Toronto Life is hosting a series of epic dinners at the city’s best restaurants, and you’re invited
Toronto Life is hosting a series of epic dinners this fall at restaurants around the city. These dining rooms are operating at the top of their game, showing off the best the city’s food scene has has to offer. Each chef is creating a one-night-only experience featuring the kitchen’s best dishes, greatest hits, crowd favourites and seasonal delights. If you are a fan of Toronto’s food scene, this is a great opportunity to meet some of the personalities at the forefront of Toronto’s dining scene—and see for yourself what’s cooking in the city’s hottest dining rooms.
Tickets for each dinner ($250 plus HST) include all food and drink for the evening as well as gratuity. The seating times are staggered to ensure that every guest gets a true experience of the best these kitchens have to offer. Tickets are very limited and must be purchased in advance, so act now if you want to participate. We expect these events to sell out very quickly.
Date: October 3
Restaurant: Leña
Neighbourhood: Financial District
Location: 176 Yonge St.
Chefs: Corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh and executive chef Julie Marteleira
Leña’s beautiful art deco room is one the the best additions to the Financial District’s food scene in years, with Argentine dishes that channel Buenos Aires with every bite. The team has put together a selection of more than a dozen dishes for this event, including their famous gaucho empanadas, crispy baby sardines, marinated oysters and charred beef cheek with truffled eggplant. Guests will enjoy canapés and a welcome drink in Bar Lala (the lower lounge), and then move upstairs to the dining room for dinner. Drink pairings will include South American and Spanish wines from the portfolio of Azureau Wines & Spirits.
Book spots at the Leña dinner now
Date: October 17
Restaurant: Piano Piano
Neighbourhood: University
Location: 88 Harbord St.
Chefs: Owner and Executive Chef Victor Barry, Allison Grundman
Chef Victor Barry’s ode to old-school, Italian-style family feasting sits on the site of the former Splendido. It’s a joyful and colourful room with a wide-ranging menu of seasonal delights. Barry’s team is creating a feast worthy of a visit to Nonna’s. The evening will begin with a light cocktail, wine or Prosecco served with platters of charcuterie and antipasti. The first course will feature a selection of luxurious pastas and wood-fired pizzas. The seasonal mains will be served family style, and all courses will be paired with a selection of wines. Desserts will be plentiful, but Barry prefers keep them a secret for now.
Book spots at the Piano Piano dinner now
Date: November 7
Restaurant: La Banane
Neighbourhood: Trinity Bellwoods
Location: 227 Ossington Ave.
Chefs: Co-owner Brandon Olsen and Basilio Pesce
If an evening of disco and fine French cuisine sounds like a good time, then the third dinner in the series is for you. Chef Brandon Olsen’s Ossington dining room—splashed with gold, green and deep-woods flourishes, with a teeming raw bar at its centre—is an ode to refined good times. Olsen’s team will serve a four-course dinner matched with cocktails, spirits or wines from star Prince Edward County winemaker Norman Hardie, who will be in attendance. Canapés and drinks will kick off the evening, followed by shellfish soup and a second course of tuna with brown butter and dill. The star of the show is Olsen’s duck in Armagnac, served with prunes and endive. For dessert, one of Olsen’s signature chocolate-truffled-filled Disco Eggs will be cracked open for sharing.
Book spots at the La Banane dinner now
Thanks to our sponsors!
 include all food and drink for the evening as well as gratuity. The seating times are staggered to ensure that every guest gets a true experience of the best these kitchens have to offer. Tickets are very limited and must be purchased in advance, so act now if you want to participate. We expect these events to sell out very quickly.
[caption id="attachment_434752" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Leña executive chef Julie Marteleira and O&B’s Anthony Walsh. (Photo by Dave Gillespie)[/caption]
Date: October 3
Restaurant: Leña
Neighbourhood: Financial District
Location: 176 Yonge St.
Chefs: Corporate executive chef Anthony Walsh and executive chef Julie Marteleira
Leña's beautiful art deco room is one the the best additions to the Financial District's food scene in years, with Argentine dishes that channel Buenos Aires with every bite. The team has put together a selection of more than a dozen dishes for this event, including their famous gaucho empanadas, crispy baby sardines, marinated oysters and charred beef cheek with truffled eggplant. Guests will enjoy canapés and a welcome drink in Bar Lala (the lower lounge), and then move upstairs to the dining room for dinner. Drink pairings will include South American and Spanish wines from the portfolio of Azureau Wines & Spirits.
Book spots at the Leña dinner now
[caption id="attachment_434869" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Chef/owner Victor Barry. (Photo by Dave Gillespie)[/caption]
Date: October 17
Restaurant: Piano Piano
Neighbourhood: University
Location: 88 Harbord St.
Chefs: Owner and Executive Chef Victor Barry, Allison Grundman
Chef Victor Barry’s ode to old-school, Italian-style family feasting sits on the site of the former Splendido. It's a joyful and colourful room with a wide-ranging menu of seasonal delights. Barry's team is creating a feast worthy of a visit to Nonna’s. The evening will begin with a light cocktail, wine or Prosecco served with platters of charcuterie and antipasti. The first course will feature a selection of luxurious pastas and wood-fired pizzas. The seasonal mains will be served family style, and all courses will be paired with a selection of wines. Desserts will be plentiful, but Barry prefers keep them a secret for now.
Book spots at the Piano Piano dinner now
[caption id="attachment_434870" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Chef/co-owner Brandon Olsen. (Photo by Dave Gillespie)[/caption]
Date: November 7
Restaurant: La Banane
Neighbourhood: Trinity Bellwoods
Location: 227 Ossington Ave.
Chefs: Co-owner Brandon Olsen and Basilio Pesce
If an evening of disco and fine French cuisine sounds like a good time, then the third dinner in the series is for you. Chef Brandon Olsen's Ossington dining room—splashed with gold, green and deep-woods flourishes, with a teeming raw bar at its centre—is an ode to refined good times. Olsen's team will serve a four-course dinner matched with cocktails, spirits or wines from star Prince Edward County winemaker Norman Hardie, who will be in attendance. Canapés and drinks will kick off the evening, followed by shellfish soup and a second course of tuna with brown butter and dill. The star of the show is Olsen’s duck in Armagnac, served with prunes and endive. For dessert, one of Olsen's signature chocolate-truffled-filled Disco Eggs will be cracked open for sharing.
Book spots at the La Banane dinner now
Thanks to our sponsors!
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