Event: Dinner at La Chronique
Friday November 20th, 18:00
Addr: 99, Rue Laurier West, Montreal, QC
Phone: 514-271-3095
Type of cuisine: Fine Dining (French, North American...they call it New American ;)
Dinner/cost: Multiple course tasting menu with wine pairings $229 (Taxes Incl.)
Url: http://www.lachronique.qc.ca
Mention: VERY GOOD

It is amazing how a lot of people are madly in   with La Chronique.  Most comments, I read on the web, about La Chronique, are  basically declarations of love such as "the best restaurant of montreal", "my best restaurant ever" and so on. Even, my personal top favourite Mtl food reviewer, Thierry Daraize, wrote a raving review on La Chonique and untitled it "My best chronic". I am happy to see this collective love for La Chronique, for a very simple reason: I want Montreal to shine as a city of restaurants -> as we were debating in the "comments" section of the  review about my latest dinner at  Restaurant Nuances, I wish from the bottom of my heart that Montreal rises as one of world's best restaurant cities with newer standards like those found at Pierre Gagnaire/Jardin des Sens/Fat Duck. That can be done! In the meantime, my way of contributing to  the emancipation of Montreal as a city of great tables goes through a strict honest down to earth approach: if you are a great table, I will rave about you. If you are a  joke, I will spit on you!

Located in Mile-End, at  mas o menos a 10-15 mins drive from downtown, the restaurant is situated in a fully autonomous area (lol): hairdressing salon, art galleries, spas, beauty salon,  shoe stores, cookware stores....

 

...right in front, one of Mtl's great restaurants, Raza. Not far, another great one: Jun I

...+ couple of other restaurants like Phayathai (close neighbor to La Chronique), Baldwin Barmacie (Wow..that is original. Check that out!). A bit further, you have Chao Phraya (my personal favourite Thai in Mtl), Thai Grill (hot decor, but the food has never stunned me though), Barros Lucco (to my opinion, the best chilean sandwiches in Mtl), + the long time and one of my personal Mtl favourite historical delis called Wilensky).

Back to our main bud, La Chronique:

I do not know if you will get that same feeling, but whenever I was starring at their online pics (http://www.lachronique.qc.ca/fr/photo_resto.htm), I had the feeling that it was a bit somber, tiny old schoolish kind of bistro. The 1st time I watched those pics, I also anticipated the red wall to not be of my taste as well. But stepping physically into La Chronique provided me with a complete different visual experience, a very pleasant one I had not expected: La Chronique is certainly not huge, but I truely like the way they managed to maximize the space of this small restaurant: you do not get the unpleasant chlostrophobic feel usually found in such tiny space. Here, long banquettes are against the walls, tables and chairs superbly well arranged to provide room to the patrons. Really well though in terms of space management. And the restaurant does not have the borying kitsch decor I would have anticipated: to the contrary, there is an elegant bistro chic feel I was not expecting at all here:

The red color of the wall is beautiful, the black and white pictures are the fruits of the talented photograph that is hidden inside Chef De Cank. De Cank (he was not present on that evening), is a passionate photographer and  has a gallery of his beautiful black and white everyday's life scenery photos displayed at this restaurant: 

Seems that De Cank also works the wood. The following wooden bread and salt boxes are wood art works of Chef De Cank:

OK 2 more pictures of the dinning room, before we indulge in the overall dining report:

 

Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted by a gentleman who was going to be my main waiter of the evening, Pierre. Polite greetings, coat checking, and a beautiful corner table with view on Laurier Street.
The chef working tonight was going to be Olivier de Montigny: very sympathic gentleman.

The layout and ambiance is ideally elegant, 

even romantic too (with nice little jazzy music in the background, dim light,  and the general cozy feel of the dinner room, mainly when it's not busy of patrons, this could be a type of sympathic charming romantic spot that I would certainly adopt).

I picked the multiple course tasting menu with the $can 195 (Before Tax) tasting menu:

Course #1, Octopus/Romesco/Chorizo.

Amazingly tender and very tasty chunk of octopus, oozing with an impeccable enjoyable char-grilled flavour. Intense rich tasty mouthfeel. The subtle tasty romesco sauce was not overwhelming, letting the octopus shine with all it's splendeur. Finally a table that understood the importance of not mixing up big chunks of chorizo with a delicate appetizer! I am saying finally, because at so many tables, I saw lots of chefs mixing up big chunks of those sausages with food that were delicate on their own, instead of doing what Chef Montigny has brillantly done here: small little dices of tasty chorizos (delicate, elegant and appropriate). Kudos to the ecclectic touch of the chef on this one: here, it's a successful balad under the suns of the seafood and the exotism of the spaniards (chorizo). Ole! Succulent. 
Pairing wine: Chablis Tete D'or, Brilland Simon 2007. Amazing white wine, with an intensely pure body, fully mineral, sweet and elegant. It reached out perfectly well with the romesco sauce and the small dices of Chorizo. Brillant wine pairing, like the rest of all Pierre's wine pairings as you will see later on. Great job, Pierre!

Course #2, Tuna/Avocado/Shrimp

Here again, another refreshing touch of ecclectic. This time, we travel to the Oriental world. The tuna is offered two ways here: both in it's tartare + tataki version. The tataki tuna with wakame algae had a remarquably genuine authentic oriental taste that I enjoyed. Really well done both in terms of technical execution (truely felt like it was done by an original oriental chef using his/her authentic homey japanese tataki cooking technique / the meat was firm as expected, had the perfect texture) and work of the taste (tasty!). The tartare version was as succulent: oozing of freshness, remarquably tasty, it was paired with a julienne of fresh apples and sat on top of a delicious purée of avocado.The shrimp was a beautiful big juicy lonesome marvel dressed with it's enjoyable tempura crust. Really well done!
Pairing wine: Marsannay les Longeroies, 2006 (Domaine de Jean Fournier). Great bourgogne, delicate, with a remarquably light fruity flavor. This wine was a killer to my tastebuds and paired harmoniously with this course. Really great. It is a private import. 

Filet de Saint-Pierre fish/Lobster

The chunk of Lobster was tender, slightly short of the fully marine flavor that make me go Wowed when I devour seafood items,  bu tasty. The filet of Saint-Pierre fish was impeccably evenly well cooked, not too smooth, not  tough with an appealing memorable white snowy tender flesh. Both the lobster and the Saint-Pierre filet were bathed in a yellow wine sauce: brillant work here since the yellow wine sauce was not overwhelming by all accounts. To the contrary, it completed perfectly well the dish. On it's own, the yellow wine sauce was as beautifully creamy as enjoyably light and refreshingly tasty. VEry nice.
Wine pairing:  A 2008 Blanco Inedito rioja. Amazingly soft and subtle anjoyable wine that I never tasted before. It reached out so well with the lobster and Saint-Pierre filet.

Course #4: Foie Gras

The Pan-seared foie had perfect on-the-outside beautifully browny caramel-looking texture, but it was unfortunately  mushy on the inside. Taste of the foie was good though. It came with a well concocted cabbage roll that was ideally crunchy and filled with an inside of risotto (nice touch!). A bit busy as a dish, but a winner since it was succulently hearty and homey: the delicious delicate flavorfully packed sauce of foie gras was a blast!
Pairing wine: Clos Saron, La Cuvée mystérieuse, 2004. Intense red color, amazing great nose, enjoyably oaky with a nice sweetness made this Merlot/Syrah a perfect fully flavored rich companion to the Pan-Seared foie gras.  
Course #5: Pork

The pork meat was cooked 2 ways -> sous vide and roasted. The sous vide one, as expected, was oozing of it's impeccable well preserved full porky natural taste. Perfectly cooked: tot too smooth, not to tough. The roasted was better though: tender, superior enjoyable taste, enjoyable porky peppery flavors. It was also less greasy, naturally. Accompanying the pork: fresh crunchy grean beans and a stand out fresh onion cippolini that was perfectly boiled and it was tasty.
Pairing wine: Saint-Julien 2006 (Domaine du Jaugaret). Impeccable red wine (Cabernet sauvignon at 80%, petit verdot, malbec). Private import. I am trying to get this wine at home for Christmas. Loved it so much!

The plate of cheese

Very nice varied selection (well thought choices, imho) from Quebec and abroad:
I chose went with 4 picks ->
(1)Queso de Valdeon
Nicely aged strong/intense flavoured Spanish blue cheese
A savourish mix of both cow's and goat's milk.
(2)Le Cendrillon from Alexis de Portneuf
A flavorful rich cheese of Saint Raymond de Portneuf (Qc) that won the World Cheese Awards 2009. http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Quebec+goat+cheese+voted+best+world/2063623/story.html
The inside softness of this cheese is amazing.
(3)Pikauba From Lac Saint Jean, QC
Made of cow milk. Flavorfully intense/rich at smell, but surprisingly light in taste/mouthfeel
http://www.fromageduquebec.qc.ca/en/fromagerie.php?fromagerie=lehmann
(4) Fleur du Maquis, Corsica
Made of sheep's milk. Perfumed with savory (sarriette), rosemary, juniper berries (baies de genièvre). Very mild, light milky taste that is enhanced only by it's herbal perfume. Just ok.

My four picks of cheese were beautifully presented on a squarish plank of wood, with nicely sweet roasted nuts, dry apricots and other sweet dry fruity savouries (I am usually not keen to the sweet & salty, but this type of balance between sweet and salt seduces me highly: the overall was total tastebud pleaser -> the intense pairing sweet wine (Gewurztraminer Cuvée Théo, Clos des Capucins, Domaine Weinbach 2007: elegant, intensily sweet, fruity, velvety), the salty-ness of the cheeses, the sweetness of the dry fruits and nuts...simply amazing!!).

