After five years, 55k frequent flyer miles, and more than 200 no-holds-barred dinners at some pretty amazing new restaurants all across Canada – from Tofino to Fogo Island and everywhere in between – it is my supreme pleasure to announce that I'm retiring from my post as national restaurant critic for enRoute magazine.
The best job in Canadian media is in good hands: I'm honored to pass the Golden Fork to the wise and discerning Nancy Matsumoto, whose 2018 Canada's Best New Restaurants longlist is out today. Nancy's top ten favorite new restaurants will be published in the November issue of enRoute.
Deep bows of gratitude to everyone at enRoute for giving me this opportunity in the first place, and for making my copy flow so well and look so good year in and year out; to the far-flung Canadian food pros who've scouted these best new restaurants on my behalf; to the talented chefs and servers and somms and barkeeps who've fed my brain's pleasure centers so many delightful things; to friends and family who've sat across the table from me and played it cool while I ignored them to tap out secretive tasting notes; and especially to Neko and TK and Sarah, who never judged me when I abandoned them for weeks every summer for five years and returned 10 pounds heavier each time.
With that, I'm officially out. That'll do, my overtaxed liver and gastrointestinal system. That'll do.