The Dish Power Rankings: April fools edition
The Dish Power Rankings: April fools edition
Toronto Life’s roundup of the restaurants with the biggest buzz, the longest lineups and the toughest tables to snag.
A long running powerhouse prepares for a three-week break and David Chang spills the beans on where he eats in Toronto.
- Edulis (↑2)
Owners Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo are taking a three-week vacation after this Saturday’s dinner service—and all the tables until then are long gone. Your next chance to eat at our second best new restaurant of the year is May 1. At 9:15 p.m. - Electric Mud BBQ (↓1)
Lineups are easing off at Parkdale’s buzzy barbecue joint (although NOW just designated it Toronto’s hottest restaurant, so that could change). - OddSeoul (↓1)
Weekends are still a zoo at OddSeoul—despite the Han brothers’ ambivalence about the Ossington party scene. - Patria (no change)
Once again, Patria was filled with celebs over the past week: Jason Priestley, Topher Grace, assorted Maple Leafs. - Farmhouse Tavern (no change)
Farmhouse broke its previous attendance record last week, this time by 12 per cent. It also executed one of the food scene’s best April Fool’s jokes, tempting office workers to Queen and Bay with the promise of 72 free barnyard burgers from their non-existent “#FARMtruck” (don’t worry: they fessed up before the appointed hour). - Bar Isabel (↑1)
On Tuesday night, Grant van Gameren’s new Little Italy restaurant hosted a collaboration dinner with Quebec’s hot micro-brewery Le Trou Du Diable, causing lineups for the slate of rare beers and a menu that read “add $40 and chefs will get crazy wit it!!!” - Playa Cabana Cantina (↓1)
All the tables between 6 and 9 p.m. are already gone for the next three weekends. And at the sister restaurant in the Annex, the next opening in that range is on May 11. Clearly, the demand is there for a third location. - The Guild (new this week)
Lineups are now the norm for brunch at this new Dundas West restaurant even though the place takes reservations too. Seems Toronto foodies are gluttons for brunchtime punishment. - Queen Margherita Pizza 2.0 (↓1)
Weekend reservations at the Baby Point location of QMP were well-picked-over by Wednesday already. - Asian Legend (new this week)
In an interview with The Globe, Momofuku honcho David Chang pegged Asian Legend as his go-to place for dinner in Toronto. Like everyone else, he gets the green beans.
Honourable mentions: David Chang also name-checked Subway, Chris Nuttall-Smith rhapsodized about Porzia’s agnolotti (good call) and The Grid put eight of Archive’s cicchetti on one pretty page.
Dropped off the list this week: Bent and Splendido.
Owners Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo are taking a three-week vacation after this Saturday’s dinner service—and all the tables until then are long gone. Your next chance to eat at our second best new restaurant of the year is May 1. At 9:15 p.m.
Electric Mud BBQ (↓1)
Lineups are easing off at Parkdale’s buzzy barbecue joint (although NOW just designated it Toronto’s hottest restaurant, so that could change).
OddSeoul (↓1)
Weekends are still a zoo at OddSeoul—despite the Han brothers’ ambivalence about the Ossington party scene.
Patria (no change)
Once again, Patria was filled with celebs over the past week: Jason Priestley, Topher Grace, assorted Maple Leafs.
Farmhouse Tavern (no change)
Farmhouse broke its previous attendance record last week, this time by 12 per cent. It also executed one of the food scene’s best April Fool’s jokes, tempting office workers to Queen and Bay with the promise of 72 free barnyard burgers from their non-existent “#FARMtruck” (don’t worry: they fessed up before the appointed hour).
Bar Isabel (↑1)
On Tuesday night, Grant van Gameren’s new Little Italy restaurant hosted a collaboration dinner with Quebec’s hot micro-brewery Le Trou Du Diable, causing lineups for the slate of rare beers and a menu that read “add $40 and chefs will get crazy wit it!!!”
Playa Cabana Cantina (↓1)
All the tables between 6 and 9 p.m. are already gone for the next three weekends. And at the sister restaurant in the Annex, the next opening in that range is on May 11. Clearly, the demand is there for a third location.
The Guild (new this week)
Lineups are now the norm for brunch at this new Dundas West restaurant even though the place takes reservations too. Seems Toronto foodies are gluttons for brunchtime punishment.
Queen Margherita Pizza 2.0 (↓1)
Weekend reservations at the Baby Point location of QMP were well-picked-over by Wednesday already.
Asian Legend (new this week)
In an interview with The Globe, Momofuku honcho David Chang pegged Asian Legend as his go-to place for dinner in Toronto. Like everyone else, he gets the green beans.
Honourable mentions: David Chang also name-checked Subway, Chris Nuttall-Smith rhapsodized about Porzia’s agnolotti (good call) and The Grid put eight of Archive’s cicchetti on one pretty page.
Dropped off the list this week: Bent and Splendido.){kind=link}
I heard a rumor that six of the top ten restaurants on this list use Pinky’s Plate and do no cooking of their own.
The fabulous PP winning author, Bill Robinson, was spotted chowing down at the Farmhouse Tavern and washing the repast with mugs of freshly pasteurized and homogenized milk.