In 2012, Toronto Winterlicious celebrates its tenth anniversary with 175 restaurants participating from Jan. 27 – Feb. 9. I’ll be checking out as many places as time permits, right up to the end this Thursday.

Over the weekend, I took in a meal at LUMA. Located in the hub of Toronto’s entertainment district, in the TIFF Lightbox building, this Oliver and Bonacini restaurant is practically a default destination for theatre- and film-goers. In addition to a stellar menu — more on that in one moment — the restaurant also entices crowds on the strength of equally drawing, when in town, many of the world’s best-known celebrities.

Before my dinner at LUMA, I met with Executive Chef Jason Bangerter, who gave me some insights about the Winterlicious programme and menu. “Winterlicious is something every good restaurant should be involved in,” he said. “With the support of American Express, this festival offers every restaurant an opportunity for unprecedented exposure they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access on their own.” It’s true: As a proud supporter of Toronto’s hospitality industry, American Express wants to highlight the city’s diverse restaurant scene while providing its Cardmembers with added participation incentives — including the Front of the Line program, which in this case allowed Cardmembers to make Winterlicious reservations in early January, before the process opened to the general public.

To Bangerter’s point about hitting the proverbial next level of public exposure: With almost 200 restaurants to choose from, Winterlicious has a proven track record for putting diners in the seats of a shortlist of high quality locales that they might otherwise overlook; Winterlicious welcomes established food fans, but is particularly designed to bring in the less-familiar. Which is pretty much anyone: After all, do you visit 200 restaurants in your city, in any given year?

LUMA in particular, Bangerter admits, can often get missed by passersby, as it is located on the 2nd floor of the TIFF Lightbox, versus being at street level. It’s generally a TIFF-type crowd that hits the restaurant en route to, or after, a show. Bangerter is pleased to report that 2012 Winterlicious has brought significant new traffic through LUMA, in little over one week.

Though a candid and affable speaker, Bangerter halts his inside scoop just shy of entrée recommendation: “That’s like choosing between your children!” he laughs. Possibly this has something to do with the fact that Bangerter created each item on his restaurant’s prix fixe menu specifically for Winterlicious. (When pressed, the Chef suggests Seared Albacore Tuna, followed with Chocolate Bread + Butter Pudding — just don’t tell the other children.).

Of course, as Bangerter hinted, any dinner selection at LUMA would have been excellent. The entire regular menu is also still available during Winterlicious, and diners are welcome to order from one menu or the other, or even mix them up. O&B restaurants enjoy a consistent, deserved reputation for quality and artistry with their menus, and LUMA is no exception. The colourful and fragrant Roasted Beetroot Soup sings with a tang of blue cheese, while the buttery Seared Albacore Tuna almost literally melts away in the mouth. I don’t mind admitting surprise, though, at the taste experience of the recommended Chocolate Bread + Butter Pudding. A sweets fanatic, I thought I had tried it all and am pleasantly shocked on my first bite as the chocolate and butterscotch erupt into miniature explosions on my tongue: LUMA’s innovative kitchen has added pop rocks to the pudding.

My party of six spent the evening chatting, eating and live-Tweeting about our experiences. Check out #DineWithAmex and any of the following Twitter handles: @alison1elle, @ThorInToronto, @LifeonQueen, @leewestonphoto, @BSingh_tronno, @monsterpok, to get all of our live-Tweeted comments and reactions. Visit #DineWithAmex to join the conversation and tell us about your Winterlicious experiences.

You still have time to explore some fantastic Toronto restaurants yourself, LUMA included, as Winterlicious runs until February 9.

Bon appetit — to Feb. 9, and beyond.

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Image courtesy of Richie Arellano.