It was that week at the end of June when Toronto was experiencing a 40% chance of thundershowers 100% of the time. Around 5pm I stared out the window of my apartment and looked at a landscape spotted with dark, gloomy and threatening cumulous with a horizon that looked more promising. I crossed my fingers as I jolted on a tram along Queen Street bound for The Drake Hotel.
The celebration that evening would be for Chef Ted Corrado’s new Spring/Summer menu and with great luck we enjoyed The Drake’s infamous newly refurbished Sky Yard without a drop of rain. I chatted with a few of my favourite food media friends while sipping on a guava margarita which offered up the perfect punch. Over the course of the next two hours a sampling of edibles whisked under our noses. Highlights included an addictive crispy fried chicken, melt in your mouth short ribs, fresh burrata salad and a sweet flourless chocolate cake.
Chef Ted has reinterpreted the Drake’s menu by shifting the culinary program from a robust entree centric focus to a more communal dining experience. Drake’s Sky Yard has had a nice little face lift and Chef Ted’s new menu inspires us to relish in the upcoming patio season where we will all surely live out our most fond summer 2013 memories.
The Feast:
Guava Margarita
Charred Octopus
Green Gazpacho
Fried Chicken with Potato Salad
3-Day Short ribs
Burrata Salad
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel
House-Made Macarons
