The Dish Power Rankings: Mother’s Day at Splendido edition

The Dish Power Rankings: Mother’s Day at Splendido edition

The-Dish-Power-Rankings

Toronto Life’s weekly roundup of the restaurants with the biggest buzz, the longest lineups and the toughest tables to snag.

Bar Isabel gets a bizarre “review;” Anthony Bourdain loves The Black Hoof; and we weigh in on Electric Mud BBQ.

1. Bar Isabel (no change)
The Litte Italy restaurant is drawing crowds and raves, including an alphabet’s worth of random terms from Star critic Amy Pataki.

2. Chantecler (no change)
Jonathan Poon’s four-course tasting menu is one of the hottest in a city going crazy for tasting menus.

3. Farmhouse Tavern (↑2)
A pop-up patio party for buck-a-shuck oysters on Sunday night made the Junction Triangle farm-to-table restaurant that much more popular and that much more fun.

4. Edulis (↑3)
The next available table for two at 7 pm on a Friday or Saturday is in July at packed Edulis.

5. Splendido (↑3)
Chef Victor Barry’s new brunch is the best choice for Mother’s Day. No surprise reservations have been full for more than a week.

6. The Black Hoof (back this week)
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain dissed vegetarians and praised the Hoof during his Good vs. Evil tour stop in Toronto. The result: a rush of bone luges at the Dundas West meat mecca.

7.  Banh Mi Boys (↓1)
The kimchi fries are so good they’re causing fainting spells.

8. Electric Mud BBQ (back this week)
The Globe says the food at Electric Mud is better than Grand Electric. We say: why choose! Get the deep-fried pig’s ear and throw back some bourbon, then pop around the corner for tacos.

9. Buonanotte (new this week)
Toronto Maple Leafs star Phil Kessel showed up for dinner in the middle of the team’s first postseason run in almost a decade.

10. Biff’s (new this week)
Jason Priestley had drinks at the O&B bistro after one of his final turns in the Canadian Stage production of David Mamet’s Race.

Honourable Mentions: In one visit, fashion designer Michael Kors declared Pizzeria Libretto’s wood-fired ’za the best outside of Naples, watched shoppers on Bloor Street from La Société’s patio (one of his favourite things to do) and made a trip to Burger’s Priest. Meanwhile, Peter Gallagher keeps popping up—Matt Blondin snapped a shot with him during dinner at Daisho—and Fidel Gastro’s topped Canadian Living’s list of the best food truck in the country.

Dropped off the list: Carmen, La Carnita, Playa Cabana Cantina and Parts and Labour.