Michelin goes beyond Toronto for 2024 restaurant guide. Here’s who gained — and lost — a star

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Michelin’s inspectors ventured beyond the city limits for the third edition of the Toronto guide, announced at a ceremony on Sept. 18. “Expanding outside the Toronto metro area allowed us to represent some additional culinary gems that were not initially part of our coverage area,” the anonymous chief inspector for the Michelin Guide, North America, said in an email to National Post.

The 2024 Michelin Guide Toronto & Region includes four new one-star additions: Toronto’s DaNico, Oakville’s Hexagon, Jordan Station’s Restaurant Pearl Morissette and Creemore’s The Pine.

“We are very pleased to welcome four new eateries into the family of Michelin-starred restaurants and hope this serves as encouragement for the restaurant community to continue raising the bar. The chef and culinary teams’ passion is evident with a strong focus on indigenous ingredients and sustainable gastronomy,” Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Michelin Guides said in a statement.

The Michelin Guide Toronto & Region now includes 100 restaurants encompassing 30 types of cuisine. Fifteen hold one Michelin star, two have been awarded green stars for sustainable practices and Sushi Masaki Saito remains a cut above the rest as the only two-star spot. There are 23 restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category, which recognizes good value, including new additions Berkeley North in Hamilton, Guru Lukshmi in Mississauga, and Conejo Negro and Rasa in Toronto.

“Each selection continues to evolve and impress us with the level of cuisine offered, as evidenced by the increase in awarded restaurants,” the anonymous chief inspector said in an email.

The newly starred Restaurant Pearl Morissette joins Toronto’s White Lily Diner (a Bib Gourmand) in also being awarded a green star for its sustainable practices. An hour southwest of Toronto, “This 42-acre destination in the picturesque Niagara region is the full experience.” Chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson take inspiration from seasonal French cooking and their agricultural surroundings. The restaurant overlooks a regenerative farm, which supplies eggs, flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables for its ever-shifting prix fixe menu. The inspectors note the chefs’ overwintering and cellaring techniques, native planting and indigenous ingredients, and direct sourcing from local farmers.

In a former bank in Toronto’s Little Italy, DaNico chef-partner Daniele Corona “cooks Italian food with a global influence,” Michelin inspectors noted. “Choose from a multicourse prix-fixe or a chef’s tasting menu to enjoy items such as wild Pacific crab served over thin, noodle-like vegetables, garnished with trout roe, and finished tableside with a Sicilian green olive coulis. Then, house-made basil bottini filled with smoked burrata is nestled in a creamy sauce for a dish that delivers dialled-in flavour.”

At the one-star Hexagon in Oakville, chef Rafael Covarrubias creates “beautiful, soigné works that are refined, original and substantial,” according to inspectors. “To see this kitchen at its most ambitious, guests can book a tasting menu in advance.”

The Pine, housed in a converted garage in Simcoe County, is run by chef Jeremy Austin and his wife, Cassie Austin. Jeremy has cooked in China, France and Italy, and he and Cassie left Shanghai to open a restaurant in South Georgian Bay. The focus is on regional ingredients, most of which come from Cassie’s parents’ farm, ”delivered with striking creativity and conviction on an ever-evolving menu.”

Alobar Yorkville and Yukashi lost their stars and are now among the 61 recommended restaurants. Frilu, which had one star in last year’s guide, is permanently closed and no longer listed.

The Michelin Guide will announce its 2024 restaurant selections for Vancouver on Oct. 3. In 2025, it will launch the inaugural guide for the province of Quebec, making it the third Michelin destination in Canada and the 12th in North America.

Sushi Masaki Saito — two stars Aburi Hana — one star Alo — one star DaNico (new) — one star Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto — one star Edulis — one star Enigma Yorkville — one star Hexagon (new) — one star Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto — one star Kappo Sato — one star Osteria Giulia — one star The Pine (new) — one star Quetzal — one star Restaurant 20 Victoria — one star Restaurant Pearl Morissette (new) — one star Shoushin — one star

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