Splendido- Exotica Canadiana

[Cam Bloom]

Hello Everyone,

Just moved to Toronto from Edinburgh and want to try the best local produce as you hit summer. I want the best!

I've done some searching and the most exciting menu/concept I've seen seems to be this one. And from what I gather it's an annual feature.

Local food matched to local wines.

Opinions? Previous years or this year?
Good service? Good Food? Good value?

Help me Toronto.

Here's the link...

http://www.splendido.ca/main.php?a=ne...

[DaS3]

fantastic menu!!! best idea i've seen in a while (or at all for that matter). no one else can bring together the bounty that this counrty has to offer in one menu from coast to coast, with food and wine, amazing!!!
and the service, consitantly the best in the city, and thats worth all the money in the world!!! (too me at least)

[estragon]

OK, so we tried the Exotica Canadiana menu. Spent a pretty penny -- actually, thousands of pennies. And the verdict?

A bit underwhelming. There was nothing wrong with the food, to be sure. But only one course came close to really hitting it out of the park -- the beef consomme with beef brisket and daikon, and roasted marrow on the side. The rest was good... but not unlike small plates in other places. Not close to the taste sensation we had at Jean-Georges in New York (Splendido is a long, long way from three stars), the incredible scallops I had last year at Canoe, or the seafood platter at Pied de Cochon in Montreal.

The wine selections were excellent, but at $75 per person for six 2 oz flights? Ay caramba!

And the whole service thing? I just don't get it. Too much fawning and preening for my taste. Do I really need someone to run up and pull out my chair when I come back from the toilet? Do I want to eat in a place where everyone is speaking in hushed tones and referring to "Chef Lee"? At times we felt like we were in a museum.

One visit was enough.

[skylineR33]

I agree with you on the food. For the thousands of pennies you spent, a big portion goes to the "service" you mentioned. I thought you should well aware of the kind of service you get in Splendido in advance when people mentioned about the "whole package" and "great/attentive service" about the restaurant, ummm...

[estufarian]

So many issues/assumptions that I don’t know where to start!

First – who ever suggested that Splendido competed in any way with Jean-Georges? J-G is often mentioned in top 10 (or 25 or 50) lists WORLDWIDE. But even if you do a comparison, I’ve never had anything remotely “Exotica Canadiana” there. It’s a totally different restaurant. Comparisons are useless. Unless, of course, Splendido chooses to set up the comparison (which to my knowledge they never have).
I accept a comparison with Canoe – as it has access to similar ingredients – but don’t accept that their scallops were anywhere close to worldbeaters – Toronto just isn’t the place for seafood. Too far from the source in almost every case.
I ‘can’ accept Au Pied du Cochon – it sources its seafood from within 30 miles and it’s delivered daily. Is it worth it – if you want the freshest seafood, then certainly.

I’m glad you liked the wine selections – I recall getting 3-4oz pours (except for the dessert wine). I think they do a fairly good job of matching the price point – but that’s a two-edged sword, I’d rather have better wines anyway (budget permitting).
In perfect service you probably wouldn’t even notice it. I think it’s excellent (for Toronto) – NEVER preening – just prompt and efficient for me. At most (?all) top restaurants they will pull out the chair and refold/replace napkins. I find it ‘quieter’ than most places because the tables are further apart – not because of any ‘reverence’. And ALL top restaurants show respect for the chef by using the term ‘chef So-and-So’. The only variation I’ve heard is a simple ‘Chef’ (without the So-and-So).
This is ‘dining’ – it’s a ritual (most things about food are rituals). It’s something that people go out for (and pay for).

But, your opinion of the food is absolutely fair. After all it’s your opinion. And it’s your dime (actually hundreds of them).
FWIW I rate Splendido # 1 for the whole dining experience in Toronto right now, and Chef Lee in the top 3 chefs in Toronto.
J-G I rate in the top 3 restaurants in North America (and top 10 worldwide that I’ve tried). Splendido doesn’t make either list!
But neither does Canoe (I don’t have a top 50 Canadian, but don’t think Canoe would make that list) – I find it like meeting with an Accountant (I can say that as I am one!). And Au pied du Cochon is simply unique – you love it or hate it (and the way things are going in North America it may eventually be one of the few still serving foie gras - in which case it may become my #1).

[T Long]

Splendido is your #1 Toronto restaurant...Chef Lee in top 3 chefs in Toronto. Sounds about right to me. I would be interested in your extended rating lists for both top restaurant and chef in Toronto. Cheers.

[estragon]

I take your point about comparing Splendido to Jean-Georges -- not entirely fair. But the price was almost exactly the same, and the experience far inferior. Having spent far more at Jean-Georges than we'd ever paid for a meal anywhere, we felt it was worth every penny. Having paid almost as much at Splendido, we did not.