Ending on a sweet note:

Course #6: Carpaccio of Pineapple

From left to the right, a delicious oval-shaped ice cream, a creamy white choco concoction, pearls of strawberry sauce and slices of pineapple (hence the name Carpaccio of Pineapple). A dessert full of love, as I like to qualify such dessert: simple, straightfoward but done with passion, all the little attentions and full of elegance.
Pairing wine: a 2006 Gaillac doux, Domaine Rotier. Nice complexity of apricot, fig, quince fruit (coing). Ideal pairing to the hearty dessert.

SEE better photos of this dinner at my Picasa's restaurant Gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/comorosislands/RESTAURANTLACHRONIQUEMONTREAL#

SO, Voilà!
Overall, VERY GOOD. Would have walked away with an EXCELLENT rating had the dessert stormed the show (read: being complex in execution or tastebud blowing like the Bistro Cocagne's Pot de crème I had, or the M sur Masson's Caramelized pineapple marvel, or the 'Amour des Iles' exotical hottie I devoured at l'Eau à la bouche earlier on in February) + the foie gras being not of mushy inside consistency.

As opposed to Le Club Chasse et Peche or XO, there was no particular meal (out of this one dinner) that I would throw against those of some of world best tables that I already went dining at (El Bulli, Fat Duck, Pierre Gagnaire, Noma), but this dinner at La Chronique has definitely some stellar performances that confirms it's well deserved consideration as one of Montreal's top best tables (the starter of Octopus is among the best Octopus appetizer I tried on a fine gourmet table since a long time, their fresh bread would send the best bakers to retirement, their pairing wine choices was flawless and service was very good). Next time I will go there, I want this time to try Chef De Canck food as well (a bit of both would be highly appreciated).

Recommended Items:
-From the series "Montreal's Luxurious tables":
http://aromes.xanga.com/714228763/montreals-luxurious-tables-xo-le-restaurant/ (XO)
http://aromes.xanga.com/716032803/montreals-luxurious-tables-nuances/ (NUANCES)
http://aromes.xanga.com/712355791/montreals-luxurious-tables-toque/ (TOQUE)
http://aromes.xanga.com/712364743/montreals-luxurious-tables-osco/  (OSCO)
-Bistros of Montreal:
My personal favourite Best Bistro in Mtl: Bistro Cocagne
Another highly recommandable Bistro: Cuisine & Dependance
-From the series "BEST tables of Quebec":
Dinner at Restaurant L'eau à la bouche, Ste Adèle, QC
Dinner at Restaurant Quintessence, Mont Tremblant, QC
Dinner at Restaurant Poivre Noir, Trois Rivières, QC

Event: Dinner at Le Club Chasse et Pêche Restaurant
February November  13th, 18:00-21:30
Tasting menu with wine pairing: $178 (Tax included)
Addr: 423 St Claude Montreal, QC H2Y 3B6
Url: http://www.leclubchasseetpeche.com
Phone: (514) 861-1112
Arome's mention: VERY GOOD

  Going to CCP is mystic affair (I love mysticism, it just have to happen naturally and charmingly. Which was the case here) for me: from booking a table over the phone with Ray, one of their staff gentleman (Oh man...this gentleman has that quiet powerful full-in control tone of voice of a young godfather, . Mystic was starting to blow in the air, right there!)...to watching the mystic appeal of their web site...to the choice of a Friday 13th...6PM (yeah..I know, it would be even better at midnight)...to lurk into the dark lanes of the Vieux port...


to the nostalgic soviet acronym (CCP)..to the somber  interior of CCP:
...it was really a feeling I have so rarely experienced before going to a restaurant. Although I truely felt that mystical mood --- I could not help myself from stopping to build up on the inside --- to be very special/funny/and welcoming since years of intensively eating at restaurants had put aside the sweet excitement I once used to have whenever I was going at restaurants (there are feelings you just cannot control), I was also certain of  a focused fact: the food was going to be my main focus and nothing would blindfold me when it comes to unleash my tastebuds at rigorous judgements.

Upon arrival, I am courteously greeted by a dynamic wait staff (very dynamic, helpful, courteous. You can see that they were very well selected, very well trainned). I truely like this refreshing melting pot (from different backgrounds/origins) of well-mannered, professional and yet accessible gentlemen and women. My dedicated waiter, Phillipe Morissette, is a gem of  his own: soft spoken, very well educated + articulated, this cool high class gentleman is service-oriented, very knowledgeable and his past experience at some Relais & Chateaux shows towards his impeccable service (along with Sidonie at XO,  Phillipe  -- up to now --- is among my personal top two favourite Mtl waiters of 2009).

The decor is dark (the cool kind of dark ), narrow, with low ceilings:


Because of it's omnipresence of somber colors (oil-painted alike dark grey on the walls, dark burgundy  armchairs, dark colored ceilings and floors),




it brings a cozy feeling but make no mistake: this place is very popular and this evening  was lively (lots of people, great ambiance, nice background music of techno and other type of trendy music types. Background Music was set to perfect volume since you could talk without having to raise the voice and you could easily hear others with them talking at normal tone). Pics were of course taken right at the opening at 6PM, so people were not getting in yet (but less than an hour later, it was packed).

It is important to note that there' s no official tasting menu at CCP. But they are so accomodating that they will concoct one upon your special request. That  is the case here and I highly appreciated the move:

Course #1: Pan-seared scallop cooked à l'unilatérale (cooked on one side) with a beautiful subtle artful line of fennel cream. Welcoming sweet taste here (albeit, I am not usually too keen about the latest trend of slightly sweetening scallops. I am a bit old school on this one, preferring fully enjoying the salty nature of my mollusc bud ) . The solo big scallop had the perfect slightly browny seared texture, was evenly cooked (nice balance between a perfect  inside firm meaty consistency with it's ideal tenderness). The cooking technique was flawless here, but I wish the scallop had more of the fully marine flavour I seek in my ideal mollusc friend. 7/10
Accompanied wine: a 2007 Alsace Bergheim's white Marceil Deiss pinot. I have a long time soft spot for most wines from Alsace (they are accessible, have a nice light fruity taste I am fond of) and this was no exception. The slight creamy and apple-y flavors of this subtle sweet elegant wine is ideal pairing to the scallop.

Course #2: Sweetbreads/Gremolata/Artichoke
Sweetbreads is a touchy affair. It is bitter by nature but the most talented chefs know how to turn this snicky meaty chunk into a tastebud wonder. And this one at CCP was exactly this: a marvelous tastebud wonder!
Cooked in white wine, the sweetbreads were flavorfully intensily rich, utterly tasty, perfectly smooth on the inside, nicely crispy on the outside. Awesome expert work here to avoid the usual natural bitterness of the sweetbreads and making it very pleasant as I expect my best sweetbreads to stand. The accompaniment of gremolata is a genius classic accompaniment  to veal meats and it was there, and it was a superbly tasty expertly concocted condiment. The light and vibrant mushroomy porcini reduction, the savourish creamy elegant celery-root purée ...all added an harmonious multiple dimension of tasting experience to this flawless course. 10/10
Accompanied wines: two glasses here. Really a nice touch from Phillipe, my waiter. He is also a sommelier, too. The idea here was to get the short finish light-on-the-palate 2005 Les Fourneaux chablis 1er cru  to reach out with the artichokes accompaniment of the sweetbreads, while his buddy the 2005 Cotes du Jura Chardonnay (more vibrant/with a  long finish and subtle nose of hazelnut)  would take care of the rest of this course:

Not a bad  idea at all since they all paired harmoniously well (particularly on a plate where there was quite a suite of ingredients: gremolata, porcini reduction, celery-root purée).

Course #3: Cod
Smelt very enjoyably freshly flavorful right away. Bathed in a light crème normande , with a fresh flavor of oyster and topped by artful slim slices of beets and carrots with tasty mushroomy accompaniment. Perfectly seared on the outside, with an ideal tender flaky and moist inside consistency. This was total blast in terms of impressive taste, freshness, tastebud amazement: it had that very memorable 'marine' flavor I seek in my perfect  freshest pieces of fish. All accompaniments stood out well here: mushrooms were tender and packed of flavorful freshness. The crème normande was very tasty. I want to underlign a particular element on this plate that I would, If I were them, put a patent on:  on the plate, there was a tiny trace of creamy sweet black garlick purée. This was not just original, it was a memorable treat -> heavenly tasty without the bad notes of garlick, this creamy marvel is true genius workout that I have never tasted before and that compete with the Bistro Cocagne's onion chutney I intensively raved about (check out the review of my Septh 4th Bistro Cocagne's dinner). Both CCP and Bistro Cocagne should put a patent on the above-mentionned creative dish accompaniments! 10/10
Pairing wine: the 2006 Savigny les Beaune (Domaine Catherine & Claude Maréchal). I had enjoyed some great Savigny Les Beaune (the Les Hauts Jarrons, 1er Cru, Nicolas Potel being one I highly enjoyed) and this one was in the same trend: full bodied, with a refined elegant texture and enjoyably aromatic flavor. Satisfying choice of wine, but I would personally chose a nice white Sauvignon (as usual, question of pure personal prefs).

