I heard Canoe was one of the best restaurants in Canada, so I just had to try it. In addition, Canoe has a focus on regional cuisine, which draws me in like a moth to a flame. Fortunately, I was already in Toronto :). After actually dining there, I do hope that Canadian food catches on in Atlanta. We already have a restaurant called Canoe, so they'll have to call it Rowboat. Hey, a girl can dream.
Almost every seat in the house is great. From the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower building, you can see across the city. What a sleek, cosmopolitan feel! This is Toronto from its best angle. Inside the restaurant, the decor is sophisticated and simple with a warm modern disposition.
Canoe has a focused menu -- plenty of regional (or at least national) cheeses, seafood, interesting red meats, and seasonal veggies. Here, the Canadian bent seems to make perfect sense and detracts from nothing. The platings are just lovely. One in our group had an octopus dish that was right out of Michel Bras' playbook. I enjoyed a rather simple fish that was perfectly delicious, though I do regret not splurging for the tasting menu. Seriously, when the chef has this much artistry and clarity, it's worth it. Canoe's food was approachable even by those in our group with less of a fine dining focus, which speaks again to the talent and vision of the chef, Anthony Walsh.
Service was attentive and well executed, but most of all, the staff had a genuine attitude of pride towards the food they served. It was easy to tell from their descriptions and mannerisms that they thought the food was amazing, and I'm sure that contributed to my judgement.
Yes, the food is expensive. I'm sure the rent and ingredients are too. At some point, when you're evaluating fine dining, it's art! I'll always remember this dinner and hope to return for the tasting menu.
So, is Canoe the best restaurant in Canada? It offers my favorite straight culinary experience in Toronto, with Opus being my actual favorite restaurant. Restaurants with great views have a tendency to offer mediocure food and become tourist traps, but this is the opposite. I highly recommend Canoe to both locals and tourists.