I went to Fred's Not Here for the Winterlicious 2018 3-Course Lunch Menu - $28 per person with a group of 4 people.
[SERVICE] - 5/5
Our server was very attentive and personable!
[FOOD QUALITY] - 3.5/5
There were a few hiccups in the entrées, but the 3-Course Lunch Menu is definitely worth the price. A lot of intricate flavours complemented each other in every dish, and the quality of ingredients was definitely above average.
[ORDER]
Appetizers:
- Famous Baked Lobster & Crab Soup: definitely met my standards as I heard a lot of great things about this dish. The bisque was smooth, rich and exploded with very prominent, but not fishy lobster and crab flavours.
- Chopped Kale Salad with Miso Tahini Dressing & Chopped Walnuts: the exact opposite of a boring, and one-dimensional kale salad. The nutty and creamy dressing complemented the fresh kale. Chopped walnuts also added an extra crunch added a different dimension to this salad.
- Baked Stuffed Mushroom w/ Escargot, Pinot Grigio Garlic Butter: escargot was meaty, and topped with butter that uses acidity from Pinot Grigio to cut through the fat content.
Entrées:
- Pan Roasted Fresh Tilapia, Tomato Garlic Butter Sauce, Duck Fat Fries & Vegetables: tilapia was juicy and the sauce did not overpower natural flavours of the fish. Duck fat fries were not crispy and individual fries were too small. I prefer crispy, thick-cut fries, rather than small and soggy potato sticks. Vegetables helped balance out the greasiness of the fries.
- 3-Hour Slow Roasted Quebec Harpur Farm Venison in Chianti with Malfada Noodles and Garlic Spinach: venison meat was tender but a little gamey. Malfada noodles were al-dente and absorbed flavours from the Chianti quite well. Garlic spinach added a lighter component to the otherwise heavy dish.
Dessert:
- Apple & Caramel Cheesecake: has a different consistency than a traditional New York cheesecake. A lighter, but still very flavourful and tastes like an apple pie sprinkled on top of a cheesecake.
- Baked Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding w/ Warm Caramel Rum Sauce: soft and smooth consistency, contrasted with chewy chunks of bread. The bread chunks were kind of dry, but the rum sauce added a little but of moisture to the dry pieces.
- Chocolate Almond Torte: sweet, rich, and velvety with a cake-like consistency. There are also bitter undertones that pair well with the denser components of the torte.
[OVERALL] - 4/5
I would recommend the restaurant for the Winterlicious menu, but I would not order the two entrées on their own.