Montreal's high-end restaurant scene is changing face
Published on Jun 16, 2010
Photo Fred Morin
Joe Beef's take on the traditional Canadian shore lunch
In terms of restaurant rumblings, 2010 has been quiet thus far. Openings have been few and far between, and a handful of our best restaurants have closed, including La Montée, Brontë, and Laval's Derrière les Fagots. But, looking back, 2010 might go down as the year haute cuisine took a beating. Save for a handful of cooks dedicated to white-tablecloth dining, the majority of Montreal chefs are favouring a more casual approach.
In and around Vail, you can eat in a big lodge, a tiny cabin, an upscale restaurant, a slope-side hot dog stand or an outdoor terrasse steps from the chairlift. Or how 'bout a yurt?
Snowboarders take a hot dog break in Vail
People travel to Vail, Colo., for many reasons: the world-class skiing and snowboarding, the breathtaking views of the Rockies, the fishing, the mountain biking and the hiking. A smaller crowd chooses Vail for its fancy-boutique-to-outlet shopping, luxurious spas and happening après-ski scene. I was invited to this ski mecca by Vail Resorts with one goal in mind: eating. From ski snacks to Quebec foie gras, it was quite an experience.
Enough with the calorie-laden comfort food. Bring on the spice, herbs and flavour!
Photo David Gill from Food of the Sun
Harira
Last Saturday’s Globe and Mail featured an après-ski recipe for macaroni and cheese with mushrooms and sausage. The cover of this month’s Fine Cooking magazine is emblazoned with the headline, “The Ultimate Mac & Cheese!” and the cover shot is of a skillet filled with a pulled-pork macaroni and cheese with caramelized onions and not one but four – count ’em, four – cheeses.
Four of Montreal's Top Chefs Recreate the French Classic
Onion Soup at Centrale in Washington D.C.
If ever there were a peak season for onion soup, it’s now. Hot, rich, potent and delicious, this French classic warms the cockles faster than even the priciest thermal underwear. If there’s a better après-ski or après-tobogganing soup out there, I have yet to spoon it up with frost-bitten fingers.
My first taste of onion soup this winter was not in Montreal, but at the chic Washington, D.C., brasserie Centrale. Served in a ceramic bowl and made with a brown chicken stock and caramelized onions topped with the requisite gratinéed crouton raft, this rendition was as authentic as it gets. I munched, slurped and sipped it, revelling in all its sensual textures.
Le Club Chasse et Pêche tops the list of the city's best high-end restaurants
Crab salad at Le Club Chasse et Pêche
This past year was a bit of a downer on the restaurant scene. With the economy in the dumpster, diners cut back on restaurant outings. And when they did go out, they tended to share desserts and pass on the pricey wines. Most every chef and restaurateur I spoke to reported a drop in sales. And then there were closings. From Brasserie Brunoise to Version Laurent Godbout, it seemed as though there were as many restaurants closing as rumoured to close.
Gourmet fried chicken is the next big foodie favourite
Photo from AD HOC AT HOME by Thomas Keller (Artisan Books). Copyright 2009. Deborah Jones photographer.
Ad Hoc's Fried Chicken
On the opening page of the poultry chapter in Thomas Keller's new Ad Hoc cookbook is the fried-chicken platter of my dreams.
Strewn with thyme and rosemary sprigs, the gloriously golden chicken pieces look so crisp and appealing, I'm tempted to lick the page.
I've been eating my fill of fried chicken lately, and I'm seeing a lot more in my future. Get ready, people: Gourmet fried chicken is fast becoming the next big foodie favourite.
The Big Easy returns to life, one bowl of gumbo at a time
Herbsaint's early lunch crowd
In the French Quarter of New Orleans, lacy wrought-iron balconies adorn three-century-old buildings, and the smell of sweet pralines and fried food permeates the air. On every second block you'll spot famous restaurants like Galatoire's, Brennan's, Antoine's, Arnaud's and K-Paul's.
Though not quite the Gone-with-the-Wind movie set of Southern cities like Charleston or Savannah, New Orleans does not disappoint. This is a city where food culture rivals its famous music culture - its Creole cuisine is recognized as one of America's most authentic and local seafood is served in everything from the fanciest restaurants to the humblest fry shacks.
It's also a city that's been through hell and is still struggling to rebuild. Happily, the restaurant sector is one that's back in action.
I first met Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, at the Café de Paris in the Montreal Ritz back in 2003. Reichl was in town to speak at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference, and she was at the Ritz to attend the launch of Jacques Pépin's memoirs.
Many of the world's top food writers were present, but none wielded the power of Reichl. Everyone who was anyone stopped by to pay their respects.
A day trip filled with fine foods, luscious ciders, beautiful scenery and passionate people
Follow the map and get ready to eat!
On most of my travels, I map out a circuit of foodie spots to visit. Be it a vineyard in Cahors, a butcher shop in Chianti or an oyster farm in Cancale, in Brittany, if said destination is worth a detour, I'm there.
Yet, truth be told, I've been to more such places in Tuscany and the French Périgord than in my own province. I have explored the Charlevoix, and spent a few days driving around the Routes des Fromages years ago. But the distances between producers in Charlevoix proved daunting, and as for the cheese route, after five cheese tastings, I've had my fill.
But when a flyer for the Circuit du Paysan landed on my desk, I was intrigued.
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