'Fat Guy' eats Ontario: This is the fourth of a six-part series on Canada's regional cuisines, written by Steven A. Shaw, a New York food writer who also goes by the name Fat Guy. He's inviting readers to join in discussion groups on canada.com. See details at the end of this story Final Edition

• Published in: Leader-post (Regina)
• Main Author: Shaw, Steven A
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Regina, Sask Postmedia Network Inc 12.06.2002
• ISSN: 0839-2870

This cultural preference, or lack thereof, is mirrored in Toronto's food scene. The three major food cities in Canada are, without a doubt, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Toronto may very well have the best restaurants, if you apply international standards of service, professionalism, and wine lists -- and certainly Toronto's restaurants are the best looking in Canada, slickly produced, with decor that would fit right in to the New York or London scene. When I dine in Vancouver, I know I'm in British Columbia because the general outlines of a regional cuisine and style are readily apparent across the board in fine-dining restaurants (and also because the waiters are so California-ish and flaky). When I dine in Montreal, language aside, there is a Quebec vibe to most restaurants, even if they're not French (plus the waiters are rude). But most Toronto restaurants -- excellent though many are -- convey no sense of place and therefore too many of them come across as tasty but generic (even the waiters are generically pleasant). Like the overrated but immensely popular Movenpick Marche, Toronto's dining scene is too much a buffet of unrelated things. 3. There are no restaurants in New York named Toronto Pizza, Toronto Bagels, or Toronto Deli.