Before going ahead, here are the two major links of current web site:
(1)A recap of all my reviews of Montreal's finest bistrots & fine dining ventures
(2)My 3 and 2 Star Michelin web site

This Month's featuring review is the one I wrote about Bouillon Bilk, a restaurant that unsurprisingly (Chef Nadon was trained by the Mercuri brothers, Joe and Michelle,  who count among my favourite Chefs around the globe) found itself in my top 3 bistrots in Montreal (along with Bistro Cocagne and Au 5e Péché). Chef Nadon was cooking on this meal, and when this gentleman is in his prime, he is as equally remarkable as Chef Alexandre Loiseau (Bistro Cocagne) and Chef Lenglet (Au 5e Péché), although what he is doing is more eclectic than the former two grand Chefs. When I wrote this review, I received many emails reminding that my title 'Novelty in gifted hands' was exaggerated since some found this not to be that 'novel'. Interestingly, one of those emails came from a long time experienced foodie that I admire a lot and who I won't name, but my answer to him was a reminder that novelty, as with anything else, is a relative assessment: 'Dear xxxx, you once raved over the novelty of a dish of yucca you  had at Mugaritz and bragged that it was unique..guess what my friend: all along my childhood, I used to have that same dish and that was over 3 decades ago...".  Bottom line, Novelty, when I use that term, is relative to a given location/circumstance. As a Bistro, and even at the time of writing this (almost 1 yr after my reviewed meal there at Bouillon Bilk), BB remains the breath of fresh air Montreal badly needed in its restaurant scene. I have written this only about a few Chefs and I'll re-iterate it, here: Chef Nadon is a gifted Chef. 

Event: Dinner @ Bouillon Bilk
When: Wednesday July 20th, 2011 17:30
Type of cuisine: Mdern Cosmopolitan/French
Addr: 1595 Boul Saint Laurent (close to Metro Saint Laurent)
Phone: 514-845-1595

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

  (English review will follow)  Plein de Chefs ouvrent des restos pour finalement offrir du déjà vu dans le contexte de leur propre délimitation géographique. A tel point que je   renommerai leurs restaurants 'copie 1', 'copie 2 ', etc.. Le Chef Nadon du Bouillon Bilk coupe court à ce désolant scénario: il apporte la formule de fraicheur tant espérée depuis des lunes sur la scène des restos Montréalais, la créativité, l'audace de sortir du lot en insufflant  une touche unique (dans les standards locaux) et tout cela agrémenté  d'excellence technique, d'un travail des gouts qui est remarquable . Bouillon Bilk,  c'est tout simplement brillant (dans mon top 3 de mes meilleurs bistrots à Mtl). Le Chef Nadon, bien au delà des standards locaux, c'est un   grand talent dont les actuelles  créations culinaires au Bouillon Bilk n'ont souvent rien à envier à ce que l'on peut trouver dans un excellent 1 Étoile Michelin en France. Allez, hop dans la liste de mes coups de coeur!

Montreal is getting all excited with the future opening of Gordon Ramsay's  (I don't get that one!) and Daniel Boulud's ventures, but I would not. GR and DB will put Mtl on world's gastronomy map, perhaps, but Montreal has some serious homework to do before feasting: this city has thousands of restaurants ..thousands...and yet, I can count on  the fingers of my hand the number of restaurants that I would care for. A handful! That's yet. There are many that are decent, indeed. But just a handful that worth the hype of international consideration we seem to seek through big names like GR and DB. Talking about GR and DB...you won't see one review of their restaurants on this site. I know this will change nothing in their life, but it won't neither in mine. GR and DB are welcomed in Montreal though. They will ensure more mileage to the  remunarated fooc critics, but I beg to stay away from mutton's folly land!   For the record, I am not the type to encourage celebrity chefs in their quest for perpetual expansion through name bearers: Pacaud, for ie, is a 3 star Michelin Chef who is way more talented than the likes of GR and DB. Pacaud is of the level of spectacular legendary Chefs like Robuchon, Fredy Girardet, and although on the verge of retirement (that  'real genius' is 65+ if  I recall properly) ..he was there, behind his stoves, kicking a spectacular 3 star Michelin meal  on a Friday lunch: this one. Now, imagine what I may think of name bearers promoted by some...

Which brings me to what I like to do most: discovering the food of the artisan Chefs who stand as true gems. I remember Chef Mercuri at XO Le Restaurant. I remember Chef Rouyé at La Porte. I remember Chef Navarrette Jr at Raza. I remember Chef Lenglet at Au 5e Péché. I remember Chef Loiseau at Bistro Cocagne. I remember Chef Belair at Le Marly.  I remember those ones, because I truly think they stood out in their own ways. I know there are few more (Toque, Club Chasse et Peche, etc), but not so much more. Still, my doors are open: just bring some true talent...make sure it's true talent though...and I'm the first who will be enthused by  the idea of discovering their Chef d'oeuvre. You won't fool me: I know what is pure empty buzz, and I know what is worthy of  the buzz!  When I heard that Chef François Nadon has opened his restaurant, that caught my attention: this gentleman is more busy expressing his cooking talent where it needs to rather than parading on TV cooking shows!  He is more substance than fla fla. If I could say of a Chef that he went to the right school, then it would be of Chef François Nadon. Given  his past experiences at ex-Bronte, XO Le Restaurant and Globe (those three restaurants have always welcomed raw talents..just think of the Mercuris, Eric Gonzalez, Frédéric Morin), I had to pay a visit to his new venture ( Personally,  I would tend to play more attention at any Chef who has evolved at those 3 restaurants than   most cooks who would pretend having spent times in 1,2,3 star-Michelin kitchens).

Off to the food report:

Linguini, bacon, roasted almonds, blue cheese, mushrooms - Write  this down: roasted almonds and blue cheese ...done this way, cooked this way, tasting this way....mixed with pastas..is a hit! It might not be a benchmark (my 10/10) dish  but  this is simply excellent (a rich and memorable mouthfeel that deserves that I leave the comfort of home for. This could be easily a 10/10 (the taste, the flavor combinations were amazing) , but with respect to my strict rating standards, I'll give it a fair 9/10 (which means EXCELLENT, by the way!)

Next offering:

Grilled shrimps, bone marrow, orange, miso, céléri and thyme   - An 8 over 10 (which means 'very good' in my standards), but here again ... be careful: this could be easily  a 10/10 since I don't see how you can improve on this dish: the taste is irreprochable, textures are perfect, cooking technique right on point, the addition of subtle orange, miso, thyme and celeri flavors so inspiring. So why 8/10 and not 10/10: simply because I  know the potential of this Chef. He is not an average chef and in his own standards, this is great but not stellar. This Gentleman can be stellar....trust me! The other reason is this: for someone like me who was born in front of an ocean of stunning seafood, the standards are very high when it comes to seafood. Not bragging here, just a reminder about how strict  you become in such circumstances.So, take that 8 over 10 as a perfect score.

Braised pork (as a ragout), green peas ravioli, olive oil emulsion, pistachios - This is of pure benchmark material: the level of deliciousness being so high, the raviolis well done, the braised pork faultless. Each  ingredient shining on its own is something we oftently see. But this went beyond: the rich and memorable individual tastes paired so well together. This is what I am willing to pay for when I dine out!  10/10


Duck Magret is my secret 'testing-weapon'  when I visit a restaurant. It's those 'hey..this is easy thing to do' that most Chefs will tell you. Love this...because the easier things tend to route Chefs in Easy-Land...and I ... in Strict-Judging Land...Here again, this would be easily a 10/10 at most tables in Montreal...the most important task being fullfilled: the duck magret was superbly well cooked and tasted so great. The lentils, delicious with great mouthsome. But since Chef Nadon is not our average chef,  we'll roam within his standards: Chef, elevate those two portions of duck terrine to stunning levels (they were great, don't get me wrong...but I know you can make this as stellar as let's say the terrine of foie I had at Biron, for ie) and this is an easy 10. It is an 8.5 over 10 for this occurence, but that's being insanely picky....which I can afford to be, knowing well the talent of Chef Nadon. Notice that there's no technical fault and no serious reproach, here!

Chocolate ganache, tia maria, black raspberry, hazelnut ice cream - A 9/10 of my standards (which is no benchmark, but excellent) for the delicious top-tier ingredients (the chocolate was of impeccable quality, same could be said of the raspberry). There's really nothing not to enjoy here, each component being perfectly well executed with taste to match!

Cheese cake, strawberry, basil, balsamic - I thought I had my share of cheese cakes with most of them being of top marks. Chef Nadon had a surprise for my palate: what about pushing the boundaries a bit higher? Which he successfully did...but the amazement of this one cheese cake can't be summed up in just those few words...Grandma used to tell me 'succulent dishes can't be described....they only can be tasted!".  .10/10 

Menu:  The dinner menu on this given evening is small but   varied. Six  starters priced from $12 to $14 (well balanced between veal carpaccio, crab, fish, shrimps, etc). Five main courses (Pork, trout, scallops, lobster, duck) from $23 to $28 and 6 desserts (from $7 to $12). A rare occurence: they do excel on savouries as well as on desserts. An enticing menu, lots of  combinations you seldomly find at other Montreal restaurants  and  a sense of detail/creativity  that's among those few that stand out in town.

Wine: On this given evening, a  small list of wines (1 sparkling wine which was a Prosecco Bisol $40 the bottle, $8 the glass/ 2 champagne which were Champagne Barbichon  and Bollinger )  + 6 white wines, 9 red) that was smartly conceived and balanced with reasonable prices ranging from $35 (Beaujolais 2010, Raisins Gaulois, M. Lapierre / Coteaux d'Aix en Provence 2008, Chateau Revelette)  to $120 (the bottle of  champagne Bollinger). In between, lots of nicely priced bottles: for ie,  an Anjou 2008, Chateau de la Guimonière was priced at $40 (8$ the glass), a Monferrato Freisa 2005, Canone Inverso, Cantine Valpane at $48 (9.5$ the glass), a Coteaux du Languedoc 2010, Mas Jullien at $42 (8.8 the glass), etc The wine was skillfully paired all along our meal (we basically paired each dish with a glass of wine, with some glasses of the Prosecco Bisol at the very beginning).

Service: Wherever and whenever you put someone open minded, who has travelled a lot and who is well mannered on my way, I am in heaven! The young woman who served us works for Air Canada, has travelled a lot and is as refreshingly interesting as a fun classy globetrotter! A 10!

Conclusion: Of this restaurant, food critic Marie-Claude Lortie writes  that it is refreshing to see, finally, a table that refrains from re-editing what we see everywhere in town. Chef Nadon's unusual but mostly exciting combinations seem to appeal to her taste. Food critic Thierry Daraize underlines Chef Nadon's tremendous talent in his article, but wished the portions were more generous (Although not a big concern...I shared his feeling only with the  the duck magret dish where I'd have requested a tad more lentils and a slightly bigger portion of those foie gras, but the portion of duck magret was fine. They were generous with all the rest, though! Even the wine was generously poured!). Both food columnists seemed not to feast on  the 'crabe de gaspésie, fraises, fenouille' appetizer....and I presume Chef Nadon has good ears since this dish is now off the menu!  Some little corrections here and there for those this might interest: Chef Nadon has never worked at Lemeac. Her business partner has! Chef Nadon's cooking, for now, is closer to Ex-Bronté's (the fans of the old Bronté, now closed, will be happy to learn this) cuisine. Bronté was easily among Montreal's top 5, btw! Both my wife and I had 3 courses each, wine pairings to each item  for me, 2 glasses of wine for her and this came around $170. I honestly think that this was largely fair for such inspired cooking. I have experienced, in Montreal, dinners that did cost at least $80 more than this with some food items deserving nothing less than 0/10 ................

In Montreal standards, Chef Nadon stands among those who brings novelty (it might not be novelty abroad, but what he is doing remains new on current Montreal restaurant scene). I am a big fan of great classics superbly executed with taste to match (Les Mas des Oliviers, Le Bonaparte, Le Margaux, Chez la mère Michel), but would never run away from novelty that stands out. Here's a Chef who has not yet embraced the nonsense quest for fame. He is where it makes sense to find him: in his kitchen. He is where, as a patron, I do expect his talent to shine: in his kitchen, not on TV ..because he, at least, understood that a diner should bother with what a Chef is serving to his guests and not to what a cook is selling on TV!

Admittedly, although I value true artisan Chefs (as opposed to TV-boosted cooks), it has to be a talented Chef as well, or else I won't be enthusiastic. Chef Nadon does have such a  superb talent  that I can state, in total confidence,  that he stands among Montreal's very best Cooks at this moment. As long as he does not follow the nonsense practices  of some  talented Chefs who lost the respect of some of their patrons because they were more interested by fame rather than efficient and effective great work,  I can see Nadon marking memories of Montreal's gourmands for a long time. Nadon was cooking on this dinner (I am realistic: I have no clue how this amazing Chef will work his schedu;e, but I am not expecting him to work days and nights. If he does so, good for him..but it would be stupid to expect this. Personally, with such talented Chef, I'd rather opt for dinners, especially on Fridays and Saturdays: after all, lunches --- although  affordable --  is always  casual at most tables).

Chef Nadon, you have got a new fan as long as you shine where I expect you to excel, because YES.. TREMENDOUS TALENT (amazing techniques, a sense of taste that's impressive, and one of the few Chefs who  reconciles me with  sous-vidé cooking technique -- he masters this technique so well --- a cooking technique that is usually not my cup of tea in other instances)  ...  YOU HAVE!! 

PROS: This was INSPIRED work all the way! Easily in my top tier tables in Montreal, and it vindicates Chef Nadon in my top 10 Chefs in town. I shall go back !

CONS: As far as I am concerned, Nothing to complain about

PS: A reminder before I go -> a review with at least a 9/10 and one 10/10 worths your upmost attention. There are, on this reviewed dinner,  two 10/10, a 9/10 and other marks that would easily be 10s in other circumstances.

