Dinner With a View was promoted by AMEX and is a unique dining experience where you have dinner in an unusual setting. In this case, it was in a plastic igloo/bubble, under a highway bridge in Toronto, in an area called The Bentway.
You have to pay for rental of the bubble and dinners (up to six per bubble) separately, and in advance. The event only runs for a certain period of time, and I believe they are going to do them in other cities like Vancouver and Montreal.
During booking, you have the option to select one of 3, three course meals: beef, fish or vegetables. You can order and pay for drinks separately at the event.
You also select a time you want to eat, and are told to arrive 30 minutes early. We choose a 9:30vPM dinner time.
Upon arrival at the venue, there was ample paid parking available. You then check in with the hostess and she has someone show you to a bar/lounge waiting area. There are heat lamps. You also get a view of the entire venue.
At about 9:30 PM, we were showed to our bubble. The interior is heated, very nicely decorated, and comfortable.
Shortly after, someone comes around and takes your drink order. We ordered a couple bottles of wine and water (you must order bottled water). The selection is not great, but was ok. Service was friendly. The first course arrived shortly after, a buttermilk salad which was delicious.
The second course was a braised Alberta beef. The flavor was good, but a little over seasoned.
I could not remember what was in the dessert exactly, but I do remember when they described it to us, there were at least 10 different ingredients/components.
At the end, you are presented a bill to pay for your drinks and gratuity.
Overall, I would say that given where we were, the kitchen staff must of been cooking out of a food truck type kitchen so to pull something like this off without much, or any major problem, is commendable. Was it the best meal ever? No, but to serve this number of meals at the same time, in the middle of nowhere, without the comforts of a fully equipped kitchen, is a feat in of itself. It was an enjoyable and unique experience. I would not do it again simply because it is a unique experience that experiencing once is enough. If you get the chance to go, I would recommend you to try it, and as you are probably wondering, yes, there are trailer type washrooms available.