Toronto, Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Shrimp Martini

Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 3438 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M4N 2N2, (416) 483-4800

Overall Food Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars: Wildfire, along with only a few others like Corner House Restaurant, is among the select few where the increased capacity and lower cost of “Winterlicious”, Toronto’s restaurant week, does not challenge the quality, service, culinary talent, and value of the meals being turned out of their kitchens. When I’ve been served “Watermelon cold soup”, with a food cost of about $.25, at past Winterlicious experiences, being served delicious five jumbo shrimp is both impressive and refreshing.

Atmosphere Rating: 4.5 / 5: Dining room seating, with leather seating, is comfortable, beautiful and lit dimly.

3.5 / 5: If you are seating upstairs like we were, you might hear every other table’s conversations except your own,…especially if you are seated in the back corner!

Service Rating: 5 / 5 stars: Leslie was friendly, competent, attentive, filled my water glass constantly and was overall awesome. In other words, nothing like wait staff at other pretentious restaurants, like Auberge du Pommier, during Winterlicious. Some waiters feel earning tip on a $100-$200 meal rather than that on a prix fixe meal is an entitlement and beware as some of them have no problem sharing that opinion, through body language and lack of service, with you.

Value Rating: 5 / 5 stars: A Winterlicious lunch that includes fresh jumbo shrimp, five at that, half a lobster, fresh warm bread, and fresh full size delicious desserts, in a beautiful setting with great service for $25? This is the best value I have ever come across….ever!  A refreshing attitude absent from restaurants like North 44, Auberge du Pommier, Canoe which I avoid during Winterlicious because they try to maintain the same profit margin by skimping out on portions, menu, etc and hence disappoint. If the quality, taste, and value is any indication, owner Jody Ness really cares that his patrons are getting a great food experience.

Appetizer/Starter Rating: The Shrimp Martini, 5 / 5 stars: Fresh jumbo tiger shrimp served with a delicious citrus-vodka infused cocktail sauce did not disappoint. If you are afraid that ordering shrimp in a restaurant means getting 3 limp frozen thawed tiny things, fear no more!