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site

@  Bistro Cocagne
Type of food:  North American (QC's) Market cuisine Bistro |  Addr: 3842 Rue Saint Denis, Montreal, QC | Phone: 514-286-0700  | Past review: Click here for Sept 5th 2009's dinner report (but all meals I had there in 2012 are updated on this current post, starting from the  most recent ones ) |  Url: http://www.bistrococagne.com/ | Particularity: Easily Mtl's top #1 bistrot with Au 5e Péché

Update - Meal on Saturday April 21st 2012, 7PM - Yeah, I do visit the latest talked-about eateries in town. But I'll refrain from fully reviewing new tables in Montreal as long as I do not find one that reaches or surpasses the cooking level I have experienced at those, in my view, that do stand out in town. The latter have been widly reported on this blog. At the beginning of the year, I confidently asserted  that  both au 5e Péché and Bistro Cocagne were sharing the status of #1 best Bistro in town with a light advantage to Chef Lenglet's Au 5e Péché for his amazing desserts (Chef Lenglet started as a Pastry Chef and that shows), but I do sometimes think that Lenglet Vs Loiseau is like an epic 'duel' of titans, both being so talented that an advantage I find today in one of the two Chefs  could be wiped away tomorrow by the other Chef and it can continue in that back-and-forth logic endlessly. That is exactly what happened on this Saturday April 21st meal at Bistro Cocagne where Chef Alexandre Loiseau was simply 'on fire', with a  performance, on this evening, that beats by leaps the best meal I had at au Cinquième Péché. I was not expecting to be surprised in such spectacular way by a restaurant where I had my share of meals: it all started with superb arancini of foie-gras as amuse-bouche. Then a starter of buffalo meat tartare precisely chopped by obvious  talented hands was oozing with a depth of  impeccable fresh meaty flavor, the quality of the meat being of top level as it is  always the case with all ingredients at Bistro Cocagne, the seasoning not just seasoning for seasoning (a boring trend that triggered harsh judgements from my part on some well regarded bistrots where the tartare, not a rocket science dish, is oftently just a standard tartare whereas this one I was sampling at Bistro Cocagne proves that you can still add an additional level of thoughtful excitement and turn a tartare into a true restaurant dish worth paying for) but seasoning to make such a simple dish worthy of  prime palatable satisfaction (the  home made emulsion of mustard that blended with the tartare is easily one of the best of its kind - 10/10 for the tartare). Then followed a delicious and creatively-executed  fried calamari salad for Jannice (the accompanying pepper-coulis matching so well with that superb calamari 10/10),  Braised lamb for Jannice (there was the braised lamb I had on my 1st meal here, that was a 10 for me. Then there was a different version  of their braised lamb, with lesser caramelised markings,  and that was  verging on what I perceived as an 8/10 dish, of course food that was still great given the talent found in this kitchen but that impressed less, in my view. On this Sat April 21st meal, Chef Loiseau cooked the same Braised lamb found on the very 1st meal, and the result, in mouth, is as spectacular. It was, this time, served with root veggies and on a scale of 10, deserved the 10 for its delicious taste and the observation  that there was nothing that  could have been improved upon. Portion sizes are correct relatively to the rising cost of the carefully sourced quality meats  that are served here), guinea fowl supreme for me (Perhaps the best supreme de  pintade I ever had on a Montreal top table alongside the one I had at Le Marly, this one at BC having even the edge for its more vivid taste - a 10/10 for this dish of guinea fowl supreme, in my assessment. It was served with a mouthwatering rich and creamy superior cabbage salad and excellent perigourdine sauce). Cream-based desserts are done here way better than at most bistrots that I can think of, abroad included: a good panna cotta is a dessert so simple to make, an outstanding panna cotta is a rarity. This one that was served on this evening pertaining to the latter category with remarkable texture and taste, leaps ahead of  what I am used to find on most of the widly praised tables in Montreal. A benchmark panna cotta. 10 over 10 meals exist more than what  sceptics  and urban legends want to make us believe. They happen to talented Chefs 'caught' on a night where they are at their prime (Both Loiseau and Lenglet are among the most consistent of the  better Chefs in town, they do largely deserve their position at the top of the bistrot spectrum, and tonight Chef Loiseau was simply in command of a Mach 10 flight). Service was of top level, wine pairings impressively inspired (an excellent Marsannay les Ouzeloy, a beautifully fortified Tanatis were among many other successful wine-by-the glass pairings) and a good choice of cheeses were sampled (Brise des Vignerons, Fourme D'Ambert, Gouda). I had several quality  meals at Bistro Cocagne, all in line with the consistent top level of Bistro cooking that I am accustomed to at this place (The reason it is considered in my top 3 Bistrots in Montreal), but this meal of April 21st is for sure the most impressive of them all.   In Montreal, at this moment, you won't get much better Bistro food than what Bistro Cocagne and Au Cinquieme Péché are offering.
 
Update - Meal on  Friday January 6th 2012 - 8PM  Dropped by for a late solo evening meal. They have, btw, a late special of 2 services for $20 after 9:30PM. I didn't take the special since I had specific dishes I wanted to try. Meals here start with an amuse-bouche. This time, the same mini  braised beef fritter as on the Dec 31st dinner is served here along with a superb venison tartare (the meat packed with deep meaty flavor, its quality being of prime mention). An 8/10 for the fritter this time (well done, but less bold than its Dec 31st equivalent and a 10/10 for the tartare. Then  Ravioles de cerf, champignons, oignons caramélisés, huile de truffes (8/10 - Two generously-sized raviolis which execution is faultless, the taste without reproach, texture well mastered. Only reason this is an 8 as opposed to a 10 is by pure comparison: I was a huge fan of the previous versions of Chef Loiseau's ravioli creations. This one remains highly satisfying, and it goes down to a matter of preference here, not to a problem with the dish itself). Then the pan sear foie gras, served along the top quality chioggia beets (8.5/10). As usual, the foie cooked with precision, the sear perfect (oddly, something that I found many  Chefs in town oftently missing: either the duck liver is overcooked or the other way around, resulting in a texture that is sometimes off-putting. Chef Loiseau, on each of my visits,  has always managed to avoid this  inexplicable slip so oftently found elsewhere). I ended with a Risotto à la courge, tomates séchées, lardons de porcelet, huile de bergamote (an 8.5/10), with the  rice cooking achieved at just-right doneness, the palatable impact maintained high (delicious risotto / although it would benefit from perhaps a topping of morsel of scallop or braised pork).  Service tonight were in the hands of Gabriel and Annie Claude, two of the very best wait staff in Montreal: professional, fun, attentive. Another successful dinner, with Bistro Cocagne  preserving the high standards that keeps it ahead of Mtl's bistrots.

The following is the report of the Sat Dec 31st 2011, 8PM meal :

  (English review will follow) - Avec une prestation gourmande comme celle de ce soir, je pointe et je tire: c'est le bistro #1 présentement à Montréal, titre que je le vois bien partager avec Au 5e Péché du Chef Lenglet. Une cuisine aux apparences simples, mais qui sort du lot pour ses qualités rarement égalées (et je fais allusion ici au cercle des meilleurs cuistots d'ici et d'ailleurs), et dont l'éloge est bien méritée:  un travail des saveurs, une maitrise des textures, du talent en cuisine digne de superlatifs. Dans ce temps là, j'oublie facilement...les oublis (plateau de fromage non décrit, lors de ce repas), ..maudit, il y'a effectivement pire dans la vie et je  célèbre plutot ce qu'il y'a de mieux: le bonheur d'une cuisine éclatante. Et meme L'Alsace fut de la partie: un excellent Alsace Pinot gris grand cru 2008 domaine Dirler, l'un des meilleurs  vins blancs que j'ai eu l'occasion d'apprécier.  Bistro Cocagne, c'est  toujours du boulot mieux  fait qu'ailleurs, sans flafla, le triomphe de la substance et bien évidemment parmi mes restaurants favoris à Montréal (XO Le Restaurant, Raza, Le Marly, La Porte pour la fine cuisine 'gastronomique' et Bistro Cocagne, Au 5e Péché, Bouillon Bilk, Kitchen Galerie sur Jean Talon pour ce qui est des bistrots). Donc voilà, je boucle ... la boucle de mes découvertes des plus belles tables Montréalaises: ce fut un plaisir d'avoir  partagé ceci avec vous, pendant ces deux belles années. Mes salutation gourmandes!

After a disappointing month of November (with regards to restaurant discoveries --- which was even more frustrating given the incredible praises over the concerned tables),  I decided that December would cover only my  favourite bistrots in town.  A Mid-December meal at Kitchen Galerie (the one on Jean Talon), despite some performances that were a tad behind those offered on my very 1st meal there,  maintained it in my top  favourite Mtl bistrots (along with Bistro Au 5e Péché, Bouillon Bilk,  and Bistro Cocagne). 

This time, we went back to Bistro Cocagne (BC). What Au 5e Péché, Bouillon Bilk, KG on Jean Talon and BC do share in common is that ability to maintain themselves ahead of the pack, in my opinion,  as far as Montreal bistrots standards are concerned: it is in those  little details that make you realize that a given restaurant is simply better than most of its peers (refinement and better work of the flavors, consistent,  precision in the cooking, meals that are more inventive and exciting than the average) and its Chefs more skillful.

Subsequent visits at Bistro Cocagne have not proven as successful as the very 1st meal: for ie, the lamb shank they served on my first dinner remains in my top 5 best restaurant food items ever, and I am including my favourite Michelin star meals in this rundown!  But they don’t do it the same way anymore and the portion is smaller. Which I can understand to some extent: those ingredients (especially in the case of BC: this table picks top-of-the-notch produce) are indeed pricier and most people would expect such high end bistrot  to be creative, therefore not sticking to the same old formulas. I also noticed that as much as Chef Loiseau’s ‘pot de crème’ (reported here) and ‘pudding chomeur” have always been big  hits (even to abroad’s top bistro standards), some of his other desserts, while remaining well executed and certainly above average, were not as outstanding (for ie  the 'coffee cream tart' on Oct 29 th 2011).

And yet, even when it failed to impress at heights found on the  initial dinner, Bistro Cocagne managed to maintain the standards higher than those found at most Mtl bistrots: A good example was the  Oct 29th 2011 meal (I’ve scribbled a tiny recap of that dinner at the very end of this review – See UPDATE section), an instance where I came to the conclusion that I should forget about the once ‘magical’ lamb shank. But take this:  that Oct 29th lamb dish which I rated an 8.5/10…would have promoted many other Montreal bistrots in my top 10 in town! And like a great Champ who refuses to give up, Chef Alexandre Loiseau fought back, on that same dinner, with a terrific course of pan-sear foie and beets (a 10/10 dish; in Mtl I have to think back to the best food of a tiny group of brilliant CHEFS like Belair @ Le Marly, Lenglet @ Au 5e Péché,  Navarrette Jr @ Raza,  Mercuri @ XO Le restaurant to recall a dish of 10/10 amazement). You can clearly see why tables like BC remain in my top 3 in Mtl (in my top 15 bistrot around the world, behind outstanding bistrot findings like Neva Cuisine and Thoumieux  in Paris, or Bistro La Marine in Cagnes-Sur-Mer and few others, but still among my favourite bistrots around the globe) !

 

On this December 31st dinner, I was looking forward, once again, to what Chef Alexandre Loiseau had to offer either as a surprise (I don’t…as I’ll re-iterate…expect perfect 10/10 dishes all the times. It’s un-realistic even if this blog covers tables that do indeed stand out among their competitors. But Genius Chefs will always get one or two creations, here and there, that will hit or set the bar ;p), or a continuation of his usual skillful creations. We opted for their tasting menu of 8 courses. To understand how Chef Loiseau rose as one of my favourite Chefs of all times, you will have to dig deep in the mind of your humble host, Rfaol!: to me, the best Chefs are those who get the MOST (vibrant taste, above average exciting dishes, etc) out of the very LEAST (a simple ingredient, no fussy manipulation). That defines pretty well the work of Chef Loiseau. Then, you also get other features that add up to my respect of Chef Loiseau’s work, features that are elementary for me, features that ensure reliability, feats that ensure that the standards are kept high: the hard work, the discretion, the commitment and the respect of the Chef to his diners, the behavioral maturity of refusing to ‘feed megalomaniac  tendencies’ through constant TV show-off appearances! The problem, as I once wrote to a celebrity cook,  is not to be on TV. The problem is to be more interested by TV than to what people are praising you for: your skills … and that is expected to shine in your kitchen! As a friend recently said of a popular TV cook: ‘That is an actor! NOT a cook!’. Rfaol.  Chef Loiseau is one of those CHEFS who stay  away from TV stardom, being more interested to do his job seriously, with the discretion and efficiency of a grand Master. He is there, cooking in his kitchen, at a time when many lesser cooks are playing the Chief conductor of their orchestras..euh..sorry…I meant….brigade …when not parading on TV ;p

The tasting menu started with an  amuse of  excellent fresh oysters

with an item of 10/10 standard:

BOEUF BRAISÉ FRIT - basically, some braised beef fritter, served along a dazzling mix of mustard of fruits (apples). Simple in theory, but few have been able to  really deliver such fabulous flavors in practise. 10/10

Pairing wine: Champagne Delamotte Brut, an excellent medium-bodied champagne of  impeccable freshness. As to the pairing, this was a judicious call.


Omble de Gaspé, caviar de saumon – The fish (artic char) was properly marinated, its sourcing exemplary (it’s one reason I don’t discuss the $$$ at a restaurant like this one – the quality of the produce is at its very best) and this will make both Seafood Choices Alliance and our sustainable consciousness happy! Yep, I insist on this latter statement: eco-friendly restaurateurs should be encouraged at all costs!  Red caviar (maintained at ideal temperature, for sure, since the flavors are so well preserved here) complementing logically the artic char. 9/10
Pairing wine: Sancerre, les romains, 2010 domaine fouassier, which minerality and aroma of citrus made it a logical pairing to the seafood . Perhaps not an exciting wine, but it certainly made sense.

Crème de céleri-rave à la truffle noire – Knob celeri cream, with black truffles. On the Montreal restaurant scene, knob celery is a widely used ingredient these days but on this dish, its earthy appeal is better highlighted than on most similar celeriac creams I had in town. Black truffles being a logical companion to the root vegetable (notice the repetitive use of the word ‘logic’ in my review of this dinner --- this accurately re-inforces the  ‘common denominator” of this dinner: simple, logic, and packed with appealing flavors). 10/10
Pairing wine: Viré-clessé, cuvée tradition, 2002 domaine de Bongran. An interesting wine with lively acidity, and a great nose of apricot among the aromas of fruits I could detect. It was Ok with the celeriac cream, certainly a better match to some grilled seafood.

