My First Taste of Summerlicious

I have heard about Summerlicious in Toronto for many years but yesterday was my first time trying it out.  In short, over 100 restaurants participate in this Summerlicious event.  They hold three-course lunch and/or dinner menus at a price range between $15 - $45.

My friend and I went to Sassafraz for our $25 lunch.

For starter, of the three options, we both ordered the vichyssoise with lobster and truffle essence.  Served cold with a piece of lobster and a drop of truffle oil but very tasty and a little on the thicker side.

For entree, my friend ordered the pork tenderloin with roasted garlic sweet potato mash, asparagus sweet apple cider glaze.

I ordered the roasted chicken breast with doubled smoked bacon and red onion quinoa, braised leeks in natural reduction.  The quinoa was really tasty - a little on the salty side - while the chicken breast was a little on the drier side.  It tasted best with a piece of chicken with a spoon of quinoa.  Very little bits of bacon.

 For dessert, we both ordered the chocolate brownie with brandied cherry, Chantilly cream and amaretto reduction.  The brandied cherry tasted sweet, sour and bitter - from the alcohol.  The brownie tasted really heavy.  We both didn't finish the brownies and our waitress was surprised that we didn't finish it, neither did we take it to go.  As for the cream, I'm not much of a cream person.  It looked like vanilla ice cream and would probably been better than the cream.  This dessert dish was just full of carbs.

For a first time having a Summerlicious meal, this was an interesting and tasty experience.  Was it worth $25 for this meal? Honestly, I wasn't 100% satisfied.  If I ordered other entree options, I may have love it more.  But for dessert, I just wished they had more or other options.


Before I departed ways with my friend, we enjoyed Starbucks cold drinks to cool down from the hot, humid weather.