Toronto Dining, Part II: Michelin-Starred Alo

Posted on by Leave a comment
Mille-feuille of foie gras and asparagus at Alo.
Mille-feuille of foie gras and asparagus at Alo.

Toronto, ON, Canada — The dining experience at Alo unfolds a little mysteriously, a little mischievously.

It starts when you walk up to the historic brick building that houses not only this fine-dining restaurant, but also Exotix, or what’s billed as Toronto’s first and only body piercing specialty studio. Okay, that’s got to be a first for a location for a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Inside the small foyer is a sharp-dressed hostess behind a stand who will check you in, then press the button to summon the elevator.

You step inside the elevator where it’s nearly pitch-black, not only in terms of the lighting but also its black-covered interior walls. So much so that I couldn’t even make out the floor numbers on the buttons. My husband decided to push the very top one. Good instincts since Alo is on the third floor of this three-story building.

When the elevator doors open, all that darkness gives way to a chic space with a modern, black-topped bar, an open kitchen with chef’s counter seats, and a plush dining room done up in violet and lavender.

Chef-Owner Patrick Kriss, who was as a sous chef at Michelin three-starred Daniel in New York and also worked at Michelin three-starred La Maison Troisgros in France opened Alo opened in 2015.

The inconspicuous sign.
The inconspicuous sign.
The open kitchen.
The open kitchen.

The fine-dining restaurant, which serves contemporary French cuisine with global influences, received a Michelin star in 2022, and has held it ever since. Kriss also has since grown it into an entire group with four other restaurants, a take-out spot, private events venue, and catering company.

The name “Alo” comes from the Latin word alo, which translates to “I feed” or “I nourish.” And it certainly does that.

Read more

Toronto Dining, Part I: Acclaimed Mhel

Posted on by Leave a comment
Aged managatsuo with sakura-leaf mochi rice at Mhel.
Aged managatsuo with sakura-leaf mochi rice at Mhel.

Toronto, ON, Canada — Mhel may be all of 645 square feet, but its presence looms large.

Not only did it garner a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation, but last week it also landed on the No. 27 spot on the 2026 list of the “50 Best Restaurants North America,” up from No. 44 last year.

Mehl is not fancy, not formal, but cozy, charming, and full of life.

Husband-and-wife team Ji Young-Hoon and Yi Seung-min opened the restaurant in 2023, naming it after the word for “anchovy” in the Jeju dialect, spoken in Dangjin, Korea, where Yi’s mother was born.

Ji is the executive chef of this compact 30-seat restaurant, 12 of which are bar seats situated right in front of him and the open kitchen much like a sushi counter. Yi runs the front of house and is beverage director.

The food is a delightful mix of Japanese and Korean, and the ambiance very much like that of an izakaya, where sharing small plates over sake is definitely the way to go.

The entrance.
The entrance.
A dozen seats are available at the counter that fronts the kitchen.
A dozen seats are available at the counter that fronts the kitchen.

We managed to snag seats at the bar, the best vantage point to wach Ji and his team in action.

Read more

Would You Pay Nearly $20 A Pound for Strawberries?

Posted on by Leave a comment

Harry's Berries -- the Ferrari of strawberries.
Harry’s Berries — the Ferrari of strawberries.

Gulp, I did (cough, cough).

And, yes, willingly so.

Let me explain: For years, I’ve heard various chefs rhapsodize about the sweetness of Harry’s Berries strawberries, grown by the Oxnard, CA farm that was founded in 1967 by Harry Iwamoto.

Last October when I happened to be in Southern California, I spied the Harry’s Berries stand at the Santa Monica farmers market. Of course, at that time of year, their strawberry crop was done. Even so, when the fresh berries are in season, the folks manning the stand advised to come early, as they typically sell out in the first hour. Holy moly!

I didn’t leave completely empty-handed, but contented myself with a jar of jam made from their strawberries. It was delicious, too, with a lovely floral sweetness to it.

Grown by a family-owned farm in S. California.
Grown by a family-owned farm in S. California.

Fast-forward to now, when I saw Harry’s Berries strawberries available for delivery via Good Eggs, I pounced. Even at $19.99 for a 1-pound clam shell.

Read more

Chicago Dining, Part III: Michelin-Starred Next

Posted on by Leave a comment
Australian Wagyu served big and brash a la "Wall Street 1987" at Next.
Australian Wagyu served big and brash a la “Wall Street 1987” at Next.

Chicago, IL — Any time a restaurant embarks upon a transformation, it’s a daunting process. Even more so when it undertakes one three times a year. For a staggering 15 years straight.

Such is the case with Michelin-starred Next, opened in the historic Fulton Market by storied chef Grant Achatz, founder of legendary Alinea.

By the time one year ends, Achatz and Next’s executive chef, Alan Mileykovsky, have put their heads together with input from other staff members to come up with the themes for the following year, each of which will be presented for about three months.

Previous themes have ranged from “Chinese Modern,” “Ancient Rome,” and “Paris 1906” to “Julia Child” and “Space.”

Each time, not only does the food change to keep with the theme, but so, too, does the plateware, decor, and soundtrack. In just a day or two, the look of the dining room is transformed. And in less than a week, the restaurant fully transitions from one theme to the next and is ready for service. Quite the feat.

Next was probably the first restaurant to use dynamic pricing. Yes, just like your Uber ride, it’ll cost you more for the same destination or same 10- to 12-course menu if you book at the most popular times, say, a Saturday night. When I booked on a Sunday night, it came out to $275 per person, not including a 20 percent service charge.

The sign marks the spot, but you can't see into the restaurant from the street.
The sign marks the spot, but you can’t see into the restaurant from the street.
The dining room gets redecorated for each themed menu.
The dining room gets redecorated for each themed menu.

The current theme is “Wall Street 1987,” which immediately conjured up visions of excess and decadence. As the restaurant billed it: “The bull is running, the Dow is up 44 percent, and a new class is emerging—young, ambitious, and hungry for everything money can buy.”

Read more

Chicago Dining, Part II: Michelin Two-Starred Ever

Posted on by Leave a comment
A showcase of morels -- part of the tasting menu at Ever.
A showcase of morels — part of the tasting menu at Ever.

Chicago, IL — If ever there was a chef to rise from the lowest of the lows to the highest of highs, it is Curtis Duffy.

His impoverished upbringing was not only marked by constant upheaval, but with the worst of tragedies.

If you don’t know his compelling story yet, do yourself a favor and watch his documentary, “For Grace.” Or better yet, read his recent memoir, “Fireproof: Memoir of A Chef” (Dead Sky Publishing, 2025)

Either way, you will come away marveling at someone who faced down so many demons, and persevered to first open the Michelin three-starred Grace, then the Michelin two-starred Ever and its appropriately named bar-lounge next door, After, all in Chicago.

If you are a fan of “The Bear,” you will also immediately recognize Ever as the inspiration for the Michelin three-starred restaurant in the series where cousin Ritchie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) stages under the helm of Olivia Coleman’s Chef Andrea Terry.

The understated entrance.
The understated entrance.
The kitchen.
The kitchen.
The familiar-looking expediter station in the kitchen.
The familiar-looking expediter station in the kitchen.

Admiration, fandom, and of course, the pursuit of great dining all steered me to Ever when I was planning my trip to Chicago.

Read more
« Older Entries