Thoughts anyone??!!
My first reaction: R&D getting a star?! Are you kidding me?!
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Time to make our own guide with stars, Charles!
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Jeez this city getting stars! Bib gourmand mostly I hope
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Wonder if the guide will extend outside of the GTA? If so, guess Langdon Hall and Pearl Morisette will join the Alo, Canoe, Scaramouche, George, Auberge du Pommier, Actinolite, Edulis, Kaji, MasakaSaito, Enigma⌠as potential star (s) candidates?!
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Would you give Josoâs and Chiado a star?
I donât think Iâve been to any contenders since 2019.
I had dinner on Skippaâs patio (now closed) in Sept 2020, which was my last fancy $$$ meal, I think.
I donât think Josoâs rather mundane Italian menu is adventurous enough to earn them a macaroon?!
As for Chiado. Used to love that place. But that was over 10 years ago. Havenât been back, so not in a position to comment.
Same with â Via Allegro '! So highly rated years ago. Now, kind of fell off Torontoâs culinary radar screen totally?!
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Josoâs is Croatian, not Italian! Best octopus and shrimp pasta in town, and the best fried calamari in town!
I loved my first 2 visits to Chiado, but my 3rd was mediocre. I havenât been in a while.
I think itâs time for us to draw up our personal top 10 lists.
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Weâll know on Tuesday
If Alvin Leung is going to be there, then R&D seems likely - thatâs on my âAvoidâ list, rather than âWorth a detourâ .
Also, if Boulud is there, then either (or both) of Boulud (Four Seasons) or Alo (Patrick is ex-Boulud) seems likely.
Certainly Alo is worthy!
Iâll miss the announcement - will be in Spain visiting multiple Michelin stars (and some places that Michelin doesnât even mention).
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I saw an article about this in The Globe. Iâve never been to R&D, so I canât really comment if it is Michelin-star worthy. I find the range within the 1-star category fairly wide in other cities, so I guess any number of places could get a star.
Iâm not sure we have places that are quite at the 3-star level. At the 2-star level I guess Alo, maybe George. At the 1-star level maybe Scaramouche, Edulis, Sushi Kaji, Frilu, Auberge du Pommier, Actinolite?
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Agree!
May be add Canoe and Dreyfus?!..and the ânewâ Enigma? To fill up the pages, they might decide to extend outside of the GTA and add Langdon Hall and Pearl Morissette?!
If Alo gets a 2*âŚmay be David Lee & Victor Barry might join force and resurrect Splendido?! Ha!
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I was thinking maybe Canoe. I havenât been to Dreyfus. Splendido would have definitely been another pick if it was still around.
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Outside of the GTA I think Eigensinn farm might just be up there at 3 stars.
Sorry! Beg to differ!
Been there twice pre-Covid! Not impressed with either experiences. Kind of like a Berkeley â Chez Panisse â clone in a farm setting. 1* and nothing more!!
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We must have had very different experiences. I liked it better than Alo.
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From the Michelin website:
âThe [insert destination here] restaurant selection will be put together according to the long-standing and universal MICHELIN Guide method, which has been applied by its professional inspectors for nearly a century. The inspection teams will work completely independently to identify and recommend the cityâs best restaurants, after anonymously appraising the quality of the cuisine offered by these restaurants according to 5 criteria : the quality of products, the mastery of cooking techniques, the harmony of flavors, the personality of the chef in his/her cuisine and the consistency on the menu and between inspectorsâ visits.â
As an aside, I wonder how they managed to get âanonymousâ reservations at Alo. Must have the fastest computers and fingers around.
And R&D will certainly bomb out on âquality of productsâ. But they are consistently poor! At least they were both times I went. Even complained to Alvin (who was there on second visit - he insisted my frozen (mushy when cooked) shrimp was fresh, never frozen).
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I havenât done a dinner at Eigensinn Farm because the nuts in the cookies at his Xmas market were rancid, and the lake fish was under smoked and undercooked (I have a fear of tapeworms).
I havenât been to Alo, mostly because I get hives after most tasting menus. I had hives after a dinner at Aloette. (I also get hives after Terroniâs Funghi Assoluti)
No hives at Bar Alo, so Iâm a fan of Bar Alo. 3 meals so far.
Not impressed by my one meal at Langdon Hall pre- Covid.
I havenât been to R&D.
âŚâŚ
Chefs can be defensive when one suggests their seafood is not quite as fresh as it could be. Iâve had this conflict before.
The following is one of my most memorable tableside discussions with a chef. I didnât finish the shrimp that came with my steak at a smaller townâs upscale independently-owned restaurant, that was owned by a man who had owned many successful restaurants in the past (outside Toronto). The server asks if everything was okay, and I mention things were okay, but I didnât care for the shrimp. A few minutes later, the chef-owner stops by my table to asks why I ate the steak, but left most of the shrimp on the plate.
I mention the shrimp werenât to my taste. He asked if I donât like shrimp. He then asked why I would order shrimp if I donât like shrimp. I said I like shrimp but I donât happen to like these shrimp. Again, he asked why I donât like his shrimp. He asked if the problem was that I donât like garlic, since these were garlicky shrimp. So I said they donât taste as fresh or firm as I would like my shrimp to taste. The chef replied that his shrimp were in fact very fresh, and that he had smelled them that morning. I did return to his restaurant, because we were semi-regulars, but I didnât order any more shrimp. Itâs an ego thing for some chefs/owners.
Even in terms of whether someone can tolerate or detect rancid nuts or mushy shrimp is a matter of taste. 
I just realized that it has been 5 years since I was there. Good grief, my perception of time is thoroughly scrambled. Perhaps my experience was better than normal. My time recall may be off, but I remember the food being spot on and the experience relaxed and enjoyable.
Rancid nuts and mushy shrimp? Ick, no excuse for those.
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Iâve now been posting about restaurants for 19 years. Itâs quite possible that the meal you loved was served the same night as a meal that someone else found meh.
Iâm often on a different page and wowed by different restaurants and different dishes than some of the HOs who have more of a following/fan base.
Some people canât detect nut rancidity.
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I was never a fan of Alvin, finding him arrogant and super-opinionated! To top things off, one of my experience at his 3* Hong Kong establishment " Bo Innovation" was seriously marred by his continued presence and smoking â CIGAR â at the open kitchen!..the cigar smoke impacting on most dishes not to mention the wine! Somehow, he has no idea what negative impact his action was doing?! At least I wasnât paying for the meal!
Anyway, any chef that try to sell his product and/or reputation based on gimmick never gets my vote!
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