Armed with only writing implements, a carry-on bag and a very hearty appetite, Chris Johns completed enRoute’s fourth annual survey of Canada’s Best New Restaurants. Our cross-country panel of food-savvy experts recommended 40 restaurants (opened between July 2004 and June 2005), offering everything from cod tongues in St. John’s to edible flowers in Victoria.

Many meals and a few glasses of wine later, we found this year’s big news was the dominance of Montreal, where both neighbourhood restaurants and lavish temples of gastronomy set the national standard. Nationally, we admired a vanguard of brave young couples realizing their marital and culinary ambitions – together – and noted a distinctive Canadian design scheme emerging. Regional cuisine moved beyond the hotbeds of B.C. and Quebec to make inroads all across the country.

It’s a proud year for Canadian restaurants, and you’ve got the best table in the house to sample the Top 10 restaurants and to taste the latest trends that are shaping the contemporary dining scene in Canada.