Course #4: Braised boar/Brussels sprouts/hazelnuts/Caramelized fig
Bathed in a very delicious light and flavorful meaty jus (the juice of the braised boar itself), this course has simply stole the show as my 2009 Mtl's best main course (along with the Free Form Lasagna I had at XO): with a light amazing tasty crusty coating on the outside (basically a light elegant cheesy coating), perfect browny texture, ideally tender on the inside. This marvel-to-the-tastebud wonder was a genius workout of amazing flavorful meaty taste with accompaniments that were creatively so well thought: the hazelnuts in there were not just another ingredients to try...they were a perfect harmonious addition to the rest of this course. The caramelized fig was pure genius food work: intensely rich and tasty, it was the kind of tastebud amazement marvel that secured for good what I think of this cuisine: one of world's bests (YES...you are reading this right! Do not go to CCP, order a risotto and complain that I am pushing  a bit too much when I write this. Instead, be more accurate: Go to some of the best restaurants of the world like the Fat Duck, El Bulli, L'Osier, L'Astrance, Hermann. Then head to CCP, try this Braised boar course. Then you will get what I mean! Of course, I am not stating that CCP is as great as those. That is purely subjective and I wont go there. What I am stating is that on this tasting menu, some items compete with the best ones I ate at the Fat Duck, El Bulli, L'Osier..etc). Back to the helluvah heavenly caramelized fig: so it added to an already flawless course, a level that is hard to beat. This, folks, would send even the best tables of the world (El Bulli, Fat Duck) to reflexion. Stunned!
Pairing wine: Montecillo Gran Reserva 2001. To my tastebuds, this was perfect match with the boar meat. The oaky intense flavor of that MGR 2001 is exactly what I seek for with my game meats.

Course #5: Pan-seared duck liver
Nice cooking technique here (very close to my two top personal Mtl's all time best pan-seared foie: refer to my Febr 13th dinner at  L'Eau à la Bouche + the Sept 4th dinner at Bistro Cocagne): beautifully seared, slightly brown on the outside, enoughly smooth (albeit a little bit mushy at some point when I was digging deeper into it, which makes it just a tad behind the impressive one I had at EAB...but with accompaniments that stole the show over it's similar at EAB...mind you the one I had at EAB had barely any accompaniment...didn't need accompaniments neither since it was stellar on it's own self) consistency on the inside. The taste was flawless, very hearty and delicious. It was accompanied by a suite of pure wonders I have got to rave about, because not only they did add a welcoming degree of creativity and well thought additions to the duck liver, they also were very tasty: a delicious sweet fruity purée of dates (talk about adding marvels to the marvelous), a jalapeno flavoured apple jelly (Wowed! Patent..Put a Patent on this, my dear CCP! Heavenly delicious, elegantly concocted) , nice fresh slices of spice bread...all were heavenly breezes to my heart, eyes and tastebuds. 
Paired with a QC's ice cider: that's the beauty of the new world touch -> as much as I liked my fruity Old world classic wine along with the foie, I must admit that ice cider brings better punch!

Course #6: Paris-Brest topped with a popcorn ice cream
The popcorn ice cream is one I never tried before.This one was surprisingly delicious and elegantly superior (in taste, richness of the flavors) to the usual good ice creams. Heavenly tasty ice cream with bites of nuts that were crunchily nice, but the overall Paris-Brest, although not bad at all, failed to seduce me: the choux pastry ring was nice but not memorable. Same opinion over the pastry cream. I am fond of Paris-Brest, but this one was slightly sub par to the top ones I had at the high end pastry spots of Montreal (Patisserie L'Escurier, for ie). Sorry for the comparison but judgement is an equation of comparisons. So, the Paris-Brest was good but not great. 8 over 10
Just need to underlign a nice little touch from their part, here: the Paris-Brest was served with a nice cup of warm enjoyable light Assam tea. This is a great idea, since the amazing malty light flavor of this type of tea really balanced harmoniously well the sweetness of the Paris Brest. Nice touch!



I found the delay very reasonable between the courses (average of 30 mins between the course, but never mind the numbers here...this is perfect timing to enjoy one course at a time as it is supposed to be!). I sometimes see criticisms about tasting menus being too long: that is a non sense. A tasting menu is supposed to be slowly fully enjoyed. What is a tasting menu if I feel like just stuffing my mouth one food item right after another??

If you ask me, given a complete economical blackout, what Montreal restaurant would be the very last to close, I'd say CCP: get this -> without big advertisements, with just mouth to mouth recommendations, this place is packed of devoted fans. And that is happening with nearby great restaurants like Chez L'Épicer. When success wants you, there is no escape out!  I am sure the owner (s) must laugh at night while sleeping: just mouth to mouth reputation and they end up with one of Mtl's most admired tables. Well deserved because this is a stunning cuisine! It is also a place that shines with an impeccably well trainned admirable staff (here, I deeply felt that everyone is equally treated with class and full attention with a level of professionalism and accomodation that all restaurants would gain from following).

The only 2 reasons CCP is getting a VERY GOOD mention from my part, instead of EXCELLENT  (it is very close to Excellent btw, and they truely do not need my opinion to know that. Look at how they are appreciated by armies of food fans...that right there talk for their greatness) is just because I expect such highly talented cuisine to blow my tastebuds with an impressive dessert course  (make no mistake, I am sure they can deliver tastebud blowing desserts like those I enjoyed at EAB, M Sur Masson, Bistro Cocagne and Nuances) + the 1st course of Pan-Seared scallop lacked the fully marine freshness and taste I do expect on an appetizer of Seafood .

On my way to CCP, this Bob Marley song was playing in my mind: 'there is a natural mystic blowing through the air...'. On my way back, another song was reworked to suit my subsequent feelings: Black Eyed Peas 'I got a feeling that tonight gonna be a good night' was simply renamed 'Tonight was a very good night'. There are moments in your life that are simply filled with greatness, and in this imperfect world of sins and economical turmoils, I pray for such spectacular happyness to spread over the destiny of the less fortunate!

Ok, Folks I am out! For more and better pictures on this dinner, please visit my Google's Picasa.

Recommended Items:
Bistro Cocagne (Series "Best Bistros of Montreal) ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/711358238/bistro-cocagne-montreal---friday-sept-4th-1800/
XO Le Restaurant, Montreal (Series "Luxurious tables of Montreal) ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/714228763/montreals-luxurious-tables-xo-le-restaurant/
NUANCES, Montreal (Series "Luxurious tables of Montreal) ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/716032803/montreals-luxurious-tables-nuances/
Bistro Cuisine & Dependance, Montreal ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/714440180/montreals-bistros-cuisine-et-dependance/
TOQUE!, Montreal ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/712355791/montreals-luxurious-tables-toque/
OSCO, Montreal (Series "Luxurious tables of Montreal) ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/712364743/montreals-luxurious-tables-osco/
Most of my quick shortie Mtl's restaurant reviews ->
http://www.yelp.com/user_details_reviews_self?userid=CqPhzVCCHlkCwc6GQvIDVA

Event: Dinner at Nuances
Addr: Montreal Casino (1, Avenue du Casino)
Phone: 514 392-2708
Url: http://www.casinosduquebec.com/montreal/fr/restaurants-bars/nuances
Type of cuisine: Fine dining (French cuisine)
Aromes's mention: EXCELLENT

NUANCES:  I dropped by Nuances to see what they are up to (it's being a while I did not go there). Last time was a while ago: we went there to celebrate Jannice's birthday  and the diner was fantastic from what I recall. This time I went solo, since I have been given the late mission of providing fresh updates about some of Mtl's finest dinings. Which did not really suit me since I wanted to pamper myself with a pure Classic French restaurant  such as Le Margaux or le Bistingo (Miles away from Nuances...but that is what I wanted at that moment..but oh well..next time). So, this mission of Mtl's most high end finest tables updating brought me to Samuel de Champlain,  Lutetia, Osco, Toque and here comes Nuances.
Nuances, as most already know by now, is -- according to the AAA/CAA Diamond's Restaurant ratings (http://www.aaa.biz/approved/Diamond_Awards/2009/2009_5D_Restaurants.pdf) - one of the very few most awarded of Mtl's upscale fine dining tables. AAA/CAA Diamond's Restaurant ratings is in Montreal the most regarded restaurant rating system since we do not have, as of now, any Michelin rated restaurants up here in Mtl. I do not know what to think of that..lol..but I hope that one day, before I die, Mtl sees ..finally..it's first Michelin star restaurant. While waiting for that moment, let me unfold the details of my latest diner at Nuances.

The decor is marked by an omnipresence of light warm touches, cream / slightly beige colors in an elegant contemporary serene layout. Kind of modern restaurant decor I would see matching well with the warmth of COte d'Azur or Mediterranea's surroundings. For those who knew the previous decor, it is as different as night and day This time, I sampled their 5 course $110+$60 wine pairing (the $60 extra on top of the $110 being for wine pairing)  pairing tasting menu.

