NEW YORK — Zagat has released its 2012 Toronto Restaurants Survey, representing 315 restaurants and highlighting Scaramouche, Canoe, Spring Rolls and Scaramouche Pasta Bar & Grill.
The restaurants were reviewed by 2,266 Toronto-area diners, who awarded Scaramouche for food and service and Canoe for decor.
Spring Rolls was named the most popular restaurant chain and Burrito Boyz was cited for giving “Top Bang for the Buck.”
This year’s top newcomers included Campagnola (Italian), Ici Bistro (French), Khao San Road (Thai), Woodlot (Canadian/Italian) and Barque Smokehouse (BBQ).
The survey revealed Toronto spending is up at restaurants, with diners eating out 3.1 times per week — a number comparable to Chicago (2.8), New York City (3.0), Las Vegas (3.3) and Los Angeles (3.4).
When it comes to the trends, locally sourced, organic and sustainably raised food items are considered important by 71 per cent of surveyors, while 56 per cent say they are willing to pay more for these ingredients. Fifty-four per cent of responders said a celebrity chef in the kitchen didn’t influence their dining choice. When it comes to the type of food chosen, Italian is the favourite, followed by French and Japanese.
For more details about the restaurants featured in the Zagat survey, visit Zagat.com.
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