Y.E.E: Eat Your Art Out @ Solstice

Hey everyone, guess what? Kris threw another great Unilocal event!
So I knew it was going to be art themed, but when I realised that Kris incorporated the theme to how the chef prepared us food (those burgers were elusive since everyone hurried to them each time the popped up but worth the wait!) and how the Colaneri Wine also had an artsy theme to it, I was very impressed! I was driving so I could only sample the one glass (Riesling) which was delishes, but I was too curious to try out an ice tea beer too which like the server mentioned was «dangerous» because it tastes just like ice tea with no hint of the 5%? alcohol it harbored. And for someone that does not care for cider, I enjoyed my taste of the cider too.
I also enjoyed how we could let our artsy side flow in the creation of our nametags, I might have been putting too much pressure on myself to not make it suck. I ended up coming home being renamed «Dshn» after the I and A decided to fall off somewhere between the pizza and the delicious butter tart ice cream dessert!
Great meeting the usual suspects out here for the GTA events! Always the highlight of my night to spend time with you fine people! And after chatting with Kris, it’s evident I’ll be seeing a lot more of you in the coming months! Can’t wait and thanks again Kris!!!

Went here last night for a Unilocal event and must say that this is the first time I have so thoroughly enjoyed the food aspect of a Unilocal event! The restaurant was so generous with how much was provided, the quality, and the timing in which it came out.
First, lets talk ambiance and location. The restaurant is located conveniently off the qew in Mississauga. Easily accessible by 30 minutes by the downtowners and suburbanites. Parking is ample and free.
The restaurant wasn’t too busy on this night being a Monday but the patrons looked happy and well taken care of. The staff were incredibly friendly and quick.
Food came out often and hot and plates were quickly cleaned up and taken away. Staff were definitely efficient. Some of the definately stand outs were the Kobe beef burgers!!! Delicious. We had slider versions and the little guys were so moist and well flavored. The bun was slightly sweet but not over powering and there was a perfect sauce on it. Aioli style sauce.
Also really enjoyed the crab cakes, the home made pizzas which were thin crust, smoked salmon apps, melon and prosciutto balls and the rice balls! I especially enjoyed dessert which was vanilla icecream scooped over hot apple pie tartlets.
Will definitely be coming back to enjoy a full out meal and would encourage people in the area to also check this place out for lunch or dinner.
Thanks solstice! Good work!

So here goes my review for my first ever Unilocal Elite event! Yay!
Let me describe it in one word: AMAZING! everything from the organization, setup, restaurant, food, and of course the organizer himself was superb!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Meeting fellow Unilocalers and eating great food… what more can one ask for? :p
The food was amazing, and I especially enjoyed the «make your own artsy name tag» station. It was good fun.
Kris, you have done a fabulous job! Very impressive!!! I’m extremely lucky to be part of such an amazing squad and have a great community manager like yourself! :-)
I eagerly look forward to the next one!

Thank god for this Y.E.E. because I thought winter was never going away, oh wait… it hasn’t =P. Solstice really impressed me because of how nice it looked inside. There’s 2 main rooms that are completely separate and I guess us rowdies got put into the «private room».
It was quite a pleasure trying out the two beverage stations. One being Premium brands and the other Colaneri estate wines. So twisted ice tea… this is probably the most dangerous concoction of liquid that was ever invented. It tastes completely like iced tea in a can, what alcohol?
Colaneri was a real pleasure to meet and get to know. There was a small sample of 4 of their wines but after reading about amoroso style wines, I was really pleased to have a place to actually try what the style actually tasted like.
I wasn’t really around the table of constantly replenishing food, but I was really impressed with the rissotto balls that they served. This and the canoli custard tarts were amazing. I wasn’t really a big fan of the smoked salmon or the sliders. I’m reading now that there was crab cakes… what?
Thanks Kris for introducing us to all these really cool brands and places. I know I’m definitely going to book a visit to Colaneri for some tasting tours. UYE maybe??? BYOB (bring your own bike!).

