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Where to Eat Next1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | CBNR Mission Statement & Index | Home  GARDE-MANGER 408, rue Saint-François-Xavier, Montréal, 514-678-5044 Simultaneously rustic and chic, this maritime-inspired restaurant in Old Montreal is a team effort (Instant Star hunk Tim Rozon is one of five co-owners) with an accomplished chef (Chuck Hughes cooked under David McMillan, now of Joe Beef, number 9 in this year’s survey). We’ll return with a big crew to order fresh seafood (king crab, whelks, shrimp and oysters) in the XL serving vessel, a vintage chicken-feeding trough. Now that’s home-cooked Maple syrup and pecan pie, made by the chef’s mom.  LA LOIE 1351, boul. René-Lévesque E., Montréal, 514-527-1016 Eccentric lamps made of recycled bicycle parts and kitchen tools hint at the chef’s experimental bent. David Caron’s rococo menu combines foie gras with marshmallows and Riopelle cheese, crab with chocolate, and halibut with lamb stock. This year’s winning wine concept offers every wine by the glass for one-fifth the price of the bottle. Reason to work at CBC Two great restaurants on this otherwise obscure stretch. (Ô Chalet, number seven in last year’s survey, is just down the street.)  XO Hôtel Le St-James, 355, rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, 514-841-5000 All herald the return of the opulent old-school hotel restaurant! Cosseted by red velvet and toile, surrounded by Asian sculptures and gilt-framed artworks, XO exudes charm, making resistance futile. The plates are as grand as the surroundings: Côte-Nord scallops with Lac Temiscamingue caviar; veal with Miels d’Anicet honey jus; and cardamom crème brûlée with a Matcha tea truffle. Sommelier of the year The charming and erudite Élyse Lambert skilfully presides (sadly, only part-time) over the substantial wine list and excellent cheese trolley.  PAR-FYUM 70, promenade du Portage, Gatineau, 819-770-1908, par-fyum.com Complex, even complicated, French food feeds stylish hipsters in this retro futuristic room resembling the lost set from Barbarella. The bar mixes up some equally innovative variations on the cocktail canon: Cesaria, a newfangled Caesar, trades vodka for sake; the Melissa remakes the mojito with watermelon. A seafood platter for two and a charcuterie plate embrace some of 2006’s hot trends. Tastiest staff uniforms T-shirts featuring a full-lipped woman lasciviously enjoying a forkful of something enticing.  STELLA OSTERIA 81 Clarence St., Ottawa, 613-241-2200, stellaosteria.com Markets are becoming hot destinations for fine dining. This is the third Byward Market restaurant from the Firestone group (Blue Cactus, Luxe) and their first foray into Italian. Gold sconces, brick walls, a silkscreened divider of Roman ruins and raw light bulbs give this energetic osteria an antiquated modern tension. Taste those contrasts in tuna with orange and chili or pizza with figs. Better than a slush The Osteria Bellini: Prosecco with peach schnapps and orange gelato. |
