If you're from Canada, you probably know how brutal this winter has been in most parts of the country. Between the large quantities of snow, ice storms, wind storms and exceptionally cold temperatures, most of us have had enough of the terrible weather and are counting down the days for patio season to start.
The winter can be tough this time of year for restaurants, as potential customers decide hibernate between December and March. Luckily, this winter Mexican restaurant El Catrin discovered a creative way to get customers to go to the restaurant - challenge people to eat on their patio.
The Winter Brunch Challenge (which began in January) challenges customers to eat a four-course meal outside on El Catrin's patio. The prize for freezing your butt off? 50 per cent off of your meal. If you are unable to complete the challenge you have to pay the full price for your meal - $29.
When I heard about the challenge I couldn't pass it up, but there was NO WAY I was going to do it in -20 degree temperatures, so I waited until the weather got a bit warmer.
When Sean and I got to the restaurant we were seated directly beside the outdoor fire pit and were each given a blanket to keep warm, which was an awesome touch. It was a little windy the day we went but the blankets and fire pit kept us pretty toasty.
The first course is a Sopa Mixteca (a mixed vegetable soup with fried tortilla, avocado and cotija cheese). For the second course you have the option of choosing from Tamal Azteca (Mexican lasagna with pulled chicken, corn, rajas poblanas, corn tortilla, crema fresca and melted Oaxaca cheese) or Papadzules (scrambled egg enchiladas with pepita sauce, pickled banana pepper, sautéed corn, tomato and zucchini and epazote). The third course gives you the choice Crepas de Huitlacoche (Mexican crepes stuffed with wild mushrooms, huitlacoche, Oaxaca cheese and poblano cream sauce) or Frijoles Puercos (black bean stew, green and red chorizo, pork belly, chicharron powder and a side of tortillas. The fourth course is cinnamon spiced churros with chocolate, strawberry and cajeta sauces. In order to keep the food hot, the second and third courses were served in cast iron skillets on hot plates.
Participants of the Winter Brunch Challenge are limited to only ordering off of the special menu (no tacos or guacamole), but you have full access to El Catrin's bar menu. There are two special beverages that the restaurant is offering as part of the challenge: Sangria Caliente (red wine, orange, cinnamon, clove and sugar) and Champurrado with Bulleit Bourbon (corn flour masa, piloncillo, cinnamon stick, cocoa powder and coconut flakes). Both are warm beverages and are an extra $8.50. I got the sangria (which is basically like mulled wine) and Sean got the Champurrado (which, due to its thick consistency from the masa, was reminiscent of Metamucil).
Being motivated to leave your house in the winter can be tough, but the Winter Brunch Challenge was worth it. All of the dishes were delicious and left us pretty full by the end of our meal (although, we made sure to leave room for the churros, which was the best part). What seemed like obvious marketing ploy turned out to be a cool experience, and with a four-course meal for only $14.50, who could pass up that steal? Just make sure you bring a hat and gloves.
The Winter Brunch Challenge runs until March 17th.
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