Picasso, Rembrandt, Van Gogh… Kris U?
Kris’ latest brush stroke was nothing short of a masterpiece, bringing a little art to Unilocal life in the GTA. Solstice was the perfect venue for this event, it was intimate, and classy. The food was flowing all evening and it was all so delicious. The arancini balls, Kobe burgers, and canoli’s were my favourites.
What is art without a little alcohol to help you understand it (or at least pretend you do). Thanks to Colaneri estate winery for providing the wine and the lady (whose name I didn’t get) for providing Moosehead beer, twisted tea and hard cider. It all went well with the delicious food.
Thanks to Solstice for being gracious hosts, I will definitely be back for a full meal. It was great to mingle with all the Unilocalers old and new.
To our fearless leader Kris, thanks for another great party, and for bringing a little sophistication to my life :-P.
Absolutely loved it!

I was feeling a bit under the weather but I still had a fabulous time at this event.
Thank you so much Solstice for hosting us!
The food was great! And there was plenty of it.
I really loved the pizzas and the butter tarts with ice cream! Mmmmmm!
The beverages there were great and all the staff was so friendly!
It was really awesome to get to try the twisted tea, cider, wines, and moosehead.
I loved the cider and alcoholic iced tea.
I imagine myself getting healthier and healthier and full of antioxidants with every sip (I’m kidding, but it makes me feel better about drinking it).
The venue was nice, I loved the chairs and it was bigger than I was expecting it to be.
I loved how there was parking here! And it was easy to find.
Thank you Kris and everyone at Solstice as well as the representatives from both the winery and Moosehead!
I once again had an excellent time at another fantastic Unilocal event!

Thank you Kris, Unilocal and Solstice for another awesome event! I knew the drive all the way to Clarkson would be worth it.
The restaurant itself was tucked away in a small plaza, which would otherwise go unnoticed. I have to say, I didn’t expect the place to be so upscale and chic. I got to try most of the bites that came out. The sliders were quite good. My favourite were the crab cakes and spring rolls.
There were plenty of premium drinks to complement the food. I enjoyed having the Riesling, which was a fruity white wine by Colaneri estates winery. Loved the desserts and presentation by chef JP as well. I will definitely visit the restaurant again if I am in the area.

As a first time at a Unilocal event, I was blown away of how special it is.
As soon as we walked in, we were greeted nicely and steered into the party room. Which led to the artsy name tags. It was a nice touch, it brought back my inner child.
They were serving finger foods the whole night and Oh boy! It was delicious. I would’ve devoured the whole platter. My personal favorite was the Mini Burger (sliders) and the deep fried risotto ball that they were serving. They were amazing. I would personally come back to this restaurant to just have more of that delicious goodness.
Their beverages were amazing and could not have just one. One that stood out the most for me is their «Twisted Tea». It was sweet and light, a little girly but I’m not ashamed. I will have to be in a look out for this next time I go out.
What made it also really special are the people of Unilocal.We’ve met a great amount individuals that were interesting, passionate and really funny. We made some new friends and plan to stay in touch.
The staff of solstice were top notch, they are troopers for serving a bunch of hungry people and really should be credited for the smoothness of the party. They were smiling, mingling and continually served the people with the constant barrage of food. Two thumbs up, they’ve made the night.
Thanks for Kris and the Unilocal Staff crew for setting up such a great night. Can’t wait till the next one.

Kris Kris Kris! What you do, mang?! This event was epic — really good food, an amazing array of beverages, art, newbies and familiar faces.
Solstice is a gorgeous, classy restaurant and I can’t wait to go back. I’ve read the rave reviews and after yesterday’s event, I totally believe it. I’m glad the event didn’t have the stuck-​up feel… loved the artsy fartsy make-​your-​badge activity. Something so gradeschool can be SO much fun! And a great ice-​breaker.
Loved the food — the sliders, crab cakes and smoked salmon starter were my faves. The pizza and risotto balls were good too. The ice cream dessert was OUT OF THE FREAKIN’ UNIVERSE. I want some… right about now.
And the line up of beverages; so many to choose from! I tried the Riesling, Cider and the Twisted Tea. Can’t say I am a fan of the twisted tea (a tad too sweet for my taste), but the cider totally made up for it. I went back for a second glass. I always like trying new wines so Colaneri provided a good experience. The Riesling went down smooth.
Fun fun night. Thank you, Unilocal

