Localicious: frugality knows no season

Localicious: frugality knows no season

Suffix solution: the latest -licious kicks off tomorrow (Photo by Catherine Kustanczy)

We’re surprised it took so long for another “-licious” event to spring up between Summerlicious and Winterlicious, but here it is. As part of Localicious (running from October 2 to 18), 11 restaurants across the city will be offering menus of dishes containing local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, with proceeds going to the World Wildlife Fund. The Toronto edition of the dining deal (Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa and Calgary are also involved) features the following establishments: Cowbell, Epic, Gilead Café, Grano, La Palette, Marvellous Edibles, Quince, Rebel House, Reds, Veritas and Victor.

Our recommendations, after the jump.

Looking at the menus, this event is clearly less draconian than its -licious brethren. There are no three-course rules, no prescribed $25 to $45 prices. Grano, for example, is offering a four-course menu ($40 for one, $60 for two), and Epic is plugging B.C. halibut—not really sure how that is local, but at least it’s Canadian.

The items we are most looking forward to are Cowbell’s $50 three-course dinner (charcuterie, grass-fed beef, crème caramel) and La Palette’s special dishes (potato-crusted bison cheeks and a spiced pumpkin crème brûlée among them). Veritas has one of the thriftiest offerings: a tantalizing three-course lunch prix fixe for $20.

Localicious, Oct. 2 to 18, various locations, official Web site.