Summerlicious is probably one of my favorite culinary events of the summer. It is currently running until July 21, 2013, and allows diners to enjoy three-course meals at affordable prices. This summer, the three-course fixed price menus are offered at 195 restaurants in Toronto.

Below is the prix fixe price categories.

I attended the Summerlicious 2013 media launch on 07.04.2013, which was held at FRANK Restaurant inside of The AGO. The media were all given the opportunity to preview the food from Frank Restaurant, Tabülè Middle Eastern Cuisine and Crush Wine Bar.

To start off the event, Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre) gave his opening statement regarding how the TOLicious program started. The food promotion began in 2003 after the SARS epidemic subsided. The city needed to find a solution to combat the poor showing of restaurants attendance and an overall decline in tourism during the summer months of that year, and thus Summerlicious was born.

 Both the Summerlicious and Winterlicious have garnered a lot of attention to Toronto, as it allows people to experience many popular restaurants at fixed prices. The program has made a positive impact in the restaurant industry as it has shown much progression in terms of revenue for many restaurants during the slow month of July. Additionally, it has also increased jobs as many of these participants in the Licious program hired extra help during the months of both Summerlicious/Winterlicious. Councillor Michael Thompson also stated that the "success of the program is a direct result of the collaboration between the restaurants, city, and corporate sponsors". 

One of the major sponsors of Summerlicious is American Express. This year, members with an AMEX card can receive "a $10 Statement Credit from American Express" when you use your credit card at any participating Summerlicious restaurants between July 5 and July 21, 2013. For more information, please click here.

Below are photos taken from the media event. All photos are credited to Jeffrey Ling of JingFilms. Many thanks to Dominique Shelepuk of Economic Development & Culture (City of Toronto) for the invitation.