More than 275 restaurants applied for Winterlicious 2020

There are more than 15 different cultures represented in Winterlicious and the Portuguese is one of them. Adega, Chiado, Flor de Sal, Lisbon by Night and Via Norte: these are the five Portuguese restaurants that you can experience during Winterlicious. Your mouth will salivate just thinking about it: at dinner, in Adega, you can find pasta with tiger shrimp; at Chiado you can eat fresh cod; at Flor de Sal the famous cataplana with mussels and shrimp; at Lisbon by Night you can try their seafood rice and at Via Norte the traditional bitoque, a steak with a fried egg on top, can also be a good choice. Any of these will be a good choice and represents the Portuguese cuisine immaculately.

All those partners with Winterlicious recommends you to make a reservation and just be aware that during this food festival most of the menus change. This year, according to Toronto City Hall, 275 restaurants had applied to Winterlicious, but only 204 filled the requirements. Milénio Stadium spoke with the organization about this year’s 17th edition.

Milénio Stadium: More than 200 restaurants are participating this year on Winterlicious. What are the criteriums to be part of this list and how many candidates did apply on this edition?

City of Toronto: All restaurants city-wide can apply to participate. The program is inclusive, transparent and reflective of Toronto’s diverse cuisine. Restaurants who can demonstrate a value offering and who possess a current Dine Safe Green Pass issued by Toronto Public Health are eligible to apply.

The Advisory Board assists in the eligibility process and helps develop a long-term strategy for the program, ensuring it reflects Toronto’s diverse culinary landscape and keeping it fresh and relevant for the future. The Advisory Board is comprised of professionals from Toronto’s restaurant and tourism industries and culinary schools. More than 275 restaurants applied for Winterlicious 2020.

MS: Winterlicious is running from 31 January until 13 February. Why it doesn’t start before and why it’s only two weeks?

C.Toronto: Winterlicious annually starts the last Friday of January for 14 days.  We’ve kept the date formula for 18 years.  We’d love to have Winterlicious for longer than two weeks, but the restaurants have all indicated that two weeks was the best duration for them to effectively run their businesses.

MS: Can we order Winterlicious menus through food apps?

C.Toronto: No, Winterlicious is not available through food apps.  Diners need to enjoy the prix fixe menus in the restaurants.

MS: How many cultures are represented on Winterlicious?

C.Toronto: Toronto is an extremely diverse city in terms of people and culture.  Our food scene is as great reflection of this diversity.  There are more than 15 different cultures represented in Winterlicious.

MS: What is Winterlicious Photo Challenge?

C.Toronto: Everyone loves taking pics of their food! Winterlicious encourages everyone to share the best snaps of their delicious meals during Winterlicious 2020 and submit their photos to the blogTO Winterlicious Photo Challenge.

Tag your pics with #blogTOLicious on Instagram and participants could win a gift certificate to one of the below Winterlicious restaurants! The deadline to submit photos is February 13, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

Participants could win one of three gift certificates:

1st place: $200 gift certificate from Figures

2nd place: $150 gift certificate from Bangkok Garden

3rd place: $100 gift certificate from Amano Pasta

Note: All photos must be of a meal at a Winterlicious 2020 participating restaurant and taken between January 31 and February 13, 2020.

MS: What can we expect on Culinary Event Series?

C.Toronto: The Winterlicious 2020 Culinary Event Series features 13 eclectic dining and food experiences. There is as wide range of food experiences.

The Culinary Event Series will include a wide range of events suitable for both adventurous and cautious food explorers. The Winterlicious 2020 Culinary Event Series features a few eclectic food experiences to choose from:

David Gibson’s Favourites: A Farmhouse Supper, Gibson House Museum on January 31 and February 7

Edible History – Taste Where Toronto All Began, St. Lawrence Market on January 31, February 7, 8 and 9

Afternoon Tea at the Castle, Casa Loma on February 8 and 9

A Chocolate Tasting Affair, Crimson Teas on February 8 and 13

Dinner with the Mackenzies, Mackenzie House on February 12 and 13

Historic Tavern Meal, Montgomery’s Inn Museum on February 8

Hungry for Comfort: Surviving a Canadian Winter, Fort York National Historic Site on February 9

Scotch Tasting Dinner, David Duncan House, February 10 and 12

Tequila Tasting Dinner with Chef Claudio Aprile, Xango on February 11

Joana Leal/MS