Which [Greater Toronto Area] restaurants do you want to try next?

Regional Dining Discussions Ontario
21

I found Sumilicious to be quite good ,on par with anything in present day Montreal and better than most in Toronto.

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22

I want to try The Fall Bright Tavern at 840 Bloor in Bloordale soon.

https://www.thefallbright.com/menu

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23

I completely misread the question. Okay, so the places Iiii want to try next are:

KB Food in Whitby. The high water mark of Durham for inspired cooking in a relaxed, but elegant room.

The Springwood also in Whitby. Seasonal and local like KB Food is with a fun wine program to boot.
https://www.thespringwoodwhitby.com/

Urban Pantry in Uxbridge because, hey, if it’s good enough for Ruth Reichl to use for her book tour and dining, it’s good enough for me.

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24

My friend owns Urban Pantry. It is her revamp of her parents’ family restaurant. The food is great.

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25

I’d really like to try Affinity Fish, especially when they feature Ontario caught fish.

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26

Conejo Negro on Instagram

27

Interesting article on LSL in this month’s Toronto Life:

https://torontolife.com/deep-dives/inside-lsl-didier-leroy-christian-le-squer-masaki-saito/

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28

Beisl, Austrian food sold through True History Brewing has caught my attention.
Beisl

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29

I don’t know… I read that article and it doesn’t paint that flattering a picture to me. Sounds like they’re still working things out and if I drop that amount of $$$, I don’t want to be a guinea pig. Anyone been there yet?

30

Yup. I took one for the team!

It’s good - verging on ‘very good’. But just not worth it. And my assessment was it would never turn a profit with the current formula.
One seating; 10 people (only 9 the night I was there). Staff numbered 10 (servers and chefs). No wine list - you can only take the set pairings (although one can have [a single] Champagne by the glass, and they will pour the ‘pairings’ by-the-glass on request). Cost of the wine pairings $300. Cost of meal $680. So, with wine $980pp before tax and gratuity.
To be fair, ingredients (several courses with caviar; A5 Wagyu) were premium. And service was immaculate. But the overall ‘experience’ hasn’t encouraged me to return - certainly not if the menu is substantially a repeat.
Where does it rank in Toronto? Certainly Top 10 for me - but ‘not top 3’.
I’m also a little puzzled by ‘the fish is only available for a few weeks’ but the tomato ‘is grown in a greenhouse’. I honestly don’t care about the source (ethical questions ignored) as long as it tastes good. And this meal ticked many ‘good’ boxes but few ‘exceptional’ boxes. For my two (hundred thousand) cents I’d fly to Chicago and eat there (for the same overall price).

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31

Gee thanks for the sacrifice.
I wasn’t interested in LSL from the beginning … Now even more so not interested.
LOL

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32

Thanks for the review! The Toronto Life article is really about William Cheng, the mastermind of this, and I would argue, sitting at the top of Toronto’s high end restaurant scene like no other before him.

We’ve been to Saito but not LSL, but it looks like it rides on the same William theme of being the best of the best with the best possible ingredients, which is why I’m guessing they spent so much time explaining the source of the ingredients to you.

On whether this will turn a profit, when we spoke with William @Saito, he said he didn’t do this to for profit and just hopes to break even; he just wanted the best and it’s likely he’s operating LSL in the same way. He’s rich enough to pull this off, and he has.

On whether it’s worth it, frankly, I question whether any restaurant of Michelin quality/price are worth it? Le Squer’s Le Cinq restaurant in Paris costs 600 EUR ($900 CDN) and is doing fine. On the night you visited, 9 people out of 10 capacity is still pretty good! So LSL appears to be in a good spot for an ultra-rich owner who’s fine with just breaking even.

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33

Aah … Rich man (rich people)'s game indeed.

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35

It’s much easier to get a place now!

36

The next 3 places I’ll be visiting are:
Henry’s patio
Chantecler’s patio
The Prague’s patio

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37

DaNico
Lake Inez Mystery Studio
Affinity Fish

  • intrigued by their use of local fish
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38

Which restaurants do you hope to try before the end of the year?

39

Lucie because other Onions enjoyed it and the menu looks good.
Liuyishou Hot Pot on a jammy family recommendation.
Cluny Bistro in the Distillery because they make a good baguette.
Affinity Fish. I like the fact that they use Ontario fish in some of their dishes.
Cafe Belem. Still on a custard tart quest that even comes close to those in Belem, Portugal.

There are so many more, but those are the first ones I can think of.

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40

Looking to have a steak dinner at General Public soon, and a Lomo Saltado lunch at the new St. Clair Ave location of El Inka.

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41

I’m adding El Inka to my list now.

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