Macleans

[clutterer]

Top 50 in Canada list is out, with Hawksworth taking top spot. Other restaurants for the city/Whistler included: L'Abattoir, Araxi, Bao Bei, Blue Water, Cioppino's, La Quercia, Maenam. Remainder of the list getting huge flack for not including Joe Beef or Au Pied de Cochon. Discuss/complain away.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/09/27/50...

[fmed]

The outrage continues unabated. http://m.eater.com/archives/2012/10/0...

[Anne M]

I dunno it seems to me the outrage is pretty predictable and boring.

[fmed]

The outrage is definitely predictable and boring...as is (or so I would have thought) actually inclulding Joe Beef and APdC on that list. These lists are just predictable and boring...no matter how you slice it. :-)

[clutterer]

I suppose the only surprise for me is that the list was at least partially compiled by Mordecai Richler's son. I don't know him from squat, but I presumed that bloodline would have carried the essence of Montreal with it. So excluding Joe Beef and APdC seems that much more remarkable.

One question, of which I don't have an easy answer to, is whether the predicability and boringness of these lists is at least somewhat a result of the state of this genre of restaurant across the country.

[fmed]

Also considering he wrote "My Canada Includes Foie Gras"....the exclusion of JB and APdC is even more perplexing.

The Maclean's team already had their flame-retadant suits on when they wrote the first paragraph: "Making lists of the 50 best restaurants in Canada is a mug’s game; however much work and good sense goes into such things, they are seldom praised and always attacked—and gleefully."

I also got the sense that the article was meant to be purely vicarious. Judging from the people I know who still actually read Macleans - eg my father-in-law, my dad, my optometrist...etc. (Small sample size - I concede). I don't think that any of them would eat at any of the restaurants on that list.

[Anne M]

True

[LotusRapper]

"These lists are just predictable and boring...no matter how you slice it. :-)"

Sort of like Vancouver Magazine's top restos lists .......

[fmed]

I like what Anthony Bourdain had to say about this fiasco:
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/0...

[lifeasbinge]

absolutely disgraceful to not include Joe Beef and APdC

[waylman]

I'd agree with most of their Vancouver list.

My personal ranking of the top 7 in Van would be

1. Blue Water
2. Cioppino's
3. La Quercia
4. Le Crocodile
5. Vij's
6. L'abbatoir
7. Chambar

I've only had lunch at Hawkswoth so I can't really comment on their #1 ranking.