FOOD: Winterlicious 2015 at America in the Trump Tower

There's nothing like being waited on from the 31st floor of the Trump Tower. That's what it's like at America, a contemporary restaurant located at the highest point of Bay and Adelaide. I celebrated my first pay check by taking my parents out for a meal. The great thing is that more is merrier. More people means you can try ALL THE THINGS. The three of us covered off a majority of the menu for a more well-rounded dining experience.

The ambiance was different for me. We sat window-side table on a couch (which was a little low for the table) overlooking the city. It was oddly comfy and after eating, I wanted to nap in it. The music was cool and upbeat..and metropolitan?

As for the service, the wait staff were kind. They filled the water often, made jokes with us, and asked us how we were doing during each course. What was a little off-putting was the wait time. Between ordering and getting the appetizer it was a fair 7-10 minutes. But after my palette was piqued and I felt like going in for more, it took an entire HALF AN HOUR before we got hour entrees. It was anti-climatic. I could literally go to a grocery store, come back and make a sandwich in half an hour. Perhaps because the food had to be brought up a set of stairs into the area of the restaurant we were seated in, it took so long...

Luckily, the food was satisfying enough to make up for the waiting time.

Pressed BBQ Pork Belly - chow chow apple preserve, sourdough, tasso ham crackling

Thoughts:Yum, yum, yum. The BBQ pork paired so, so well with the tartness of the mustard seed and chow chow apple preserve. My dad and I love ham crackling (AKA deep fried pork skins) dusted with spices, a great addition to the plate.

Heritage Salmon Poke Cocktail - pineapple, macadamia nut, coffee, coconut

Thoughts: The salmon was fresh, perhaps a little on the cold side for such a cold day. This is literally a cocktail - salmon sitting in pineapple juice. The pineapple juice was too sweet and not acidic enough to complement the salmon, rather they clashed. A discombobulated plate... lacked flavour.

Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi (vegetarian) - broccoli, smokey blue, mornay sauce, onion rings

Thoughts: I love meat dishes but made the jump to try something vegetarian, as I'm a huge fan of pan fried gnocchi. They were so pillowy and well-seasoned. Plus, broccoli and cheese is always a good combination - the smokey blue cheese worked really well to liven up the broccoli puree.

Billy Bob's Blackened Catfish - warm spinach salad, nameko mushrooms, sunchoke, sunflower

Thoughts: Cooked to perfection, yet the delicate catfish lacked flavour. The bed of spinach salad, on the other hand, was a really good salad.

Wellington County Flat Iron Steak (local) - rancho gordo white bean chili, rutabaga, compressed cucumber

Thoughts: Not the highest quality cut of beef but the meat was medium-rare as requested by my daddio. Well-seasoned and the sweetness of the white bean chili gave the otherwise basic steak a nice twist.

Granny Apple Sticky Pudding (vegetarian/local) - sourdough & maker's mark burbon pudding, pecan toffee sauce, pretzel ice cream

Thoughts: OMG OMG OMG. Highlight of the entire meal. I still dream about this sticky toffee pudding. It's sweet, rich, and sticky (as the name suggests). there's crunch and richness and creaminess and a little tartness from the apple. I need to learn how to make this myself...

Cheese (vegetarian) - big ed's gouda, simple accompaniments

Thoughts: Oddly enough, I prefer the "simple accompaniments" over the cheese itself. Rosemary honey and the preserves were yummy in my tummy.

Peanut Butter Panna Cotta - toasted marshmallow, allspice peanut brittle

Thoughts: Not particularly a fan of this panna cotta. Perhaps it was the strange peanut butter texture that altered what might be a panna cotta that I'm used to may have put me off a little. The brittle and toasted marshmallow parts were a little more satisfying.

Complimentary chocolate covered marshmallow

Thoughts: The complimentary chocolate covered marshmallows the waiter brought with the bill seemed like an afterthought. The marshmallows were good but became overly sweet with the chocolate covering.

Overall, a pretty decent meal. I'd give it higher than a 55% (per urbanspoon) but there were some definite highs and lows. If you plan on attending the Winterlicious festivities at America at Trump Hotel this year, I'd definitely recommend the BBQ Pork, Gnocchi, the Sticky Toffee Pudding, as well as a window seat from which you can see Lake Ontario.