Next course:

Terrine de foie gras, mini mesclun, chutney d'échalote, beurre de pomme, croûton de pain brioché  - Duck liver terrine (of remarkable quality), a fresh salad mix (here again, exemplary sourcing of the produce), chutney of shallots (nicely executed recipe with balanced aromas),  apple butter (refined and packed with deep fruity fresh flavors  - You have here another aspect I favor in Bistro Cocagne’s cooking: being opened to slow cooking techniques in order to bring the most out of the ingredients), and a viennoiserie (a piece of brioche, that was superb). In Montreal, you will hardly find a restaurant delivering such startling terrine of duck liver.  10/10
Pairing wine: Alsace Pinot gris grand cru 2008 domaine Dirler. I found its lusciousness to certainly balance well with the the richness of the foie gras and chutney (after all, Pinot Gris have been a long time logical wine pairing choice to some rich food such as clam chowders, for ie). Although this is  not my favourite wine from the Diler-Cadé domaine (for those wondering, Muscat 2009 Grand Cru Spiegel is an amazing wine from this Domaine, a wine that I will never stop recommending..and it’s not that $$$!!), this remains a nice pairing and certainly the best white wine I have tried since a long time.

Noix de cerf de Boileau, champignons sauvage, betteraves chioggia, sauce aux baies de sureau  - Abroad, you may not know this, but this kitchen favors venison (the deer, in this case) over the common red meats (beef, for ie). I was raised in a fishermen village, so it took me a while to really enjoy gamey notes. I am so used to associate fat content in meat with eventful flavors (I am not alone, I am sure;p) BUT  having that perfect-textured lean cut of beautiful red flesh transformed into a nicely seared piece of steak was as E-V-E-N-T-F-U-L!  Boileau venison is a top quality meat from the Harpur LLC Farms (city of St-Andre-Avellin, Quebec), the animal raised with the best caring standards.  The cut of the venison is subject of great care, here: the highly praised 'noix de cerf'  being offered.  The  cooking is of course well mastered, the temperature of the meat carefully surveyed (and to avoid getting too much of the intense gamey flavor, which is fine but I am just not used to that, they naturally went with a cut that’s not cooked beyond medium-rare). Mushrooms, chioggia beets (as usual, remarkable sourcing here and being a huge fan of beets, I tend to be picky about their quality – those beets count among the finest I ever had), and an excellent elderberry sauce were served along the venison. There have been few master 'sauciers' who have truely impressed me, and on this evening, I found another one: this elderberry sauce making its way easily among the most accomplished I ever sampled on a restaurant menu along the 'jus of smoked tea and spices' of Chef Bau (which accompanied his Bresse-Pigeon from Mieral dish) or Chef Navarrette Jr's Aji panca chili (with his duck magret on this meal). The overall is not only delicious and superbly well executed, but would make any top 2 star Michelin venture really proud!  10/10
 
Wine pairing: Saint-joseph, les sérines, 2009 domaine yves cuilleron ; A Syrah from the Rhone, tannic, which dark fruits aromas went naturally well with the venison.

Next came the cheese service:

CHEESE...it's the only slip of this fabulous dinner: The usual wait staff of BC (Gabriel, Mathieu, Annie-Claude) always apply BC's high standards of service to perfection: describing your plate, showing the cheese platter and letting you chose what you want, etc. The gentleman who brought our platter of cheese (he is relatively new at the restaurant I guess, and he told us that he also took care of the wine pairings)  did unfortunately indulge in two little gaffes: (1) no presentation of the cheese platter  (2) no description of the cheeses. A slip not to take dramatically, of course,  but one that should be avoided at such level of dining (as usual, to be taken constructively). This was unusual, at such high end bistrot, for sure.

Then the dessert :

Pain de genes, cremeux au chocolat blanc, gelée de framboises -  . I’m used to never mind about desserts in bistrots, although I was, not long ago, amazed by the sweet creations at Bistrot Neva Cuisine (Paris). Here in Montreal, Chef Lenglet’s desserts at Bistrot au 5e Péché do stand out. As for Chef Loiseau, he is behind perhaps the best ‘pudding chomeur’ and ‘pot de crème” I ever sampled at a Bistrot. On this evening, his dessert of  'Pain de Genes' certainly surpassed the average desserts served at most top tables in town, but although technically well conceived, it lacked the excitement found on most of  the other dishes. Still, a very good cake with an enticing depth of almond flavor . 8/10

Bottom line: The title of my review says it all: FIRMLY PLANTED IN MY TOP 3!!!! Easily the top #1  Bistrot in Montreal at this moment (a tight competition with Au 5e Péché). A fabulous meal that did really not deserve...the isolated oddity (for such level of dining)  of the cheese service.  Of course, a slip that is largely forgiven given how stellar this dining event stood .

In conclusion, a friend recently sent me this message : '''A big name is coming soon in Montreal...why are you stopping --- reviewing montreal finest tables --- right now?""" ........to which I replied: """I don't want big names..I want big performances""". Rfaol!   Salutations  gourmandes à toutes et à tous!

Click here for a recap of my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots.
Also: My 3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site
Restaurant Les zebres
Type of cuisine: Bistro (French with eclectic influences)
2347, rue de l'Église
Val-David / Laurentides
Phone: 819-322-3196

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)

UPDATE: Dinner on Sat March 3rd 2012 - My second meal only at Les Zebres in Val David, stronghold of a Chef (Chef Jason Bowmer) that I consider as one with a solid head on his shoulders. I insist on the latter because my last work (now completed) on the finest bistrots and fine dining eateries of Montreal & surroundings   revealed lots of interesting discoveries: Chefs who are reliable no matter what, others who find inspiration only when they see a camera in your hands or a journalist in the room, etc. Chef Bowmer does not suffer from variable factors and focuses on what matters most: expressing his cooking skills no matter the circumstances.  And skilled he is: we kicked off with an array of tapas for two with excellent rillette de truite (trout rillette), dried duck magret, merguez pogo, humus. This was certainly fun but most importantly reminded of why I praise Chef Bowmer's work: he understands flavors better than many of his peers. The food is tasty, the cooking flawless, dishes well executed, the flavors exciting as shown on my wife's dish of scallop/white wine sauce with pimenton and my braised beef course (both easily of 8.5/10 to 9/10 marks, perhaps of no relative/subjective 10/10 benchmark but who cares??.. when it's done this well!). Sorbets aux fruits, crumble de biscuit sablé is the kind of dessert that most will not rave about, arguing that they had sorbets done this well elsewhere, but herein lies one of those few reasons ¸that led me to occasionally review restaurants  (not something I was excited to do, btw): I appreciate what I do experience as it is experienced but not in comparison to what could have been experienced..Rfaol..this trio of sorbet was a 10/10, as perfect as a sorbet can be. It was served with a piece of lemon, confit and dried in a way that an eye that's sensitive to details would not miss to notice that this is cooking with a depth of inspiration. I love Chef Bowmer's cooking because it is so inspired that it  goes deep into the details  that most eyes and palates can easily miss (not meant to be mean here): it looks classic, it looks simple but it is done better than what most are delivering as far as taste and skills are concerned. I receive a lot of emails asking why I gave 8, 9 or 10/10 on other sites to stunning bistrots like Youpala (St Brieuc), Thoumieux (Paris) but also to bistrots serving food that is appearently less spectacular than those...IF only they knew: that is what brought me here - appearence is not important to me. A simple pan-seared scallop that rises as excitingly to my palate as any complex-looking fare deserves to be rated as the latter if the in-mouth impact is as spectacular.  Chef Jason Bowmer proves that food does not need to be a piece of theater. When you are talented, it will be as exciting no matter how classic or straightforward it might stand! This is the type of consistent  cooking that makes me comfortable to feel confident about the fact that this is a reliable cuisine with virtually no chances to let me  down may it be on a 3rd, 5th or 10th visit there. 

 

The following is the report of the 1st dinner there on Thurs April 21st, 2011 20:30

A quick detour in  the Laurentians with my sweet half, this time in Val David (slightly over 1hr drive north of  Montreal).

A quick word about bistros (and to some extent, restaurants in general): It is quite a challenge for me to review bistros. There is always that fear of reviewing 'just another standard bistro' with the usual braised meats, tartare and so on. As I was saying recently to my wife: ''there is an easy way to get away with a 10..simply serve some tasty bone marrow on a fresh piece of  bread, a tasty risotto, some rib eye steak, anything that roams in the safe lanes". She reassured me with a simple 'Yep, but what matters to you, anyway, are those who manage to do it  better'. Indeed, Jannice is right and I find motivation only in that little touch that set some cooks apart. Take what Chef Bernard Pacaud cooked on my recent  lunch at 3-star Michelin L'Ambroisie (you can find that review on my newly launched 3-star Michelin dedicated web site), for ie:  it was insanely expensive, but how many times in our short life shall we run into such remarkable explosion of talent in a plate? Food is food indeed, but I had either the choice of keep cooking at home (which I prefer over eating at the table of an ordinary Chef. Why should I eat an ordinary cuisine...when most of us cook way better) or giving a try to Chefs which cuisine has some reference to bring (the latest is what matters to me. Make that tartare that has been replicated a thousand times, but make it better!). I will sacrifice my time only for bistros I believe do stand out enough (read: better work of the deliciousness of the food/ I do  mind sampling that 1000th duck magret if it can ...stand out!! )  to worth my time as it was the case with my current top bistros in our province: Au cinquième péché, Kitchen Galerie, Bistro Cocagne. 


Les Zebres: this is a restaurant of the  Laurentians which cuisine has long been praised for its superior cooking. This is my first time at Les Zebres. From what I gathered, before going there, it is a Modern French bistro with an International influence (Mediterranean, Oriental touches). I seized the opportunity of a short romantic escapade to drop by.  

On top of the usual starters, main courses and desserts, they have a tapas menu and they are  flexible in terms of various dining possibilities: take-out, tasting menu from the tapas, tasting menu out of  the standard menu as well.




Foie gras confit au torchon, gelé de Sauternes, pain aux pommes et rhubarbe, salade de serres de Jardi pousses de Ste Adèle: the more I make  foie gras au torchon at home, the more I enjoy sampling it at restaurants. I guess it's just for the fun to see how far those chefs can push it in perfecting  the texture, the taste, the consistency, the technique. Here, the foie au torchon I ordered went through some great preparation: nicely deveined, well poached and rested in timely delays. It tasted great too and was of stellar quality (10/10). Accompaniments to foie gras do usually not  catch my attention since a simple piece of superb fresh bread suffices for me, but they generously added some apple/rhubarb bread (simple but good bread + the apple/rhubarb taste pairs well, indeed, with the foie) and a salad of various greens (you should not miss a salad at such level of dining, indeed, but a salad that sets the bar is quite an achievement that only a tastebud can understand. This one was a stunning salad like I have rarely enjoyed at any kind of restaurants (Michelin-star, Non Michelin-star, etc; a 10/10 mark for the salad would be accurate). My only quibble is about the tiny dices  of  'Sauternes' wine jelly: they need to be more flavorsome (perhaps something around the sweet/sour theme would make an adequate flavorful jelly to pair with the foie au torchon if you insist on jellies. I don't). Overall a 9 over 10 (Excellent. There's nothing as ideal as a foie gras au torchon, where the final product is as great as the skills, the care, the qualitative selection in the ingredients to seize the presence --- or absence -- or a raw talent behind it.).

Worth trying: Finally found the drink to match with foie gras au torchon: Brut Cava mousseux Parés Baltà. It was not paired to the foie gras, but I still had some left once the foie gras arrived at our table, and the accidental pairing knocked out all well known pairings to foie gras of torchon that I know.  Worth trying with a successful foie gras au torchon (fresh, enjoyably creamy lightness in mouth with fruity notes of pear and orange 
Brut Cava mousseux Parés Baltà, Spain
Code SAQ : 10896365  (16,60$)

Followed by:

Velouté de champignons -  This velouté of Chef Jason Bowmer's  was a  demonstration of rich and delicious balanced flavors. An excellent velouté.


Contrefilet de boeuf Black Angus 1855 grillé, dry rub aux champignons sauvages et carvi, réduction de veau au foie gras: Black Angus 1855 sirloin steak, mushrooms, carvi, shallots and veal/foie gras reduction sauce. Moist and tender, the meat retained an enjoyable beefy flavour and was cooked with precision to requested medium rare, which led to perfect warmth through the middle and a nice red center. It may be simplistic to review a steak, but this is the kind of dish that reveals everything I need about the cooking skill of its Chef:  how the meat was aged and marinated, how swiftly it is charred, how the cooking is mastered, the flavors retained..etc. Furthermore,  in this case, the Chef receives no help from the meat: sirloin is a versatile cut, but it does not have the natural advantage  of  cuts like the rib or  the hanger  when grilled, thus some extra effort to fill that gap and make the sirloin as successful. Here, as mentioned above, I have no reproach at all (I personally prefer rich beefy/red wine fully flavored reductions, but the veal/foie gras that was served is a welcoming alternative) and the mark that I am assigning to this dish (8 over 10) is my usual rating for most great steaks that I have enjoyed. The rare times that you saw a 9 or 10 over 10 for such dish occured when it went beyond belief (for ie, the ''Onglet de boeuf, paleron"" at Au 5e Péché), and those occurences admitedly involved cuts of meats that  have an obvious flavorful natural advantage (hanger, rib eye). The overall was served with a tasty polenta cake.


Dessert (which I did not photograph because I was busy chatting ;p) was composed of a morsel of chocolate cake (a chocolate nemesis cake that was well done), vanilla ice cream (great depth of fresh vanilla flavors) /Chantilly complemented by a pineapple/mango salad (again, well done and the top quality of the pineapple and mango are appreciated here / they tasted fresh like it should always be at any great table), roasted pecans. Simple as I expect desserts to be at a bistro,  but delivered with good flavors, care, quality ingredients, and certainly not 'ordinary' in execution and enjoyment. 8/10


The cooking was well mastered, the food tasty. Indeed, this was some cosmopolitan bistro food that stood out and a Chef who has tremendous skills as far as I am concerned. It also takes quite an amount of courage to take risks and explore all kind of flavors from most parts of the world.  Chef Jason Bowmer  is perhaps a discrete Chef (which I prefer over the annoying Celeb Chefs spending more time on TV shows rather than excelling where we do expect them to), but his food, on this reviewed meal, was packed with character.

Decor:
cozy contemporary decor marked by warm colored white/beige (from what my eyes could see on this late evening, lol)  walls, brown-leathered chairs, large glass windows.

Wine list: Varied and well balanced. A smart list of wines.

Service: Fine, genuine, down to earth. Went well with the laidback and friendly character of the restaurant.

