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Canada’s Best New Restaurants 20061 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | CBNR Mission Statement & Index | Home  Photo by Louise Savoie 06. LE MOINE ÉCHANSON 585, rue Saint-Jean, Québec, Call it international flea market or garage sale revival, but don’t let the decor – sculptured angels, flamenco shoes, an African mask, random furs and an indoor gazebo – fool you: This is a restaurant of refined taste and sensibility. Cuban music might be playing on the stereo or a live fiddler could be performing traditional songs on an old-timey violin. The menu is creative, honest and uncompromising. A chickpea tart with tomatoes, anchovies and tapenade brings in darker flavours that hint at the kitchen’s fondness for offal. If you’ve ever had a craving for lamb kidneys on a stick, you should probably try them here. You may not like them, but at least you’ll know they’re well prepared. Owner and sommelier Bertrand Messotten’s idiosyncratic wine selections assure there’s as much interest in the glass as on the plate. He pairs a small dish of lobster and apple with dill, chives and Sainte-Rose cheese from Fromagerie La Petite Heidi with a rare Quebec chardonnay, and the match is inspired. Cooking this confident and cultivated needs no ornamentation.  Photo by John Gaucher 07. THE TROUGH DINING CO. 725B 9th St., Canmore, Alberta, 403-678-2820 We’re guessing they rejected “Feed Bag” before latching onto the above name. To get a sense of the restaurant’s eclecticism, you only have to listen: Alt-country band Wilco gives way to a reggae version of “The Pink Panther Theme.” It may be obscure, but it works. The menu is equally diverse, ranging from jerk carpaccio and chicken tikka to braised lamb shank with mashed peas. Both the servings and the flavours are big and generous. As for the wine list, as one impressed patron put it, “If you can’t find something on this list that you like, you’re really picky.” If you are that picky, try the Rogue Juniper Pale Ale from Oregon – it’s served in a brandy snifter. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | CBNR Mission Statement & Index | Home |
