Best Design – Botanist (GOLD winner)
“The design group Ste. Marie captures yet another Gold—they’ve won Best New Design for five out of the last eight years—for Botanist and its garden-meets-gold design. The transformation of the underutilized former Oru space into a bustling and beautiful art deco restaurant illustrates that principal Craig Stanghetta appears to have the Midas touch.”
Best New Restaurant – Botanist (SILVER winner)
“Silver winner Botanist is no tortoise. The beautiful room anchoring the Fairmont Pacific Rim managed to pull off the insurmountable task of changing the direction of a purpose-built hotel dining room, with the help of chef Hector Laguna and designer Craig Stanghetta—transforming the former Oru into a room that channels a luxe locavorism.”
Sommelier of the Year – Jill Spoor
“If you’ve gone to Botanist for a special occasion and splurged on a bottle of Raphaël et Vincent Bérêche Brut Réserve or any other of her selection of impossible-to-source grower Champagnes, then you’ve tasted her passion. In this city that fetishizes the small-scale, hand-selling sommelier, Spoor is an anomaly—a wine professional who’s able to combine a wine nerd’s love of all things esoteric.”
To view the entire list of winners, click here.
Botanist was also recently recognized amongst the nation’s best, as featured in the 2018 Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants.
