Sunday, 28 February 2010

• 2009-2010 Aromes's overall ranking of Montreal's & Surroundings top 15 dinners

  ***Based Over /100 (based on: taste, creativity, refinement, cooking skills, balance of the flavors)
  ***I do not rate restaurants, I do rate the dinners!
  ***This is all SUBJECTIVE, naturally (pure personal appreciations)
  ***This list is permanently updated with any new dinner and rankings are modified accordingly

  UPDATED July 2012: I received plenty of emails asking me if my top 15 is still up to date. YES..it is, Rfaol! It's just that I haven't had, since then,  any restaurant meal in Montreal that would fit in this top 15. 
  

  1.March 19th 2010 tasting menu @ XO Le Restaurant, Montreal, QC 96.5/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/721046584/xo-le-restaurant-take-two/

  
  2. Febr 13th 2009 tasting menu@ Restaurant L'Eau à la Bouche, Sainte Adele, QC - 95/100 http://aromes.xanga.com/748257473/best-tables-of-quebec-leau-%C3%A0-la-bouche-sainte-ad%C3%A8le-quebec---a-perfect-dinner/
  
  
  2.bis. October 22nd 2010 tasting menu at Raza restaurant, Laurier Street, Montreal, QC - 95/100
  My latest project of reviewing Montreal's finest tables has come to and end, but this tasting menu I had this Friday Oct 22nd 2010 at Raza was exceptionally creative and largely deserves to make its way at the top 2 of this list. On this specific tasting menu, Chef Navarrette brought daringly modern meals that were not seen before here in Montreal. For ie, an exceptional food item based on potato puree, veggies and dried mushrooms evoked the idea of earth and nature through an exceptional work of divine tastes rarely met at such high level of cooking.  PS: I did not bring my camera since the dinner was not a review.

  2.bis.January 15th 2010 tasting menu@ Restaurant La Porte, Montreal, QC - 95/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/719924847/best-restaurants-of-montreal-la-porte/
  

  
  

  2.bis.Saturday April 23rd 2011, Dinner @ Le Marly restaurant, Montreal, QC 95/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/719339366/restaurant-le-marly-montreal---food-of-3-star-michelin-level/

  
  

  3.November 27th 2009 tasting menu @ Restaurant Toque!, Montreal, QC - 94.5/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/716627762/best-tables-of-montreal-toque-restaurant/

  
  

  4.November 13th 2009 tasting menu @ Le Club Chasse et Peche, Montreal,QC   - 93/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/716460932/best-tables-of-montreal-le-club-chasse-et-p%C3%AAche/

  
  

  4..Febr 2011 dinner @ Au Cinquième péché, Montreal, QC, 92/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/728263002/au-5e-p%c3%a9ch%c3%a9-could-this-be-the-best-montreal-bistro/
  The presence of ACP so high on my top 15 list, ahead of more prestigious restaurants, is the ultimate reminder of what I keep repeating to my readers: what you are supposed to be is none of my business. How you made it happen is all I care about. Do not try to fool me with beautiful tablecloths, pricey wines and bullshit flaflas. I already know that tape. Wipe all of that and show  some solid inpiring and inspired cooking talent and I'll leave impressed. ACP's Chef Lenglet cooks what I consider, along with Loiseau at Bistro Cocagne and Axel at Kitchen Galerie, the best bistro food in town at this moment.
  

  
  

  5. July 6th 2010, Dinner @ Kitchen Galerie, Montreal, QC 91/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/722855124/kitchen-galerie-montreal---an-unforgettable-gustatory-feast/ 
  I know this may surprise many that KG's rustic bistro fares share the very top of my list along the other refined restaurants. But in terms of absolute palatable enjoyment, this July 6th 2010 meal @KG was among the 2 to 3 most delicious experiences of this entire rundown. Make no mistake: meat with foie gras, supposedly a safe pass to meal that  cannot fail to be tasty,  is not the reason why this meal makes the top of this list: the reason has to be found in the exceptional and rare sense of savourishness (an expression, btw, that was forced into my culinary vocabulary on the back of this meal) that was found on this dinner.

