nsequitur

I'd love to have access to a salt and vinegar chip that doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator theory of tastebuds (ie: dumbed down for everyone's palette), so if their's makes the face pucker, I hope they make it to Ontario. Someone should forward the thread to the company so they know of the demand.

Fantastic and informative answer - thanks! If you recall the names or addresses of any of the websites, even if out-of-date, they could be a useful starting point. If any other members had any experiences, good or bad, in bringing their own wine, I'd love to hear them. Hard to top an 80-year-old burgundy though!

As a post-script, I did go so far as contact the ministry that administers the programme, and by reply was told: "Thank you for contacting the Ministry of Government Services. Restaurants are regulated under the Liquor Control Act which is administered by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Requests for a list of participating restaurants must be made in writing to the attention of Monica Gidvani at the AGCO. Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario 90 Sheppard Avenue East Suite 200-300 Toronto, Ontario M2N 0A4 Toll-Free:1-800-522-2876 Phone:(416) 326-8700 Fax:Alcohol: (416) 326-5555 http://www.agco.on.ca" Not being local, I haven't contacted Ms. Gidvani, but thought I'd include this response for completeness.

On a prior visit home, I read in the Star about upcoming legislation allowing patrons to bring their own bottle to restaurants, and take home unfinished portions brought or purchased at such restaurants. Although the legislation passed, restaurant participation was voluntary, and I have heard very little about who opted in. I'm sure participants would charge a "corkage fee" (common in areas such as mine: Miami) to defray costs, but even still it may be a practice that was largely ignored by the GTA restaurant community. Anyone know of any top-tables that DID opt-in? Particularly establishments that have a tasting menu, but no pairings by the glass (Susur?)

I've dreamt of Singhampton on several past visits to Toronto, but for obvious reasons of distance, was never able to make it happen. On an upcoming visit, I thought I'd again give it a try, but was dissuaded by (1) inability to get through on the phone (not the first time this has happened) and (2) having a newborn, whom I'd presumably not be able to bring, and yet could not leave for the extended period of time necessary to eat (and presumably sleep) near the farm. Here's the question I'd pose to forum members: Given the choice, would you rather dine at Eigensinn, or at both Perigee AND Susur (for about the same cost)? I'm going to have to content myself with the latter option, but wanted to hear thoughts and opinions.

Pardon this bumping of an old thread, but any thoughts on Perigee 2006? Based on this forum, I'm planning a booking this summer when in town. I was particularly interested to see if any members had indulged in the 15-20 course "taste of perigee" menu. It's a whopping $225 pp., but includes wine pairings (I'm told with 10 or so of the courses). The 7-course menu ($115), with pairings ($70) comes in pretty close, so I'd like thoughts on whether the extra splurge is worth it (or whether the 15 courses are basically the same as the 7-course, but with both guests getting the same dishes rather than each getting a separate one with each course).

Susur was one of my finest meals when I went in 2004, but my 2 hang ups were (1) the wait time between courses (I'm not exagerating when I say we waited over an hour between one course, and at least 40 minutes for several others), and (2) the wine card (no pairings). I'm planning to try again this August when I am in town again, and quoted the above passage to address both of my historical problems: 1. If I requested Kelly Kwan at the time of reserving, might that provide some guarantee of better service (ie: reasonable wait time between courses)? 2. You say there WAS wine pairings - can you elaborate? Susur's menu is too diverse to pick only one bottle, and a party of 2 shouldn't have to buy more than 3 (especially at these prices). As such, I always thought Susur of all places would be ideally suited to pairings, and hope that I am reading you correctly when you say they have them. As a P.S., Susur has a new website, but no e-mail address now? (reservations@susur.com bounced) - anyone else had this experience (probably less of an issue if you aren't from out of town, but a pain if you are, like me).