Aviary

This restaurant was my first kitchen table experience. And gotta say, had a really great time. Each meal was served by a different waiter, and they all were fully engaging. They described every meal and drink.

As a friend put it, this place was more about the drinks, and the food was the actual pairing to the drinks.

Some other notes is that this place is from the same group as Alinea, and they do recommend drinks back and forth. Also, my three favorite foods from below is the pea soup (had real crab meat), the scallops, and the scallion fritters.

Here is the complete menu:

  • Dungeons and dragons (white run with dragon fruit) and a ricotta lemon zest starter
  • Golden eggs drink (pineapple beer tequila) with scallops and caviar
  • The blue berry (gin, blue berry) and scallion fritters
  • Tea (rum and cognac) with Crab meat dish
  • Truffle explosion
  • Duck with popcorn whisky (3 whiskies)
  • Wendies frosty and chips (which you dip the chips in )
  • Sorbet with an aperitif (there was almonds and several fruits in it)

The Bison Restaurant and Lounge

For this restaurant, it was a fixed price dinner of $75 Canadian.

The starter (charcuterie plate) was good, especially the spread pictured in the center (it was a sweet, garlic, savory spread).

For the appetizer, I got the bison tataki. It was light (and good). For the main I got the Bison short ribs. I’m not gonna lie, it was ok. I liked how tender it was (fall of the bone), but the taste was gamey. For desert I got the chocolate cake and apple sorbet. The cake was good, but the sorbet was a bit too sour.

The first drink I got was amazing. It was an iced coffee martini. The second rink, a lychee martini, was the worst martini ever (it was basically vodka and just a lychee fruit sitting there). I sent it back so they could add some lychee purée. It tasted better, but still not good.

Overall, I would come back. May not get the Bison short rib though.