Awesome place, thanks to Kris for making this event a success.
Thank goodness I showed up in my work clothes! since Solstice is a casual dressy restaurant, its always nice to dress up for dinner ;) however long story short, Y.E.E. event was held here, around the Port Credit, Mississauga area at Solstice. Though it can be a treck out for some, the place is nonethless initimate, and classy.
A section of the restaurant was closed off for Unilocal;
we had a painter present who was doing some art work on a wooden canvas
As well we had representative from Colaneri wines exhibiting some of the wines that ARE not available at LCBO. (I recommend Unita– Cabernet Franc)
Lastly we had someone from Premium Brands who was providing samples of various tea ciders, beers, etc.
Down to the food: we had various dishes fly out of Solstice’s kitchen, from burger sliders, crab cakes, honeydew proscuitto kebobs, to various pizzas, deep fried risotto balls, and smoked salmon.
Everything that came out of the kitchen was bit sized– but packed with lots of flavor. The service was excellent, so were the people that were there.
…Its a true saying, that food brings people together.
Though we may not speak eachother’s language, there’s no speaking when you’re eating :) for the enjoyment of indulging is its own universal language.
–Phillip Andrew Salvador Lee

We had a good time last night at Solstice since we haven’t been to an elite event in a while.
Finger foods were great and were replenished quickly when Unilocalers quickly snagged them away. There also two beverage vendors there offering samples of wine, beer, cider, and iced tea. I was able to try a few pizza slices, the kobe slider (didn’t know it was kobe until Kris mentioned it), the smoked salmon, the kabobs, the goat cheese, fried risotto ball, 2 puff pastries, and the mini apple pie with ice cream.
My faves that night definitely was the pastry that the chef brought out for dessert. It was so good that I had 2! Also, the twisted ice tea was delicious! You don’t even taste the alcohol, dangerous!
Kris never disappoints when it comes to hosting events! I’m definitely looking forward to his planned summer events!

When Kris throws a GTA party, you KNOW you hafta RSVP… ASAP! You also know it means food, drink, other surprises, and of course, good company. :)
(I *love* the intimacy of the smaller Unilocal events ’cause you actually get to talk to people. Well at least the ones who aren’t stuck behind their mobiles! Do a quick check-​in — fine, take pics of the food — normal at a Unilocal event, but text people/​surf the ‘net? Do that at home or on public transit, but I’ll save my rant for a Talk!)
I found the event, from entrance to exit very welcoming. Staff were friendly, patient, and well-​trained. The centre table was very useful in terms of displaying the food for a brief moment… before it was devoured.
The chef’s intro and his dessert display was actually a good reminder of the point of the evening’s event, re: to display food as art on a plate. The presence of the local artist, as well as the arts ‘n crafts name tag table also further punctuated the theme.
A very special welcome indeed for returning Elites and newbies alike!

This was my first Y.E.E and it was AWESOME to see all the faces I have been taking on Unilocal.
I parked the car, looked at the restaurant and said to myself isn’t this small for Y.E.E but as I stepped in the place was nice, clean, big, gorgeous, classy restaurant (*perfect for dates*bookmark it!). I look to the left and bam! I see a guy with a smile and a beard, must be Kris; and he looks at me, recognizes me and his thoughts of me being a ghost or a robot posting reviews are lifted. haha! Kris was nice enough to show me around.
I loved the make you own funky kidish badge as it was a great way to interact with other folks and brought good old memories.
We also had a local painter (Tim Skynz) who was showcasing some art work «live» on a wooden piece.
The staff was friendly as I was greeted when walking in and out, plus the all the servers were very friendly and nice.
Their food didn’t disappoint either… The starters were great but crab cakes and smoked salmon on a rye bread were to die for. The mini burgers felt like having a mini steak in a bun cooked to perfection. The Pizzas weren’t far off in the list, it felt like having a pizza in Italy as they were properly done on thin crust dough. To top it all up, trays came flying with puff pastries hand crafted by the chef himself for the fellow Unilocalers. These pastries were done just right light and puffy and sweet to the right amount.
In the end I would like to quote my good friend Bernie C «See we don’t bite into people» and truly Unilocaler don’t bite: D but they are an awesome company to have. Kudos to Kris on hosting an awesome party and making newbies feel welcome to the family. Kapish!

