The first Michelin Guide in Canada for the city of Toronto has been unveiled, and it features some of the city’s most famous restaurants.
One restaurant received two stars: Sushi Masaki Saito
The list of 12 one star restaurants:
Aburi Hana
Alo
Alobar Yorkville
Don Alfonso 1980
Enigma Yorkville
Edulis
Frilu
Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto
Osteria Giulia
Quetzal
Shoushin
Yukashi
They also handed out Bib Gourmand awards to “good quality, good value restaurants.” Here are the 17 winners:
The Ace, Alma, Bar Raval, Campechano, Cherry St. Bar-B-Que, Chica’s Chicken, Enoteca Sociale, Fat Pasha, Favorites Thai, Fonda Balam, Grey Gardens, Indian Street Food Company, La Bartola, Puerto Bravo, R&D, SumiLicious Smoked Meat & Deli, Wynona.
In all, 74 restaurants were recommended in the full guide.
For years, Canada was excluded from the Michelin Guide to the disappointment of restauranteurs and epicureans alike who watched the country’s many culinary scenes explode internationally. This past May, Michelin finally decided to include Toronto, and then quickly announced Vancouver would join the Guide in the future.
According to the official website, a Michelin star “is awarded for outstanding cooking. We take into account the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavours, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed in their cuisine and, just as importantly, consistency both over time and across the entire menu.”
The Michelin Guide reassesses restaurants annually and stars can be added or taken away. The decision-making process is considered contentious by many in the industry, but the stars still carry a lot of weight and it generates considerable discussion every year.
