Summerlicious Toronto preview 2012

Summerlicious has never seemed a more appropriate name than during this sweltering heat wave, and if you're not too dehydrated and lethargic, you'll be ecstatic to hear that reservations for the 10th instalment of Toronto's popular prix-fixe dining festival begin today.

The festival runs between July 6-22 this year, and always glad to out-do themselves, the list of participating restaurants has yet again swelled to an all-time high of 181, and features 21 new additions.

Fortunately, there's been no commensurate raising of cost, and for a three-course prix fixe, diners can expect to pay $15, $20 or $25 for lunch, and $25, $35 or $45 for dinner.

New this year are restaurants such as Colborne Lane which is sure to draw a crowd, as well as Boehmer which I'll be putting on my personal list. Also worth visits are Summerlicious newbies Parts and Labour, La Societe, and The Shore Club.

If anniversaries are of particular import to you, then you might get your panties in a knot over the return of 22 restaurants that participated at the fest's inaugural event — including the elegant French cottage space, Auberge du Pommier, the ever-popular Pangaea and Canoe.

As always, it's a bit of a mad dash to secure reservations — unless you're a fortunate AMEX cardholder who's had an extra two days to calmly schedule your meals — so make sure to call early.

And finally, an amuse-bouche (ha) of trivia: according to the City of Toronto, there've been 3.4 million meals served through the -licious series since it began.

Please consult the full list of Summerlicious participating restaurants for more info.

Photo by kaeko in the blogTO Flickr pool