Course #1: Cold-pressed foie gras of duck, figs and dried spice bread
To each their own, and to me hot preparations of the foie is my favourite way to boot at a fine dining table.
Cold foie are ok to me , although  I tend to be particularly picky with it. With foie like those
of Rougié Sarlat been the  foie by which i judge the other foie, most cold foie appear way too casual.
But if the freshness, the quality, the perfect techniques are behind it...I will stand as a fan of any cold foie of course! So this one I sampled at Nuances was of perfect top quality, with an awesome velvety and meaty feel.
It had the fullest authentic foie gras taste with a perfect buttery consistency.
The accompaniments of figs and spice bread are toooooooo straightforward, here. I would personally make it more inspirational with  ..say...an elegant fully flavoured emulsion of lightly sweet items...or... an elegant delicate lightly subtle sweet chutney of onions...or...an elegant wine poached pear...or..any kind of inpirational reductions or sabayons. Anything that would make it more creative, fun and more "haute fine dining" (I remember that I once had, at a fine-dining table, a foie served along an unbelievably memorable piece of elegant caramelized pineapple, with other geniusly well thought inspired accompaniments such as an apple/ginger/carrot sauced marinated marvel that have rarely been matched at other tables we dined at. Yrs later, both Jannice and I are still drooling ...literally..over that heavenly starter!) .
Accompanied wine: Sauternes, Clos Haut Peyraguey, 1er Cru Classé, Bordeaux, 1997
Nice white blend from the French Barsac / Sauterne region, with sweet aromas of vanilla, almond and a subtle creamy flavored fragrance. Good match for desserts usually and it suited  well with the fig accompaniments of this foie (although drinking it along the foie gras did not convince me, a second try this time with both the foie and the fig at the same time brought convincing results of harmonious pairing). 

Course #2: Peruvian sea bass, ratatouille brunoise in a lemon jelly, yuzu emulsion and koshi hikari rice
The sea bass was nicely cooked, had a perfect inside moist consistency and was fully flavored. 
Ratatouille brunoise: Ratatouille is very homey, casual,comforting. I guess some might expect me to find  such traditional vegetable stew (as most already know, it is from France's Provence region) a bit of an off note
on a modern fine-dining table, but to the contrary I like traditional touches in modern cuisine depending of course on  how it is done. I remember for ie that my dinners at Helene Darroze and L'Astrance in Paris + the one at Anne-Sophie Pic (Valence) were the perfect example of traditional/modern successful inspirational fine dining: reworking creatively  some of the traditional fares. I do not expect all fine dining restaurants to be as stellar as those I have mentionned, but I do  expect --- to some extent -- some sort of  comparison to them  particularly when your table is one of the city's most awarded! A ratatouille can be elegantly reworked, So how did this one turn out? It turned out impressively well with that exact modern touch I was looking for, while maintaining the homey savourishness of a perfectly executed traditional ratatouille. Nice dish.
Accompanied wine: Anjou, Les Pépinières, Domaine Jo Pithon, Vallée de la Loire, 2005
The one of Jo Pithon's (http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/jopithon.shtml)  that I am very familiar with was his  2004 Anjou les pépinières which seduced me with it's strong aromatic flavor, oak-y presence and amazing
long finish. The 2005 Anjou les pépinières served at Nuances is in the same class: aged 10 months in conical oak casks and barrels, affordable in $$$

Course #3: Risotto with chanterelle jus, roasted scampi and sautéed mushrooms
To me, a great risotto = unctuously delicious, and that could be said of this one I sampled at Nuances:  perfectly creamy with an ideal toothsome,  the risotto was right,  full of flavour and the chanterellejus offered some interesting flavor combinations. The scampi was vibrant and nicely crunchy.
Accompanied wine: Mâconnais, Mâcon-Villages, Les Vallons de Lamartine, Bourgogne, 2003
Burgundy Chardonnay scents of apples and rising bread dough. Fresh and clean flavours of juicy apples and lemon juice. This one is relatively affordable: I recently ordered it  for less than $30

Course #4: Roasted loin of deer, black berry jelly, celery root cromesquis  in a hazelnut crust, and sautéed cabbage
Nice cut of loin,  tender and fully flavored with the slightest bit of gaminess I like with my game meat fares. The deer was tender and moist and had a wonderful enhanced flavor. Perfectly cooked, not overdone with an outstanding clean taste and firm texture. Black berry jelly paired so well with the meat, but the celery root cromesquis, although really well done and tasty, just did not suits with the deer to my personal tastes (but nice though).
Accompanied wine: Cabernet-Sauvignon, Estate, Ernest & Julio Gallo, Northern Sonoma, Californie, 1995
It is just recently that I opened myself to wines of the new world (for a long time, I was sticking mainly to the old world wine) and this one gives me more reasons to embrace the new world wines. It has all I like in a wine with personality and fragrance: well balanced, with a nice intensity and a welcoming aromatic nose of resin, cedar and blackberry notes + a wisp of prune in the background.

Course #5: Apples in a calvados jelly, muscovado baba, apple butter crumble, bourbon vanilla emulsion
Dessert is an interesting playground I look forward to, particularly at a fine-dining table, because it is to me one window of opportunity on wild creativity. It is also the closing argument of a long journey...lol...so, it has to be as enjoyable as the journey should have been. I expect a great table to have either some very creative desserts or if you want to keep it classic and simple...just ensure it will be heavenly tasty. In Montreal and surroundings, M Sur Masson, EAB  and Bistro Cocagne are one of those few tables who reach out harmoniously with my call for the divine dessert (Tasty and creative).  Well, add Nuances to that prestigeous list: I am usually not fond of desserts made out of apples, but I have got to give this to them: the muscovado baba, the butter crumble, the vanilla emulsion were all marvels of sweetness expertly and elegantly concocted. Awesome!

Service is up par with this type of haute fine dining table: very courteous, professional, accomodating and world class. Hushed enjoyable atmosphere during this fine-dining diner (loved enjoying such high end food in calm).
The plates were so beautifully presented and very picture-candy and I wished I could bring you pictures, but it is forbidden to take pics in a Casino.

Bottom line, from my personal perspective, I believe that if Michelin stars experts were in Montreal and surroundings, I would suggest they start by reviewing Quintessence and Nuances before anything else. They will have a great base to boot with. And their presence is more than ever welcoming in Montreal, since we now need to reach newer heights (make no mistake: Mtl has very good tables, but it is about time we upgrade to newer levels like those of the greatest tables of France)

The Best to all, Aromes!

Recommended Items:
-All my Mtl's restaurant reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/user_details_reviews_self?userid=CqPhzVCCHlkCwc6GQvIDVA
-From the series "Montreal's Luxurious tables":
http://aromes.xanga.com/714228763/montreals-luxurious-tables-xo-le-restaurant/ (XO)
http://aromes.xanga.com/712355791/montreals-luxurious-tables-toque/ (TOQUE)
http://aromes.xanga.com/712364743/montreals-luxurious-tables-osco/  (OSCO)
-My review of one of the BEST Bistros of Montreal (Bistro Cocagne):
http://aromes.xanga.com/711358238/bistro-cocagne-montreal---friday-sept-4th-1800/
-From the series "BEST tables of Quebec":
http://aromes.xanga.com/713445440/best-tables-of-quebec-leau-%c3%a0-la-bouche-sainte-ad%c3%a8le-quebec/
(Restaurant L'eau à la bouche, Ste Adèle, QC)
http://aromes.xanga.com/714901555/best-tables-of-quebec-quintessence-mont-tremblant/
(Quintessence, Mont Tremblant)
http://aromes.xanga.com/713013706/best-tables-of-quebec---poivre-noir-trois-rivi%c3%a8res-qc/
(Restaurant Poivre Noir, Trois Rivières, QC)

Folks,
You have been numerous to ask me to add a mention to my restaurant review.
So you will see it more and more at the very top of my restaurant reviews.
Here is a quick guide to how it works:
EXCELLENT: Flawless on each food item sample, from very 1st bite to the very last bite.
By Flawless, I seek for impeccable freshness, top quality ingredient, succulent/moving taste.
Also considered: complexity of the dish if there's any, precision/technical mastery of the cooking + consistency. 
This has nothing to do with the service. Just relates with the food.
Sometimes (really rare, but a good  example will follow), one item will receive a bad rating but the entire meal still walks away with the mention EXCELLENT for explainable reasons: a good example is my Febr 13th 2009 Dinner at  L'Eau à la Bouche -> Course #1 received a poor rating from my part. But if you read carefully, it is not because it was bad. What I reproached to that course of oysters was not the lack of essential elements expected on a fine table (the oyster were of top quality, impeccable freshness), but mixes that did not suit my ideal of a dish of oysters. In other words, it was just not my type of oyster mixing. The rest of the meal was so moving that Excellent was the most descriptive designation to that meal.
VERY GOOD: With "Excellent", this is the only other mention I give to highly talented cuisines. This is usually
a cuisine very close to Excellent but who just lost very minor points to either 1 food item that was not enoughly moving/exciting , or light flaws you do not expect at such cuisines.
GOOD: We are not in highly talented cuisines anymore here, but in food that is still worth paying for.
AVERAGE: Average is my polite way of saying BAD!! I wont lose my time writing on those, but you will still hear me complaining about them everytime the opportunity rises!

