Top five Toronto restos to try during Summerlicious

The annual summer food shindig in the city is back so get ready to hit the reservation lines with reckless abandon.

Summerlicious was a hit out of the gate when it was first launched, and it continues to be a hotly anticipated event on the foodie calendar. But not all of the 150 Summerlicious participants are created equal.

Some churn out standard fare that allows one to sit in a nice restaurant and have a nice meal of chicken supreme, flat iron steak or salmon that offers little in the way of creativity. Others get all worked up, and craft fine, three-course menus designed to offer good value, a smorgasbord of flavours and, hopefully, convince you to keep their restaurant on speed dial.

Herewith, five restaurants (of many) that are doing just that:

Celestin

Located in North Toronto, well-known chef Pascal Ribreau may be gone, but his able replacement Ivan Tarazona has put together a fine selection for this year’s Summerlicious. His $35 dinner menu includes starters such as seared marinated beef, fried dough and fresh baby sprouts as well as mains such as braised beef short ribs, red lentils and figs as well as lobster lemon risotto.

623 Mount Pleasant Road, 416-544-9035

Coppi

Fausto’s fine restaurant, named after a famous Italian cyclist, has been serving quality traditional Italian fare since 1991. At Summerlicious, Fausto’s $35 dinner menu includes such classics as bresaola e rucola and insalata caprese for appetizers and braised veal shank with fresh gremolata and veal reduction served on soft polenta and steamed asparagus for a tasty entrée, along with a number of additional selections.

3363 Yonge St., 416-484-4464

Globe Bistro

One of the finest bastions of local cuisine in the city, Globe Bistro’s $35 dinner menu showcases regional ingredients. To begin, one of many choices is the shaved fennel and purple basical cress salad served with spiced pistachio, taggiashi olive dust and orange gelée. The mains feature local proteins from Cumbrae’s flank steak and Lake Erie pickerel to Ontario rabbit.

124 Danforth Ave., 416-466-2000

Nyood

Roger Mooking is one of the city’s finest young chefs and his $35 Summerlicious dinner menu is a feast for the senses. The appetizer list includes Tuna Tartar with black olive tapanade, plantain chip and quail egg. In addition, entrée options include a panko-crusted strip loin with chimichurri and goat’s cheese mousse as well as European sea bass with purple potatoes, lime pickled red onions, charred lemon and sweet plantain.

1096 Queen St. W., 416-466-1888

Zucca

A great North Toronto Italian eatery, Zucca’s Summerlicious menu features some inspired Italiana. For starters, there is a range of mouth-watering options including crescia sfogliata con verdure di campo, tuna fresca, salame artigianale and early summer greens in crispy flatbread with fresh cow’s milk cheese, and "shorthills" salami.

For mains, a range of pasta dishes including half-moon ravioli with roasted beets and ricotta as well as green garlic scape noodles layered with pork and beef meatballs, as well as a B.C. spring salmon and Cumbrae’s hanger steak option. Incredible stuff!

2150 Yonge St., 416-488-5774

 

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