For many people, celebrating a special day or achievement often involves dining out at a restaurant. But the pandemic has changed all that, with many now turning to takeout or prepared meal kits to bring a part of that favourite eatery home.
While the latter might involve a little more commitment than a quick reheat in the microwave, it could feature thoughtfully packaged multi-course affairs that come nearly ready-to-eat and only require the smallest finishing touches.
These spectacular at-home culinary experiences are fuss-free and available via purveyor-specific virtual markets, delivered straight to your door or through curbside pick-up. Equipped with clear instructions—sometimes including all the embellishments from playlists to additional kitchen tools—these kits are perfect for all occasions. They also make great gifts.
Bringing that cherished restaurant experience home has never been easier than with the help from these professionals.
FARE BY THE FOOD DUDES (farebyfooddudes.com/experiences)
A premier provider of food-driven event experiences, The Food Dudes may be best known for their award-winning catering service. However, their latest venture, FARE by The Food Dudes, provides the city’s discerning eaters with premium groceries and prepared goods.
The elaborately packaged Experience Boxes from FARE include all the details that help create a full event that includes a multicourse meal with beverage pairing, table setting and Spotify playlist.
From a seasonal produce box to an abundance of prepared foods that include classic Food Dudes dishes, there are also crowd favourites that frequent diners may recognize from the team’s brick-and-mortar restaurants Rasa, Sara, Pantry and Blondies Pizza.
The themed Experience Boxes offer one-of-a-kind dining. There’s the social Wine & Chill that pairs wine with a host of cheeses, cured meats and spreads, and Movie Night, which comes with vintage popcorn boxes and candy salad. Family Time is an interactive experience, complete with Food Dudes aprons, a DIY pizza kit and
fried chicken.
One of two starters, the colourful Rasa Chopped Salad in the Date Night kit is made with kale, napa cabbage, quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, grapes, mint and parsley that’s tossed in a homemade red wine vinaigrette, crumbled feta, harissa chickpeas and sumac, then finished with a swoosh of jalapeño feta spread before serving.
Romantics might appreciate the luxurious Breakfast in Bed box that features mimosas, fresh baked goods and the weekend newspaper. There’s also the Date Night kit, which goes beyond just a gourmet meal by including a bottle of white or rose wine, a Spotify playlist, candles and flowers for the table.
Brimming with fresh greens that are tossed at the last moment with fresh dressings, start with both the Rasa chopped salad that’s topped with harissa chickpeas and sided with a rich jalapeño feta spread, and the meaty heirloom beet and truffle goat cheese salad. Feast on tender beef tenderloin bathed in a gossamer veal jus that’s paired with grilled broccolini with mushroom XO and a kicked-up pumpkin seed romesco, plus creamy bone marrow-mounted pomme puree.
Both pretty and sweet, the meal wraps up with a composed ring of dark chocolate and raspberry mousse that sits on a crisp cocoa nib and almond tuille, leaving you the rest of the night to enjoy each other’s company.
ABURI RESTAURANTS CANADA (aburiathome.com/toronto)
In their continuing efforts to innovate and bring contemporary Japanese cuisine to Torontonians, this group launched Aburi at Home early in the pandemic. The easy-to-navigate website features signature cuisine from newly opened Minami Toronto, plus award-winning sister restaurants Miku Toronto, Aburi TORA Yorkdale and Aburi Hana Yorkville. Available for pickup or delivery through trusted partners, these elevated meal options can now be enjoyed from the comfort and safety of home.
Simple and near-ready-to-eat meal kits from Aburi Restaurants straddle both hot and cold mains, including frozen meal solutions in crowd-pleasing flavours.
In addition to the lauded flame-seared aburi sushi, composed bentos and platters, there’s also excellent Japanese-European inspired desserts via Aburi Patisserie that include the group’s well-loved Green Tea Opera Cake.
Simple to follow, Minami’s frozen meal solutions include flavourful crowd-pleasers like light and silky Atlantic salmon sukiyaki that’s bathed in a shoyu simmering sauce with shiitake mushroom, savoy cabbage and still crisp broccolini. The soy-ginger glazed pork comes with a vegetable medley, while the hearty sweet soy tofu marinates the medium-firm meat alternative in the restaurant’s special Aburi teriyaki sauce. Other chef-made dinner options include unagi don and oyako don. All dishes are packaged in food-grade, BPA-free and dioxin-free bags and take less than 12 minutes to cook.