It is funny how opinions about one same meal can be as different as fire and water.
Funny, but naturally totally normal since not only our tastebuds are different, but we also have different prefences that take source in our different cultural and sociological backgrounds.  We also have different expectations depending on how we perceive things (some are very sensitive to other's opinions about a given meal while others like me will go with zero expectation and just try it out live and find out for the pleasure of discovering the food). We also have different ways of evaluating a food: some will value the food depending on it's price (irrelevant to me since what we need to know is whether the food is good or not...not that it is good at $2 but not that good at  $6! lol) or it's own self value (Whatever the food I eat, I forget about the price...I give it 2,3 good long appreciative bites, and ask my tastebuds to talk for me ;p). Some will go with comparisons between what they are having with what they once had: I am not against comparisons as long as it is used the proper way -> first, before comparing, make sure you gathered a good amount of experience with what you are comparing. It would make no sense to compare Restaurant #1 Vs Restaurant #2 when you just went out dining 3,4 times in your life. Make sure you are really comparing apples with apples: I remember a friend who once told me "I had a beef stew at Rest #1. I also had a beef stew at Rest #2. Both were stews and both were beef. And Rest #1 was the best because it's beef was tender and spicy. Rest #2's beef was less tender and not spicy". After digging deeper, I realized that Rest #1 and Rest #2 were from different regional food fares. Each having their own beef stew speciality, the speciality of Rest #1 requirred  the beef to be marinated and slowly cooked for hrs with a strong focus on spices. Rest #2 cuisine is at the opposite trend: it requirred (1) a different cut of beef (2)a swifter cooking (3) not too much spicing. So, Yes my friend probably preferred one to another, but they were still not comparable as I have just demonstrated. Each are good, but in their own ways. Of course, one is entitled to prefer one to the other, but my point is that the comparison did not stand here. Experience is really the key to anything: I remember reading recently a review about a Reunion Island's restaurant, in Montreal, Le Piton de la Fournaise. The reviewer found the dishes not spicy enough. I am from that region, so naturally ... way before becoming the worlwide foodie enthusiast that I turned into...I am very picky and very knowledgeable about the food of my own region. When I read that review, it took me no time to find the problem: the reviewer had obviously not tried that type of food before and had obviously confused La Reunion Island's food with spicy food one tends to wrongly expect at most exotical remote location's table. So, prior experience with that kind of food would have made that review more accurate. I understand that with or without experience, a good food si good and a bad food is bad. But while trying out something you do not know, you may as well put some interest in it, find out about it, inform yourself about it. I had once raw fish slowly marinated in lemon juice. When I ate that dish, I already had done lots of research about the way people of that region eat, their type of food, their type of cooking, their type of spices. So, when I had that not_so_common_dish_to_me (back then), I knew exactly what to expect and was in a better position to evaluate what I was eating. Experience..experience..experience my friends is really the key!

René Redzepi, Noma Restaurant, Copenhagen, Danemark
I had the divine luck to try out his cuisine this year. It's easier, btw, to book a table here (compared to booking at  El Bulli for example). René was trained by Adria Ferran, so it's the same kind of high end creative food experience. René is a bit a bit more conventional though, and he focuses strongly on local ingredients/products. Although not my personal favourite chef, he is definitely a genius (this is like Caviar. Whether you like it or not, you have to be mature enough to appreciate the 'grandeur' that's behind).
My Dinner at Noma:
http://aromes.xanga.com/710167010/visiting-noma-copenaghen-february-21st-2009/

Anne-Sophie Pic, La maison Pic, Valence, France
I went eating twice in the past 6 months at her restaurant of La maison Pic in Valence. Stunning high end classic french fare with exciting modern touch!
Along with Pierre Gagnaire, Jean-Louis Nichel and Helène Darroze, she is on my top current 4 best world's chefs.
My Dinner at Anne-Sophie Pic's, Valence:
http://aromes.xanga.com/713334704/anne-sophie-pic-valence---france/
http://www.pic-valence.com/index-fr.php



Craig Shelton, Ryland Inn, NJ, USA (now CLOSED)
Too bad this genius has quit. He is one of my top personal all time favourite chefs. This is the type of chef who could take whatever ordinary product and turn it into a marvel! His cuisine suited my tastes in better ways than the newly hip avant garde cuisine of René Redzepi, Ferran Adria, Bluementhal & al). Being way too long, Craig...comeback please!!


Heston Blumenthal, Fat Duck, UK
Lol..I will never forget this one. The day after we had dinner at his Fat Duck's restaurant, my girlfriend phoned me from work, all excited, telling me 'Guess what's 2009 second best restaurant"!! lol...I usually don't give a damn about those worlwide surveys since I've always believed that the best judge is your own palate and not surveys...but it was quite cool to learn that it managed to be #2 of such prestigeous survey. So, although not my personal top favourite chef,  I have the highest respect for such genius and will always encourage such huge creativity (do not be stupid: whether you like a chef or not, whether some of his meals have disappointed you or not, you've got to be smart enough / conscientious enough to recognize the talent that's behind. Like some of you, I am a big fan of traditional/conventional/less avant-garde cuisine, but it takes innovation to step forward...so do not bitch on Blumental's cuisine just because some of the items of his menus looks fancy..gimmicky..or too artistic...think of it as the 'artistic chef d'oeuvre' of a grand master whose imagination/creativy has no limits!) 
My dinner at FT in Bray, UK:
http://aromes.xanga.com/710236779/fat-duck-bray-uk---sat-febr-7th-2009-730pm/


Ferran Adria, El Bulli, Spain
Well, my dearest Ferran, since you became the 'master of them all' (#1 restaurant in 2009 as/per S. Pellegrino's top 100 world best restaurants), I am unable anymore to get a table as easily as it used to be back in the days..lol..no worries, Ferran, you largely deserve the hype. So, last time I was at the table of this genius...it was in .......2001! Long long time ago, indeed. At that time, Ferran had a good balance of both conventional food and some of his now largely implemented "avant-garde" food. So, I was lucky enough to have enjoyed both sides of the 'chef d'oeuvre' of this Grand Master. I still remember the 'Wow'..followed by the 'I'm in shock"...back to the 'WOW..WOW'...followed by the "I wanna leave now'....followed by the "I wanna die here'...of my girlfriend. I kept telling her "Honey....that's the signature of a GENIUS!!". Enough Said: Ferran, I've just filled out (about 1 month ago) the booking form on your web site...and do hope that I will get a 3rd chance to sit at your table before I die. If that happens (seems like it could take 3,4,5,6.7 years), I will for sure enjoy your latest avant-garde marvels...BUT I'll insist on some traditional dishes as well, because when it comes to traditional fine cuisine,  I know you are a true genius as well!
http://aromes.xanga.com/710004091/my-last-visit-at-el-bulli-2001/


Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France
So, I guess you were curious to find out about my personal top of the tops favourite. It's him. I call him 'professeur Gagnaire'! And Yes...another shock to some of you out there, I even prefer him to Ducasse and Robuchon (I know...some will hate me for that, but he had impressed me more than Ducasse and Robuchon..who..btw..are also undeniable great geniuses)! Professeur Pierre is pure GENIUS with no need of the bells & whistles of avant-garde cuisine (eventhough some items of his cuisine are inspired of avant-garde cuisine, Professor  Pierre's cuisine should not be confused with those of Redzepi, Blumenthal, Ferran Adria). He pushes the limits of savours, tastes, flavours to limits that even the fanciest molecular gizmos cannot pursue. Just keep this in mind: Everytime I went there, HE was behind the kitchen ... so, I have no clue of how his all stuff stands when is out travelling to his latest empire's spots...
http://aromes.xanga.com/711280451/pierre-gagnaire-friday-november-14th-2008-1900/

Jean Louis Neichel
Foodies who know me well are always surprised by my choices of #1, #2 and #3 personal top chefs of the world. Knowing that I was blessed to sit at reknown tables like the ones of Ducasse, Robuchon, Ferran Adria, Redzepi, Blumenthal...they naturally expect my personal top 3 best chefs of all times to be picked among those famous chefs I have just mentionned. But, No. Although I have the highest respect for the Robuchon, Ducasse and Adria of this world (they are real gifts from the above, true geniuses), my heart beats for 3 other names: As #1, Pierre Gagnaire. #2 was Craig Shelton, but since he is no more active, it goes to Jean Louis Neichel. See my review of my dinner at JLN's. I guess it says all!
http://aromes.xanga.com/712282537/at-the-table-of-my-2nd-all-time-personal-favourite-chef-jean-louis-nichel/

 Helene Darroze, Paris, France
At this moment, she is my top personal favourite #3 chef right after Professeur Pierre and Chef Jean-Louis Neichel. I had absolutely no clue of who she was, when -- earlier this year -- a buddy had invited me to HD's restaurant in Paris. I was stunned! I managed to get a 2nd visit there, then a 3rd one within 3 months. Darroze, a bit in line with Gagnaire, hits exactly where I like: high end classic french cuisine with contemporary fine dining touches that works the flavors/savors/tastes to it's heavenly limits (for example, her goose foie gras is simply miles superior to it's equivalent at most top 100 S.Pellegrino's restaurants, same for the duck and other classics of French Cuisine). Her "chef d'oeuvre" is NOT just another "gallerie d'art"..NO...it is indeed appealing to the eyes BUT most importantly: divinely savourish! Her restaurant might not feature, for now, among the S. Pellegrino's 100 World Best restaurants of the world ... BUT I've been to a considerable numbers of the 100 best and HD beats lots of them at this moment. She is the proof, along with Professeur Pierre, that there are still a lot of room for marvels in the high end classic french cuisine with no need of molecular gizmos!Bravo Hélène!!
http://aromes.xanga.com/715355751/best-tables-of-france-h%c3%a9l%c3%a8ne-darroze-paris/
http://www.helenedarroze.com/

