Click here to check out our Complete Guide to Winterlicious 2013!
With the prix fixe extravaganza that is Winterlicious but a month away, and reservations already underway for some lucky AMEX card holders, we’re gearing up to bring you our best bets for the 2013 season. (Stay tuned tomorrow…)
But before we launch our Top 25, we wanted to take a moment to boil down Winterlicious-appropriate behaviour to a modicum of survival tips. After all, while the three-course food fest is great for a restaurant’s exposure, it’s can be equally awful on its level of sanity and execution. You know those Don’t Do What Billy Don’t Does books? Well think of this as Don’t Do What Devil Diner Does…
ADVERTISEMENT |
Don’t make more reservations than you can handle…
Sure, it’s easy to think big and attempt to cram in two three-course meals daily for the duration of Winterlicious. But soon you’ll start to regret all those extra calories. Be smart… pick your own personal Top 10… and enjoy each meal as much as the last. Resent your parents, not your food.
Don’t be a cheap date…
To a server, tips equal life. And during Winterlicious, thanks to – at many spots at least – greatly reduced bills, they stand to lose a good chunk of their income. Increase your typical tips by 5% to 7%. Just because your meal’s cheap doesn’t mean you are too, right?
Don’t stick to standards…
We all love steak frites, but on a prix fixe menu they’re ever-so blasé. Winterlicious is a perfect time to order up dishes you’d typically avoid. Don’t like to eat anything you can’t pronounce? Point at the menu and have it brought out. Had a bad experience with, say, beets, and not looking to relive the ick factor? Bad dishes happen to good ingredients! Don’t penalize an item that is varied in application just because one chef fucked it up.
And finally, don’t be a twit sending out 140 characters of hate…
Whether you try to book late and miss out on that must-try restaurant reservation, or you have to wait 25 minutes between courses because the space is rammed, or one of the dishes you really wanted to sample has sold out… don’t publicly blast a restaurant for some imperfections during these extraordinary circumstances. Though there are exceptions, all participants in the Winterlicious program genuinely want to impress and create a lasting memory that harkens you back on occasion. Dine out with patience and aplomb.
ADVERTISEMENT |
Check back tomorrow for our Toronto Winterlicious 2013 Guide…