Miku’s Temaki Sushi meal kit features salmon, maguro, spicy salmon, avocado, cucumber, kimpira carrot, braised red cabbage, sushi rice and nori.
Meanwhile, Miku’s temaki sushi kit features salmon, maguro, spicy salmon, avocado, cucumber, kimpira carrot, braised red cabbage, sushi rice and nori. Created by Miku Toronto head chef Michael Acero, the soba peperoncino kit transforms prawns, squid, bell peppers and soba noodles into an umami-rich mentsuyu-sauce slicked noodle creation.
O&B AT HOME (oliverbonacini.com/grocery-delivery)
Offering delivery and curbside pickup from Parcheggio (2901 Bayview Ave.) on Wednesdays and Fridays, the restaurant group’s line of weekly groceries includes pantry goods, seasonal produce and high-quality meats. There’s a bevy of ready-to-heat family meals, alcohol such as wines and batched cocktails, curated gift baskets and personal-care products. However, it’s the line of build-at-home signature chef kits that helps transport tastebuds back to the restaurant group’s dining room.
With ready-made meal options that can be frozen for a later date, plus easy-to-prepare meal kits, an order from O&B at Home can cover meal needs throughout the week.
Taste restaurant dishes from Canoe, Babel and Liberty Commons. There are oven-ready empanadas from Leña, tourtière from Bannock, O&B Artisan’s chicken pot pie, Margherita and pepperoni pizzas from restaurant-partner Pizzeria Libretto and Parcheggio’s very popular lasagna. There’s Maison Selby’s excellent French onion soup, that oozes with broiler-blistered cheese, or consider taking a trip around the world through Jump’s creamy butter chicken that’s sided with basmati pilaf, pillowy-crisp naan, raita and chutney.
The butter chicken meal kit from O&B restaurant Jump comes with everything needed to create the aromatic and hearty meal, and only requires a few moments in the kitchen to reheat all the components.
The group’s chefs are constantly developing and adapting classic recipes that can be translated for the home kitchen, including seasonal specials for holidays like Mother’s Day and beyond. So check their virtual market often.
PUSATERI’S FINE FOODS (shop.pusateris.com)
In addition to curated grocery boxes offered by their online catalogue, the gourmet grocer has also ventured into providing gourmet meals for the at-home chef. Each three-course meal kit, which includes an easy-to-follow instruction card, is chock full of fresh and vibrant ingredients, and available seven days a week with 48 hours notice.
The refreshing and easy to prepare lemon caper halibut meal from Pusateri’s features a starter of cauliflower puttanesca, fresh pan-seared halibut and a platter of seasonal fruit to finish.
There’s a tuna poke and halibut option, Cajun salmon meal, even a vegetarian bolognese meal kit. Family-friendly kits include pizza meals and a fish taco kit. The restaurant-style meals are prepared by you with the help of Pusateri’s fine kitchen team.
For a gourmet night in, the lemon caper halibut meal starts with punchy roasted cauliflower puttanesca, followed by seared fresh halibut with a lemon caper sauce on a quinoa-white bean salad. Both fresh and meaty, the fish is succulent and incredibly easy to prepare, with the whole meal taking 20 minutes from the moment the oven reaches its desired heat to when the first two courses are served. A light and refreshing seasonal fruit salad with coconut yoghurt closes the healthy and highly satisfying meal.
Lemon caper halibut meal.
Meanwhile, the Beef Wellington and prosciutto kit opens with a delicious truffle and mushroom risotto—a flavourful reward for the little bit of time spent over the stove coaxing the par-cooked grains into a winning dish. Sporting a golden weaved butter pastry crust, the beef and prosciutto wellington is supported by finely-chopped mushroom duxelles, celeriac puree, roasted parsnips, Cipollini onions and grilled asparagus, topped with a veal demi-glace. This classy meal ends with a silky crema Catalana for dessert.