 Joel Robuchon, Paris, France
I still remember how upset most of you were (on my old web site) when realizing how my one time huge admiration of this "Grand Maitre" had faded. Well, there's a purely down-to-earth explanation to this: if you remember, I had discovered JR in the very early 90's (1991 if I recall properly). At that time, Le Grand Maitre was behind his kitchen!! So, when physically behind his kitchen, the Grand Maitre was undeniably a GENIUS: his spectacular food was simply beyond imagination (you remember my reviews of that time, with the spectacular pictures I had taken from my divine diners at JR's,  and how most of you were running to book a table at JR's and were always leaving with rave appreciations such as "Wow...this food is the dreamland's food"!. Other repeats at JR's tables (1992,1993,1994,1995) continued to leave me with spectacular memories and proved that this Genius of JR had no intention of backing up before newly emerging chefs of that time. Then JR went into "commercializing" his cuisine...so I kept dining at JR's but with no JR necessarily  in the kitchen! His aides are really great (my last visit, last year,  at JR's in Las Vegas was a huge success), but it's JR's behind my kitchen that  I wanted ... Merci Grand Maitre pour ces belles années!!
http://www.joel-robuchon.com/

Jacques Pourcel, Jardin des Sens, Montpellier, France
Had tried his food just once, for now. I am looking forward to enjoy more of his cuisine.
The type of chef I do really really like: his food is highly inspired, passionate, vibrant, fun on a very original/different way. I always say to people: "while you are at something, you may as well dig deep into it, fully give yourself to it, put passion..passion..passion in it all...show interest into everything..anything..whenever..wherever!"...and I guess Chef Pourcel understands that better than most!
When I sat at his table, he was behind the kitchen. And I got that very special heavenly feeling of truely enjoying my food...feeling that I rarely got in more than a decade of trying out all sort of tables (I remember getting that special feeling of great enjoyment at very very few tables such as Jean-Louis Nichel, El Bulli, Hélène Darroze, Craig Shelton's...).
Among my current top 5 of the best world's chef, at this moment.
http://aromes.xanga.com/715295352/best-tables-of-france-jardin-des-sens-montpellier/
http://www.jardindessens.com
http://www.pourcel-chefs-blog.com/

Alain Ducasse, France (turned monegasque)
The very first time I was lucky to sit at a table of "Monsieur" Ducasse, it was exactly around same period I was discovering Joel Robuchon (early 1990's). Monsieur Ducasse as I like calling him has always been to me, the "Yves St-Laurent" of French haute cuisine (very luxurious version of French fine cuisine classics). Over years, I had enjoyed his table twice while he was behind his kitchen and at 3 other occasions under his associates rule (the latest being at Adour restaurant in Washington DC, around mid 2008. The restaurant was under his supervision but he was not in the kitchen when I was there, and the experience was great without being stunning). Although I've never been a huge fan of his fine cuisine (I had tried it  5 times, so enoughly to build a general idea of how fond of it I should stand), I do concede that he is (along with Ferran Adria) one of the very few Grand Chefs who have successfully passed their knowledge to their aides.

Meriem Cherkaoui, La Maison du gourmet, Casablanca, Morocco
Meriem went to great culinary schools in France and is back home with an amazing vibrant cocktail of both french high end classic fare with very interesting moroccan touches. I tasted her food twice  at her restaurant of La maison du gourmet in Casablanca, and also on another occasion when she was touring Mauritius Islands and cooked at Hotel Constance Le Belle Mare Plage in 2008. In Mauritius, she tried improvising a bit to local ingredients and touches, which was not that bad at all but not her usual food neither. But at la Maison du gourmet, back in her hometown of Casa, she rocks with that splendid unique touch of mix Moroccan/French modern highly talented cuisine of hers. Great!
http://www.lamaisondugourmet.ma/
http://aromes.xanga.com/713211571/great-table-of-morrocco-la-maison-du-gourmet-casablanca/

Little, I was born in a very poor environment and that helped me keeping a lifetime down-to-earth overlook of things. So, I am anything you want but no snobbish at all (I have exact same attitude and state of mind whether I am seating at Maze in London or at a street food stand in a remote tropical village). BUT when it comes to a restaurant that commands the high $$$, I do expect rigorous attention to little details. SO here are my top list of "DUMP Those off my table" elements I have gathered throughout the years:

#1-Food  served in cheapie plastic chinese noodle's soup spoon!
I love scooping my earthy warm tasty noodle soup or phos with those cute little spoons, BUT do not put this on a french or Italian cuisine table, for god sake!! I know some of world's high end tables did launch the trend..but take a good look buddies -> those were not cheap plastic spoons, lol!   

#2 Foie Gras with Crème brulée.
This lately trend has got to be a joke! So, you take a supposedly luxurious food item like foie gras and you mix it with a cheap item like crème brulée...what a shame! That's like serving caviar with  chips. Make no mistake: I like that little savory of crème brulée...BUT please....NOT with foie gras, for god sake!

#3 Shrimp cocktails
It is about time that restaurants do ditch this item for good, off of their tables and leave this to our backyard's gatherings. There's a funny coincidence that has marked my lifetime foodie experiences: ALL restaurants that have served me shrimp cocktails have always made their way in my restaurants black list

AND YOU: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KEEP AWAY FROM YOUR TABLE?

Event: Dinner at XO Le Restaurant
Date and time: Friday Oct 9th, 8PM
Location: 355 St Jacques, Ouest. Montreal, QC
URL: http://www.hotellestjames.com/the-life/dining/the-restaurant.asp
Aromes's mention: VERY GOOD

The first time I had heard about XO, it was the very first time I had sipped a cognac!  Lol..Just kidding. I had heard about this restaurant a while back through my buddy Lionnel. Lio is a childhood pal who went studying at one the world's best culinary schools, Le Cordon Bleu. He successfully completed his studies and was going to work as sous-chef at a high end restaurant in Cannes when he decided to take 1 yr off and tour North America + Europe seeking for the greatest tables and/or most popular ones. Basically, he goes from city to city discovering each best well known tables of the moment. After his 1 yr of gourmet touring, he is planning to open his own restaurant either in Australia or in the Caribbean. So, Lionnel is in Montreal since February and has been to several local high end tables +  popular tables (Toque, Nuances, La Chronique and so on). I do, whenever time permits, accompany him since I love touring restaurants as well and seize that occasion to update my opinions of those restaurants. So, months ago, while talking to Lionnel, the name XO stepped in our discussions. He told me that he would give no opinion about it but would recommend that I book a table there and was curious to get my feedbacks. At that time, I had never heard of XO, so I did my homework and went informing myself on this restaurant. From what I gathered (while exchanging with lots of foodies during recent foodies meetings/get2gethers/web forums and so on), the opinions were mixed: some raved about it, others were less enthusiastic. Perfect scenario to go and find out for myself! lol.

I.Upon arrival
Jannice and I simply parked the car in front of the hotel (it's the restaurant of Hotel St James in Montreal's Vieux port, as most already know) and a valet took care of it. We passed the front door, continued in an all luxurious wooden small but beautiful hallway and hop...you are at the entrance door of the restaurant:

We were welcomed by a young courteous and well behaved hostess, then handed to our main waitress of the evening, Sidonie.

II.The Decor
For the long time passionate of architectural wonders that I am, this hotel is the epitome of all I like architecturally-wise: not huge, it is a beautifully condensed artful master piece of chic wood, luxurious stones, marbles and all other wonders of of the stylish 19th century Victorian's era  second-empire decor. The restaurant itself continues in that same trend of course: the large crystal chandeliers, banisters, alcoves. It used to be a bank (the old Merchants's bank of Canada), back in the days and it shows with their mezzanines and colonnades. Personally (this is by pure personal taste, so no need to take my opinion for a collective one ..lol) not the most impressive decor out of the luxurious Victorian decorated type of restaurant I have been to, but definitely very pretty to the most. The restaurant was closed since mid August for redecoration and is now re-opened: gone is the big XO sign in the middle of the restaurant. It is now replaced by an elegant long rectangular stand: 

When you enter the restaurant, you have a beautifully decorated small bar on your left:

...couple of alcoves on your right  (we chose to seat  in one of them, both Jannice and I):

 
 
You have a tiny lounging area right at the entrance, facing the bar: 

In the middle, you have that rectangular stand replacing the old XO sign and then you have a larger restaurant area when you pass that centered rectangular  stand. On both sides, you have two classic and elegant stairways leading to the mezzanines. I liked the chic bistro elegant touch of our alcove's table: strong dark chic wood, without the white linen tablecloth. Exactly in the bistro elegant stylish type. The rest of the restaurant's tables  have the usual white linen tablecloths:

Overall, a very charming chic elegant decor with a remarquable cozy feel with visual architectural elegant touches
that will please the folks who are passionate about arts, architectures and luxurious materials.
Arome's rating for the overall decor: 8.5/10

III.The Food
We started off with two cocktails: their "pétillant citron"'s martini for me and the "envoutant litchi" for Jannice.
The martini had a well balanced enjoyable mix of lemony vodka, lemon juice and sugar can juice. The litchi cocktail was equally enjoyable (right amount of alcohol, perfect enjoyable delicate sweetness): it was a mix of vodka, soho, litchi juice and litchi syrup:

Then two starters: beef tartare for me and a shrimp cocktail for Jannice ->
The beef tartare was a small rectangularish  artfully presented tartare, amazingly fully flavoured, topped by a poached egg (break that poached egg at the very end, since you will lose all the amazing taste of that very tasty tartare  once it's  bathed in the broken yolk), cute little leaves of baby arugula. This tartare is one of the top best I ever had in a city..where god knows...tartare is so popular: as far as taste, freshness, complexity of execution and supreme well balanced flavors go, this was simply impeccable. That truffle mayo master taste behind this tartare was simply heavenly to my tastebuds!
Arome's rating: 5/5

Jannice went for a shrimp cocktail ->
She had the choice of the usual classic shrimp cocktail, or the nuggety/tempura-alike  shrimp cocktail. She chose the latest. They were filled with  smooth juicy and lightly sweet shrimps. The shrimp were nicely meaty, the taste perfect and the excution flawless (not one 1oz of oily feel! lol)...BUT at $27, I found them a bit pricey for what they were. I know it's a high end table and I am not stingy about food (I am one who thinks that great food is priceless) but....

