ENROUTE TO THE TOP

Toronto’s Endulis claims best new restaurant on influential list.

And the true winner of the new enRoute list is — well, the Latin language.

Indeed, there’s nothing dead about the place that’s nabbed the No. 1 title on the magazine’s just-in compendium of the “Best New Restaurants” in Canada: Toronto’s Edulis, on Niagara Street. The name means “edible,” but might also mean serenity and chic and twee (in the right way). Oh, and a hell of a lot more, if the fine print in the Air Canada mag has anything to say.

The verdict, courtesy of a list that’s the only one that really matters in Canadian eating circles, is that Edulis is the “make-it-look-easy restaurant of the year.” The resto, born of the Alice Waters gene pool, is brought to us by married chefs Tobey Nemeth and Michael

Caballo. enRoute goes on: “Refreshingly more show than tell, it does barn-to-table without the fuss. Run by people who trust their ingredients, their cooking skills and their customers, it’s above all not self-conscious.”

It’s an opinion that echoes the slow-burn testimony of many since the 33-seater opened last spring. Like, OK, moi. This was my tweet-ready rave after my own first meal there, months ago: “Hope prevailed at Edulis on Niagara Street. An impassioned new entry into the dining landscape. And, phew, not a taco in sight.”

So, a win for Niagara Street, but also, indubitably, a win for Canada’s largest city. That’s partly the story here, as the

enRoute list comes with the largest quorum of Toronto restaurants ever. Six out of the 10, actually, including, yes, hyped taco joint Grand Electric (in at No. 7).

Interestingly, for the first time, Vancouver has been all but shut out. As enRoute editor-in-chief Ilana Weitzman confirms, “the list has never seen this many restaurants ranked in a single city before.”

Another big-time take-away from the list: Latin pays. The last time a Toronto restaurant nabbed the top spot was back in 2008, when Nota Bene, on Queen Street, conquered all. Can it just be a matter of time before someone here opens a restaurant called Carpe Diem?