To be pedantic about it... Pied de Cochon gets its seafood a lot father away than 30 miles from Montreal. It comes from the Magdalene Islands and Nova Scotia. Don't know how Canoe gets its BC scallops -- I'm sure they come by air, probably daily. In any case, I didn't have a problem with freshness at Splendido. It was just that the treatment was kind of... ordinary.

Bottom line: for many people, myself included, Splendido is a once-in-a-blue-moon special occasion outing, which costs half a month's rent. Given that, and given the expectations that are inevitably built up by the hype on Chowhound and elsewhere, our experience fell short. Interestingly, I was talking to a colleague afterwards about her recent experience there, and she and her husband had pretty much the same feeling: does not live up to expectations.

[mrbozo]

Bravo! Splendido is indeed splendid, but the quality of food and service is nothing exceptional, if one is accustomed to dining at decent restaurants in Montreal. It is what is to be expected across the board (at half the price). It is an established and unique beacon in Toronto and can afford to charge what it will (and what the market will bear). A savvy restaurateur recognizes a void and fills it, and his/her pocket, accordingly.

APDC does indeed get its seafood from the Gulf of the St Lawrence, neighbouring New Brunswick, and from Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, and the New England states (all a gastronomical stone's throw away). I'll be moving to BC to be with my fiancée and my mouth waters at the prospect of the seafood that will be hopping onto my plate.

[estufarian]

Fair enough!
My meal at J-G was about twice what I pay at Splendido (on the other hand, lunch at J-G is the best deal in New York!).
My stats on the seafood at Pied du Cochon came from a recent thread on the Quebec Board - was coincidentally researching Montreal for my visit next week. I guess you can't believe everything you read on the internet!
And yes, the prices at Splendido have been creeeping up - I haven't been as often this year as last (but already have my next reservation, so can update my experiences - last visit was early in 2007).
If I change my opinion, I'll certainly report on it.

[estragon]

I am on my way to Montreal as I write, and looking forward to another visit to Pied de Cochon -- this time for duck in a can. I saw it being served at other tables last time I was there, and haven't been able to get it out of my mind.

[estufarian]

Please report back (or email me). I'm there on friday!

[estragon]

Lucky you! Try to sit at the bar.

And check out my review of my previous visit to PDC: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/407918

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Hmmm, yes, exotica indeed...

Blue Fin tuna, I'm thinking exotica declinata

[hungry_pangolin]

I should have mentioned this in my first posting... Fat Cat Bistro on Eglinton (376? - thereabouts, anyway) west of Avenue Rd. While the restaurant doesn't "specialise" in local produce, Mathew Sutherland (chef) pays a lot of attention to it. And they have a good wine list. it's a lovely place, too often overlooked. Actually, I must go soon... it has been a year.

[TorontoJo]

You will not be disappointed. Splendido provides the best all-around experience of any restaurant in Toronto.

[industry worker]

I went to Exotia last year and it was perfect. I love the concept of the best of local food matched (as it should be) with the best of local wines. From the menu it looks the best of Ontario wines.

[skylineR33]

The service at Splendido is the best in Toronto, very attentive. But whether it is the best food in Toronto, is debatable. I enjoy the tasting menu during my visit there 2 months ago except a bit salty with the wild escargot risotto as I remember..

[SherylKirby]

http://www.gladstonehotel.com/harvest...

Whoops... try this link instead for the 2007 schedule,

[Cam Bloom]

I'm looking for higher end than the Gladstone.....

[estragon]

You can't go wrong with Splendido. It's consistently rated as one of Toronto's top two or three restaurants, and is a favourite of all the restaurant pros I know. I'm going for the first time two weeks from now. Can't wait!

[SherylKirby]

http://www.gladstonehotel.com/harvest...

Check out Harvest Wednesdays at the Gladstone. Each week they do a dinner based on what comes in their CSA boxes for the week. All local, all incredibly fresh.

[hungry_pangolin]

Spendido - certainly one of the best, arguably the best, high-end restaurant in Toronto. For local produce, Jamie Kennedy WineBar is very good (there are those on the site who aren't fond of it, but, well, this site is for the opinionated). The best, to my mind, is Eigensinn Farm, run by Michael Stadlander. MS grows/raises or sources all his product locally, and his preparation is impecable. It is *rustic*, not elegant in the customary sense of the word, but it is an experience no pareil. The only problem is that it's about two hours outside Toronto, near Singhampton, so if you can arrange transportation somehow, that would address the problem.

[cecilia]

Eigensinn Farm also has a 2-month reservation list so you need to call NOW if you want to eat there this summer. And you will need to bring your own wine.