The Best Way to Keep Warm? Eat Food: Winterlicious On the Danforth 2018
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer James Stephen
It's that time of year again. The days are short, the nights are cold, and there's an abundance of excellent prix fixe meal options brought to us by Winterlicious. Toronto's fabulous winter food festival is aimed at showcasing the best eats the city has to offer, with the added bonus of ruining annual resolutions to diet and exercise. But seriously, there are some excellent choices in the Danforth area for Winterlicious this year, so let's take a look at our top picks.
Pan On The Danforth:
Fresh takes on classic Mediterranean cuisine accompanied by incredible local and international wines. Their prix fixe menu has too many options to list, but with three course lunches for $18 and dinners for $28, you know you'll be getting your money's worth. An excellent pick would have to be the Moussaka, a Greektown staple.
Rodeo Brazilian Steakhouse:
If you're a sucker for all-you- can-eat steak, especially when all you have to do is turn a card over on the table to tell the wait staff to start bringing it to you, Rodeo is your kind of place. Rodeo has been around long enough to be an institution– – a sort of culinary anchor on the western end of the Danforth. Their $43 prix fixe dinner features a range of salads and appetizers served buffet style, with delicious meaty mains brought to your table when you flip the card from red to green. Need to rest up before going in for another round? Just flip the card back.
Morgan's:
Alright, so it can't all be Greek favourites and unlimited grilled meats; sometimes you just want to hit the local for a beer and a bite. Morgan's is a cut above, with a great menu of next-level pub grub and a selection of craft beers to match. It's easy to see why they've become a neighbourhood favourite on the often-neglected east end of the Danforth. Their $23 lunches and $33 dinners are sure to make them an even more popular destination this January. Try the Coq au Vin for a Danforth take on a French classic.
A final note on the importance of events like Winterlicious: it's not just about great food, good times, and getting our butts out of the house during these cold winter days. January is a tough month in the food industry. Many restaurants operate on a razor-thin profit margin as is. The gap between the holiday season and the spring thaw is the slowest time of the year, and can easily be what causes even an apparently successful establishment to fail if it's business dries up during this time. The upshot to the prix fixe is that the house knows exactly how much it's making off every plate, and if it knows it's going to sell a lot of meals, it can order in quantities that result in good deals from suppliers, and pass those savings on to you. Everybody wins, so get out there, stuff your faces, and support local businesses. The gym can wait until February.
Please note that all prices mentioned above do not include taxes or gratuities. A full list of restaurants participating in Winterlicious (and their menus) on the Danforth and throughout the city is available here.
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