Went on with the 6oz beef rib eye for my sweetheart and a lasagna for me ->  
Jannice's had requested her rib eye to be cooked blue. Although it was not perfectly blue (closer to medium rare), the rib eye was good, nicely spiced, had a perfect smooth inside and was well flavored. Personally, I would not serve a steak alone in it's plate. I'd add probably some beans or anything else on that steak's plate. There was an accompaniment, but on a sepate plate:
the accompaniment was a vegetable gratin ->

The veggie gratin (basically a cousin of the tartiflette) was flawless as far as texture and taste go. Very tasty high quality cheesy gratin. 4/5 for the steak and 5/5 for the gratin.

My lasagna was one lasagna you might not see anywhere else:

Called "Free form lasagna", this dish -- I predict -- will quickly become (whether he wants it or not) the signature dish of their chef, Michele Mercuri: although, at first glance, it might not look like your typical lasagna...it is  packed with all technical goodies of a lasagne: cheese, pasta and so on. But this is a unique high end different and creative version of the lasagna -> as you can see on the picture, it's more of a "deconstructive" version of it. What the picture wont tell you (and that is why I do predict that this is a signature dish to come) is about the remarquable work that is done in terms of savourishness:  from the small tasty chunks of lobster, succulent braided sweetbreads, enjoyable lobster emulsion, fresh tender baby spinash and oh so lovely stracchino cheese....every little element of that dish was a blast in terms of taste. Impeccably delicious. 5/5 and more if I could!  

For desserts, Jannice picked the mignardises and I went for the mascarpone/berries/lemon curd's trifle diplomate dessert ->
Jannice's mignardises: nothing out of the ordinary here, but a nice selection of high quality sweet delicacies -> biscuits were definitely tasty, well made, with perfect light enjoyable buttery flavor. Chocolate truffles were first quality and tasted good. Same could be said of the white snowy enjoyable marshmallows. I always have a discrete smile when I see mignardises on a high end table: I recall those long hours of chit chatting with foodies from all around the world about the "pertinence" of mignardises on the finest tables. It's a widely elegant touch to some. To me, it's another story! But as long as it's some high end quality mignardises, I am still fine with this (also, it's a classic touch on most fine gourmet's tables..so why not!)

My dessert, the 'Diplomate trifle":

That was an enoughly good unctuous creamy 'pot de crème" alike (I know, a trifle is not exactly a pot de crème, hence the use of  'alike' in my previous sentence) mix of berries, lemon curd and mascarpone. Although nice, I was left more with an impression of having enjoyed a casual heavy creamy dessert rather than a refreshing savourish delicate creamy marvel. Good, but not great.
My choice of  the "Diplomate trifle" dessert was my discrete personal challenging test for chef Mercuri's desserts:
To each, their own -> some will rave about  the dessert grandeur of a chef over  a great crème brulée (never ever count on me for this one), others over complex combinations of desserts/pastries/fruity delicacies (absolutely!), and others, like me, will have very specific type of dessert they will use as dessert testing reference point: to me it's the pot de crème or any it's remote or close similars. Pot de crème is an interesting trap: so many grand chefs will tell you that there's no big deal with conceiving pot de crème. Indeed, it's fairly easy to make a decent or good pot de crème. BUT very few have yet delivered a GREAT pot de crème at  my table! Very few!!
With that said, do not be fooled by my good but not that great pot au crème: first, it's my tastebuds and not yours! Second, make no mistake: such high end table has it's fair share of impressive desserts for sure. It's a matter to try them out and that's exactly what I intend to do -> I will go back (next time, I will pick a tasting menu and let chef Michele unleash all his imagination and huge talent freely, at his own rythm)!  

Chateau tour Haut-Caussan (2004). I personally chose my wine, as I always do. This time I picked the $83 Chateau tour Haut-Caussan (2004). This Medoc's full bodied red wine, is a personal favourite: I am fond of it's complex and intense brillant mix of fruity, spicey and enjoyable slight smokey flavors (if you have it at home, make sure you drink it on the very short term. It's a nice wine on the 1-2 hrs you've just opened it, but tend to lose it's interesting aromatic strengths on the longer run).  Adorable (although..aouch..the profit margin is big, here ;p)!

IV.The Service
Let me preface this: if I could give 10 over 5, I would!
The entire staff was world class impeccable-> friendly, knowledgeable, courteous, well mannered and very attentive. Sedonie, our main waitress, was the ideal waitress: soft spoken, she is the perfect balance between beeing professional and yet accessible/attentive/careful on top of carrying a touch of the wisdom of a sage. She once worked at Joel Robuchon and it shows: world class! Sedonie is also amazingly very well informed about the restaurant scene here and abroad, the sign of someone who is passionate about the domain she works in. World class is the proper designation to the entire staff (Somelier Sebastien did a beautiful elegant job at decanting our bottle of wine, and what an enjoyable gentleman!, the various waiters who came at our table were all very classy and amazingly well trainned).

V.Afterthoughts
As usual, never confuse your tastebuds with mine! I am just sharing my own appreciations, so these are just tools/opinions among others. As I always remind you all: your own tastebuds are your perfect judges!
With that said, this is a very promising high end table: take the beef tartare and the free form lasagna and you have there two wonders that are as excellent as the great menu items found on most high end fine tables. 

Recommended Items:
-Full galleries of our XO Le restaurant's dinner on Picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/comorosislands/XOLERESTAURANT#
-From the series "Montreal's Luxurious tables":
http://aromes.xanga.com/712355791/montreals-luxurious-tables-toque/ (TOQUE)
http://aromes.xanga.com/712364743/montreals-luxurious-tables-osco/  (OSCO)
-All my Mtl's restaurant reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/user_details_reviews_self?userid=CqPhzVCCHlkCwc6GQvIDVA
-My review of one of the BEST Bistros of Montreal (Bistro Cocagne):
http://aromes.xanga.com/711358238/bistro-cocagne-montreal---friday-sept-4th-1800/
-From the series "BEST tables of Quebec":
http://aromes.xanga.com/713445440/best-tables-of-quebec-leau-%c3%a0-la-bouche-sainte-ad%c3%a8le-quebec/
(Restaurant L'eau à la bouche, Ste Adèle, QC)
http://aromes.xanga.com/714901555/best-tables-of-quebec-quintessence-mont-tremblant/
(Quintessence, Mont Tremblant)
http://aromes.xanga.com/713013706/best-tables-of-quebec---poivre-noir-trois-rivi%c3%a8res-qc/
(Restaurant Poivre Noir, Trois Rivières, QC)

As promised, I am pursuing with my short series of the Grand restaurants of the moment that I had the divine luck to enjoy. After El Bulli, here's the one about Noma (Copenaghen, Denmark) that I did visit earlier this year (2009) with Jannice.

I won't be able to write on each restaurant we have been to, but will more than happily  reminisce all of you folks, of a few visits we had at some of the GRAND restaurants of the moment.

Jannice and I were joined by a few buddies this time. We are not fond of Scandinavian regions (more akeen to the warmth of Mediterranean Europe), but we were pursuing a culinary tour of couple of great tables around the northern belt of Europe. It started with the Fat Duck, went on with Dane's Noma  + other tables that are less popular but great as well. So, as I did with the El bulli review, I will present our dining at Noma throughout 4 courses :

Brown Crab + Clams
I love crab and do regret that I seldomly find them on the major tables I had dined at. Jannice was telling me that this could not be luxurious food since brown crabs are so common in northern seas, but I do believe that luxury comes in the unique way you masterfully turn your product from a humble state to a jewel. And Redzepi (He was there when we dined at his restaurant) did exactly just that: the crab meat had kept all it's utter envoutant flavors while been smartly enhanced by some light, sparse  and yet appropriate seasonings. Not a revolution, but a simple dish that's very flavourful and tasty! The dish came with clams (good) as well.

Steamed spinach
Lol...so as you would have guessed, Jannice continued into her "not that impressed" mood. She said "steaming spinach..you have got to be kidding...I can do that at home"!! I am not stupid: I knew that if Noma was offering just gimmicks, they would not have been highly regarded by folks who have years of food enjoyment behind them. So, as opposed to Jannice, I was curious by this course. The genius truely stands behind the simplicity of this dish: ok, true..the spinach, the accompanying celeri , the cooked onions...never mind about that. They were good, but my mum does them all the time. But push the palate sensors a bit further: Noma adds the top freshest ingredients in there, and the way the cooking is ajusted to perfection made each bite of that spinach so tender, so fresh!
So again, simple as a dish but with an execution that needs genius.

Salad of danish lobster
Now, we talk! Honestly, simply stunning: utterly tender, savourish, fresh with an eye-candy gorgeous presentation. If you think you"ve seen all kind of lobster salads (so did I: I come from an Island where chefs were competing just for that utter impressive lobster salad), then this is the one to end all lobster salads. Seriously, a high end delicate interpretation of your lobster salad.

