Food critic's top Mtl restaurants in 2008
The finest of the fine
On the high end of cuisine, we tip our hats to the funkiest, friendliest and most improved restaurants
Restaurant-goers can be placed into three categories: The novices who rarely dine out and are happy in any establishment that separates the appetizers from the mains, the repeat customers who find a restaurant they like and stick to it, and the hot-and-new seekers who are constantly on the lookout for restaurants that opened a week ago yesterday.
Some critics emulate diners in the third category and only cover new restaurants.
Not me.
I like mixing it up - not only for you, the diner, to know whether a restaurant is coasting on an old reputation, but also to praise the places that can still work their magic once the initial enthusiasm has worn off.
There's also the "keeping them on their toes" factor. As a chef-owner recently told me, "We were feeling pretty good about the way our restaurant was going. We had covered our debts and were finally making a profit. And then my partner pointed out that it had been three years since our last review, which meant we couldn't relax, after all."
You got that one right!
Even though restaurants must stay on game (now more than ever, when the customer's dime is shrinking at an alarming rate), I will happily admit that I was the one often relaxing in 2008. Though I once feared the elimination of luxury in our better restaurants, I now embrace it, spending more time soaking up the all-round experience than the intricacies of the amuse-bouche.
That said, it's not all steak/frites out there. I was still wowed by refined plate presentations, inspired flavour combinations and some pretty skilled service, where the waiters managed to be oh-so-friendly while always remaining utterly professional. If there is a city with a more solid cast of servers, let me know, 'cause I want to dine there.
This year, I've selected an unusually large group for my annual top restos list. Instead of naming five best in order of brilliance, I've classified them according to a few categories I think best reflect the dining landscape of 2008. Keep in mind, this list reflects only the restaurants reviewed in this calendar year.
Best upgrades: La Montée and Mikado. Despite relocating to fancy new digs, these two restaurants remain true to their original incarnations.
La Montée still offers refined nouvelle Québécois cuisine, but now chef Martin Juneau has a real kitchen to work with (his last was one of the tiniest in the city) and maitre-d' and co-owner Hugo Duchesne has room to breathe while sharing menu descriptions, and pouring his stellar selection of privately imported wines. Open only three months, this restaurant still has room for improvement, but how great to see it set up in fancier new digs that better reflect such inspired cuisine.
Mikado has long drawn crowds to its Laurier Ave. walk-up. Yet despite the terrific sushi, there's no denying this was another room that hardly reflected the brilliance of the kitchen. Now located at street level across from the old location, the new Mikado is swank, airy and very chic. Diners can now sip their sake while people-watching next to the floor-to-ceilings windows, or at the sushi bar in the centre of the room. Add to that great desserts (so rare in Asian restaurants) and an equally sweet serving staff, and you have one fun and fabulous sushi restaurant.
Oldies but still goodies: Milos and Da Vinci.
Milos earned four stars when I reviewed it three years ago and it did again this year thanks to its consistently fabulous, minimalist Greek cuisine. If anything, Milos is even more interesting now thanks to the contributions of talented Italian chef Franca Mazza. By gussying up the plate presentation and incorporating new flavour accents, Mazza has brought a welcome feminine touch to this restaurant that, with its businessman-heavy clientele, can sometimes feel as macho as a steakhouse.
In the same vein, Da Vinci, the city centre's poshest Italian restaurant, wowed when I first dined there close to a decade ago, but disappointed at my last meal there in 2005. Happily, Da Vinci has pulled up its bootstraps and once again lives up to its glowing reputation with excellent Italian classics like calamari, osso bucco and seafood pastas, all served in elegant surroundings. So good was a recent dinner here that instead of critical comments ricocheting around the table, there were rounds of mmms and aahs.
Funky and friendly: Tapeo and Le Jolifou.