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site


Restaurant Raza
Cuisine: Upscale blend of Modern French/Latino fine dining
Addr: 114 Laurier West, Montreal, Qc
Phone: 514.227.8712
Url: http://www.groupemnjr.com/ 

All meals sampled at Raza Restaurant are gathered in the current article (please find below, the reports of all my dinners at Raza  listed in chronological order)
                                 
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)


The following is my review of my 4th meal at Raza on February 11th, 2012 20:00 - Dinner @ Raza on this Saturday evening Febr 11th, 2012.  As the readers of this blog already know, Raza is my #1 favourite restaurant in Montreal and despite this regrettably tepid reported meal (I don't review Montreal's top dining ventures anymore, just re-visiting my favourite restaurants in town and dropping some few updates here), Raza remains my #1 because there's in this house the basics of what make a restaurant better than its competitors: a Chef with great maturity, pride, common sense, exceptional talent and a better understanding of what a Restaurant should achieve. Naturally, the latter statement will pass as out of context  given the report about this meal of  Febr 11th, but the previous dinners (they are all reported right below) largely back my assertion. Now, the beauty of my work is that I've stayed away from making friends with the restaurant industry, and this leads to the advantage of enjoying experiences that most diners, 99% of the patrons at a restaurant, are experiencing for real. Thus the possibility of enjoying things as they come. No one wants his number #1 choice to fail, alas tonight's dinner  had simply nothing to do with the Raza that has impressed me for so long. It was unfortunate to have experienced this, especially me: when I feel confident to go all the way to raving about a place, it's usually done with rigorous thinking and backed by solid evidence (level of cooking, consistency, mastery in the depth of flavor combinations, amazement of the taste, etc). Tonight, all those superlatives that do usually define what I have found there were remote souvenirs: a simple braised beef  with sparse pieces of veggies could have been better executed at home ...(6.5/10), chorizo in a bouillon was just that: sausage in a bouillon..hardly something that excites at a restaurant (5/10), salmon covered by a  creamy coconut concoction was ok, shrimps in a revised version of a bisque was pleasant but not on par with the standards that I am used to at Raza (7/10)...let us stop here and politely say that we were  miles away from Chef Navarrette Jr's stunning cooking. Even the service was odd: wine pairing to each of the 7 courses does not mean pairing to just some of the courses...    We can see this through different angles: the 3 previous meals were stunning (they are all detailed on this current web page -- just scroll down --- .and this, I hope, will benefit to some of the apprentice cooks out there: when you have the luck to learn alongside one of world's best Chefs, Chef Navarrette Jr is definitely one of them: seize that damn opportunity to level UP your cooking!! ). This is the only time that I am disappointed, in 4 occurences. Which is far from being bad. On the other hand, it is clear that next time that I am going to Raza, I'll talk to Chef Navarrette Jr and make it clear that it is his cooking that I am paying for!  Chef Navarrette Jr is a  Gentleman who wants to give a chance to his cooks to shine. But that aide he had on this evening cooks food that I am not willing to pay for............. I'll go back: it would be stupid to stop myself at the only one slip of all these amazing dinings at Raza. Chef Navarrette Jr can easily cook gustatory marvels comparable to what you will  find on  most top 2 star Michelin tables  out there, but of course, he needs to avoid being surrounded by lesser talented apprentices or else the huge gap in talent between him and those will be felt in a frustrating way by his patrons.




The following is the review of my 3rd meal @ Raza on Saturday October 22nd  2011, 8 PM ->
This is my  3rd visit with my wife here. Raza now offers a surprise tasting menu, left at the discretion of the Chef's creativity, a trend that is now widely spread around the world. The default surprise menu is the 5 courses at $59. If you ask for it, you can also enjoy a 7 course surprise menu at $70. As on both previous two dinners, we opted for the latter (which I find to be a bargain for the high level of dining that's offered - We also appreciate the surprise nature  of the tasting menu,  given how creative Chef Navarrette Jr has always been).

At this visit on Sat Oct 22nd 2011, the latino genius continued to impress with creativity and exciting food that remain leaps ahead of anything to be found in town.

The meal started with a ceviche of mahi mahi (9/10) that had an enjoyable depth of rich taste, the marine freshness of the fish shining through nicely. The quality of the fish being remarkable.

Next was a dish of  quail egg, dehydrated mushrooms, squid ink aioli. A dish that shows an impressive level of technical mastery with the mushrooms properly dehydrated and served to an ideal powdery consistency, its taste vivid (we are far from the dehydrated mushrooms that taste nothing: here the fresh taste of the mushroom is retained), the cooking of the quail eggs mastered to precision (perfect runny inside). An exciting dish with multi layers of flavors blending impressively well together. In Montreal top level dining standards, you won't see anything close to this. Certainly not as expertly composed as this. 10/10
 
The following course of the tasting menu was a delicious soup of chestnut, tomato confit, chives. The palatable impact is maintained high, with again, exciting flavors that tease the palate, a characteristic of Chef Mario   Navarrette Jr's cuisine 10/10
I had a glass of Chilean Errazuriz Chardonnay Wild Ferment, Casablanca Valley (2010), which complex and rich characteristics balanced harmoniously with the earthy profile of the chestnut soup.


Then came a dish of 'Braised veal flank, butternut squash gnocchis, parmesan, red wine reduction" - Not one single item was short of palatable excitement (the recurring use of the word 'excitement' in my review is intentional for sake of accuracy in describing what attracts me towards the work of this genius, but also for  paying justice to the type of cuisine served by Chef Navarrette Jr).  Each item of this dish had dazzling taste; mixed together, the succulence reached a rare peak in deliciousness. The display of impressive cooking execution and refinement continued on this dish (the cooking of the gnocchis and the veal was exemplary). 10/10
This was matched to a nicely Merlot Rubini colleccion Crianza (Ica, Peru 2006) which appealing density went thoughtfully well with that dazzling braised veal flank.
 
Next came a 'sabayon, blue cheese, pears, apple compote'. The sabayon had all elements whisked expertly to proper temperature, thickened to ideal consistency, with not one single spotted fault. The blue cheese imparting a welcoming counter-kick of flavor, and the top quality fruity components enhancing perfectly the enticing rich flavor profile of this course. Another dish which intent to impress the palate went beyond the targeted goal. 10/10
 
This dinner  ended with a jar of Chef Navarrette Jr's take on the theme of 'nutella' and 'banana'. I am not a fan of  nutella  and chocolate since I was born and was raised in a tropical environment where chocolate and candies were replaced by pineapple, coconut and mangoes  (this naturally explains why great desserts based on those tropical ingredients do benefit from better appreciations from my taste buds), therefore chocolate-based desserts suffer from having to stand out at all cost. But to elevate a combination of such classic elements (banana, nutella) that are already known to deliver delicious taste on their own to newer heights of palatable impact like what I found in this dessert is the kind of achievement that, in my view, defines a GRAND CHEF. I know I gave lower marks in the past to more complex desserts, but that is because they failed to be this delicious. 10/10
 
CONCLUSION: This looked like a distribution of 10/10, Rfaol! Even the ceviche, which I rated with a 9/10, would be a perfect 10 in most talented hands (9/10 is 'excellent' in my rating system. A 10/10 is of benchmark material, which  btw, as far as my evaluations of ceviches go, is detained by Chef Navarrette Jr's ceviches that I have previously sampled).
In facts, it's  just the result of when you pair an endless source of exceptional talent with creativity and a unique palate. That inevitably provides stunning dishes like those. Talent, raw and exceptional talent, makes all the difference: I have seen, many top level Chefs offering ceviches that failed to come as close to half of the excitement found in Chef Navarrette Jr's.  A while back, a top level Chef had  cooked something similar to the corn velouté that Chef Navarrette Jr once offered at A Table. My conclusion was that there is Chef Mario Navarrette Jr and  then you have the rest. Modern creative cosmopolitan marvels like these will always perfume my sweetest gastronomic souvenirs. So, again and again: another exceptional meal by an exceptional Chef.

PS: I was reading  a recent article of Quebec's top food critic Marie-Claude Lortie on Raza. She loved her meal and holds Raza in high esteem, but wished  most of the food would be more spicy, more provocative (as she wrote: more chilly, more spices). I enjoy Madame Lortie for her great sense of culinary analysis (I personally believe that she is in the top 5 of world's best food journalists and I would bet on her palate to be the most accurate of them all), but here I don't agree with her: if you put more spices and push the exotical aromas to some extent in  the cooking of Chef Navarrette Jr, then  you end up with a cuisine that is not Modern Cosmopolitan anymore. The reason it is modern (as in Modern French cuisine, for ie) lies in the fact that its intent is to move away from traditional cooking (spices, strong aromas in the case of Classic Latino cuisine). Also: Chef Navarrette Jr Cuisine is more accurately about a big majority of food items pertaining to Modern French cuisine with latino influences and some Modern interpretations of couple of Latino-based dishes like the ceviche, for ie. And I insist: this Genius deserves a city with better visibility!

The following is the review of my 2nd meal at Raza on AUGUST  14th, 2010 20:00  =>

Restaurant Raza

Cuisine: Upscale blend of Modern French/Latino fine dining
Addr: 114 Laurier West, Montreal, Qc
Phone: 514.227.8712
Url: http://www.groupemnjr.com/ 
Event: Dinner @ Raza on Saturday August 14th 2010, 8 PM

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

(You will find the English review, below) - Un génie, le Chef Mario Navarrette Jr. Personellement, je le considère comme étant le meilleur Chef Montréalais, et largement dans le top des meilleurs Chefs de cuisine moderne cosmopolitaine à travers le monde. Du calibre d'un deux étoiles Michelin, facilement. Souvent, ca frise le calibre d'un 3 étoiles Michelin coté talent culinaire. Il mérite de briller sous des cieux plus cléments: Shanghai? Dubai? Tokyo?

This dinner was primarily a romantic tete à tete with my sweet half.  I still brought my camera, though. For Jannice, it is the opportunity to taste the food  of  a Chef largely praised by her food enthusiast of a husband, and here, we  will get to taste what I'm truly  praising:  when you go to Raza, Chef Mario Navarrette Jr is there, cooking for real. Even more important to me: he is not slowing down with his creativity.

 Jannice and I went for the grand fiesta: the 7 service tasting menu. I love giving carte blanche to highly talented Chefs: you are inventive, go ahead..unleash it!

The night started off with great music (whoever thought about that collection of great latin american and spanish music that was playing last night has great  taste in music. It's rare that I talk about music played at a restaurant, but what was playing last night added to the festive and tasty meal we were enjoying) and their iconic Pisco sour cocktail:

Followed by:

Course #1 Black kingfish (Cobia) ceviche, bouillon of ginger, sweet potato purée - Excellent quality of fresh fish marinated in a delicate and nicely balanced acidic based  jus that brought perfect moisture to the flesh. Top marks to the technique of marinating that's behind this ceviche: expertly precise. The gingery taste was well thought and that scoop of potato purée that you see atop the fish paired surprisingly well with  the light gingery broth. 8.5/10

Course #2: Poached shrimps, sauce seco, parmigiano-reggiano, gnocchi - The shrimp, juicy and of generous portion, kept its freshest flavour and texture.
Jannice -- of Italian descent and a severe judge of Italian cuisine -- said of Chef Navarrete's light and delicate gnocchi that 'it was done with the heart and soul of an Italian grandmother'.
Impeccable delicious lumps, I must admit .. but knowing well the versatile talent of this Chef, I was not surprised at all. The gnocchi was bathed in a delicious beer-coriander based sauce seco. The cheese added an extra gustatory dimension to this nicely composed dish.  10/10

Course #3: Scallop, risotto of quinoa & butternut squash), caviar - Atop, a plump tasty scallop nicely seared and fully flavored, adorned by some fresh cucumber carpaccio. Underneath, a succulent risotto of quinoa cooked with butternut squash. Mixing the fresh quality of mullet's caviar to that risotto of quinoa was divine and to add an extra layer of complexity that works really well,  the overall was enhanced by a zesty touch of orange reduction. Creative, fun and very pleasing to the palate. A dish that Jannice qualified as a  pleasurable sin. 9/10

Course #4: Duck magret, Aji panca chili, green apple carpaccio, cipollini, cherry tomato confit - A short description of this  duck magret could go like this 'the secret here lies in the  impeccable quality of this duck'' but such statement would be utterly incomplete. It would be more accurate to include the exceptional work of delicious tastes and skilled cooking techniques to the equation. The Panca chili adds a pleasant kick (the pungent taste is present, but in an enjoyable subtle way. Not the hot and over spicy kind of taste ), the green apple bringing a nice acidic balance.The cipollini and cherry tomato were first grade ingredients. Next time, I need to know who are the farmers behind such quality products. An exceptional dish. 10/10

They dimmed the lights at that point, so the next picture did benefit from the flash of my camera and will look slightly different from the previous ones:

Course #5: Filet mignon, chanterelles, squid ink and aioli - That was a stunning piece of top quality Angus AAA meat, expertly seasoned, fork tender and drool-worthy. The earthy and nicely cooked chanterelles tasted great. The soft and creamy potato purée was delightful. 8.5/10 

A pre-dessert:

Course #6: Flash-frozen avocado purée, mango sorbet - Few of the best desserts I have enjoyed at the top restaurants of Montreal (and even abroad) could qualify as exceptional. This one is the newest addition to that very selective list. The fresh avocado purée was flash-frozen in an anti-griddle, paving the way to a unique frozen type of texture that made the avocado very enjoyable in mouth. The sweetness of the decadent mango sorbet paired so well with the avocado. Also of high mention: that gelée you see on the side + a savourish snowy-white airy mousse lying beneath. I was so distracted by the enjoyment of  the overall dessert that I do not remember what they were made of . This dessert was delicate, brilliantly creative. The taste, exquisite. 9/10

Course #7:  Chocolate cake (excellent moist and deliciously rich chocolate cake with a pleasant molten inside consistency ), Sugar cane Ice cream (lovely creamy quality ice cream). The nutella powder that was served along this dessert was a nice touch.  9.5/10

Bottom line: an exceptional meal by an exceptional Chef.
As far as I'm concerned, Chef Navarrette has once more proven to be among the few who truly can take it (the culinary experience) to the next level with outstanding creative cooking skills that translate in food that's exciting to enjoy.

Excellent mention to the service: efficient and professional.
And this nice wine they served to me is added to my personal favourites, too: The 2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Crianza.

