Actinolite

“These chefs don’t miss *said in Snoop Dog’s voice* That is how I would sum up my experience at Actinolite. They are a Michelin star restaurant that feels warm and homey the second you enter the door. My husband created a weekend in Toronto for us to celebrate my birthday full of laughs, quality time and phenomenal food at a Michelin star restaurant. He snagged us a late reservation at Actinolite. When I tell yall that the food was INSANE. Yall…they don’t have a menu. They ask you about your dietary restrictions/preferences and off they go to the kitchen to work their magic. As a years long picky eater turned owner of a sophisticated palate, I had my reservations about not having any clues as to what I would be eating. At other restaurants, they have tasting menus... I at least had a menu to look at and speculate what may come across my plate. Those reservations flew out the window the second I took my first bite. All my life I thought I didn’t care for mushrooms. I would eat them but they had to either be small and/or in a dish that had so many other ingredients and flavors that I couldn’t taste them too much. My husband and I realized, after devouring our meals with mushrooms, that we just needed Peter to cook mushrooms for us! Each course was delivered to us by the chef who prepared it and this allowed the presentation to also include in depth details of the creation of each dish. The course that Peter made was our favorite. And once we took a few bites, we immediately requested to speak to the chef. (It was sadly the only dish we didn’t capture a photo of….but it was a trout dish with greens that were foraged that very day!) I wanted to tell him how much we loved the dish because I know firsthand the passion, love, time, energy, blood, sweat and tears that chef’s put into each of their dishes. I live with and am loved by a chef. I know that they are honored when someone expresses their appreciation for something they created with their hands and heart. Because our reservation was the last time slot of the evening (2100) we closed the restaurant down and were the last patrons standing. We got an extra dessert and Miguel gifted us with two free wine parings during our meal-one with one of the courses and the other with dessert. All in all, 10/10, no notes. *the picture of us is not from the restaurant-but the previous day. I just wanted the staff to recall the couple from Detroit who lived their food!*”

“We had a wonderful experience at Actinolite Restaurant. One thing to know in advance is that the menu is not available beforehand and changes completely depending on seasonal and local ingredients. When you arrive, the team takes time to ask about any allergies or ingredients you prefer to avoid, and then they create a curated dining experience based on that. The concept is very thoughtful and clearly focused on farm-to-table products. Everything feels fresh, seasonal, and carefully selected from local farms. Each dish we were served felt like a small piece of art — beautifully presented, original, and full of flavour. You can really feel the creativity and attention to detail in every plate. Overall, it was a unique and memorable dining experience with high-quality ingredients and a very creative approach to food.”

“Excellent experience - delicious food (no menu, whatever they have on hand that day) and great service. Only regret in the end was choosing the neighbourhood (3-course tasting) menu instead of the full (6-course) menu, because every bite was SO. GOOD. Dishes seemed simple, but were so creative and had so much more depth than at first glance. Truly delicious, highly recommend!”

“Had a fantastic dinner with my wife last night. Everything was perfect. Our server took time to describe the restaurant's approach to sourcing local ingredients to craft each dish, which we really appreciated. Every single item was great and had an element of surprise for us. I wish I could take that the yeast extract butter home :) Overall, a great dining experience and I'll definitely come back.”

“We chose the $135 per person tasting menu for Valentine’s Day and unfortunately left disappointed. Out of the seven courses, two featured beets and one was simply a plain potato served in an almost flavorless broth. One of the beet dishes was described as dehydrated beets that were later rehydrated with the juice of.. wait for it.. other beets..?? And it tasted exactly like.......just.. BEETS! For a tasting menu at this price point, we expected more depth of flavor. The staff were delightful and knowledgeable, and we truly appreciated the care and thought put into sourcing local ingredients. It was clear that effort went into the concept and presentation. However, at the end of the day, the dishes just were not objectively delicious.”