Summerliciousy Sassafraz serves up a meaty fine dining experience despite pesky proletariats a.k.a. moi.
Quick Notes:
1) Summerlicious - A time to pretend to be much classier and well-monied than you are. Hint: likely fooled nobody.
2) Sassafraz - A resto in Yorkville that promises classy French cuisine and fancy decor at astronomical prices. Expectation: Tiny servings of tasty food I can't pronounce. Yelp homework indicated mixed reviews but generally positive.
Verdict:
Wallet-pains truncate future visitation; however, fine quality food and an extremely thrifty Summerlicious deal make this resto a Summerlicious contender for the ages!
Atmosphere:
Modern, vaguely rustic chic. This once-Victorian home now comes outfitted with clean white tablecloths, mood lighting and a coutured rock wall featuring an appropriately minimal waterfall. Shh, don't disturb the diners! The classic location, right in the heart of Yorkville, gives superb opportunity to peoplewatch while enjoying your meal. Definitely come dressed to impress, but at least at Summerlicious, cocktail dresses are not recommended. Little black dress, ahoy!
Food:
Prix Fix $45.00 plus a $65 Bordeaux (read: a $20 LCBO Bordeaux with resto markup).
I curse Paris for ruining me forever. The bread was a disappointment. Butter couldn't save it. Made me want to go to the bakery section at Longo's.
I went upscale on my meats this Summerlicious, having regrets from a previous Summerlicious adventure. Hint: When there is lamb, why order chicken?
Appetizer scallops were tender and the knife went through them like butter. Lonely in the centre of the huge plate on a decorative shrivel of spinach, the scallop duo was nonetheless delicious.
I went to third base on the entree with a medium rare steak that tended towards the medium but was extremely delicious. And big! I was expecting tiny proportions but the steak was 6 oz! The meat quality was excellent, with no cartilage, no inner marbling or sinew, and an appropriate layering of outside fat for added flavour. The simple, skin-in mashed potatoes tasted good because they were loaded with fine butter or buttercream. Hard to screw that up, but it was nice. The tablespoon of peas and the artsy drizzle of peas puree were there to add colour, c'est tout.
Banana creme tarte with 1.5 tbsp of mango sorbet was a hit all across our table and for good reason. The banana cream was perfection - it tasted like pureed bananas and My Little Ponies. The mango sorbet was similarly magic. My only gripe was the thickness and sweetness of the cookie in the tart crust, which threatened to overpower the My Little Bananas.
Service:
Good, nothing special. I didn't see much of our servers, but Summerlicious is an odd time and no doubt a hectic experience. Still, nothing standout here. They did, however, serve our food at the same time, which we appreciated.
Location:
Suburbanites, you can get off at Museum if you want a nice walk down Bloor and the Holt Renfrew. If you are wearing painful shoes, transfer subway lines and go to Bay - Cumberland exit. Walk two uberslow, Michael Kors minutes of hip-sashay and you'll be at the front door.
Overall:
Sassafraz impressed with surprisingly simple food and ample entree portions that left our sassy group of seven quite satisfied. Recommended for Summerlicious only, or if you don't mind forking over your monthly car insurance payment to impress someone with a classic fine dining Toronto experience.