06. LE MOINE ÉCHANSON
585, rue Saint-Jean, Québec,
418-524-7832, moine.echanson.ifrance.com
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.
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.
08. RESTAURANT L'IDYLLE
1788, rue Amirault, Dieppe, New Brunswick, 506-860-6641, restaurantidylle.com
The oldest house (built in 1828) in Dieppe is serving some very modern food. Chef Emmanuel Charretier is the one-man kitchen brigade in this family operation, where wife Hélène Legras runs the front of the house and her father hand-painted each plate. No wonder the restaurant feels so welcoming.
The setting may be quaint, but there’s a playfulness to the meal. Translucent sheets of lobster sashimi marinated in olive oil and balsamic resemble a psychedelic light show with the addition of green tea powder and fresh herbs. Sticky squab breast rests alongside a leg stuffed with foie gras, joined by braised cabbage. The confit of figs and vanilla ice cream with gingerbread crumbs was among the year’s best desserts.
09. BLINK RESTAURANT & BAR
111 8th Ave. S.W., Calgary, 403-263-5330, blinkcalgary.com
After some initial conceptual shuffling (is it a nightclub, is it a restolounge, is it a clubstaurant?), Blink seems to have settled into a comfortable groove as a good old-fashioned restaurant. Chef Andrew Richardson, formerly of Araxi in Whistler, is offering solid interpretations of the classics, but what may be revolutionary for Calgary is the emphasis on vegetarian dishes: twice-baked soufflé with moonstruck White Grace cheese and leeks or golden and candy cane beets with buffalo mozzarella. That’s not to say that meat is absent from the menu: Witness the 8 oz fillet of Spring Creek beef and crispy skinned confit of Pekin duck. Even better: you can now dine without your banquette turning into a dance floor.
10. FOXLEY BISTRO
207 Ossington Ave., Toronto, 416-534-8520
Once a name associated with impeccable sushi, Tom Thai has branched out with the opening of this little resto. Chef hasn’t completely abandoned his fondness for raw fish, but here he serves it ceviche-style, marinating sea bream in citrusy yuzu and shiso leaf. Stunning lamb and duck dumplings can barely contain their fillings. The kitchen isn’t afraid to get Cro-Magnon: tea-smoked quail is heady, while meaty pork ribs require not only a finger bowl but possibly a post-dinner bath.
The bare-bones decor is in keeping with the tenor of this gentrifying west Toronto ’hood – the strip club next door brings new meaning to the concept of dinner and a show.
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