So far, IMHO, for upscale or more refined dining, Toronto Michelin has slightly more misses than hits…better than nothing?!
The whole concept of Michelin isn’t to find new mom-and-pop places but to establish a pretty good system (which has it’s flaws like every system) of consistently good to excellent restaurants in a city
" No, service is not a factor in the Michelin Star rating system. The Michelin Guide’s inspectors are instructed to only consider the quality of the food when deciding on a restaurant’s star rating. They do not consider the restaurant’s decor, table settings, or service quality"
Oh, good to know.
Thank you.
For visitors to the city, perhaps some will refer to Michelin as one of the guides for their restaurant outings? For the locals … much less so I think. Chefs wise … some are star chasers, some aren’t and couldn’t care less. Many of the chefs told me being on the guide hasn’t really changed their business much. It did help them with staffing though.
That’s what they claim … LOL
We had often enough only not really great service at Michelin star restaurants (including 3 star ones) that I actually believe them that it doesn’t play any (significant) role
Thanks, that’s what I thought
A Posh Eater 38, and a little less disappointing
I will say, the updated bibs seem accurate. Gia is off the Bib list. Worst Italian food I had last year. Fet Zun is also off the Bib list, I think. I wanted to like Fet Zun. The staff forgot the tahini on my Sabich platter one time, and forgot the egg another time. 2/3 meals where someone in the kitchen was forgetful.
What does Michelin have to do with this thread? I was responding to your response on Mott 32 where you did not mention Michelin and thus neither did I. The value proposition of high end restaurants go beyond food ingredients or fixation on freshness was my point. The conversation had nothing to do with Michelin.
I’m not so sure Toronto can’t sustain restaurants at these price points. Saito is doing fine for a while now. LSL is booked solid, as is Nobu. Estiatorio Milos hasn’t even opened here yet and it’s already booked solid for months according to BlogTO. According to the G&M article that started this thread, “Toronto is the third largest city in North America" and there are A LOT of wealthy people and corporate clientele here. That being said, maybe we’re near the saturation point at this point.
Globally, up-scale dining usually associates Michelin star caliber restaurants or establishments listed on some authoritative lists like San Pellegrino World’s Best 100 restaurants, La Liste… etc.
To attract more patrons, most restaurants/chefs will strive to get a star in order to solidify their business. In Mott 32 case, in order to survive here in TO and to justify the stratospheric pricing they are charging, being recognized and get into the Michelin guide is almost a necessity?!
So far, I have come across about half a dozen Youtube video postings featuring dining experiences at Mott 32. Almost all admit the visit was just for show and based on the pricing WILL NOT RETURN!
As for LSL, with only 9 seats available, it is no surprise these spaces will be filled up during the initial ‘honeymoon period’. However, based on feedback from our trusted long standing ex-chowhounder - ’ Estufarian ', who has eaten recently in a bunch of 3*s in Spain, Scandinavia, Chicago, US West coast…etc. LSL is good but for the $685 tasting menu price they are charging…NOT WORTH IT.
Return visits will for sure be rare!! This begs one to ask, how long can a restaurant survive without returning customers??!!
Not sure what you mean by booked solid since LSL looks to have all dates available next week and even some spots tonight. Estiatorio Milos also has availability starting Oct 15 every day. Masaki Saito looks to be full on all days. More a recent phenomenon though since they have quite a bit of availability one or two months back