TORONTO — The Liberty Entertainment Group held a special media luncheon yesterday to celebrate the news that Gambero Rosso has named its Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto restaurant ‘Opening of the Year.’ The Italian fine-dining restaurant also received “Tre Forchette” (3 Forks), the highest rating available in Gambero Rosso’s Top Italian Restaurants 2019 Guide, which features only 500 international locations offering above authentic Italian flavour.
Gambero Rosso is the premier dining guide of Europe (second only to the Michelin Guide) and is an internationally recognized brand. According to Nick Di Donato, president and CEO of Liberty Entertainment Group, who spoke at the media luncheon, “It is a significant honour for a Toronto restaurant to be selected among an international roster of restaurants and a testament to the calibre of restaurants in the city,” said the restaurateur, in introducing chef Ernesto Iacarino to the media. Chef Iacarino stated it was an instant connection to Di Donato and his team that drew him and his father, Alfonso, to forge a relationship with Liberty Entertainment Group — the first such partnership the Italian restaurant has formed.
Both Ernesto and Alfonso have made several trips this past year to help train the kitchen on the specifics of the menu and drinks list. Iaccarino is looking forward to updating the menu over the next few months. Currently, a tasting menu and an à la carte menu is offered. As part of the luncheon, media were also treated to a molecular-cocktails demo in the restaurant’s upstairs bar area.
Donato hopes this new distinction, awarded only a few months after opening the restaurant, will draw significant global attention to Toronto’s vibrant dining scene.
Gambero Rosso, which was founded in 1986, is the leading food-and-wine guide in Italy and Europe and is revered by culinary fans around the world. Its “Tre Bicchieri” designation for wine and “Tre Forchette” for restaurants, have become trusted brands the world over.
