The reviews of Sassafraz are mixed, so rather than checking them out for dinner, I made a reservation for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Lucky for me they take lunch reservations on weekends (I have noticed that “fancier” restaurants only offer lunch from Monday to Friday). I gave them a call and was able to make a reservation for Winterlicious with 10 friends and we were seated on the second floor. In fact, for the 85% of the meal, we had the entire floor to ourselves and we loved it. We got to be loud and silly without having people look at us funny. The main floor was packed!

This was the menu:

$25 Lunch (plus taxes and gratuity)

APPETIZERS

• Soup (vegetarian) red pepper and smoked tomato / adobo cream / chive
  or
• Baby Spinach (vegetarian and local) blackberries / toasted almond slivers / Ontario sheep feta / buttermilk cracked pepper vinaigrette
  or
• Halibut house cured / pickled black radish / citrus pearls / crispy taro ribbons / edamame / chili oil

MAINS

• Harrison Co-Op Artisanal Chicken Breast (local) wild mushroom / golden pearl onions / white quinoa / sauce Périgueux
  or
• Lovell Springs Natural Trout (local) tomato carpaccio / Roman Cauliflower / lemon salsify / kohlrabi / tomato emulsion
  or
• Kunan Farms Duroc Pork T-Bone (local) miso parsnip purée / water chestnuts / celeriac / Mutsu cabbage slaw / verjus gastrique
  or
• Bell Pepper Risotto (vegetarian) roasted yellow and red peppers / wood sorrel pesto / mascarpone / Parmigiano Reggiano

DESSERTS

• Warm Chocolate Cake vanilla ice cream / marshmallow lime pistachio lollipop
  or
• Raspberry Cream Roulade (vegetarian) dulce de leche / poppy seed meringue
  or
• Gotham City Cheese (vegetarian and local) fruit compotes / house flatbread

From the get-go I was impressed. Our waitress was nice and professional. She was constantly refilling our coffee, bringing more bread and butter, and checking-in on us without being overbearing. I would go into detail about each dish, but the fact is that everyone cleared their plate. That to me is rare. For 11 people to enjoy their appetizer, main and dessert is uncommon; we are a picky bunch. I went to Canoe several days ago for lunch and I was really unhappy with their desserts. Sassafraz however knows how to bake! I would not get the cheese plate though. Even though the cheese plate tasted great, you really gotta try one of their desserts!

From all the mixed reviews I had heard and read about, I really felt apprehensive about Sassafraz. I am so glad that I decided to try them out for myself because this lunch has become one of the best meals I have ever had.

• √ Great service
• √ Pretty ambiance
• √ Delicious food

Sold!