Prix fixe, midnight madness: where to eat on New Year’s Eve

Prix fixe, midnight madness: where to eat on New Year’s Eve

(Photo by Sally Mahoney)

December 31st is rapidly approaching, and the pressure’s on: what to do on New Year’s Eve? For those who hate crowds, messy house parties and shivering in Nathan Phillips Square but still don’t want to feel curmudgeonly come the stroke of midnight, Toronto’s best restaurants are offering multi-course meals at bargain prices. Here, our list of nine of the best prix fixe menus throughout the city. (Looking for the guide to Toronto’s high profile NYE parties? Click here »)

L’Unità
Av and Dav might be known more for flower shops than fine dining, but this Italian restaurant has been winning over critics since it opened in 2007. L’Unità is serving a five-course meal for $95, including a quail and porcini mushroom risotto and a Muscovy duck confit, served with bitter greens, roasted fingerling potatoes, aged balsamic vinegar and pomegranate agrodolce (a savoury sauce).
L’Unit
à, 134 Avenue Rd., 416-964-8686. Read the Toronto Life review of L’Unità »

C5
Chef de cuisine Ted Corrado serves up a five-course meal for $98 in the ROM Crystal. Leave the slightly cheaper 5 p.m. seating to the grandparents, and head to C5 at eight for a glass of sparkling wine, followed by a meal of chestnut–goat cheese soufflé, roast goose or Cumbrae Farms beef short ribs. All selections can also be paired with wine for $125.
C5,
100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-7928. Read the Toronto Life review of C5 »

Didier
Didier Leroy is the consummate French chef, a distinction illustrated by his New Year’s menu, which is appropriately written in French. Such courses as soupe de marron (chestnut soup), huitres (oysters), foie gras poêlé (pan-fried foie gras) and filet de loup (sea bass) with caviar are on offer for $100 per person.
Didier,
1496 Yonge St., 416-925-8588. Read the Toronto Life review of Didier »

Splendido
The revamped space, far less stuffy than before, is a great setting for a New Year’s celebration. Chef de cuisine Victor Barry will be offering a foie gras parfait with toasted brioche, black truffle pappardelle, pancetta-wrapped elk sirloin with cheese, and crème fraîche dessert for only $100. Diners can booze up their dinner with five wine pairings for an additional $75.
Splendido, 88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788. Read the Toronto Life review of Splendido »

Canoe
The Bay Streeter’s restaurant of choice presents a $150 five-course meal. The extensive menu offers four choices for each course, so expect to overhear frequent dithering from adjacent tables. Try the iced Qualicum beach scallops with Dungeness crab jelly, spiced turban squash and puffed rice, or the plate of cured and raw meats, including pheasant and Quebec foie gras terrine, with Cumbrae steak tartare and suckling pig rolls. Add another $50 for wine pairings with the meal.
Canoe,
TD Centre, 66 Wellington St. W., 54th flr., 416-364-0054. Read the Toronto Life review of Canoe »

Auberge du Pommier
At this uptown French restaurant, the six-course prix fixe is $115, complete with palate-cleansing sorbet. We want to try the parsley root soup with king crab and lobster boudin blanc, the apple mustard–crusted pork and confit of belly. For an extra $30, Auberge offers three glasses of wine to be paired with the food selections.
Auberge du Pommier,
4150 Yonge St., 416-222-2220. Read the Toronto Life review of Auberge du Pommier »

Colborne Lane
One of Toronto’s most inventive chefs, Claudio Aprile is offering a $99 tasting menu, which diners can supplement with a $69 wine pairing. The menu isn’t finalized yet (it appears to change almost daily), but we are told it will be similar to current offerings, like miso-glazed black cod with sesame panna cotta, green onion sauce, pistachio and puffed tapioca, sockeye salmon sashimi with yuzu vinaigrette, and black sesame caviar.
Colborne Lane,
45 Colborne St., 416-368-9009. Read the Toronto Life review of Colborne Lane »

Trevor Kitchen and Bar
Good luck choosing a main at Trevor Wilkinson’s eponymous restaurant: options include champagne- and butter-poached lobster with macaroni and asiago, dry-aged Alberta beef tenderloin with brisket and onion gratin, and a 16-ounce Provimi veal chop with cauliflower ravioli and hedgehog mushrooms. The $69 set menu also offers sides à la carte, like truffled goat cheese poutine ($10) and buttermilk mashed potatoes ($7).
Trevor Kitchen and Bar,
38 Wellington St. E., 416-941-9410. Read the Toronto Life review of Trevor Kitchen and Bar »

The Fifth Grill and Terrace
For some, avoiding the entertainment district might be a crucial condition of an enjoyable New Year’s Eve, but intrepid souls willing to brave Richmond Street for a taste of The Fifth’s special meal will be rewarded. Eight courses cost $95; choose from lobster ravioli with fennel in a seafood bisque, truffle-infused beef tenderloin with a bordelaise sauce, and terrine of foie gras. This meal is sure to leave many revellers too tired for any festivities, but for the wild ones, dinner includes entrance to the nightclub Easy.
The Fifth Grill,
225 Richmond St. W., 416-979-3005. Read the Toronto Life review of The Fifth Grill »

Also: Check out our 10-part field guide to Toronto’s high profile NYE parties »