Sassafraz for Summerlicious

I was so excited last Wednesday morning that I didn't even hit snooze once.  I hopped right out of bed and got dressed quickly because I was meeting a friend for lunch at Sassafraz!  I had such a positive experience at Pagaea on the first day of Summerlicious for $20, so I was expecting the $30 Sassafraz lunch to blow it out of the water.

Sassafraz is a Yorkville celebrity hangout, a place to be seen, and supposedly a place with great food.  I would have had a more satisfying experience at Swiss Chalet (which I did the next day).

I started with the Boston lettuce salad with sweet and sour summer berries and citrus dressing, which was uninspiring and too acidic.  My friend Lisa had spicy black bean soup with crème fraiche and chives.  The soup was suspiciously similar to the Campbells version they served in my university cafeteria.

 

I had a glass of Niagra reisling with lunch, not as sweet as it's European counterparts, but it was nice light accompaniment.  Lisa and I both wanted to try the grilled adobe brushed chicken breast with corn salsa and buttermilk potato puree.  Eating out at good restaurants for me, is about tasting things I've never tasted, seeing things plated in ways I've never thought of, and being amazed at how simple ingredients can taste so amazing in the hands of the right chef.  Ours tasted exactly like my mom's usual barbecued chicken breasts brushed with Diana sauce, which I enjoy eating on her back deck on a summer evening...for free.  Lisa thought the potatoes tasted like they came from a box.  The corn salsa was good, but not interesting.  I don't think that Sassafraz is going for comfort food, and if they are this rang a little too true!

When our server took our order he first seem surprised that I wanted wine and then insisted we decide on all three courses at once.  I wasn't sure about dessert.  I asked if I had to decided on it right away, he said yes!  I said, well if I have to make a rushed decision I'll have the strawberry and rhubarb tart (with white chocolate sorbet).  The sorbet was rock hard and didn't taste like white chocolate at all.  The tart shell was good, like a shortbread cookie, but it was filled with soggy fruit.  Lisa had the tiramisu with Kahlua chocolate sauce and espresso bean croquant.  Here it is here.  It tasted fine, but no different than the President's Choice version you can pick up at Loblaws.  Since we had ordered our dessert at the begining, the food runners automatically brought it out after our main course and dropped them in front of us.  But we wanted tea, so we had to wait until our server noticed that we weren't eating.  Lisa told me to take a picture of the tea pots because, 'the tea was the best part'.  It was.  Loose leaf Sri lankan earl grey.

Although I was disappointed, I do have something positive to say.  They were really careful with my allergies (nuts and seafood).  As each course came out the person who brought it would specifically say that it was nut free before placing it down in front of me.  Then before we left, our server said he hopes we come back sometime, and he'll remember, no nuts.  Sorry Fred, we'll never be back.

Comments

[Carrie]

I had a similarly dissapointing experience at Sassafraz last year. When I wrote a letter of complaint they offered me a "small" (yet unspecified amount) gift certificate for a return experience. I told them not to bother. I'd rather spend my money somewhere where I'm not treated like cattle because I opt for the special they are offering. Sheesh.

[Jamie]

That is TOO funny that you take pix at your meal! What a great idea!