I met up with Mary and Liz last night for dinner at Sassafraz. It was actually an evening of many exciting firsts: My first time having dinner with both Mary and Liz, my first time eating at Sassafraz, and my first time participating in Summerlicious. Needless to say, it was a great success! Sassafraz was offering a $45 three-course prix fixe menu for Summerlicious, and we all managed to get something different. Here, my choices:
Confit pork belly with stewed tomatoes, escarole, and garlic chips
Braised lamb shank with roasted garlic sweet potato mash, asparagus, and sweet apple cider glaze
Banana cream tart, toasted coconut mousse, and mango sherbet
See that pork belly up there? That's what dreams are made of. There were many tempting options (including the seared scallops that both Mary and Liz ended up getting), but when there is pork belly on the menu, I must have it. There is just nothing like a big chunk of delicious, meaty pork with a thick layer of soft, pillowy fat. Seriously. The braised lamb shank was likewise fantastic — the meat, with that glorious gamey, smoky flavour, literally fell off the bone. I don't regret my choice, though Mary's striploin was by far my favourite entrée of the night (you just can't go wrong with a big slab of cow!). And for dessert, I chose the banana cream tart, all smooth and airy in a crisp buttery shell, paired with a refreshing mango sherbet. Such a great ending to a lovely meal. If their Summerlicious offerings are any indication of their regular menu, Sassafraz is a restaurant that I will definitely be visiting again! Thanks for a fabulous evening, girls!
Sassafraz
100 Cumberland Street
Toronto, ON M5R 1A6
(416) 964-2222
Your pictures turned out GREAT! It was so dim in there. I might as well have not brought my camera!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed that meal. Was worried in case you made that long trek downtown for nothing!
Thanks again for a good evening and your all-around amazingness. And yes indeedy, we'll strike beerbistro next. :D :D :D
Aww, thanks! It sucks that they dimmed the lights so much! The lighting was perfect when we got in there, but then they had to turn up the mood or whatever. :P Why do fancypants restaurants do that? It drives me nuts! DON'T THEY KNOW THAT WE HAVE PHOTOS TO TAKE?
DeleteHaha, it wouldn't have been for nothing, even if the food sucked! It's always the company that makes any trek worth while, no? The food just HAPPENED to be great. ;)
Aww, thank YOU for planning the whole thing! If you hadn't taken the initiative to make a reservation (and um, you know, brought up the idea to go to there), it would never have happened!! I can't wait to try beerbistro -- mussels are calling my name!
That one time I went there for dinner, it was fall/winter and so dim that I could barely see the food! We were lucky. ;)
DeleteJust so you know and can get really excited, my friend from Singapore is visiting next month and bringing me backups of that SilkyGirl BB Powder that I like so much. One is for you!
Oooooh, excited!!! :D I am actually looking into more Asian brands of make-up. I went to Pacific Mall recently and saw lots of variety, but most of it was so overpriced, I knew it wasn't worth it. :P
DeleteThanks, Liz! :)
You're super fast!! Then again I'm just so slow in updating my bloggy lately....
ReplyDeleteYour pics turned out really good.
Liz, thank you sooo much for planning the entire thing!! We must do it again :-D
Haha, you know how I like to post things right away... ;)
DeleteAnd thanks, they definitely turned out better than I expected! The last one is really grainy because it was really dark in the room and there wasn't enough contrast in colours on the plate, but it was the best I could do in Photoshop to lighten it. :P
Guys, let's do Beerbistro soon! :D MUSSELS!!!!