This year, Winterlicious is taking place Jan 31st to Feb 13th, 2014. I’ve been a long time fan of this program as it’s a great way to check out new restaurants for a reasonable amount of money.   There’s three-course prix fixe lunch menus for $15 or $20 and $25, and dinner is priced at $25, $35 and $45. Perfect prices for someone who is on a budget. (Like. Me.)

Lucky me….I was invited by Pangaea to attend their Winterlicous Dinner and by the Hyatt on King  (King Street Social) to attend their Winterlicious Lunch Menu. I’ve never been to either restaurant so I was excited for both meals.

Here’s a recap:

Pangaea Winterlicious Dinner 2014: …$35

The minute you enter the doors, you are warmly greeted and your coats are taken into a nearby closet. Then you notice the high ceilings and the beautiful art. I was already impressed before I even ate anything. Our lovely waitress was uber professional and the menu choices I selected were well executed. It was truly a perfect meal – loved the service, the ambience and the food.

Top Left :Foie Gras Torchon, Grape Confit with Toasted Brioche.

Bottom Left Pork Tenderloin (brined and grilled), Chickpea ragout with spinach, honeyed sweet potato

Top Right: Hot Apple Cider

Bottom Right: Toasted Cinnamon Creme Brûlée, Poached Pear, GingerSnap Biscotti.

Please click here for the entire Winterlicious lunch and dinner Menu for 2014

Hyatt on King – King St. Social – Winterlicious Lunch 2014 …..$20

The entire team at Hyatt on King did an amazing job and reached out to a group of food bloggers to sample their Winterlicious Lunch Menu. Sadly I had an appointment that day that I could not miss and was going to decline. But then I noticed that lobster poutine was on the menu…and I knew I had to attend, even if I had to dash out. In the short period of time that I was there, this is what I sampled.

Top Left: Winter Greens (vegan)
Baby arugula and leafy greens, roasted pears, grape tomatoes, slivered almond with an Orange Chili vinaigrette

Top Right: Lobster Poutine
Butter poached British Columbia lobster served with our signature gravy, angel hair parmesan and frites.

Bottom Left: Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Bisque Truffle Crème and a Sweet Potato Soup (vegan)

Bottom Right: Grilled Black Tiger Prawns
bell peppers, grape tomatoes, red onions, micro green salad with a soy ginger reduction

Please click here for the entire menu for King Street Socials’ Winterlicious Lunch and Summer Menu for 2014.

 

I really hope you get a chance to check out Winterlicious. There’s still time left!!

For more information:

 

Pangaea  1221 Bay St. Toronto 416 920 2323

 

Twitter: @Pangaea

 

King Street Social – Hyatt Regency  on King 370 King St. West, Toronto, 416 595 2524

 

Twitter: @hyattonking

 

I knew that there would be a snow storm on Wednesday and it would be the perfect reason to STAY HOME  and cook/bake/clean and work!! It wasn’t hard to figure out what to bake, seeing as I received a recipe that peeked my interest in my inbox the other day. This is what happens when you subscribe to a food blog!! The recipe is from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it’s called ” Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake”.

It’s easy to make, moist and a great way to use up those ripe bananas!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake – from Sally’s Baking Addiction

INGREDIENTS:

My weekend in Ottawa consisted of the following elements: seeing family, eating great food, and  Winterlude! I couldn’t have picked a better weekend to visit. Seriously.

On Friday night – we checked out Confederation Square to see the ice sculptures. It was so impressive and so so pretty.

Here’s a breakdown of our day on Saturday:

10:00 am.  We went directly to Art Is In Bakery to eat a Cronut and their potato buttermilk donut with a maple glaze and maple bacon crumbs. There’s only one word to describe both of these items: WOW. I would not have discovered this treat had I not been following @AMWATERS on Twitter as I read a tweet that she had enjoyed  a Cronut the other day. (well, her 25 gram portion of the cronut!!)

 

12:00 pm We went to Flapjack’s  Pancake Shack which is located right behind Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s in the Glebe. We ordered the JimBerrr! Watson – Double Smoked Bacon, Gouda & Egg between two original buttermilk pancakes. There is clearly a reason why Ottawa has embraced this new food truck!!

5:30 pm. For dinner, we checked out Prime Burger Bar. We inhaled our deep fried calamari, steak poutine and the Chipolte Burger  (double jack cheese, double smoked bacon, avocado and chipotle mayo). Not to mention we ended our meal with DEEP FRIED OREOS.  This restaurant opened in October and as always I discovered them on twitter. The owner took the time to chat with us and in that short chat, we could tell how he really does care about every aspect of his restaurant. I later asked my cousins if they had been to this restaurant and they also had a a great story to share about the owners amazing customer service!

Our day on Sunday continued with more yumminess!!

10:00 am – Black Pepper Biscotti and a Nutella Cannoli from Simply Biscotti.  Note: We were celebrating World Nutella Day early!! (it’s officially on Feb 5th)

11;00 am – Maple Syrup Taffy on a stick – which I enjoyed while skating on the Rideau Canal. Oh how I love this childhood treat and of course skating on the canal was a treat too!

12:00 pm – A veggie Zatar from Aladdin Bakery

1:00 pm – Eggrolls from Golden Palace.

As always, Ottawa is an amazing place to visit. I can’t wait to visit again in March!! In the meantime, I’m heading to Goodlife Fitness to hit the treadmill and burn off a few calorie..

For more information:

Winterlude – Jan 31 to Feb. 17, 2014

Art Is In Bakery 250 City Centre (613) 695 1226

Flapjack’s Pancakes Shack, 809 Bank St, (613) 355 2927

Prime Burger 780 Baseline Road, (613) 680 2051

Simply Biscotti 354 Preston St. (613) 234 5336

Aladdin Bakery 1801 Carling Ave. (613) 728 5331

Golden Palace 2195 Carling Ave. (613) 820 8444