PROS:  Chef Navarrette Jr can easily cook gustatory marvels comparable to what I found on  most top 2 star Michelin tables I know. I'd not be surprised that he can go beyond that level

CONS:  Chef Navarrette Jr coking deserves a city with better visibility. Dubai? Tokyo?

Off I go!
If you find food of a level of what is offered at XO Le Restaurant/Toque!/Raza/La Porte/LCCP/Bistro Cocagne/ let me know and I'll be more than interested to give it a shout. Till then, thanks for reading!

The following is the review of my DECEMBER 4TH, 2009  20:00 meal at Raza restaurant =>

Event: Dinner at Restaurant Raza
Friday December 4th 2009 17:30
Addr: 114 Avenue Laurier West (Montreal, QC)
Phone: 514-227-8712
Web site: http://www.restaurantraza.com/
Type of cuisine: Upscale French & Latin American Fusion


Arome's the food blog: Q&A's, Guidelines, Ethics, Vision
I purposely chose Raza to cut a bit with my latest trend of upscale French/QC's dinners  (Toque!, Nuances, La Chronique, Le Club Chasse et Peche and so on) . I wanted something a bit different but known for its creativity. A table that's innovative. Here comes Raza.


Decor: Small, narrow but NOT claustrophobic at all: chairs and tables and well spaced, some along the grey walls (turning into brick walls on the second end of the restaurant's wall) :
 
others in the small --- and yet well exploited --- squarrish area that's in between the entrance and the bar:



Here's a picture of their little bar:




The overall is surprisingly elegant, romantic


(well thought dim lightning, and cute little
candles sitting in small blue glasses filled with  with corn seeds), cozy, far from being intimidating:


It is also sparsely decorated (couple of paintings here and there + few black and white farmed-photos).
One last immersion in Raza's dinning room before skipping forward to the food:





Food:
Total cost: $165 (7 course tasting menu with wine pairing + 1 cocktail + 1 Cognac'd coffed)

I asked Francis, my waiter of the evening, for a suggestion of cocktail.
Naturally, the star cocktail of the house is the Peruvian (Chef Navarate has Peruvian origins) Pisco sour  cocktail:
Based on the Pisco spirit, a south american brandy made of grapes, Raza's cocktail contains the expected lime juice,  a bit of lemonade and espuma mousse (aka foam)  + syrup is here replaced by some fruit sugar. The Pisco sour was without reproach: ideally frothy, it had the  enjoyable bitter sour flavour I seek in my ideal Pisco Sour. The potent flavor of the pisco was amazingly well balanced here by the enjoyable citrus touch. I still dream every night over that divine martini-litchi I had at XO, but this Pisco sour was equally seducing.

First came the home made bread:
I remember raving over the bread of Chef De Montigny at La Chronique. Well, Chef De Montigny has some serious competition,  right in front of his restaurant (La Chronique and Raza face each other). Actually this one beats Chef De Montigny's  bread  because not only this bread is as light, airy, fresh and delicious as the one of La Chronique ... but it is more exotic: Chef Navarate bakes his bread with yukon-gold potatoes and his bread oozes of an incredibly fresh-baked aroma. Just devour that bread fast while it's warm, since you wont wanna miss this beauty in all its warmth and splendeur.
The bread to send all bakers to retirement! 10/10

Next, the wild mushroom soup:
It's presented in 2 steps. First, a plate filled with flavorful fresh chanterelles, yellow oyster mushrooms (pleurotes jaunes), black truffles:

Then, the waiter poured an unctuous all flavorful mushroom creamy soup in the plate:

The overall soup was impressively intense, powerful and delicate, enjoyably unctuous and richly seasoned. The fresh mushroomy flavor was so addictive on this one. And NO...this mushroom soup is just NOT another mushroom soup. It's a luxurious version of a muhsroom soup with smart fresh ingredients and an impeccable taste you just cannot  compare to most usual good mushroom soups. 10/10
Pairing wine: Tabernero Chincha, Peru 2007. This mixed Sauvignon blanc & Chardonnay has an enjoyable light minerality that reached out fine with the earthiness of the soup. Good choice of wine pairing on this course.

Course #2: Magret de Canard (duck)/Onions Jelly/Mango Vinaigrette
Bathed in a nice mango vinaigrette (flavorful, unique, enjoyably moving in terms of taste ), onions gelée (Wowed!), fresh coriander, the duck magret (breast of a moulard duck) had a perfect melt-in-your-mouth quality, was of impeccable texture and was delicious. This tastebud marvel of a dish was sitting on top of a nice unctuous creamy purée. Here's a dish  with flavors/taste that's daring in an enjoyable way. The zesty mango vinaigrette enhanced the overall with a memorable enjoyable acidy touch that added punch to an already tender delicious magret. Technically flawless + Tastebud-wise yummy!
Pairing wine: Wayne Gretzky in my wine glass!!  Rfaol! It was the 2007 Wayne's  Sauvignon Blanc (Estate Series, from Niagara). Dry and fruity, it was fine on its own. As for the pairing, it complimented the dish just ok.

Course #3: Artic char/Blue Potato purée
cooked to perfection, the fish kept its skin on one side, had a perfect light crispy nicely seared coating and impeccably moist inside. Tender and fresh, it had the freshness  of a fish that would have been caught right from the sea (enjoyable marine flavor). But this is not just another piece of well cooked fish: it had a tastebud blowing spicy zesty enjoyable taste that my tastebuds will have hard time forgetting about. My pictures might not suggest it, but may it be the artic char or the previous course of  duck magret, those are food items that would hit the world's  best tables on a heartbeat for their impeccable rich daring explosive tastes and flavors (infused beer was a hit on this one, blue potato purée was tasty and elegant, the coriander added a subtle punch)  and the subtle genius work that is done with each element of those dishes. Michelin needs to taste this!  10/10
Pairing wine: Pairing wine: Nekeas Navarra Spain 2006. This Chardonnay had a light texture, was, mineral and clean in mouth. Not a daring full bodied wine, but its lightness was what I needed to accompany the fish.

Course #4: Quail/Pumpkin cream/guava-barbecue sauce
Look very homie, hein? Lol. Well, forget about the look, we are far from our next door homie fare here.  Our little bird was ideally firm, evenly cooked, nicely seasoned. The prosciutto-wrapped quail was very tasty. As with the previous  food items, flavors do blend so well here: the flavorful meat was enhanced by a surprisingly decadent mix of barbecue  and guava sauce. Also noteworthy: the succulent pumpkin cream that you can't miss to spot on the photo. 9/10
Pairing wine: Sancius Ribera del duero Spain 2004. A very nice tempranillo with an enjoyable flavor of cherry that reached out so well with the guava/barbecue sauce and the subtle sweetness of the quail. It is also nicely oaky, long and elegant in mouth, with lots of character. Largely a personal favourite of mine and of perfect companionship to the quail (it was not ideal pairing only to the pumpkin cream).

Course #5: Veal cheeks/Oyster mushrooms/Chorizo/Potato purée
Accompanied by chorizo, oyster mushrooms (pleurotes), a nice potato purée, the veal cheeks were ideally cooked, juicy,  had a very pleasant mouthsome (tender and yet firm enough) and a remarkable beautiful brown texture. I had my share of great veal cheeks in Montreal, but this one put them all to rest. Cheeks are the toughest cuts to cook and yet, they were superbly well cooked with such an amazing ease on this dish, a  rare achievement at the heighest levels of fine dining. Easily a plate that the best 3 star Michelin tables out there would be proud of! 10/10
Pairing wine:  Taymente Huarpé, Argentina 2004
Elegant Malbec that's as fruity (berry,cherry ) as floral. Smooth in mouth, it was an amazing natural companion to the veal cheeks.

And to round this successful meal off (This meal was of solid 2-star Michelin calibre. To give you an idea, normally a meal with only at least one 10/10 and a 9/10 is already of solid material, largely worth leaving the comfort of home for. A dish with two 10/10 usually pertains to a 1 star Michelin level. There are 4 food items of 10/10 rating on this single meal), two desserts:

Course #6: Lucuma Ice cream, papaya gelée - The papaya gelée was absolutely delicious, not only because I  am fanatic about papayas but also for  the upfront fresh and natural taste of the fruit that came through  remarkably well on this dessert. The  ice cream exuded fresh lucuma flavor, had rich tasting and the  right thickness.   9/10
Pairing wine: Vendanges tardives Concha y Toro (VTCT). This white sauvignon is a perfect companion to desserts, blessed by an elegant body, long in mouth delicious sweet taste. Intense and full bodied, this wine was really nice on its own and should have worked well with the papaya jelly, but my tastebuds thought otherwise: despite several attempts of fully concentrated tastings between the papaya jelly and the VTCT, the harmony I was trying to find in the marriage between both was not convincing.

Course #7: Chocolate custard, Dulce de Leche ice cream, Corn powder  - The addictive dulce de leche ice cream boasted superb flavor intensity. Next to it, a smoky-flavored  layer of marshmallow was resting on a tranche of  chocolate custard. All components combining thoughtfully   with an  additional spoonful of corn powder. Inspired! 8.5/10

Service: My waiter, Francis, is a courteous young gentleman. Humble, professional, very attentive, patient and helpful, he has the huge advantage to be very knowledgeable for having worked in lots of restaurants and for having worked as a cook too. He used to work at Navarate other restaurant, Madre and told me that I should not miss the brunch at Madre. I am not into brunches, but took note of this.

PROS:  Chef Navarrette Jr can easily cook gustatory marvels comparable to what I found on  most top 2 star Michelin tables I know. Of course, he needs to avoid being surrounded by lesser talented apprentices or else the huge gap in talent between him and those will be felt in a frustrating way by his patrons.

CONS: A Chef who deserves a city with better visibility. Dubai? Tokyo?

Find better pictures of this dinner on my Google picasa's gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/comorosislands/RAZARESTAURANT#
 
Conclusion:  For a long time, Alexandre Loiseau of Bistro Cocagne was alone --- in my books --- as my choice for this year's best chef in Montreal. But on the back of this stunning dinner, I have no choice but to declare a draw --- up to now --- between Navarrete and Loiseau at the very top. If there's one aspect where both chefs shine better than most it's exactly where it should:  the rise of stunning tastes! In other words, the word BLAND is not part of their vocab ;p Navarete is unarguably a genius of creativity, an architect of stunning refined and researched tastes, and surprisingly he is beating the boys of the block at their own game: remember those upscale bistros or new QC's/new North American fine  dining ... well, Navarette has surpassed them and raised the bar very high, albeit of course with a light touch of Latin American's influence. To each their own, and to me such dinner pertains to what I expect to see at the best Relais & Chateaux or  Michelin stared tables (of course, such creative genius of a cook should not be judged over simple fares such as a steak. It would be  pure non sense. Let him fly over a tasting menu where his creativity takes all its sense, and then enjoy!). 

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site


F Bar
Addr: 1485, rue Jeanne-Mance, Montréal
Phone:  (514) 289-4558
Dinner @ F Bar on Friday Dec 2nd 2011 18:00
Cuisine type: Bistro (Modern French with Med/Portuguese touches)
URL: http://www.fbar.ca

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)


(English review will follow) - Le refrain est connu: il faut que nos plus beaux talents OSENT!! Sinon ca donne ceci: bon resto, des plats bien concus, rien de mauvais à dire...mais rien de particulier non plus! C'est dommage d'avoir que ca à retenir de cette soirée. En fouillant un peu, je dois dire que les beaux petits flacons Portugais, ca nous fait voyager un peu et ca a donné le ton à cette soirée, charmante soit...mais comme bien d'autres....à mon avis.


Chef Gilles Herzog has worked under Alain Ducasse (at Louis VX in Monte Carlo) in the past, and has also spent some time alongside Michelin starred Chef De Matteis (Who once was at Taillevent, Paris), 2 star Michelin Chef Patrick Henriroux, and Serge Chenet. He also worked at 2 star Michelin Châteaux de Divonne, 2 star Michelin La Pyramide and 1 star Michelin Le Prieuré (all of those tables been in France).  I first discovered him when he was working at restaurant Derrière Les Fagots in Laval, a restaurant that stood among Quebec's very best when he was at its helm. Without being bold, his French contemporary cuisine maintained itself among the most exciting in the province. Easily among this province's top 5 best Chefs when he was at Derrière Les Fagots .

He now has the mission of offering the so-called market cuisine theme with a touch of Portuguese flair at the restaurant F Bar.

Many tend to confuse F Bar with a portuguese restaurant: its owner is portuguese, some part of the decor pays tribute to Portugal and it's clear that they have Portuguese-inspired dishes (bitoque, natas, etc), but I think it would be erroneous to go there with the sole idea that you are heading to your typical Portuguese restaurant: Chef Gilles Herzog has always made it clear to the medias that he has never cooked Portuguese food prior to his appointment at the F Bar, but that the owner asked him to come up with his take of  Market cuisine 'rhythmed'   by Mediterranean/Portuguese touches . Therefore, what this is more accurately about is a Chef Herzog Modern take on Portuguese / Mediterranean  cuisine. If you are a purist of Portuguese food, then I'll suggest you go to Portugal!

Since its opening, I went at the F Bar twice already. The 1st time, I was on a rush and had their pasta acores, which did not do it for me.  On a second visit, I had the Portuguese Bitoque (runny egg atop a strip loin steak). Which was just ok for me. Both visits occured at the beginning of the week, so this time I decided that an early  Friday evening would perhaps be a better idea, with of course different items.

The food I had on this evening:

Deer tartare, orange/pepper/juniper berry jelly - Tasty tartare, judiciously spiced, chopped  as it should. Then dices of orange jelly (retained the purity of orange flavor, adding extra taste/texture dimension to the dish). On my right, a salad of beets, executed with finesse and seasoned with precision.   This was really Good 7/10, but again, that's what is expected from any good bistro.

Halibut, black raisin-parsley-almond condiment, brown butter/sherry - This is one of their most celebrated dishes among foodies and food journalists. It's well done, that's for sure: the fish is nicely cooked and packed with appealing moist consistency,  the purée (that's underneath) sieved to ideal soft creaminess. Then you get the expected work of textural and flavor constrasts: crunch of the almonds,sweetness of the grapes, the grassy-ness of the parsley. All of this is nice, there's no doubt about that. But we have no surprise, no daring-ness. Just what's expected..again and again..from a good bistro.  In between good  to Very good  7.5/10
  
Coconut milk rice pudding, passion fruit/basil sorbet - This  pudding stood creamy as a good rice pudding should be, its sweetness well controlled (not overwhelming), but where's the coconut flavor???? The sorbet (tasty without being stunning) and some  crunchy bites added to the rice pudding do bring the necessary contrast and variety of  textures ...but I really don't get this dessert: when I was reading its description, elements such as 'coconut milk' and 'basil' led me to think that some aromatic 'pep' would be delivered. In Mouth, they surprisingly remained absent:  take the sorbet for ie...had that sorbet alone rose with a depth of flavor, I would have rate this dessert with a comfortable 8 over 10. Same for the coconut flavor: it's a flavor that I enjoy a lot and it would have certainly impart an interesting kick to the pudding...alas my palate never sensed it.  - Good 7/10 ...but not great.

