TORONTO –
The list of the best restaurants in Canada returned after a break caused by a pandemic, which brings with it the hope of reviving the exquisite dishes in this country.
The list of the 100 best restaurants in Canada named Published on Main a culinary spot № 1 – the first time a restaurant in Vancouver won first place in the list – while Major Tom in Calgary was named the best new restaurant.
The ranking was unveiled at an event in Toronto on Monday night, less than three weeks after the Michelin guide announced he was heading north from the 49th parallel for the first time with a guide to Toronto.
“We always look at the Michelin guide, we always look at the San Pellegrino list,” said Gus Steffenhofer-Brandson, executive chef at Published on Main.
“Having our own list of the Top 100 here in Canada, with restaurants that rival many of these international restaurants, people need to pay attention to that.”
He said he hoped Canada’s presence on these international lists would draw people’s attention to the country’s specifics.
“I think we have some of the best products in the world available to us,” said Steffenhofer-Brandson.
Forming the list – and especially taking the lead – confirms the hard work of his team over the past few years, he said.
It was released in December 2019, just months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced restaurants – and almost everything else – to close. Steffenhofer-Brandson said staff were working hard to regain their early momentum when the restaurant reopened, albeit with restrictions, a few months later.
Published presents itself as a globally inspired restaurant with “Canadian roots”. Japanese milk rolls are served with bee pollen, morels with nettle dumplings. Many of its ingredients are sourced locally.
“We wanted the experience to be as normal as possible for our guests and we still wanted to be able to offer everything we intended,” he said. “So it’s really nice to get that recognition now that we’re fully open to the full.”
This is the seventh edition of the list, selected by 100 insiders in the industry and published by food writer Jacob Richler.
He said the list was filled with more new restaurants this year, so he also published a list of the 20 best new restaurants in Canada.
“It’s all very nice to see an industry that we’ve been told many times is a lot on the ropes,” Richler said.
Among those new eateries is Major Tom, a Calgary-based company of the Concorde Entertainment Group that opened last summer.
It was supposed to open a year earlier, but plans were postponed due to COVID-19, said Gareth Martin, culinary director at Concorde.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, he added.
“I really feel that it turned out much better than it would have been, as we originally planned, because everyone was able to spend a little more time, just to make sure everything came together the way we saw it in our heads.” said Martin.
The restaurant, located on the 40th floor of Stephen Avenue Place, adds a refined dining experience to the famous classics. The décor draws on mid-century luxury and emphasizes the view of downtown Calgary.
Martin said compiling the list could attract more customers to Major Tom, but above all he was grateful for the signal he sent to the restaurant team.
“It’s mostly just a huge pat on the back for staff who have worked tirelessly for a long time before we opened,” Martin said. “It’s really great for us to just be recognized for something like that.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 31, 2022.
Top 10 in the list of the 100 best restaurants in Canada:
- Posted in Main, Vancouver
- Hello, Toronto
- St. Lawrence, Vancouver
- The restaurant in Pearl Morissette, Jordan Station, Ont.
- Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ont.
- Vin Mont Lapin, Montreal
- Edulis, Toronto
- Canoe, Toronto
- Boulevard, Vancouver
- River Cafe, Calgary
Top 10 in the list of the 20 best new restaurants in Canada
- Major Tom, Calgary
- Osteria Julia, Toronto
- DOP, Calgary
- Bernhards Tavern, Toronto
- Pompet, Toronto
- Mimi Chinese, Toronto
- Eight, Calgary
- Pichai, Montreal
- Pine, Collingwood, Ont.
- Nupo, Calgary
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