As most seasoned restaurant-goers know, the Villeray favourite Tapeo offers delicious savoury nibblies, a crackling ambience and sugar-sprinkled churros that many would crawl over broken glass to devour. Add sharp waiters to that equation, as well as one of Montreal's rare female chefs, Marie-Fleur St-Pierre, and you have one terrific all-around experience.
If I had to choose the friendliest restaurant, though, Le Jolifou would be it. If that weren't enough, the decor is seriously cute, the service is flawless and the food is excellent. Despite its off-the-beaten-track location, fine diners continue to embrace the dedication of chef David Ferguson and his wife, Hélène Brault, who acts not only as maître d' but resident sommelière and mother of three who live right upstairs.
Most fun: Kitchenette and Tavern on the Square.
Last winter, news came that a young U.S. chef, Nick Hodge, had scooped up a desirable location near Radio-Québec and called it Kitchenette. This Houston native was soon impressing French and English critics alike with crab cakes, fish tartares, seafood pastas and stews, and - bless his Texan heart - ribs. His cuisine fits right into the Montreal style, his touch is light, and his complementary ingredients create sparks of flavour. But this chef doesn't take himself too seriously, either, proof being the main-course burger with fries and a tempura strawberry dessert.
Across town at Westmount's Tavern on the Square, Chef Stephen Leslie draws in the crowds with classic appetizers, appealing pastas and upscale bistro main-course fish and meat dishes. But the food is only part of the winning equation. Talk about ambiance! Lights are low and conversation levels are high, which, combined with some pretty loud background music, makes for quite the bustling scene - and a pretty anglo one at that. If I lived in the area, I'd dine there once a week.
Best deal: Decca77. We all like a restaurant where we get major bang for our buck. As for bang, Decca77 is hard to beat. The food here, prepared by chef Daren Bergeron, has indeed improved since my last review three years ago, when everything was pricey and surprisingly blah. Modern, skillfully prepared and made with top-quality ingredients, Bergeron's plates now also score big on imaginative flavour combinations and beautiful plate presentations - all for a song, as in a three-course lunch menu for $25.
Best new restaurants: DNA and Graziella.
A doozy of a restaurant run by a newcomer with talent, style, and a shock of red hair that could give Conan O'Brien a run for his money, DNA has quickly become one of Old Montreal's best. The chef in question is Derek Dammann, a Victoria native whose bold, Italian-accented cuisine was influenced by his stint as chef de cuisine for Jamie Oliver. The other half of the DNA equation is partner Alex Cruz, who acts as suave maitre d' and resident wine expert. Add to that an interior design by Bruno Braën, and you have a true-blue fine-dining restaurant in a city where wine bars and bistros have been ruling the roost.
Located in a handsome stone building on the southern tip of McGill St., Graziella is set behind a large black door and up a level of stairs that at night are lined with votive candles. The new swish surroundings have obviously inspired chef Graziella Batista, whose food at her former restaurant Il Sole was excellent, and now here in her new restaurant, is even better. Prepared with fine ingredients, few flourishes and an abundance of flavour enhancers ranging from olives to herbs to extra-virgin oils - this Italian eatery is more Giorgio Armani in style than Tony Soprano. It isn't a stretch to say that if I imagined my fantasy restaurant, Graziella could be it.
Ristorante Da Vinci, 1180 Bishop St., 514-874-2001
Decca77, 1077 Drummond St., 514-934-1077
DNA Restaurant, 355 Marguerite D'Youville St., 514-287-3362
Graziella, 116 McGill St., 514-876-0116
Kitchenette, 1353 René Lévesque Blvd., 514-527-1016
La Montée, 1424 Bishop St., 514-289-9921
Le Jolifou, 1840 Beaubien St. E., 514-722-2175
Mikado, 399 Laurier Ave., 514-279-4809
Milos, 5357 Park Ave., 514-272-3522
Tapeo, 511 Villeray St., 514-495-1999
Tavern on the Square, 1 Westmount Square, 514-989-9779
http://www.montrealgazette.com/restaurants+2008/1117279/story.html