Bottom line: is F Bar among Mtl's best bistrots. Yes (albeit, in my view, a notch or two behind Bistro Cocagne, Au 5e Péché, Bouillon Bilk). But there's no room to feast, neither:  Chef Herzog had the chance to work with culinary masters  like Alain Ducasse, De Matteis, etc. So why not transferring a bit of that brilliance on those dishes. The dishes were good, a recurrence with many good bistrots in town, but neither on this meal nor on the 2 previous visits there...did I feel any sign of outstanding achievement. That's to be expected from a Chef of the caliber of Herzog! 

PROS: the nice wines of Portugal as that amazing mineral Dona Maria 2009 served along the halibut. The fun, down to earth bartender on this evening (I sat at the bar). The festive atmosphere (it was packed).

CONS: I am not expecting all Bistrot Chefs to surprise me as Lenglet did at au 5e Péché...BUT of a Chef like Herzog, I guess it's normal to expect some sparks. Of course his food is good, better than at a lot of other highly regarded tables (I personally preferred this later meal here to the last ones I had at Le Chien Fumant, Chez Victoire, KGP for ie) , but of a Chef like him ... I need -- at the very least --- to stumble upon random stellar elements (even if it is as insignificant as a simple condiment).



Last but not least, I need to say this --- to Mtl's restaurateurs: making $$$ is wonderful, but people are eating out a lot nowadays, so a bit as in fashion...expect to face more and more demanding customers. Expect to be challenged. Just doing a good job won't suffice. Expect to surpass yourself.


Wishing the best to all of us,and may 2012 be a better year of discoveries!

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site

Dinner at Laloux 
Type of cuisine: French Bistro
Friday November 25th 2011, 20:00
Addr: 250, avenue des Pins Est, Montreal, QC
Phone: 514 287-9127
URL: http://www.laloux.com/index.html

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

(Review in English to follow) J'espère que ce ne fut qu'une soirée off: magret et jambonneau de canard trop salé, le jambonneau complètement sec, le tout sans panache. Quant au plat de foie de veau, c'est du beau produit, certes...mais il faut le sublimer, le rendre épatant en bouche! Dommage, puisque Laloux a toujours été un coup de coeur de longue date. A eux de garder l'esprit ouvert à la critique constructive et en profiter pour rebondir.  

Chef Jonathan Lapierre-Réhayem is known as the latest new kid on the block of the Montreal restaurant scene. Many food journalists have raved over his work at the latest La Montée, and now at Laloux. It's with great enthusiasm that I went finding out about this new talent of the Montreal restaurant scene especially after learning that he also worked at some point at XO Le Restaurant and also Au 5e Péché, both being in my very top 5 of Montreal finest tables (one being a fine dining venture, the latter one being an amazing Bistro that I can't stop raving about).

As for Laloux, this is a Montreal institution (almost 3 decades of existence very soon). I used to live right next door to Laloux and this is a classic high end bistro that I have always been a big fan of (I remember, for ie, the top quality dinners I had there when Chef Gonzalez was working at Laloux. I've never experienced Laloux under Chef Jetté, but this might have been another big moment of Laloux's history given the huge talent of Chef Jetté.

The decor of Laloux is classic. It could remind some of a classic Parisian bistro, with its high ceilings, white table cloths, and uniform black and yellow tones, large glass windows. The food is inspired by classic French Bistro cuisine, which is usually the type of cuisine that I am the most fond of.

I began with a starter of fresh oysters (nicely sourced, the oysters were impeccable to all respects: freshness, quality), then ....

I lost touch with the radio signal .........

Foie de veau, purée de pomme de terre, panais rôtis, sauce à la pancetta et cipollini - Veal liver (cooked correctly), potato purée (done as it should). But this dish remained a standard dish, with no particular palatable highlight (the taste being ok, but I have tasted way more flavorful veal liver dishes at numerous bistrots). I don't know how many times this should be repeated: it's not enough to just have a good produce (the veal liver was of nice quality, same could be said of the parnsnip)...at a restaurant, you need to elevate all of that to something that awakens the taste buds. This was way too simple to be enjoyed at a restaurant. Classic food is one thing. Simple simple simple food is another thing 4/10

Not knowing what to make out of the last dish (I am not patient with lacklustre restaurant performance...people are paying for this!!!  ), I decided to give another chance to the kitchen:

Magret et jambonneau de canard, spätzle à l'aneth, salsifi et crème sure à la moutarde de Meaux- The quality of the duck is remarkable. But again, the work of the produce comes with a load of reproaches: (1)over-salted meat. Way too much salt and this is coming from someone who loves salt!  (2) presentation lacked appeal (3) the 'jambonneau' was dry...barely edible! I don't get this! 3/10

At that point, I decided to take no dessert, no coffee and just leave. 

Dommage since  I am a long time fan of Laloux (I had some great meals, there, in the past) as I prefaced earlier on. It's then all natural that I  had hard time accepting this kind of under-performance. Laloux has lost a long time fan tonight. Up to them to bounce back and to prove to themselves that this was just an off night. And if I were them, I'd take whoever has cooked this meal, invite him to tables like Au 5e Péché, Bistro Cocagne, La Porte, Raza or Le Marly and instruct him to imagine how those Chefs at the previously mentioned tables would cook that foie de veau and magret dishes  (Those restaurants I have just mentioned are not all offering the same type of cuisine as Laloux, BUT of this given  meal I just  had, there's definitely a lot to learn from those tables, in many aspects: presentation of the dishes, work of the taste, etc)! 

PROS: Wine pairing was inspired on this evening (great little findings from all around the world) and their wine list will cater to every taste. I also like that classic French bistrot decor.

CONS: I can talk only for what I experience. So this concerns this given meal on Friday November 25th 2011: Food, especially when people are paying for it ..needs to be flavorful. Not just well cooked. Not just good produce. And since it's French cuisine, the word DELICIOUS needs to be part of my post-dinner verbiage!  Which was not the case of this specific dinner.

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site

Le Comptoir charcuterie et vins
Addr: 4807, boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Type of cuisine: Modern French/Cosmopolitan Bistro
Phone: 514-844-8467
Dinner there this Friday November 11th 2011, 17:00

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

(English review will follow) - C'est le nouveau prodige de la scène gastronomique Montréalaise. Un petit bistro/bar vraiment charmant: accessible, le service aimable, l'ambiance vivante, le décor chaleureux. Coté cuisine, oui, ce fut généralement réussi: ils ont l'intelligence de savoir jouer sur l'acidité, le gras, le croquant, les gouts riches..donc des plats généralement savoureux sans etre bouleversants. Quoique pas vraiment à la hauteur du buzz (à mes yeux, évidemment): des 'shorts-ribs' sans saveur, les meme garnitures sur plusieurs plats, des pates tièdes (le plat de cannelloni)..donc à la texture peu enviable...j'ai beau vouloir faire partie du buzz, mais désolé..il manque de jus dans ce cas. Ce fut quand meme beaucoup mieux que mes repas  Chez Victoire, KGP, Newtown mais moins saisissants que ceux  que j'ai dégustés Au Kitchen Galerie, Bistro Cocagne, et Bouillon Bilk. Pourtant, le buzz ca ne conduit pas nécessairement à des attentes exagérés: à preuve, San Sebastian...c'est du buzz....et la prestation gourmande surpassa le buzz. Le Buzz c'est pas de la faute du resto CCV, mais en meme temps ca ne l'aide pas car ce soir, je suis sorti de là en me disant que ce fut vraiment bien...mais pourquoi autant de bruit? Lol. Attention: tel que je l'ai mentionné, ce fut bien mieux qu'à d'autres bistrots en ville (eux, au moins, ils s'assurent que ca goute bon!). Mais d'un endroit avec autant de buzz, sans exiger  de la perfection sur toute la ligne, je m'attends au moins à quelques plats qui tonnent et transcendent. Y allez? Oui, allez-y! A la hauteur du buzz? Non (à mon avis). Retournerai-je? Oui  Dans mes favoris? Non. Aussi: j'espère que c'est un cas isolé ->  le chef était dans la salle au lieu d'etre en arrière des fourneaux au moment de notre passage (Vendredi 11 Nov à 17:00)..??? À leurs époques, de grandes Toques comme Ducasse, Joel Robuchon bossaient  fort en arrière de leurs fourneaux. Ici à Montréal, des Chefs de grand  talent (Rouyé, Alexandre Loiseau, Mercuri, Navarrette Jr) font de meme: ils sont en cuisine. L'on se pose donc naturellement des questions... Paul Bocuse? Robuchon? J'aurai compris..mais là... Bref, c'est pas un drame..d' autres jeunes cuistots Montréalais sont de toute facon concernés par ca...Lol.. et c'est surement pas tout le temps comme ca..du moins je l'espère..., mais la cuisine c'est aussi une question de perception! Au final,  lisez attentivement la description de chacun des plats que j'ai mangé: tout y est exprimé en toute franchise.

This web site  focuses on what stands out amidst Montreal finest dinings and bistrots, but honestly, lately ... I am disappointed: many good tables have recently opened but none (in my view) really worths spending time to write about. I have visited a good dozen of the latest  new ones, and mostly ended with  comments like ''oh geez...can someone surprise me a bit please"!  Most of us cook since a long time (in my case, since my tender childhood), so I don't expect surreal fireworks from food (it's not a circus, it's food) at restaurant but for the money I pay, I do expect either  a work of flavors that is outstanding (as usual, compared to what the most are offering in the same city of the restaurant that I am eating at) or things I seldomly see at most of the competitors of that restaurant. Wherever I go, I like comparing local apples to local apples. I am not the type of person expecting one city to be compared to another. When I write, for ie, that a restaurant is creative or stands out, that is in comparison to its closest peers (wherever it applies, I'll of course mention if the restaurant performs to standards I saw abroad) . 

Le Comptoir charcuterie et vins may appear, at first glance, to not fit with what this web site is focusing on, but this restaurant is THE new star in town, with an avalanche of massive raves coming from all parts: the medias, food critics, and way more. I know this does not guarantee that things will necessarily live up to my (or yours) expectations, but I am under the impression that this eatery has that little something that sets itself apart. I went to find out  for myself.

Chef Ségué Lepage of  Le comptoir charcuteries et vins is a charismatic young talented Chef who was once  trained at 3 star Michelin Bernard Loiseau in France.He is now back in Montreal (after couple of years in Vancouver as well) with a Bistro/Charcuterie/Wine bar formula that is quite common in town lately, but appearently,  from what is buzzed around, his formula is 'beating the formula': since its opening, this eatery attracts hordes of gourmands, the success being instantaneous (Chef Ségué Lepage, within one year of opening his venture, has already many accolades to his credit: Gold Medal Plate's top 10 best Chefs in Montreal, Air Canada's En Route's Mag top Montreal tables for this year, etc).

Although Chef Lepage is not trying to re-invent the wheel with his latest offerings (his cuisine is clearly playing in the same field as the casual modern bistro-centric trends), my   interest here is really to see how far he can push  the bar in leaving his imprint (read: how flavorful his food shines through or stands out in a way I could walk out from his eatery with the feel that his work has that little 'je ne sais quoi''). You don't need culinaric wowness  for this (for ie: when 3 star Michelin Chef  Jean-Francois Piège decided that he would be behind the stoves of his   bistro Thoumieux in Paris...naturally such Bistro benefitted  from  the very best standards / I did that Bistro btw, and however dissenting our opinions would be, Piège will always get away with what will always stand among the very best bistro formulas you"ll  ever find around the globe - I am always opened to be proven wrong, but I'd seriously be surprised of the contrary); some great Chefs  did just that within the same casual bistro standards that Chef Lepage is facing and they did it right here in Montreal: Chefs Axel and Bourdages at Kitchen Galerie (on Jean-Talon), Chef Alexandre Loiseau at Bistro Cocagne, Chef Lenglet at au  5e Péché. Could  Chef Lepage compete with those Chefs or even surpass them? Based on the raves, I naturally hoped so (or at least competing with that level) ! As a reminder, the food of Lenglet, Axel, Bourdages and Loiseau can't be accused of being super complex, but in their apparent simplicity they've managed to outstand the most with bistro dishes that  simply taste better.  I  went to CCV expecting a bit of that from Chef Lepage.

The room was packed when we were eating there and I'd be surprised that you can get a table just by showing up at the door on a Friday/Satur evening. So book in advance. The interior did remind me of a  small wooden neo-rustic loft with omnipresence of wood. Le  'comptoir' translates into 'counter', therefore you need to expect the minimal  setting that is in line with this designation. It's busy,  and informal. Open kitchen, the menu  on a chalkboard and offerings follow what's in season. The wine list will appeal to most Mtlers: mostly, bio wines with prices that reach out to a wide range of patrons (for ie wines as low as $33 Ribera del Duero Miros 2006, Penafiel up to a Corton Rognet grand cru 2008, B Clavelier @ $200 with plenty of affordable great findings in between). They do also offer some wines by the glass (this is one of their strengths: the wine by the glass that were offered to me on this evening being truely inspired with many wines rarely found in town).