Danish duck
Largely, the highlight of my 7 course meal. The duck meat was incredibly tender, delicately tasted in flavour and highly savourish. I had cut the chunk of duck in half, and the inside marbling had the freshest feel and was of the most appealing texture: utter rosy-ness and juicy-ness. Geniusly cooked!! The grilled pear that came along was smartly thought: it balanced so well with the duck meat. Kudos as well to the cute presentation with the lovely nasturtiums.

Bottom line, although not a moving experience à la El Bulli, this is more of the type of cuisine that reaches me on a more regular basis because of it's more "classic" fare. But make no mistake: it's by no means the old borying classic cuisine: NO...far from that. It is a creative high end modern fare with a classic touch. I do not know for Jannice (lol), but I will eventually go back with, this time, items that are not part of the multiple-course tasting menu. I will also, on that next time, book a table for both lunch and dinner (for a more elaborate enjoyment of their dishes).

Recommended Items:
-From the series "GRAND tables of the moment":
My dinner at Alinea, Chicago, Illinois Sat March 7th 2009 18:30pm
http://aromes.xanga.com/710975747/impressive-tables-of-the-world-alinea-chicago-saturday-march-7th-2009-1830pm/
My dinner at NOMA, Copenaghen, Danemark February 21st 2009 ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/710167010/visiting-noma-copenaghen-february-21st-2009/
My dinner at Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, November 14th 2008 7:00PM->
http://aromes.xanga.com/711280451/pierre-gagnaire-friday-november-14th-2008-1900/
My diners at El Bulli's, Roses, Spain (2000,2001) ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/710004091/my-last-visit-at-el-bulli-2001/
My dinner at the Fat Duck, Bray, UK Febr 7th 2009 7:30PM -> 
http://aromes.xanga.com/710236779/fat-duck-bray-uk---sat-febr-7th-2009-730pm/
Araxi, British Columbia, 2007 ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/711251209/araxi-whistler-bc---january-2007/
-From the series "Arome's favourite world best tables":
Jean Louis Nichel, Barcelona, Spain ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/712282537/at-the-table-of-my-2nd-all-time-personal-favourite-chef-jean-louis-nichel/
Anne-Sophie Pic, Valence, France ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/713334704/anne-sophie-pic-valence---france/
-From the series "Best tables of NY":
Café Boulud ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/713150815/best-tables-of-new-york-cafe-boulud/

Thanks for reading,
Aromes.

Folks,
In the series "Impressive tables of the world", I am here publishing the review of Alinea in Chicago.
Had dined there on Saturday March 7th 2009 18:30PM
Alinea, 1723 N Halsted St Chicago, IL 60614 (312) 867-0110‎  http://www.alinearestaurant.com
Type of cuisine: avant-garde, molecular

 So, why Alinea?
Because among the top  tables of the world, this one is among those tending to get close to Ferran Adria's El Bulli type of fares.
Very very spectacular...and very very pricey as well!
Anyway, you do not go there on a regular basis. It is a once in a lifetime culinary experience to enjoy..unless you turn addicted, but then make sure you've got fully loaded deep pockets, lol!

Alinea first came to my attention at the 2007 ACF's  (American Culinary Federation) convention in Orlando,FL. One attendee, knowing my frustration for not being able to get a 3rd chance at El Bulli, had strongly suggested Alinea for it's impressive surprising cuisine. Time had passed, and it is only ealier this year that the interest had surfaced. Basically, the plan was to head to Alinea on our way back from this year's visit of some of the North European belt's top tables (Fat Duck, Noma,Maze..etc). So bookings were taken for Saturday March 7th 2009 18:30PM (really not as "hard to get", since I was able to book a table about 4,5 weeks ahead of time).

Fortunately, we picked a cab because --- the location is so discrete from the outside (simple and dark-colored), sandwiched between what seems to be two casual-looking residentials --- we would have easily missed it.
Upon arrival, we passed a very discrete doorway and  were then welcomed by a very courteous wait staff.

We picked the 24 course tasting menu with wine pairings (aouch...fortunately none of us had to drive...2.5oz  per each glass sounds not of a big deal, but add them throughout the dinner and it will hit!..Mind you the tasting spans several hrs...I did not watch the clock, but that was easily 4,5  hrs).
I wont go through the 24 services (way too long). So, like I did with the El Bulli's + Noma's review, I will stick to couple of fares I had there (the following will review some fares of the very 1st visit on Saturday March 7th 2009  + the second visit at Alinea on another  short weekend  in Chicago about 1 month and a half later).

The spot where we sat had a simple and yet chic, classic feel.
I was a bit surprised by the absence of tableclothes, but it was still cool since it brought some kind of trendy high end bistro feel. Really no biggie.

First off, we opted (on both occasions) for couple of adjustements over the standard wine pairings (you pay an extra $$ for that): not that I was not happy with the default choices, but there were couple of wines that had interested me a bit more than what the initial pairings were defaulting to.

So, to the food. Here are some items we had there ->

The Wagyu beef
Very simple fare. Actually in total contrast with the eye-candy presentation of 90% of the  remaining courses. The beef was very tender, although not that flavorful. It was accompanied by a dice of mashed potato (that one was creamy inside, savourish, nicely lightly fried on the outside...BUT it was no different from the ones I buy at my grocery store!)

Beef short ribs
Total constrast with the Wagyu beef that had disappointed me. This is one heck of a dish -> as savourish as appealing to the eyes! The meat was melting-mouth tender and savourish. It was bathed in a perfect-textured, not light nor thick all flavorful peanuty yummy sauce. Gosh...this guy is the son of Ferran Adria!!

The Venison
This was a KILLER!! Although tiny looking, it was still a nice portion of meat (do not forget that you have 24 courses here...so, unless you have are a clone of Hulk, you should not starve!). This lean meat, put in the hands of an average cook, could be borying. But that's how I measure the huge talent of this table: this venison was intense in flavors. Succulent!

Hot & Cold potato
I did not know what to expect from this item. It sounded odd, but having eaten at El Bulli, I am used to sounds-odd-at-first turned into it ended-working-out-so-great. So I stared at it while listening to the instructions of the wait staff (on how to eat it, what this was about and so on..), then gently closed my eyes to fully appreciate each bite of this beautiful piece of food art. Bite after bite, it was plain bland. NOTHING EXCITING!!

 Chocolate'd squab
Amazing well-thought juxtaposition of tastes and flavors...or was it?? This kitchen loves putting squab against sweet flavorful savors/flavors. Mine was Squab Vs Choco which provided outstanding delicate savors. Then on a 2nd visit there, about 1 and a half month later, I had squab with a totally different set of sweet accompaniments. Anyway, back to the squab: this meat is so tender and sports a smooth very light meaty feel (as opposed to strong flavored meats such as most cuts of beef, venison) that do indeed pairs so well with sweet savors. Although pleasant, I expect such predictable fare (it is relatively common by now) OFF such luxurious table. Borying!

Trio of Lamb
This course follows a popular tendency of offering 3 type of the same meat in 3 versions of flavors and/or cooking.
Interesting and yet common as well: the rosemary flavor suits perfectly well here. The lamb had perfect fresh flavors and were savourish. Nothing revolutionary on this one, but Nice!

The rest consisted of  numerous interesting courses of seafood, veggies and meat in line with the always creative and taste-curiousity philosophy that's behind it all. The wine pairings were great, course after course, although it was hard -- towards the end --- to fully enjoy some of  the food items with all those various wines in the stomach.

Total damage for two: $849.45

There are few gimmicks that I could have omitted such as the hanging solo piece of bacon , but overall ..it was a memorable showcase of incredible little VISUAL wonders! 

I cannot eat such sumptuous meal everyday. Too pricey for once, and also it would lose it's appeal had I enjoy such fare on a regular basis. Although, most of the times, I prefer my classic high end French cuisine fare with a modern touch (Pierre Gagnaire, Helène Darroze), I've got to concede: Kudos to this fun and moving experience!

So, as expected: this is not for everyone. I saw a couple complaining at another table about how ridiculous the portions were compared to their generous plate-sized steaks from Outback.. C'mon!!! Obviously some go there without fully informing themselves. This is a once-in-a-lifetime culinary curiosity experience, and ONE should know better before indulging in such culinary flirting!

Recommended Items:
-From the series "GRAND tables of the moment":
My dinner at Alinea, Chicago, Illinois Sat March 7th 2009 18:30pm
http://aromes.xanga.com/710975747/impressive-tables-of-the-world-alinea-chicago-saturday-march-7th-2009-1830pm/
My dinner at NOMA, Copenaghen, Danemark February 21st 2009 ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/710167010/visiting-noma-copenaghen-february-21st-2009/
My dinner at Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, November 14th 2008 7:00PM->
http://aromes.xanga.com/711280451/pierre-gagnaire-friday-november-14th-2008-1900/
My diners at El Bulli's, Roses, Spain (2000,2001) ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/710004091/my-last-visit-at-el-bulli-2001/
My dinner at the Fat Duck, Bray, UK Febr 7th 2009 7:30PM -> 
http://aromes.xanga.com/710236779/fat-duck-bray-uk---sat-febr-7th-2009-730pm/
Araxi, British Columbia, 2007 ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/711251209/araxi-whistler-bc---january-2007/
-From the series "Arome's favourite world best tables":
Jean Louis Nichel, Barcelona, Spain ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/712282537/at-the-table-of-my-2nd-all-time-personal-favourite-chef-jean-louis-nichel/
Anne-Sophie Pic, Valence, France ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/713334704/anne-sophie-pic-valence---france/
-From the series "Best tables of NY":
Café Boulud ->
http://aromes.xanga.com/713150815/best-tables-of-new-york-cafe-boulud/