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CANADA’S BEST NEW RESTAURANTS 2004

Text: CHRIS JOHNS
Photos: JOCELYN MICHEL

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | The Foodies | Nov '04

Were we third-time lucky? Compared to our surveys in 2002 and 2003, this year we anted up at a record 57 new establishments (opened between July 2003 and June 2004) recommended by our cross-Canada panel of professional foodies. The astonishing talent of this country’s chefs left nothing to chance. From a refined diner in Halifax to a temple of fresh local cuisine in Brentwood Bay, B.C., you’d be fortunate to dine at any of our Top 10.

This year’s reviewer, Chris Johns, noticed a distinct Canadian cuisine simmering, particularly in B.C. and Quebec. Unique regional culinary styles and the substance of indigenous ingredients earned both provinces four Top 10 finishes. The North American rage for multicultural small-plate dining – which arguably started in Vancouver in the late 1990s – spread, along with the mania for tasting menus. But the biggest story of 2004 was the return of hotel restaurants (three in our Top 10 alone) as a significant force on the country’s culinary scene. So check in…

1 RISTORANTE BRONTË
Le Meridien Versailles, 1800, rue Sherbrooke O., Montréal, 514-934-1801

Bucking the trend toward the casualization of dining, chef Joe Mercuri (previously the sous-chef at Cube in Montreal’s Hôtel St-Paul) has created a dining experience as ambitious, adventurous and avant-garde as you’ll find in Canada. Even so, this is not a restaurant only for the cognoscenti. Professional, well-informed service is formal but welcoming; the substantial wine list is affordable and full of interesting selections.

Housed next door to a tasteful but relatively plain hotel lobby, the restaurant is by contrast sleek, minimal and modern. It avoids austerity with warm touches like illuminated columns with glowing amber honeycomb centres. Intimate tall-backed white banquettes – this is where you want to dine tête-à-tête – form nearly complete circles.

Like the design, the ultramodern, exquisitely presented food avoids becoming esoteric by offering big, bold gestures. From the arrival of the amuse-bouche, there is something special going on here: three tiny pink pickled beets are topped with even tinier tobiko, while slender haricots verts serve as a platform for meaty tuna tartare. Completing the spell is a minuscule mound of powerful orange dust.

Then things get really interesting. Superfresh soft-shell crab is joined by an immaculate celery root remoulade, young watercress and the crowning glory, chorizo. Octopus is charred into almost creamy submission and tarted up with sun-dried tomatoes and Bulgarian feta. The thick, pillowy filet of Icelandic cod, outstanding on its own, is elevated further by fava bean ravioli. Succulent, braised rabbit pappardelle, surrounded by a porcini mushroom-spiked sauce, is finished with a splash of estate-bottled Castello di Cacchiano olive oil.

No mere afterthought, desserts are playful and utterly delicious. The panettone pain perdu arrives at the table smelling like the best Krispy Kreme doughnut ever. Cut into it, and the rich, sweet chocolate ganache centre oozes out seductively. A sauce of bright orange foam and a semi-gelatinous raspberry consommé shooter add a fun, contemporary flare and complementary flavours.

Mercuri has a triumph on his hands. In a city blessed with an abundance of excellent restaurants, Brontë has earned its place among the very best.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | The Foodies | Nov '04