FOOD:
I've skipped everything that's marinated or that needs few manipulation (for ie, their beet salad) and went right into the cooked dishes so that I can more accurately get a good idea of this cuisine (this is my very first time here):

  Tarte de homard, oignons blonds, tomates confites, crème fraiche, huile d'estragon $19 - A lobster tart. My wife and I exchanged divergent opinions over this one. She thought this was the best dish of this evening. She gave it a 8 over 10. For her, every thing was right on point: the lobster meat being succulent, cooked right. To me, coming from a fishermen's village, I prefer lobster with more upfront marine freshness, yep..even at this time of the year (it happened before) . Make no mistake though: the lobster was meaty and tasted good. Onions, tomatoes logically complemented this dish. A 7.5 over 10 for me (the sablé pastry tart that was beneath the crab was average in conception and  taste; it was not bad, but lacked the refinement and excellent execution I usually expect from a standout kitchen - I have no problem being challenged with my choices, that's a subjective matter anyways, but before I rave over a meal it needs to be refined even in the little details. With that fullfilled, I can live in peace with my enthusiastic appreciation. Given the raves - Top 10 new table in Canada in 2011, etc -- I believe it's normal to have such basic expectations) which is very good --mostly for its price/value ratio  and especially because it tasted good ---- but not a 9 (excellent) nor a 10 (exceptional), the latter being actually marks that I don't necessarily hold only for fancy tables: the proof, some  of the $3 tapas I ate  in SSB were rated with 10/10. Same applied to some fares I've sampled at simple bistrots like Kitchen Galerie on Jean-Talon, Bistro Cocagne, Au 5e Péché ..regardless of the $$$. With that said, I insist and re-iterate: this $19 lobster tart remains far superior to many 25$-$30 food items you'll get at many highly regarded bistrots in town. 

Cannelloni de poulet confit, compote de tomate, crème sure à l'ail - Chicken Cannelloni. My wife thought this was less impressive than the previous dish, although she had no particular reproach. To me, this was the best dish of this evening: rich, with various dazzling flavors shining even into the little details such as in the black olive cream and delicious fresh tomatoes. Close to Excellent (8.5/10) for me, Just good (7/10) for my wife. In my view, had all the dishes performed at this level, then Yep...I'd tell you that I get the buzz. A friendly advice though: two dishes with same garnishes (the topping of greens that you've just seen on both the Cannelloni and Lobster tart) ..that's to be avoided (this tends to take some appeal out of the dishes, I found). Also: always serve pastas warmer if you don't want your dish to suffer from lackluster texture (which I still forgave since this dish was so tasty, but this is one of those slips that kept me a bit conservative about going enthusiastic over this table. Many would have under-rate this dish because of the textural slip...I won't, but let's keep in mind that my 8.5/10 is justified by the stunning taste of this dish only). At $11, this was  great value.

Short ribs de boeuf, agnoletti p.d.t, purée de céléri-rave, oignon braisé au vin rouge.  $15 (could have been a bargain, but...read the description of my review of this dish) - Braised beef short ribs - As much as both previous dishes had  many rich flavors, contrasting textures and a smart display of balanced acidity (without being necessarily exceptional), this was surprisingly average (no savory dimension, no upfront delicious beefy taste). Short ribs are condemned to be very flavorful, but flavors were muted on this one. The purée was fine, the braised onions without reproach but the main element was short of  sparks. 6.5/10


Poélé de chanterelles, langue de porc braisée, mini raviolis à purée de racine de persil - Smiles were back on track with this one. A dish like this has that kind of succulent  mouthfeel (without being exceptional) that made me insisting on the fact that although I didn't think that it shone at heights of the buzz  it is enjoying (again, not the fault of this restaurant), this table still has an edge over many other top bistrots in town. The braised pork tongue was well cooked, it was packed with enticing flavor, the mushrooms perfectly seared and the raviolis had the right al dente consistency. It's not a revolutionary dish (which I actually largely prefer over fancy challenging culinary constructions) , but the palatable impact is high. Again and again: why that topping of the same greens that appeared on both previous plates?????????? In the diner's psyche, seeing the same garnishes over and over simply kills the mooooood!!  BUT what a bargain at $11! (many bistro fares charged at  double  the price of this course  never came as close to half of the amazing taste of this dish!!)  8.5 /10

Panna cotta à la vanille, compote de pomme à la fève tonka, purée de dattes, sablée breton aux pacanes - Vanilla Panna cotta, apple compote was average. No reproach with regard to the execution here (the panna cotta being technically conceived as expected, the compote flawless)..but the overall palatable impact was weak without being bad. 7/10    


Bottom line, I found CCV to be a fine and fun (it's popular and the atmosphere is festive here) small laidback spot to have some nice wines (they  indeed have little gems you won't see oftently at other tables in Montreal), food that's mostly tasty (honestly, for a web site like mine that focuses on what stands out in town -- No, this is not done in a snobbish way but just with the humble intent to find tables that push the bar -- you'll catch some top tables that haven't offered as many 8/10 or 8.5/10 dishes as on this dinner). The problem here has nothing to do with CCV (although this meal at CCV is not a revelation neither): it's the lousy buzz. If at least one single item (out of the 5 that we've sampled) was outstanding (the cannelloni and poélé de chanterelles were great, but I had better poélés de chanterelles and cannellonis alike-dishes in Montreal), I'd at least understand a bit of the buzz.  When you see  some tables that are far superior (for accuracy purpose, remember that those don't match CCV's cost Vs value advantage neither) not benefitting from such buzz, you naturally don't get the buzz! CCV should not be criticized for that. But on the other hand, if buzz needs to predominate here in Mtl, then it has to start with far superior tables like Au 5e Péché, Raza, Le Marly, Bouillon Bilk, XO Le restaurant, La Porte..etc. Then I'll get the buzzy buzz..................!      YES..for the $$$, CCV outstands, but is buzz about $$$  or food performance???  It's a restaurant review site, so I insist in believing that food performance needs to be considered first (again, some food items here were absolutely delicious, for ie the chicken cannelloni and poélé de chanterelles...but not to a buzz-worthy level in my view).

A reality check directed to some chefs in Montreal:  I am not targeting any specific chef (they will recognize themselves wherever this applies): the intent here is not to be mean nor to patronize but to raise a constructive point that would benefit not only to yourself but also to your diners in their appreciation of your work -> when I went eating at 3 Star Michelin victor Gourmet Schloss Berg, Chef Bau was working hard behind his stoves till 2:00AM. This Chef  is one of world's very best Chefs around the globe. When I went at 3 star Michelin L'Ambroisie, one of the greatest Chefs of all times, Bernard Pacaud, was working behind his stoves. 3 star Michelin Chef Pascal Barbot at L'Astrance...closes his restaurant when he is away! Many other Chefs who are among world's very best are working hard behind their stoves (another great ie would be 3 star Michelin Chef Valazza)...HERE, in Montreal, Top Chefs like Alexandre Loiseau, Navarrette Jr, Axel, Rouyé are  working hard behind their stoves ..Now, what do you think..some  may think of YOU....when they see you absent behind YOUR stoves! .................GET IT??........................

For the record, I have gathered a recap of all my reviews here (this is an easier way to get  to them rather than scrolling the entire xanga web page).

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

Yeah, we all can cook chicken.
But for those occasions when you happen to be out and are dying for a roasted chicken,
this could worth your attention. As what I did with this city's sushi-yas, I went touring  almost all Mtl's roasted chicken spots. Same old method: I am reporting only about those that stood out during this tour.

I found this round up a bit frustrating. Among those I liked the most (ones that I am listing
below), I wished there would have been some kind of considerable difference that could make my choice
of going back a bit challenging. Something like 'hmmm...this one is stellar to this respect ... and that
one as stunning but in a totally different way'. Instead, as you'll realize ... my favourite  roasted chicken places in Montreal are virtually of same appreciation (oddly enough, all places of this top 5of mine  have performed to the exact same rating-level  of 8 over 10, which is "very good" on my rating scale. I haven't yet sampled a roasted chicken  in Montreal that I could rate with a 9 over 10 (excellent) or a 10 over 10 (exceptional). In comparison, most roasted chicken I've tasted in March in San Sebastian  were 9/10, and most grilled and roasted chicken  I sampled in some parts of Africa, Mumbai and Bangkok  came close to what I'd personally consider as a 10/10 for a roasted chicken (I've never visited Portugal though,  so I'm excited at the idea to try -- one day -- theirs.

My top 5 best roasted chicken places in Montreal (all those places sell their chicken at a decent price,
varying in  between $11 to $12):

-Romados  115 Rue Rachel E Montreal, (514) 849-1803
Their charcoal-grilled chicken is moist and flavorful, a very good one indeed but the star is their spicy sauce,
one of the best chicken's sauces I ever sampled in Montreal. The cooks are friendly, the service pleasant,
the grilling space is shared with a bakery counter. You have only 2,3 seats next to the entrance
(it is mostly a place for take out). 8/10

-Piri Piri on Mont Royal street, not far from the corner of St Denis
I've read that they are not that great in comparison to  Romados, but I disagree: once in my mouth, it's the exact same  chicken the exact same tasty piri piri sauce.  To me, this is as great as Romados! They have several tables where you can sit,  and the service is generally friendly when I go there (I always go there around 7pm on weekends). 8/10

-Coco Rico 3907, boulevard Saint-Laurent Montreal, (514) 849-5554
I was leaving for years at a stone throw of CR. I went there on numerous occasions, a proof that I loved this place.  I think that both Romados and Coco Rico are considered as the top contenders of most Mtlers when it comes to roasted chickens,  and indeed they are among the tastier ones you'll find in town. And yet, I find both as equally enjoyable.  Both would be an 8 over 10 of my assessment. A very good chicken indeed, but not excellent (9) or spectacular (10). Service here is good enough (nothing to complain about).  PS: CR is the only place of this top 5 that roasts its chicken. The four others offer charcoal-grilled chickens.

-Chez Doval 50 Rue Marie-Anne Est Montreal, QC (514) 843-3390
It's a cute rustic looking Portuguese restaurant at 2 street corners from Romados. The service on this evening was a mix affair,  and I can't  refrain myself from dropping couple of words on my experience here  on this Aug 23rd evening. It was laughable: I passed the small dining room, went at the back to order my charcoal-grilled chicken for take out.  A dude, standing behind the counter, welcomed me with a facial expression that could be translated into something like  'wtf do you want?'. It's the facial expression. Not what he said, but you should see the 'killer-face'. Perhaps an ex mercenary in Angola  and certainly  one of the few occurences when I happened to be in a restaurant and felt the urge to surrender . The dude was really determined to wipe away all the basics of the hospitality business (one fascinating act was when I was sitting there, waiting for the chicken to be grilled, with him right in my face gloriously pouring water in his own glass, not one single 'would you like a glass of water'. That's class redefined, hospitality re-invented, the best way to impress your diner  -- easy to detect the sarcasm, does it?). The rest of the 50ish all-male restaurant team seemed fortunately better informed about the basics of the hospitality business: smiling does not seem to be their forte from what I've  sensed, but they were all polite and the cook was a true gentleman. The roasted chicken, you ask? It's cooked on a tiny charcoal grill facing their small bar.  Mine was slighlty  drier than those I had at Romados and Piri Piri (also: the sauce is less daring, here - tasty enough  but not stunning) and could have been a 7.5 over 10, but it had a more memorable charcoal-flavored kick that easily made this chicken as great as my previous duo. Bottom line, an 8/10 (A no repeat for me. It's really the depth of charcoal-grilled taste ---- I know, imparting a depth of charcoal-grilled flavor is no rocket science, but during this round up, they are the one that did it --- that made it for me, making this grilled meat as interesting as what is listed in this top 5,  the rest was ordinary as I explained earlier on).

-Braseiro 8261, boul. St-Laurent Villeray-Saint-Michel
It's a laidback place with a cool service. I felt good everytime I went there, it's the type of hospitality
I expect from portuguese: their warmth, their down to eath charm. I found the chicken here as good as at any of the  previous mentioned places. Certainly an 8 over 10 for taste and cooking. It's a restaurant but you can also order for take out.  I see nothing to complain about here. It is what is it: a down to earth, cozy, fun little place where food is well cooked.

PS: keep sending me your votes for your  favourite Montreal roasted chicken. I'll try them as much as I can and will add to this current list -- any new finding  I'd  estimate as standing out (to my palate)  as those already mentioned here.   Thanks, Aromes!

For the record, I have gathered a recap of all my reviews here (this is an easier way to get  to them rather than scrolling the entire xanga web page).

Dinner at Restaurant Le Newtown Type of cuisine: North American /Market cuisine
When: Sat May 21st, 2011 19:00
Addr: 1476 Rue Crescent
Montreal, QC (Downtown)
Phone: (514) 284-6555  
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

Non, ce ne fut point la castatrophe cette soirée là, mais j'en suis ressorti décu et je n'y retournerai plus: Un Chef...Un resto! C'est comme ca la vie. On a beau dire que suivre un Chef c'est un peu de l'adulation exagérée, mais au delà des inutilités moralisantes (qu'on appelle 'platitudes' au Québec) ne soyons pas naifs: un resto est égal au Chef qui est aux fourneaux. On va au Newtown pour apprécier le talent du Chef Juneau, un point, un trait. Et si il n'y est pas, ca se ressent dans l'assiette! Et là, ce fut une soirée OFF, couteuse. Bref, une soirée qui m'a laissé perplexe.

Second dinner at restaurant Le Newtown, last evening. My first meal there was under Chef Jette's supervision (click here for that review). This time, it is Chef Martin Juneau who's at the helm; a clear sign that the folks at Le Newtown are serious about the restaurant's offering of their 'resto-bar'.

Chef Juneau: When he was awarded Canada's gold Medal Plates champion Chef in February 2011,  I was not surprised. I wrote it and I will repeat this: when he is at his very best,  it is not exaggerated to state that Chef Juneau  is of 3-star Michelin caliber. He proved it already on this reviewed lunch (March 2010) when he was at La Montée. Now, there are many reasons that can explain variation of opinions on the work of a top tier skilled Chef like Juneau: (1) the demand of his customers. You remember how I was slighlty less impressed with my dinner at his last location on Saint Laurent (click here for that review)? It is not that Chef Juneau was suddenly less impressive than he used to be, but because most of his clientele wants him to cook that kind of simple but reliable food that I was enjoying on that evening. (2) it depends on how far he can impose his own creations on their menu. I do not know about Juneau and his relationship with Newtown management's team, but I saw elsewhere many talented Chefs suffocating under the pressure of their superiors. Something is certain: when his full potential is unleashed, Juneau is simply an outstanding world class Chef. If  on  that lunch of March 2010, he was paired with an outstanding pastry Chef, I'd consider that entire short meal as outstanding as any of the best 3-star Michelin  meals I enjoyed. Sounds exaggerated? Certainly not when he is in his prime.


