Good restaurants omitted by Toronto's leading food guide

[Charles Yu]

Though most of us serious foodies treat the recommendations, ratings and reviews of our city's self proclaimed ' food bible' - Toronto Life Restaurant guide' with a grain of salt, this little booklet however does serve a purpose to the majority in its own special way.

However, whilst browsing through the 2010 guide I noticed some glaring omission of some of our CHer's favourites. Here are a few I have identified:

Chinese - Yang's, Emperor, Regal Palace, All the Casa's, O Mei, Fantasy Eatery, Northern
dumpling kitchen....etc
In fact, in general, I found their Chinese listing pathetic!!

Japanese - Japango, Cafe Michi, Inatei

Western - Simple Bistro, Tutto Bene, Richmond Grill

Korean - Karzan

Feel free to add ' deserve ones' to the list!

-----
Japango
122 Elizabeth St, Toronto, ON M5G1P5, CA

Richmond Grill
10165 Yonge St, Richmond Hill, ON L4C1T5, CA

Simple Bistro
619 Mount Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S2M5, CA

Fantasy Eatery
3320 Midland Ave, Toronto, ON M1V5E6, CA

Tutto Bene
8133 Yonge St, Thornhill, ON L3T2C6, CA

O Mei
248 Steeles Ave W, Thornhill, ON L4J1A1, CA

[Big Kahuna 1]

No mention of Le Paradis on Bedford Road, an excellent French Bistro, nor of Green Eggplant on Eglinton West or Queen Street in the Beach, an enjoyable Mediterranean leaning restaurant.

-----
Green Eggplant
1968 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4L1H8, CA

Le Paradis
166 Bedford Road, Toronto, ON M5R 2K9, CA

[Googs]

There's a guide?

[Charles Yu]

Yes! Every year, comes with the April edition of the magazine. Our version of the 'little red book'!!

[Full tummy]

Different guide every month, I believe. (Topics range from weddings and golf to babies and shopping...) The Restaurant Guide is also republished in a glossy "magazine" with the Food and Entertaining Guides each year--three in one.

[Googs]

I was kidding. I stopped reading the Restaurant Guide years ago. I just barely look at the online reviews and then typically only to find out about a patio or hours. There are far too many, far more accurate, up-to-the-minute resources to waste time on it.

[Full tummy]

Oopsie!! I no longer subscribe to Toronto Life and so don't see the guides anymore, but there was a time when I did look to them, when other resources were not so widespread and readily available.

[Charles Yu]

Two more glaring omission:
Joso's and Via Allegro!!!
Most interesting?!!!

-----
Joso's
202 Davenport Rd, Toronto, ON M5R1J2, CA

Via Allegro
1750 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M9C5H5, CA

[Full tummy]

What??? Via Allegro is still on their website with two stars, and Joso's is there, too, but it's unstarred...

-----
Joso's
202 Davenport Rd, Toronto, ON M5R1J2, CA

Via Allegro
1750 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M9C5H5, CA

[Charles Yu]

Both restaurants are not mentioned in their 2010 booklet guide nor are good bistros like Sequel and Moggette!

[juno]

Charles: Perhaps you're not aware that Sequel went out of business at the end of October. Regrettably. Like you, I thought it was a little gem on that strip of Yonge St. between Lawrence Ave. and York Mills Rd. I still miss it. Though Mogette, also mentioned by you, makes for a decent substitute, albeit on Mount Pleasant Rd. south of Eglinton Ave. Though unlike you, I'm rather glad it's not included in the Toronto Life restaurant guide. It's a smallish place, and tough enough to get a table on many nights. Inclusion in the TL guide would only make it more difficult to get in.

[Charles Yu]

Sequel out of business?! What a pity! I must be there just 'before' they close. The food was still pretty good.

Comparing Mogette and Simple, foodwise, I prefer Simple more. However, for TL to omit two really decent bistros in the Mt Pleasant area and just focus on the Harbord and/or Ossington stretch is no excuse! Especially, IMO, Simple's food is as good, if not better than your Harbord Room, Loire, Tati, Paramour or Delux. For that quality of food, their price is hard to beat too!!

BTW, 'Across the road' was also omitted. Has it too gone out of business?!

-----
Delux
92 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J2Z4, CA

Harbord Room
89 Harbord St, Toronto, ON M5S1G4, CA

Mogette
581 Mt Pleasant Rd, Toronto, ON M4S, CA

Harbord
147 Harbord St, Toronto, ON M5S1H1, CA

[Dimbulb]

Closed.

[Charles Yu]

Wow! Toronto must have one of the highest restaurant turnover rate in the continent! On the other hand, glad to see potentially great restaurants like Ruby Watch Co., sprouting up!

-----
Ruby Watch Co.
730 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4M, CA

[estufarian]

My last visit to Simple was disappointing - seeemed to lack flavour. Certainly way down from previous visits.
Have you been recently?

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, we asked in a post above to focus on discussing restaurants that aren't on the list. If you would like to discuss the policies that generated the list, please start a new thread on the Food Media and News board.

We've left all of the posts that were made here prior to the first Chowhound Team post, but will remove any additional posts that are not focused on restaurants recommendations.

[aser]

True ethnic restaurants always play second fiddle in TL, it is after all a very waspy magazine.

It speaks to a different audience, which I don't belong to.

[neighborguy]

Sakawaya is listed, even thought it'd been closed for a while.

[ingloriouseater]

this belongs more on the media board (chowhound team will probably move it), toronto life often 'gets it wrong'. the daily dish or 'the dish' as it is now called really blew it on the best 25 of roncesvalles, listing 5 out of 6 coffee shops as places on the list, and choosing some eateries over others...?

[foodyDudey]

And Sakawaya was terrible after the original owner sold it, so that proves that the list can't be trusted. It was also empty every day of the week.

[sloweater]

Sadly Charles, it's probably because the omitted restaurants do not advertise with said publication.

[pimentdespelette]

Sorry, sloweater, but your conspiracy theory makes no sense. There are, oh, 500 places in the food guide. Have you counted how many of those advertise with Toronto Life? Less than 100, I'd estimate. I wonder instead if it's that the food guide is produced by humans, on deadline?

[Full tummy]

I know several of their reviewers, and this is most certainly not the case. Admittedly, it is frustrating and disappointing when the Guide isn't thorough.

[The Chowhound Team]

Folks, discussion of the magazines advertising and editorial policies belongs on our Food Media and News board rather than here.

If you've got suggestions on great restaurants that aren't on the list, that's fine to add here, but if you want to discuss the whys and wherefores of the list, please start a new thread over here: http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/33