If you’re trying to decide on the best restaurant to choose for Summerlicious, Toronto’s popular price fixe food festival, you won’t be disappointed with dinner at Nota Bene Restaurant. 

If you’re not familiar with the Summerlicious food festival, it’s a two-week event promoted by the City of Toronto featuring more than 200 of Toronto’s top restaurants offering three-course prix fixe menus at one of three price categories

Lunch: $18 | $23 | $28 or Dinner: $28 | $38 | $48 (subject to change annually)

Along with One at the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville, Nota Bene is one of the best restaurants to enjoy during Summerlicious. It opened in 2008  and quickly vaulted to several “Canada’s Best New Restaurant” lists.

Sleek and contemporary, Nota Bene is located in the heart of Toronto on Queen St. W at University

Nota Bene is helmed by Executive Chef David Lee, who built a stellar reputation at hot spots such as Centro, Splendido and Carbon Bar.

The interior has since been remodelled and the menu has evolved, but it continues to be beloved by food fans due to its exceptionally-prepared contemporary cuisine and fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.

How to Score a Reservation at the Best Summerlicious Restaurants

Aeroplan members enjoy the opportunity to make restaurant reservations for Summerlicious before the general public Credit: Aeroplan

The biggest challenge of Summerlicious is getting a dinner reservation for the restaurant of your choice.

Did you know that Aeroplan members can make advance reservations at Summerlicious participating restaurants a day before the general public? I didn’t!

This perk is a new benefit for Aeroplan members and is very handy for scoring prime-time reservations at  top restaurants such as Nota Bene during Summerlicious, Toronto’s summer restaurant promotion.

Not yet a member of the Aeroplan Loyalty Program? It’s easy and free to enroll here.

With our Aeroplan reservation in place at Nota Bene, we breezed past the Saturday night crowds on busy Queen St. West and were whisked to our reserved table for two. It was hard not to gawk at the glam decor.

The sleek yet welcoming design channels a zen vibe through a creative mix of  textures, colours and light harmoniously imagined by  +tongtong  studio (known for projects such as the W Hotel Hoboken, The Drake and Cafe Belong).

Our plush seats offered views of the modern open kitchen, the glossy indigo-hued ceiling with reflections evoking the night skyline and an airy collection of tumbleweeds, affixed on the ceiling for a splash of fun.

Create your own Gin and Tonic by choosing your gin, your tonic and garnishes at Nota Bene restaurant in Toronto

We began our meal with Nota Bene’s Build-Your-Own Gin & Tonic menu. Guided by our knowledgeable server, our choice of gin was Whitley Neill, featuring nine botanicals including Baobob fruit and cape gooseberry from Africa.

The gin was paired with a Mediterranean tonic and served with a DIY garnish of grapefruit, cucumber and hibiscus. Despite our enthusiasm for dropping hibiscus flowers into the cocktail to watch it morph into a pretty shade of pink, we didn’t manage to destroy our creation and our G & T  turned out to be a deliciously refreshing and ideal for a summer evening. Definitely put Whitley Neill gin on your must-try list!

Unable to resist the lure of the Tunisian Octopus on Nota Bene’s regular menu, my dining companion opted for selections from the main menu while I explored the Summerlicious offerings. I only veered off-menu briefly when I learned of the special appetizer option, a dish of Ontario white asparagus, itself such a rarity at the end of asparagus season in Ontario that I had to have it. I wasn’t disappointed with my choice, it was beautifully prepared and tasted as fresh as a spring breeze.

Beautiful white Ontario asparagus makes a brief but special appearance each spring

Our memorable Nota Bene dining experience continued with a side order of the shoshito peppers, slim hot peppers blistered in oil and sprinkled with sea salt, a snack that reminded of Pimientos de Padron, one of my all-time favourite dishes from Galicia, northern Spain.

Not only do the shoshito peppers at Note Bene offer the same sizzling bite of flavour with unexpectedly hits of heat every 10th pepper or so, but they are just as addictive as their northern counterparts.

Probably the best octopus I’ve ever eaten was this Tunisian Octopus served with miso-gochujang sauce at Nota Bene

My choice for a main from the Summerlicious menu was Ragu Bolognese — prepared with rapini, olives and pancetta over a tender Pappardelle pasta — a dish that instantly transported me back to Tuscany, Italy. I was also impressed by the forkfuls of the Tunisian Octopus I was able to spear from my companion’s plate. It was incredibly tender and delicate tasting.

Our dessert choices were Ontario Strawberry Trifle featuring fresh-picked sweet local strawberries and a cheese plate including Bleu d’Élizabeth, a mellow, earthy blue cheese from Quebec. It was an evening of exceptional cuisine with dishes presented in a contemporary way, without the distraction of molecular embellishment, an approach that really allowed the ingredients to shine. Nota Bene’s Summerlicious menu is a taste of summer with a dash of global flair. It’s also fantastic value at $48 (plus gratuity)

The Complete  $48 Summerlicious Dinner Menu at Nota Bene Restaurant in Toronto for 2017

Nova Scotia Lobster Tom Yum Soup
coconut milk, Thai chilies, lemongrass
or
Bigeye Tuna Tartare
soba noodles, wakame, watermelon, shiso
or
Ontario Tomato & Goat Gouda Salad
shoshito peppers, sunflower seed vinaigrette
or
Crisp Duck Salad
green papaya, cucumber, fish sauce, chilies, Asian herbs