Art is really not my thing, but I do enjoy watching other people do art thingy.
Making your own special name tag is a really cute thing.
The wines from Colaneri
are really good, I tried all of them and I like the «Unita».
From Premium brands (?) They have the «Twisted Tea» and a hard cider, I like the Tea. Usually when you add alcohol to iced tea, it would have a bitter taste that taste weird. But the «Twisted Tea» doesn’t have that.
Food wise it’s really great. The slider are really good, the pizzas are really really good.
And on top of all that, we have someone doing a painting while we are having a great time, usong colors of Unilocal and adding his personal touch. Thank you for that.
Kris you did it again, can’t wait to see what you have planned for the summer of 2014.
Thank you for a great time.

It was good. It was a chill night. I liked hanging with my peeps. The food was tres bon. I enjoyed making my own name tag.
I especially enjoyed the crab cakes which I will mostly certainly return to this restaurant for.
All my love.

I wish I have dressed up more, cause Solstice is a classy place. Upon entry, a greeter graciously led us to a party room. Another greeter stood at the entrance of the party room to show us where to make our own artsy name tags, where the wine and beer were, etc. Another classy act.
I love the food: crab cakes, pizza, deep fried risotto ball, feta cheese and veggie kabob, smoked salmon and the sliders. The finale were the spectacular puff pastries crafted by the chef. These house made desserts were beautiful, easily an art piece on their own. They reminded me of very light and fluffy puff pastry cream rolls.
The wines were supplied by Colaneri Estate Winery. There were 4 types: Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Corposa and Cabernet Franc. They are full bodied wines due to the making process, according to the website (
). I like the unusual boldness of the Riesling and the smoothness of the Cabernet Franc. The Corposa has a heavy tannic taste that is the characteristic of this wine due to the making process. I could not help but to think that it is meant to be enjoyed after decanting. I did not taste test the Pinot Grigio; my loss. By the way, Colaneri wines can be bought at fine restaurants, at the estate winery in Niagara-​On-​The-​Lake and via the company website.
May I say I usually like wine over beer, but the beer at this event was out of the world. There were alcoholic cider, ice tea and a real lager. I like the cider the most, but I would love to trick people with that alcoholic ice tea.
In all, it was a fun night. Solstice is a beautiful restaurant. I am looking forward to visiting again to fully enjoy the chef’s creations and the classy services again.

I think this Y.E.E has had the best food of all the ones I’ve been to. I was impressed with Solstice for Savour Mississauga and they did not disappoint this time either. In order of my preference: waygu beef kobe style slider, crab cakes, pizza (3 – 4 different types), deep fried risotto ball, feta cheese and veggie kabob, smoked salmon, the puff pastry dessert and then the bacon kabob.
Drinks were aplenty too. I didn’t have the wine, but the cider and the twisted tea went down so smoothly, it was scary.
Great to finally meet Shaji, Bilal and Kimberley and awesome seeing all the Elite regulars like Vlasha (kill me later), Stephanie Namrata and her hubby, Kathy, Tarim, Fiorella, Dishan, Susan, Ankita, Joe, Canchi, Sami and Roma.
Awesome job to Kevin *cough* Chris *cough* Kris, chef JP and owner Andrew. Definitely coming back to Solstice for a regular meal.