Its that time of the year again! Winterlicious (@liciousTO) is back and running until February 13! And this time I’ve decided to take some girlfriends to Canoe (@Oliver_Bonacini) for Winterlicious just because they’ve never been – so why not? 🙂
Canoe is known for being notoriously difficult to make reservations – So when I happened to snag the last 5 person table for a 5:45pm reservation on the first night of Winterlicious – MAN, was I ever happy!
For drinks, Canoe has come up with a specialty drinks menu with a few cocktails, and freshly made juices that would be perfect pair to go with the menu. There’s also a wine tasting for $20 and a wine pairing for $40 that is complimented with each course of your dinner.
Bread to Start
- I was more addicted to the spread than the bread itself – the spread is a sundried tomato sauce with chick pea
Pressed Maple Braised Willowgrove Pork (local)
- Heirloom Beans, Kozlik’s Mustard & Puffed Wild Rice
- This was my friend’s appetizer. She seemed to thoroughly enjoyed this and commented that she had never had a “pork” like this before. The texture of the pork was comparable to a meat loaf
Butternut Squash & Ginger Soup (vegetarian)
- Peekytoe Crab, Tarragon Yoghurt & Leavened Bread Croutons
- Served luke warm, this butternut squash soup was creamy and aromatic
- Loved the chunks of crab meat and the semi – crunchy bread croutons giving this soup some kind of texture
Ontario Strip Loin (local)
- Short Rib, Gherkin Sour Cream & Cheesy Alliston Spuds
- My friend ordered the strip loin – and whenever your order “beef” at Canoe – the chef chooses how it should be cooked and served. That being said, the strip loins are cooked to a medium to a medium rare – my friend loved exactly how this had turned out!
Aurora Chicken (local)
- Northern Woods Mushrooms, Spiced Apple Currant Compote & Three Grain Risotto
- This was my entree: the chicken was cooked well- tender while not being dry at all.
Torched Heritage Salmon
- Dinosaur Kale, Pickled Peppers & Ancient Algonquin Grits
Three Milk Cake (vegetarian and local)
- Hewitt’s Dairy, Vanilla Mousseline, Caramel Cream & Kernal Peanuts
- All the girls had ordered this for their dessert (except for me). It was said to be pretty ordinary – nothing special
- Though one of the girls said the kernal peanuts was the best part of the dessert!
Wild Rice Pudding (vegetarian)
- Poached Apricot, Rose Vanilla Sauce & Pistachio
- The minute I saw rice pudding, apricot and pistachio all in the same sentence – I instantly knew I would order this!
- The poached apricots were really light and refreshing – the little blob of pistachio paired really well with the the soft rice pudding. Everything about this dish was perfect to me. Though – I know wild rice pudding is a love it or hate it dish – depending on the textures of desserts you personally prefer.
I was beyond excited to take my friends to Canoe for licious. I enjoyed everything I ordered especially the butternut squash soup and the wild rice pudding. That being said, I can’t say that this experience can live up to my previous 2013 Winterlicious experience at Canoe. Not saying this wasn’t a good or well thought out dinner, but it wasn’t as memorable as their menu from last year. PLUS the Chocolate Spice Panna Cotta & roasted marshmallow from last year – was probably one of the most decadent and best desserts I’ve ever had. Pretty hard to beat that. Nonetheless, it’s always fun to check out different restaurants with girlfriends during licious!
Price: $45 + tax + gratuity
+ $20 Wine Tasting (optional)
+ $40 Wine Pairing (optional)