The bar section's food Vs the restaurant's offering:  While reading web reviews/opinions on Le Newtown, I noticed a common mistake that some do -> they confuse the food served in the downstair's bar section  with food served upstairs at the main restaurant. It is not the same type of food that is served at both places (the bar serves more casual fares, whereas it is more refined upstairs). There's also some confusion between the level of food on lunch time Vs in the evening: we all should know better that Lunch is mostly a more casual affair, whereas dinner is usually more refined at most high end Montreal tables.  With that said, it is also important to note that although his food at the main restaurant remains of top caliber, it is not of the gastronomic type that was served previously by Chef Jetté (Refer to my 1st review of Newtown).  Also worth of notice: they do have an event called 'wine flight' (where the theme is about food and wine of a given country) that seems very popular and consequently widly documented on the web by numerous food bloggers. I haven't tried those wine flight events, but I presume that they might differ from the standard dinner menu, which is another thing to take in consideration when you read opinions on their food, for the sake of accuracy. PS: my review is about my  dinner at the restaurant, not the bar section.

The food that is served: A North American variation of  the now widly popular modern type of bistro gastronomy that made top cooking here as great as what is offered at this moment in most of  its European's popular equivalents. For ie, there's a lot of buzz in Paris around L'Astrance, Chateaubriand, Passage 53, but a Chef like Juneau  can cook as good if not better than what those gentlemen are doing overthere. He is just cooking food that is  different in their composition and conception  (as I wrote, a North American version of that type of new era gastronomy) .

=>The A la carte menu, on this dinner,  is short: approx 5 appetizers (ranging from $13 to $18)  + 5 main courses (ranging from 23$ up to the 30ish). But it was varied enough: for ie, salmon, tuna, halibut, lobster from Gaspésie (for seafood), beef, quails, pork. It is a market driven cuisine, so the menu varies from day to day, season to season.
=>They also have a multiple course tasting menu (look at the little notice at the bottom of the  A la Carte menu). We were interested by this offer. Our waitress asked us if we would like the 5 or 6 multiple course, but since the night was busy, she recommended a 5 course tasting menu, which we opted for. The 5 course tasting menu was priced at  $75 on this dinner. The other reason I chose the tasting menu is because I remember how  Chef Juneau was brilliant with his tasting menu offerings back to his days at  La Montée (that one that was located on rue de la Montagne, now moved to St-Laurent Street).

Tataki of tuna, anchoiade, oysters, green beans, olives - Technically faultless: the tuna tataki is fresh and well executed.  I saw no issue neither with the anchoiade sauce (all its ingredients blended well with the right proportions of garlic, anchovies, olive oil etc). The oysters on the Tatakis were pleasant and the small little boiled eggs added to an appealing contrast of textures and colors. All good, but certainly not of Juneau's prime level. As we say in French ""c'était sage "". Good but uninteresting.  6/10

Salmon, yoghurt mousse, cucumber, dill - (I forgot to take a photo of this dish) Basically a carpaccio of salmon (excellent quality, oozing of freshness), dressed with a yoghurt mousse, fresh pieces of cucumber (the quality of their ingredients on this meal were really impressive as with this cucumber) and the dill demonstrated a nice technical mastery in pairing well all ingredients. Although not bad, this is a simple recipe you can do at home and you won't miss it. Certainly NOT  of the level that Chef Juneau is capable of.  6/10


At this point, I got annoyed by the 'just good enough'  but not great cooking performance. The staff kept telling me that it is Juneau who was cooking, but what they did not know is that I know very well what Juneau's cooking tastes like. A technique that many of my friends used to do, in order to force the main Chef to cook for them, is to return their plates to the kitchen on numerous occasions. That worked on many occasions: I remember, in Paris, that trick worked so well at the Georges V: Chef Briffard, as most connoisseurs of Paris dinings already know, is in a class apart  when he is himself cooking for you. But he has a staff of a hundred people under his supervision, so the only way to catch his attention is to use that trick. I was tempted to serve this same trick to Chef Juneau because there was no way this food I was served was cooked by him.  To force his attention, I went instead with a surprise ordering from the A la carte menu. Perhaps, it is the A la Carte (ALC) menu that suits him better, this time.

The ALC item I picked was :
Halibut, bisque, yukon gold mousse - The halibut, on its own, showed Juneau's level of cooking: cooked to perfection, had perfect bite and amazing fresh marine flavor. I could kiss that halibut...tellement c'était bon! As for the bisque, I'd say that where the velouté de crustacés (it is a bisque, btw) that I enjoyed on this recent meal in Paris at L'Ambroisie would be a 10/10 (exceptional), my favourite one in Montreal at Le Bonaparte being a 9/10 (excellent), this reviewed one would be an 8/10. It lacked a depth of richness, but was certainly very good.  But then a technical mistake that could not have come from a Chef like Juneau: cherry tomatoes, dropped in the bisque, which could pass as a tempting  idea for appealing texture and color contrasts on that dish...but in mouth, any decent palate would have noticed the incompatible pairing to the bisque. This should have been tasted before served! I will still rate this dish with an 8 over 10 (very good) for the amazing halibut and good bisque, but an 8 over 10  is still not remarkable enough for such a talented Chef (Juneau's prime level is usually of 9 to 10 over 10 in my evaluation scale). The bisque definitely reinforced my deep belief that Juneau had perhaps not cooked it  since his real imprint on this type of dish (creams, veloutés, bisques, etc) pertains more accurately to the level of amazement found on  this reviewed meal.  Let alone the structural mistep  of the cherry tomato's incompatible taste against the bisque. Still accurately an 8/10  

Braised quails, beacon -  This was really tasty, with the bird's meaty, moist and nicely cooked legs and breast shining with impeccable flavors. The layer of beacon underneath brought nothing, but I'll take it more as a textural complement to the overall.  Although fine, this is still  a one-dimensional dish (it's about the braised quails and nothing else), therefore a  fair   7 / 10

Piglet belly, mushroom ragout, red wine jelly -  They are proud of this dish which  earned Chef Juneau the 1st place at the 2011 Pan-Canadian Gold medal plates championship in Kelowna. The piece of piglet was indeed delicious in its juxtaposition of the enjoyable rich taste of the piglet's fat  against the extra layer of  flavor coming from the crispy roasted meat's coating ( I know this  pork belly  is siometimes glazed with beet juice, but this one I had was glazed with red wine). If you take a  nice piece of piglet (this piglet from  the St-Canut's farm is indeed of nice quality) , either you braise or roast it , then nicely season it,  it rarely  fails to be delicious as the most will concede, but honestly there was enough skillful  hands behind this one creation to consider  it as a noteworthy dish. I have no reproach over the  ragout of mushrooms (well done) and the drops of red wine gelée  were just ok. Since there is a lot of buzz around this dish, I'd recommend you lower your expectations (at a culinary event with my standards , it is his butternut squash velouté that would have earned him the champion title). Good, nevertheless.  7.5/10

Pine nuts mousse, chocolate ice cream, apple crumble - 6/10 Good enough with a mousse that was  pleasant (6/10), a choco ice cream of good standard (6/10) and a correct crumble (6/10).  Un dessert bien sage, as I'd accurately describe this in French. Chef Juneau is in charge of the savouries only, as they have a pastry Chef.  Still, I'd expect stunning desserts especially at a restaurant where an exceptional pastry Chef has left his imprints...............PS: As the sun went down, the pictures started to lack clarity but you still can see enough visual details on them.

Wines: The wine by the glass offerings (we had)  pretty much consisted of some pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and chablis that I was already familiar with. But a quick glance at their extensive wine list shows an interesting coverage of a  variety of vintages from France (mostly), and most parts of the globe (they have several Canadian wines) with prices starting as low as $42 and as high as some top markup wines (like a Romanée Conti I saw on  their wine list) do command. But you will definitely find wines that reach out to all range of prices (unless, I presume, you arrive at the end of the evening and all the cheap wines are long sold).

Service:  Ha..Ha..Ha..Guess who was our main waitress on this evening! The same young lady I found a little  bit challenging on my previous meal there (Ref: the 'service' section of this  reviewed dinner). Amelie? Emilie? Julie..sorry, I can't remember her name properly...but not to worry: she has improved a lot. This time, she was actually very attentive, helpful. Absolutely no reproach on her service (I am not picky as to whether a wait staff did refill my glass of water or not,  so those little details, although nice, are secondary in my view to, let's say, being professional in your behaviour,  showing the bottle of wine before you fill my glass, ensuring that the table and cutlery are clean, etc...and to that respect, Amelie/Julie/Emilie did a nice job). Or who knows..perhaps the fact that I was accompanied this time, made a difference. The maitre D' and the other waiter who served us at some point were also without reproach.


Where is Juneau's magic?  In his prime, as I wrote earlier on, Juneau is truly an exceptional Chef. Food varying in between 6  to 8/10 is certainly weak compared to  what he is capable of (usually, Juneau's cooking has at least a 10/10 item, and would vary between 9 and 10).  If Juneau has really cooked this food, then the Mayans are right: the end of the world is coming soon! The real Juneau is what food critic Thierry Daraize has reviewed here. 'Pour monter au ciel' was the title of Mr Daraize's review on  Juneau's magic cooking. As French, we usually refer  to the above (monter au ciel refers to the sky) when we experience greatness / magic as with the title of my spectacular recent meal at 3-star Michelin L'Ambroisie in Paris (the title of that review being 'A gift from the above! '). Juneau, the real magician, is the one who cooked  the two spectacular 2 to 3 Michelin-star level of food items that you see reviewed on this lunch. Martin Juneau's  prime cooking pertains to the level found in the circle of what I do consider as the 11 current most talented Chefs of Montreal, the 11 Golden boys as I love to name them (Mercuri,Navarrette,Laprise,Loiseau,Lenglet,Belair,Rouyé,Axel/St-Denis,Cloutier,Pelletier). But this is unfortunately the second rendez vous  (with Juneau's magic cooking) in a row that failed to live up to what this great Chef can deliver (the first rendez vous was this one). There won't be a third attempt (I know it is unfair to expect a human being to constantly perform at his best, but that is a reality that the hard earned money of a diner will never get to tolerate!..200$ and ++ for two is fine when you have a spectacular meal. BUT we are from from spectacular here! Very far.................................. ).

 ***This is an anonymous private and personal initiative: I went to all the restaurants that are known to stand out in Montreal (this naturally explains the general positive reviews you will read, and yet ..even the best do sometimes fail as you will realize on a few occasions through your readings) and found for myself. , Enjoy!
***Click on a restaurant's  name to read its  full detailed photo text   review
***The   * sign signifies that the meal had potential of  top level for enjoyment and cooking (worths passing by if you happen to be around),  the ** means it was of the highest level one could find in Montreal at this moment ( worth leaving the comfort of home  to attend the dinner).
***What to look for in my reviews? I apply myself to be as concise as possible. Even if I do not like a meal, if it is well cooked, for ie, I'll have to be honest about it. So, you should look at  the rating over 10 for my ultimate opinion on a dish, since that rating goes with the level of enjoyment detected by my taste buds (8 is very good food, 9 is excellent and 10 is food that would be hard to improve upon) . Meals of top level are those with at least two 9/10, or one 9/10 and a 10/10. Click here for more on my rating system.
***Last but not least: to maximize your chances of enjoying a good meal, chose to dine on a Friday or Saturday evenings (more likely to get the good Chef working on those evenings), start earlier rather than late (food is fresher). In Montreal, currently, there's no big change at the upper level of dining (fine dining, top bistro): Chefs Mercuri,JF Belair, Navarrette,Laprise,Loiseau,Lenglet,Belair,Rouyé,Axel/Cloutier,Pelletier,  Ferrer, Juneau (now at Le Newtown), Derek at DnA, Chef Eric Gonzalez at Auberge Le Saint Gabriel are still the reigning kings of what stands out in Montreal.
 
My top tier favourite restaurants in Montreal:
XO Le Restaurant (Fine dining, Modern European) **
Le Marly (Fine Dining, Modern French)        **          
Restaurant Raza  (Fine Dining, Modern Latino/French Fusion) *
Restaurant La Porte  (Fine Dining, Modern French) **
Bistro Cocagne  (Bistro, North American) **
Kitchen Galerie (Bistro, North American) **
Au cinquième péché (Bistro, Modern French) **   
Bouillon Bilk  (Bistro, Modern French/Cosmopolitan) **

Montreal: Sushi-yas, Top 15 best dinners, macarons that stood out
+Review of Montreal sushi places that stood out during my latest tour of all major Mtl sushi-yas
+My top 15 best dinners in Montreal & Surroundings
+Montreal major macarons boutiques that stood out
+My top 10 best food items of all my Montreal dinners
+Montreal's best roasted chicken
+Best Pizza in Montreal

My Favourite classic French tables in Montreal:
They are those restaurants where I love going back, because classic French cuisine is my favourite food and they do it better than most: Le Bonaparte (all Chefs missing filet mignons, bisque..etc..please pay a visit here ..you will understand what I'm looking for) , Le Margaux, le Mas des Oliviers and Chez La Mère Michel. Had one of those three tables decided to close, I'd be saddened! Simply the best classic French in town! Please never ever let modern trends distract you: you are simply the BEST!

Mtl restaurant reviews by categories:
-Fine dining:
XO(** ), Toque(**)!, La Porte(** ), Club Chasse & Peche (** ), L'auberge Saint-Gabriel (*), Europea (* ), DNA (*), La Chronique( *) , Nuances (* ),  Restaurant L'inconnu (*), Raza (*), Osco!, Renoir,  Newtown.
-Bistro:
Bouillon Bilk (**), Bistro Cocagne (** ), Kitchen Galerie (** ), Cuisine & Dependance (*), F Bar (*), Comptoir charcuterie & vins (*), La Montee (closed),, Chez Victoire,    Au Pied de Cochon, Lucille's oyster dive, Mas Cuisine, Le Quartier General, Le Filet, Le Chien fumant, KG Poisson , Laloux
-Oriental, Fusion: Jun I (**), Biron  (Closed)

Outside of Montreal:
L'Eau a la bouche ** (Perfect 10 on a  first dinner there,  slightly less impressed by a second dinner, but I could easily  name a good dozen of  1 star michelin tables that  have not done better than EAB), Poivre Noir ** (they can hit highs pertaining to solid 2 michelin potential), Restaurant L'initiale * ( One of the very few Relais & Chateaux of Eastern Canada: I was not blown away, but the food was skillfully well done and I am sure that a dinner there might fare better), Restaurant Quintessence * in Tremblant (That reported last dinner there was of world class material. I'd say that specific dinner  was easily of 1* Michelin potential), Les Zebres * (Val David, a bistro that stood out).

Non-Montreal contents:
My 3-star Michelin website is now available (click on the following picture to access the site):