My pre-disposition (based on actual visits to various candidates) was to dismiss Don Alfonso - in its first incarnation it seemed somewhat assembly line and waaay overpriced for what was delivered.
However, I returned last night to the third version at the top of the Harbour Castle hotel (NOT because it pleased Michelin - the reservation was made before the stars were announced as a Birthday celebration (not mine) - and what else was available on a Monday?).
Have to admit, the food was pretty good - deserving of a star. Service was excellent; view is impressive and the renovation of that space was welcome. Loved the ‘signs’ for the washrooms too!
Would I return? Maybe. It’s still a blowout price and I prefer Alo but my former experience does not seem typical of its current performance. But it’s still essentially ‘Southern Italian’ at heart and with my tomato allergy, this restricts my choices, so it’s not top of my list. But the food and service is definitely of a high calibre.
Happy to hear this most recent experience was a better one.
I’m wondering, which Michelin stars in Toronto do takeout? I know at least one of the Japanese Michelin starred restaurants in Yorkville offers takeout, around $150ish, when I checked in August before the stars came out.
I know Alobar still does takeout through Tock.
Good to know!! Thanks.
Alobar offers a takeout Thanksgiving meal!
We had been hesitant to try Don Alfonso during the earlier incarnations, because the reviews were mixed on Chowhound at the time. However the Michelin star and Estufarian’s review last fall (above) put it on our list to try. So we gave it a go.
Yes the view is fabulous. The tables are nicely spaced, so you are not smushed into other diners. The noise level is such that you can actually talk to your dining companions. The service is informed, friendly, and helpful. And the food was pretty darn good, certainly in the range of a one-star.
As noted, the price of the tasting menu is steep - $220 per person. You get 6 courses, plus bread, canapés, and petit fours. However if you don’t mind splitting your dishes with a dining companion, the far better deal is ordering à la carte. For $140 per person, you get three courses, plus bread, canapés, and petit fours. Pay $18 each more and you get a dessert. Almost every course in the tasting menu is available à la carte. So for $158 per person, you can each get an 8-course tasting menu, plus all the extras.
First up was the bread selection:
- babà rustico - like a brioche with figs hazelnut and blue cheese
- handmade Grussini breadsticks
- focaccia with cherry tomatoes and rosemary - light and fluffy
This was accompanied by butter with Italian black truffle (really truffly) and Sicilian EVOO - great with a non-harsh hint of bitterness.
We also sampled one cocktail: Smooth Operator - Pisco, Carpano Bianco, Benedictine, with charred grapefruit, and a dollop of grapefruit sorbet - dessert first!
The canapés were all fun, with contrasting flavours:
- Black rice squid ink chip with lobster panzanella salad
- Black sesame wafer sandwich with fermented leek, onion and ricotta
- Turmeric chip with bison tartare
- A gelée bite that was a riff on caprese
Both antipasti featured a complex mix of flavours and textures:
- L’Anatra - Seared Quebec muscovy duck breast slices wrapped in a roll, celeriac puree and pomegranate sauce, baby spinach, anice demi glace, cinnamon powder, puffed rice.
- L’Anguilla - Eel gelato with sturgeon caviar and pink wild rose scented tagliatelle, and minced wild herbs and pulverised egg yolk.
With these we shared a glass of Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino 2021 - really nice. Struck us as low acid (though the sommelier thought otherwise), nutty, mineraly, Meyer lemon on the nose, and a little floral tasting too.
Both the pasta and risotto were well-executed and vibrantly flavoured:
- Ravioli stuffed with pheasant Genovese style, king oyster mushroom, grana padano foam, black truffle and crisps of 36 month aged Parmesan - delicious and mushroomy.
- Risotto (Acquerello rice aged 1 year) with Iranian saffron broth, sour butter, 36-month parmigiano reggiano, deconstructed gremolata, and osso buco - rich saffron highlights and melty veal shank.
These went nicely with a glass of 2021 Mauro Molino Nebbiolo (Langhe) - smells like cherry candy, very translucent, a little metallic, overall very pleasant.
Secondi had many fun elements and complementing flavours:
- Il Bisonte - organic Manitoba bison wrapped in Swiss chard, buffalo mozzarella and sourdough, seared organic vegetables (mashed potato, fennel, Brussels sprout, tiny carrot, cauliflower, green cauliflower), salsa verde, San Marzano and red chili sauce.
- L’Astice - Nova Scotia lobster with king mushroom, shiitake, portobello, and herbed mashed potatoes in leaf of escarole, topped with trout roe, and lobster bisque reduction poured over.
They obliged us with extra foccacia to mop up the remaining sauces.
We tried all three desserts (why not?) and skipped the cheeses since they seemed quite standard (Taleggio and the like):
- Il Trionfo alla Nocciolo - Piedmont hazelnut parfait, mousse, sponge cake and crumble, raspberry marmalade, 24 karat gold leaf, caramelized hazelnut - pretty and not too sweet.
- La Sfogliatella Napoletana - (the lobster tail) layers of phyllo, cinnamon-infused pastry cream, amarena cherry glaze and lemon balm - lovely.
- Amalfi Coast - vegan lemon mousse, orange marmalade inside, crunchy yuzu white chocolate, carrot-green apple sorbet macaroon crumbles - definitely the most interesting and fancy.
The petit fours were all lovely and a wonderful way to end:
- raspberry parfait - fresh raspberry and real gold on dollop of sorbet on something round
- chocolate truffle
- liquirizia with black sesame glass (something between sesame rounds) - but we tasted no licorice
- Napolitana pastaria - mascarpone and candied orange
So definitely worth a visit if you like this kind of dining.
Glad it was a good experience.
Glad to hear you had a better experience than I did. Was pretty disappointed when I went last year. With the new opening of DaNico, does Alfonso has a new head chef now?
The website says that the chef de cuisine is Davide Ciavattella. I don’t know how up-to-date that info is or where he fits in the timeline of the restaurant.
‘Long’ tasting menus are now less frequent for us - maybe our stamina is receding. Because of our previous experience we did return and it was ‘good but not exceptional’. We found it a bit more gimmicky than before and the experience wsn’t helped by being stuck in the elevator going up for 35 minutes (with minimal updating by the hotel - totally unacceptable treatment by them - although I don’t think there’s any blame to the restaurant).
For a ‘Michelin Lite’ tasting experience we now visit FK Restaurant (just added to the Guide, but no stars). They do a smaller tasting menu ($130) with an optional wine pairing (which is totally worth getting ($75) if you like wine). The only ‘issue’ is that you must book this ahead of time (at least a day ahead by phone only) and it is only at 6:00pm for two tables (so can sell out even two weeks early). I’ve already been 3 times this year - all before they got their Michelin mention.
If you like lighter tasting menu, can consider Richmond Station as well
Thanks for the recommendation.
Haven’t been for several years - I don’t like the lower level dining area (blast of cold air whenever front door opens and multiple ‘collisions’ with people walking past the table towards the back of the restaurant). Maybe if I can figure out a way to reserve at the back.
