Each bag had a postcard, Lindor Chocolates, a tea bag sample of David's Tea, a free cup of David's tea, and a coupon for the Liberty Group restaurants. 

I think Winterlicious put on a unique event for everyone who attended the High Tea. I wish they worked out some of the kinks prior as they added earlier dates for this sold out occasion. It didn't ruin our time though because my friends and I had a fantastic time exploring Casa Loma and enjoying delicious treats throughout the day!

Harlem Underground

Date Visited: Winterlicious Dinner on Wednesday Feb 5, 2014
Company: High School friends get-together of 5

There seems to be some force of nature that decides to make the weather go crazy every time my friends from high school and I decide to get-together for a dinner downtown Toronto. On this occasion, our reservation for 7 dwindled to group of 5 that made it out on the night of a huge Toronto snowfall. We took the GO Train, TTC subway, and street car to make our reservation at 7PM at Harlem Underground at Queen West, go us :)

We entered from the snow and wind to the warm and cozy Harlem Underground. There were sheets insulating the doors and heaters blasting this small, hip restaurant. We were seated in a corner where I believe the heat was right under our seats, which made it scorching the whole time we were there. There was another section beside us in the back which made the restaurant a bit bigger than it looks. The decor is very urban, although hard to appreciate at night with the dim lighting. Definitely something like you would find in the Queen West area, their menus are even plastered on vinyl.

Their drink special of the day was Sangria Pitchers which were $2 off from regular. We ordered the White Wine Fruit Punch with Sprite to share with the table. Each of our glasses came with some berries and we got a medium sized jug filled with our deliciously-looking Sangria. It was a great drink with the perfect amount of alcohol mixed in. I love that they let you customize your Sangria because this way you get exactly what you like!

To start, I choose the Catfish Lafayette which were deep-fried breaded morsels of catfish with a sweet chili sauce and chipotle-type mayo on the side. The pieces were very light and bite-sized for dipping and sharing (although no one else wanted to try them). The catfish was very tender and steaming once you bit in. I really enjoyed this dish, the flavour was nice with the different sauces and wasn't too heavy to start off the meal (despite how it looks).

For my main, I had to get the Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles, it was the reason why we came! They had a lot of great options to try on their Winterlicious menu, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to finally try the southern combo of chicken and waffles. The plate came with 2 drumsticks, 1 thigh, 4 waffles, a small salad, and 3 sauces on the side (sweet chili, syrup, gravy). It was an overwhelming looking plate filled with lots of colour and appeal. I first smothered my pancakes with the maple syrup then did the same with the gravy and chicken. I don't mind my foods (sweet and savories) mixing at all so that was the only way I found to eat everything! The pancakes were heavy and filling so I had minimal bites of that and focused on the chicken during the meal. The chicken was extremely juicy and cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy but could have had more flavour, I think KFC or Popeye's chicken has more than Harlem's. It didn't seem very southern/Caribbean either. The gravy was a delicious addition to the chicken though and gave it a bit more oomph. In the end, I was actually underwhelmed by the taste of the dish and the maybe the hype? I think the novelty of having chicken and waffles was more big of a deal than actually eating it. I'm not the biggest fan of waffles and syrup to begin with and I thought it was just a filler on the plate. The chicken was good (not great) but it would have been better paired with a different side.
For my dessert, I got the Almond Chocolate Kisses with no idea what to expect with the name. It ended up being a small chocolate cookie decorated with icing sugar. It was crisp and hard on the outside but moist in the center. The almond flavour was very prominent but the chocolate was very rich and I couldn't even finish this small dessert.



Food: 2.5/5 - Overall, food was a bit bland for a restaurant known for flavourful soul food. Extremely filling though!
Decor: 3/5 - Liked how it looked but wayyy too hot in there!
Service: 2/5 - Mediocre, a bit slow.
Willingness to go back: 1/5 - Would maybe go to the other location as it's closer but nothing pulling me back here.
Overall: 2/5
Website: http://www.harlemrestaurant.com/#underground 

Jaipur Grille

Visited: Winterlicious Dinner on Wednesday Feb 6, 2013
Company: Party of 5

Winterlicious was around the corner and going through the large list of participating restaurants, my friends and I wanted to try to something less safe for our second season of -licious. We planned a little too last minute and ended up getting a reservation at Jaipur Grille near Yonge and Eg. I was pretty excited anyway because I absolutely adore Indian food. My dad was born in India so he has a few recipes that he always does but I'm always itching for new tastes. That's why I'm always down for Indian buffets, as I tend to stick to what I know at traditional restaurants. Jaipur Grille seemed to offer a lot of interesting options though for their fixe price menu.

+Stephanie Szebenyi and I were running late to dinner so when we arrived, our group was seated right in front of the window which would be a great view during the day as the place is on Yonge. It was quite spacious with all the tables along the perimeter of the restaurant, half our table was facing the window which is unusual as you would think they'd have our sides face the window so they can fit more tables. There were many lights but the place was still dim. We were given these spice chips (forgive my ignorance of the names of many things) to nibble on prior to our meals. They were very flavourful but did not do anything to ease our appetites and made us drink a lot of water (you can see them in the top right corner of the first photo).

I started off with Samosa Chaat which I have never had before. I love samosas and I saw this added a lot of extra sauces I enjoy already on it so I assumed that I would be good. I was definitely right, this was an explosion of flavours that went with the veg samosa so well. There was mint, yogurt and other things I don't know but tasted amazing! I enjoyed how colourful the dish was too. Great appetizer, filled you up quite a bit.

For my main dish, I had the Pahadi Chicken. This was definitely the safe choice as it was the only chicken option. All dishes came with Saag Paneer, Rice, Naan and Raita. The portion amount was perfect, I like to mix things up and I was able to finish everything and not have too much leftover of anything. I'm always worried that the chicken is too dry in dishes like these but this wasn't bad. The pahadi flavour wasn't too overpowering and was very mild. The raita and paneer were great additions as I love both of those things. I love extra cucumber in the raita and didn't think there was enough, the yogurt flavour was also very mild. The naan came fresh and warm to the table but it wasn't the best naan I've had, it was on the hard side. I was extremely full at the end of the meal though.

For dessert, I had the mango mousse which was possibly the best mango mousse I've ever had. It was so rich in mango flavour but didn't feel heavy. But I also only ate half which might have been why (some friends didn't enjoy their first time trying gulab jamun and wanted the mousse).

Food: 4/5 - Delicious indian food

Decor: 3.5/5 - Very chill, not too busy

Service: 2/5 - Extremely slow to bring out dishes but friendly waiters

Likeliness to come back: 3.5/5 - Regular menu looks rather good and decent prices.

Overall: 3.5/5

Website: http://www.jaipurgrille.com/