Nota Bene

Winterlicious dinner last night with the gang at Nota Bene, $45 for three courses:
Hamachi Ceviche
For the first course, I decided on the hamachi ceviche. The yellowtail was fresh, smooth, and fleshy. Chunks of buttery avocado added a nice nutty flavour and textural contrast, chiles offered a nice kick of heat, and a squeeze of lime added a lovely fresh tartness that rounded out all the flavours. What was most surprising, though, was the inclusion of crushed corn nuts! A fun element that added a fantastic crunch and a nice smoky flavour. I thought this was a great choice for the first course — light, fresh, and great for opening up my appetite for the next two courses. 
Cumbrae Farms Boeuf Bourguignon
For my main course, I decided on the boeuf bourguignon. The stew was perfectly flavoured with garlic, onions, and a hint of red wine that wasn't too overpowering. Huge chunks of braised beef were tender and moist, and mushrooms and carrots keep it classic. Nota Bene's version is served on a cloud of creamy rosemary polenta with a hint of horseradish and pieces of smoky bacon. A piece of bread is needed to soak up any remaining broth; too tasty to waste. Comforting, hearty, and filling — so perfect on a cold winter night.
Bittersweet Chocolate Tart
Finally, dessert! I chose the bittersweet chocolate tart, which is a bit of an odd choice for me because I typically don't love chocolate desserts, but this one was perfectly executed. The chocolate tart, as stated, is bittersweet; if you don't like dark chocolate, you won't like this. I actually prefer dark chocolate, and like that it isn't too sweet, which is why I decided to give this a go. The custard was smooth and rich, and the crust was firm and buttery. To accompany it, a scoop of s'more ice cream, extremely addictive on its own and perfect for balancing out the bittersweet chocolate with its sweet milky flavour. Espresso caramel added depth and a lovely smoky-sweetness. No regrets on my course choices at all.
The restaurant itself is sleek, modern, and trendy, but ultimately kind of pretentious. Our server was informative and polite enough, but totally condescending. The others wanted wine, and our server asked them, "Do you know how to choose wine? Do you know what wine pairing is?" Um, are you asking everyone else this? We want informed advice, not judgement. Snobbery is not unexpected, as Winterlicious gives the masses a chance to try out top restaurants at a much lower set price, and restaurants like Nota Bene are used to people dropping $100 on a meal. But that doesn't mean you have the right to talk down to us, right? That having been said, the service was otherwise attentive and meticulous: courses set at the table all at the same time by different servers, water and wine poured when glasses were running low. They made sure we had everything we needed and asked how we were doing at regular intervals. I think on a non-Winterlicious day, the service would be perfect and our server wouldn't be talking to us like we were stupid children.
I think the thing that irked me the most, though, was the water fee. Right after we sat down at our table, our server went around with a carafe of water and asked if still water was fine. Of course, we said it was. It wasn't until he poured our water that he set down the menus which stated that still and sparkling water cost $3.50 a person. I think this is complete highway robbery. It's one thing to not actually tell us that the water you're pouring into our glasses has a fee, but it's another to pour it before even giving us the menu that states the fee. Another thing I didn't like was how our server made it seem like splitting the bill was such a faux pas. He actually said, "If I split the bill, it can't be put back onto one, so you need to make sure you want me to separate these." And then he said, "You want one bill per person? There's not even a couple here?" Like, stop asking questions. You're getting an automatic 18% gratuity for a party of eight people, so just do your damn job. Ultimately, the food is fantastic, but there are plenty of other, much classier restaurants that have way better (e.g. less douche-y) service, Winterlicious or not.

Nota Bene 180 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M5V 3X3 (416) 977-6400