  
  

  6. Friday March 5th 2010, Lunch @ La Montée, Montréal, QC - 90/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/723067367/best-restaurants-of-montreal-la-montee/ 

  
  

  7 July 2009 Dinner @ Restaurant the Q!, Quintessence Hotel, Tremblant  89/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/714901555/best-tables-of-quebec-quintessence-mont-tremblant/
  

  
  

  8. November 2009 Dinner @ Restaurant Nuances, Montreal, QC - 88/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/716032803/montreals-luxurious-tables-nuances/ 
  

  
  9.December 4th 2009 tasting menu @ Restaurant Raza, Montreal, QC - 88.5/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/717577423/montreal-most-original-restaurants-raza/ 

  
  

  10. September 18th 2010 tasting menu @ Le Poivre Noir  87/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/715881923/restaurant-poivre-noir-trois-rivi%C3%A8res-qc/

  
  11.Sept 4th 2009 Dinner @ Bistro Cocagne, Montreal, QC - 86.5/100
  

  http://aromes.xanga.com/711358238/bistro-cocagne-montreal---friday-sept-4th-1800/

  
  12.Oct 9th 2009 Dinner @ XO Le Restaurant, Montreal, QC - 86/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/714228763/montreals-luxurious-tables-xo-le-restaurant/

  
  13. March 5th 2010 tasting menu @ Restaurant Newtown - 85/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/748332934/montreal-restaurants-le-newtown/
  Jetté is a gifted Chef. What's even more impressive, is that he is paired with an amazing pastry Chef (Demers). Both are no more at restaurant Newtown, but this dinner of theirs remains one highlight of my top 15 best dinners in Montreal, hence its inclusion in the current listing. 

  14.June 11th 2010, dinner @ Restaurant L'Européa, Montreal, QC, 84/100
  PS: I did not bring my camera since the dinner was not part of my reports on Montreal finest tables, but a private dinner  with a friend I had not seen for a long time. L'Européa will charm the most with French fine dinings that are well executed and a dining experience that is well fined-tuned (lots of little aside goodies).  This dinner at L'Européa was perfect on all counts. The only reason it ranks at no5 on my list is because the dinners at positions 1-4 had numerous food items of exceptional daring level (for ie, the dinner @ Le Club Chasse et Peche had 2 food items pertaining largely to what you would expect at  the top 10 best tables of the world. At  its turn, the Club Chasse & Peche's dinner is not scored at 100%  because the scallop app and dessert made that meal not a 100% perfect all-rounder) .
  

  15.November 20th 2009 tasting menu @ Restaurant La Chronique, Montreal,QC 83/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/716324523/montreals-best-tables-la-chronique/    

  
  

  
  15.bis December 31st NYE's Eve dinner @ Bistro Cocagne, Montreal, QC 83/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/719339366/my-montreal-2009-new-years-eve-dinner-at-bistro-cocagne/ 

  
  15.bis Febr 27th 2010 tasting menu@ Restaurant L'Eau à la Bouche, Sainte Adele, QC - 83/100
  http://aromes.xanga.com/721108676/restaurant-leau-%c3%a0-la-bouche-sainte-adele-take-two/ 
  

  
  As a usual reminder, It is important to understand how the classification you are reading works: The more the dinner is refined/daring/moving/complex (needs to be tasty, though!), the higher it will be classified. For those who are abroad and are not familiar with the Montreal restaurant scene: There is no Michelin Star restaurant in this province, but Dinners #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 (including that one Lunch at the old La Montée),  had couple of courses that largely pertained to the best food items found on a 2 Michelin Star table. Dinner #12 (at XO Le Restaurant) had a food item that largely pertained (I am talking about that very specific Free Form Lasagna dish that I had on that very specific mentionned dinner!) to the 2 Michelin star repertoire, too.
  

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