DINING OUT IN 2015
Restaurant critic Amy Pataki reveals her top food experiences of the year,
Alo, Yunaghi top the list for having the best food and service in the city
From the bird’s-eye view afforded by the CN Tower, Toronto extends in many directions.
So, too, does our dining scene. This year, I found good food in both the east and west of the city as well as 351 metres above ground at the tower’s 360 Restaurant, clearly no tourist trap with its capable seasonal food.
Of the many memorable meals I had this year — Detroit-style pizza at Descendant in Leslieville, Egyptian breakfasts at Maha’s on Greenwood Ave., the beer-friendly food at Bar Hop Brewco downtown — the following five stand out for being the best in their class. Alo Perched above the unlikely corner of Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave., this unpretentious fine-dining restaurant tops the list both alphabetically and by virtue of its four-star rating, the highest a Star critic can bestow.
Exquisitely detailed service — extra desserts, brilliant wine pairings by sommelier Anjana Viswanatha and a choice of napkin colours to avoid unsightly lap lint — puts Alo at the level of a Michelin-starred restaurant, although Alo also merits top honours for its deluxe food, a nightly changing menu by the owner, chef Patrick Kriss (ex-Splendido), for $89 a person.
When I was there in September, Kriss did a beautiful dish with foie gras, veal trotter and bouncy coxcomb.
It may still be on offer but you’ll have to wait until March to try it, such is the wait for tables.
Alo, 163 Spadina Ave., third floor, 416-260-2222, alorestaurant.com. Yunaghi The other four-star dining experience of 2015 came at Yunaghi on Manning Ave., where chef Tetsuya Shimizu skilfully melds Japanese and Western cooking with the visual flair of an artist.
Yunaghi further sets itself apart from a traditional kaiseki restaurant with its laid-back vibe and modern cocktails. A seven-course meal is now $77 a person ($99 for nine), an increase from the summer. If the current menu is as stunning as what Shimizu cooked then, the price is merited. He makes even salad look like a painting and taste like a dream.
Yunaghi, 588 Manning Ave., 416588-7862, yunaghi.com. Eulalie’s Corner Store Everything about the name is fiction, but Eulalie’s Corner Store is the real thing when it comes to excellent bar food.
The Little India spot opened this summer with a large patio and simple menu of sandwiches, snacks and killer fried chicken with waffles.
Better than expected? Tasty vegetarian options such as a hot mushroom dip. Good on you, east end. Eulalie’s Corner Store, 1438 Gerrard St. E., 647-350-6263, eulaliescornerstore.com. Dandylion Jason Carter is a chef’s chef. After he opened Dandylion, his first restaurant in a 25-year kitchen career, I watched a number of younger Toronto chefs arrive at the Queen St. W. dining room to eat and pay respects. Bro hugs all around.
Carter cuts to the chase in media interviews and his cooking is similarly forthright. His tight menu — there are just nine dishes — shows both confidence and skill in its blending of European cooking idioms.
And any chef who can bring out the best in white chocolate deserves props.
Dandylion, 1198 Queen St. W., 647464-9100, restaurantdandylion.com. Boralia Then there was the surprise of Boralia on Ossington Ave., a restaurant that mines the past with delicious results.
Formerly Borealia (a copyright dispute necessitated the name change a few months after opening), Boralia draws on historical recipes to reflect the diversity of Canadian food. Take the smoked mussels, a showpiece adapted from a meal Samuel de Champlain cooked for his homesick crew in 1605.
Owner Evelyn Wu Morris and chef Wayne Morris came to Toronto from British Columbia, bringing with them a relaxed yet professional vibe. Faux fur throws on some of the comfortable seats are perfect for winter.
Boralia, 59 Ossington Ave., 647-3515100, boraliato.com.
Happy eating in 2016. apataki@thestar.ca, Twitter @amypataki