In researching this year’s Summerlicious menus, one thing that started to catch our eye was how innovative and exciting some of the plates on offer are. We’re all for traditional cuisine, don’t get us wrong. But don’t ya just love something new you haven’t seen before? Or the fusion of ingredients that are rarely friends on the playground? So, today’s guide is all about six restaurants showcasing some innovative and exciting prix-fixe frenzies…

+ Don’t Miss
Summerlicious | 2013 Guide to 6 Chic and Sophisticated Spots
Summerlicious | 2013 Guide to 6 Cool and Comfortable Spots
Summerlicious | 2013 Guide to 6 Eclectic and Energetic Options

Origin Liberty – Summerlicious 2013 Menu
The cool vibes that swirl around the gorgeous space that is Origin Liberty come from queues to the building’s past incarnation as a gun factory. Historical relics aside, Origin Liberty is just damn awesome to eat at. (Hello! Chef Claudio Aprile, anyone?) Dig into Origin Liberty’s Summerlicious menu and experience some of the innovation for yourself. While the $15 lunch is an absolute steal, we’re a bit more tempted by the dinner menu’s offerings: Shrimp ceviche with coconut, pomelo, and passion fruit? Done. Grilled chicken with black mole, avocado, plantain and bacon? Yes, please! Vanilla soft serve with ginger crunch, blueberries and a sugar cone? We feel like kids again already!

Lucien – Summerlicious 2013 Menu
The delicious dining digs that are Lucien make us giddy any day of the week. And during Summerlicious, we’re all about their $20 lunch. (The same menu appears at dinner, just with larger portions. Clever, Lucien. Clever.) We’ll be starting with the Albacore tuna crudo with leeks, ponzu sauce and tapioca pearls, before noshing on some pan roasted Perth County pork with confit of heirloom tomatoes and cilantro dressing. Then, we’ll literally get our cherry on top with cherries jubilee, vanilla ice cream, and cream soda. Loving these throwback desserts!

LUMA – Summerlicious 2013 Menu

Not for nothin’, but we know LUMA like nobody’s business. Chef Jason Bangerter is a total genius in the kitchen, so it’s only smart (yeah… that was a sad attempt at a pun) that we’d be perusing his menu for Summerliciousness. (They made up a word, so can we!) Since we’re always busy at lunch, LUMA’s Summerlicious dinner is what’s calling our name. Start with the chilled sweet corn and onion soup with avocado crab salad because it’s summer and you need something refreshing. Move on to the Arctic char quinoa salad with orange, fennel and lemon vinaigrette because Arctic char is so underrated. And finish with the luminosity found in maple and whiskey marinated Canadian cheddar with celery, apple and walnut. Summery, light, and delicious… the perfect meal at the perfect spot.

Splendido – Summerlicious 2013 Menu
Who doesn’t love Splendido. Come on… a beautiful restaurant filled with beautiful people and beautiful food. That’s the trifecta! For some sultry Summerlicious satiation, order up the pickled mackerel with smoked crème fraiche and new potato salad. Why? Because where else will you get some smoked crème fraiche? Then have some egg yolk raviolo with wilted spinach and perigord black truffle, because if we’ve learned anything from our foodie follies it’s that people, no matter what, think everything is better with truffle. And then give yourself a thousand reasons (you’ll get it in a second) to be proud of your Summerlicious selection with the strawberry lemon mille feuille – Get it? Mille feuille = A thousand sheets. Har, har, har! – with poppy seeds and puff pastry. Splendid!

Lee – Summerlicious 2013 Menu
Monsieur Susur’s tickling our fancy this Summerlicious with a difficult-to-choose spread of specialties. (Well, difficult for the Average Joe.) We’re thinking we’ve got the best option per course down pat… To start: Cheeseburger spring roll with smoked chili mayo, pickled vegetables, and lettuce wrap. To fill up: Spicy jerk chicken Mexican with Cotija cheese, corn capote and lime, and polenta corn fritter. To finish: Hot banana chocolate cake with lemon/sour cream ice cream, salted butterscotch sauce, and wild blueberry preserves. See, told ya we had it in the bag!

Vertical – Summerlicious 2013 Menu
Climb the ranks with Vertical during Summerlicious this year, and have some nosh-worthy cuisine atop their lovely and expansive patio. You can’t go wrong with either menu, but the prix-fixe dinner is where they really showcase their innovative takes on Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Our top picks, you ask? We’ll be starting with the clams alongside Merguez sausage, then we’ll dig into the porchetta with jus and a radish salad, and we’ll go cray cray for the pineapple and rum carpaccio with watermelon and granola crumble. Vertical’s takin’ us higher than a kite…