After the holidays, most people pull back on how much they’re eating and drinking. This past week, I went the other way.

On Sunday we had dinner with Ricky & Olivia at DaiLo. Being out with friends who have their own Michelin-recognized restaurant changes the experience somewhat, as other chefs want to share their top stuff (and maybe show off a bit) with respected peers, so Lindsay and I benefitted from that. As a result, I can’t remember everything we ate — a lot of courses came out unbidden — but do remember these ones, and recall that everything was fantastic.

• Hakka Brown Wontons (pork & shrimp) w/ toasted sesame oil, house xo sauce, almond crumble
• Crispy Octopus Tacos w/ red braised pork belly, sambal aioli, jicama shell
• Burmese Tofu w/ mushroom duxelle black bean sauce, wing bean, pear, pickled honey mushrooms, Sichuan mustard vinaigrette
• Vietnamese Phaux Beef Carpaccio: 90 day aged ribeye cap, braised tendon, warm pho demi glace, crispy rice noodle, basil bean sprout
• Sweet & Sour Pork Hock w/ Po Po’s original sauce, almond crumble, pickled daikon
• Panang Fried Eggplant & Burrata w/ arugula herb salad, pistachio pesto, tamarind glaze, chili crunch
• Truffle Hainanese Chicken w/ foie fat rice, scallion ginger oil, confit garlic sambal, crispy garlic & onion
• Smoked Duck Bokkeum w/ kimchi pickled spring vegetables, gochugaru onion jam, miso blue potato salad, crispy wild rice
• 90 Day Dry Aged Butcher Shoppe Rib Eye w/ Asian bordelaise sauce, braised shiitake, truffle pomme puree
• Desserts
• A bottle of Beaujolais (Clos de la Roilette Fleurie Cuvée Tardive)

On Tuesday I had dinner booked with Shannon, which we’d been trying to set up for a while. I chose Wood Owl, and while it wasn’t quite as tasty as our first time there late last year, it was still pretty great.

• apps
  • yellowfin tuna, aji amarillo & Cara Cara orange w/ cucumber, lime leaf oil, Thai basil, red chili
  • steak tartare & beef tallow toast w/ cornichon, caper, shallot, dijon, egg yolk
• mains
  • braised short rib, celeriac & Gruyere puree w/ caramelized onion & red wine sauce, escarole, crunchy dijon vinaigrette (Shannon)
  • steak frites, Café de Paris butter, fries, aioli (me)

I had glasses of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc / Weissburgunder, and Sangiovese. Shannon was on dry January.

On Thursday I had a work dinner at DaNico. It was a more intimate affair than usual with just a handful of attendees. One of those was an old employee of mine, so that was an unexpected treat. Also a treat: these dinners don’t usually happen at Michelin-starred restaurants.

• canapé selection (all five of which were exceptional)
• seared Ontario venison w/ organic chestnut purée, red beets, port jus
• Spaghettoni pasta from Gragnano boiled in an extraction of organic Ontario mushrooms w/ Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months, fresh Italian black truffle
• Chilean sea bass steamed and deglazed with miso w/ radicchio tardivo all’ agro, Oscetra sturgeon caviar, white vermouth sauce
• Itakuja chocolate, namelaka with soft caramel insert, fruity mokable crunch, tonka gelato

After opening a bottle of Bollinger (!) for the aperitivo, they let me pick the wine. I decided to champion Ontario wine, ordering bottles of Bachelder “Les Villages” Pinot Noir and Hidden Bench “Tête de Cuvée” Chardonnay. Even snuck in an Amaro at the end.