"3"^^ . . "0"^^ . "5"^^ . "Alo was recently (Mar 1, 2017) named the top Canadian restaurant to dine at for 2017, but it was most definitely the top restaurant in 2016 as well for those in the know.\n\nI had the pleasure of dining at Alo twice - once in the dining room (9 courses), and once at the Chef's Counter (15 courses). Do note that as of this writing, the chef's counter reservations are only available by calling in, whereas the dining room area can be reserved online.\n\nThe menu at Alo changes frequently, but courses such as the bread & butter course (served mid-meal) and the gougere puffs (variations on the accompaniments) starter seem to be staples - not that I am complaining, because they are absolutely delectable. It is hard to imagine freshly baked bread with house-churned butter being a course, but once you take the first bite, you will deem it worthy as such.\n\nI especially appreciate Alo's creative usage of niche ingredients that are normally not used elsewhere.\n\nSome stand out dishes:\n\n1. Finger limes with ryeberry ice cream and white chocolate was a pleasant mix of sweet and sour, with nice textural contrast between the soft smooth ice cream, the caviar-like finger limes and the crunchy rough chocolate crumble. \n\n2. Truffle lovers would undoubtedly enjoy as much as I did when white truffle was generously shaven in front of me onto a bed of koshihikari rice risotto, by none other than the Head Chef Patrick Kriss himself.\n\n3. Matsutake mushrooms are showcased in a single dish to demonstrate the transformation of this ingredient from its raw form (with intense, grassy flavours), to a milder sweeter form once poached and pur\u00E9ed. And finally, in jelly format exuding elegant subtle flavours sandwiched alongside a rich tasting foie gras terrine.\n\n4. Warm himrod grapes glazed with vermouth and ones simply frozen was a creative play on temperature. This was served on a gorgeous hand-made plate with creme fraiche ice cream, chestnuts and roasted amaranth - a delight to the senses, both visually and on the palate.\n\nDishes such as the grilled A5 Waygu beef and hamachi sashimi were almost disappointing by comparison - not because of a lack of deliciousness, but rather by the limitations on what you can do creatively with these ingredients.\n\nService has been impeccable both times I have dined there. Even though one would expect some snobbishness and elitism in such a restaurant, I received no such attitude from them - and that to me is an important distinction from other top restaurants.\n\nIf I were to be disappointed by Alo in any way, it is perhaps the difficulty in obtaining a reservation. I highly recommend going \"all-in\" with the chef's counter tasting with wine pairings, but if you are trying to organize a meal with 3 or more, I'd suggest to tame your ambitions...for now.\n\nFor those visiting and unable to secure a reservation, Alo has a bar area with a separate bar menu serving a la carte items. Do note that you would not be able to obtain items on the tasting menus there."^^ . . . "2017-02-10T00:00:00"^^ . "0"^^ .