Of the three, Appetite for Books is the most English-friendly. Chef and owner Jonathan Cheung is personal friends with all the local biggies, hosting occasional autograph nights with chefs like Chuck Hughes and Martin Picard. He also teaches classes to groups of 10 where he demoes recipes that appear in the books he sells. “Students” eat and sip wine around a counter as he cooks, and take the books home at the end. Check the site for the upcoming schedule.

Dante, a very traditional shop in Little Italy that is one of the best-stocked with cooking gadgets and utensils, owns a little cooking school for amateurs. Local restaurant stars often are called on to give a class on a specific theme (a recent example: Joe Beef’s Fred Morin built a whole class around, you guessed it, beef). On February 13, American import Nick Hodge, chef-owner of Kitchenette, will share his mom’s gumbo recipe, complete with accompanying Braised collard greens and Buttermilk biscuits. It’s always best to book by phone, finding out first what language the course will be taught in.

Les Touilleurs is a beautiful boutique for the cookery aficionado worth the detour in its own right (it’s right on Laurier Avenue, in the heart of the Plateau neighbourhood). Its workshops, always for a maximum of 12, centers around a chef, who makes three or four dishes for all to taste. They’re always in French but most chefs are bilingual and more than glad to answer questions in English. On February 11, Stéphanie Labelle, the city’s current darling of the pastry world, will reveal some of the secrets that helped turn her shop Rhubarbe into such a hit. But there’s something going on almost every other night, so be sure to download the full calendar off their site.

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THE DETAILS

Appetite for Books, 388 Victoria, (514) 369-2002

Dante – MezzaLuna, 57 Dante, (514) 272-5299

Les Touilleurs, 152 Laurier West, (514) 278-0008

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Maison Publique: Chef Derek Dammann announced on Twitter that he’d be taking reservations (he usually doesn’t) at his brand new Maison Publique for NYE only. But even when pressed, Dammann wouldn’t reveal the secrets of the special one-night-only menu. We can only hope it might contain something like the Dungeness Crab trifle (pictured above) that he’s been serving us at his place.

XO: XO in the Hotel St-James is one of Montreal’s top-rated restaurants. The refined atmosphere of their dining room is sure to rarify the occasion. This year’s menu features oysters, seared venison, a lobster and guinea fowl “surf and turf”, and a mushroom tart with chestnuts and white truffles from Alba, all washed down with a coupe of champagne, of course.

Aix Cuisine de Terroir: In one of Montreal’s most picturesque hotels, the Place d’Armes in Old Montreal, ACdT is trying something a little gimmicky and festive this year – a tasting menu themed on the roaring ‘20s and “prohibition” (which Montreal never had, which is why it was so much fun for us). A five-course tasting menu lets you choose from seared scallops and Jerusalem artichokes, duck breast with truffle-braised lentils, and several other decadent items.

Nora Gray: This new entry into the pantheon of Montreal’s best was just recognized by the country’s go-to list of new restaurants, in enRoute Magazine. What do Ryan Gray and Emma Cardarelli have up their sleeve for their first NYE menu? Only the lucky few who nab a table for the special night will know, the menu isn’t posted anywhere (it never is), though sometimes secrets leak through on Twitter.

Le Club Chasse et Pêche: This is one of the hardest-to-nab tables in the city on this special night, since the Chasse et PêcheNYE service has become legendary. The menu always “remains discreet”, in the words of the their front-of-house man, because it is based on hard-to-find ingredients that are subject to change at the last minute.

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Pictured above is the roasted cauliflower, salty pork belly and ricotta at Pastaga: The earthiness of cauliflower and the tangy, sharp-soft salt of pork belly warm us to the bone.
Chef Jason Nelsons is almost religious in his devotion to what’s fresh, honest and often organic. He travels the region on Sunday road-trips in search of producers he likes, and the board at Renard Artisan Bistro, his small restaurant on Mont-Royal, lists original dishes that showcase the flavours in a way that elevates them even further. Sweetbreads never tasted so good in this town.
Tourtière is traditional Quebec meat-pie made of a meat mix that often includes pork and spices; this one made by Michelle Marek and Seth Gabrielese at Foodlab is adorned with a small, perfect pastry snowflake that tasted especially sweet and flaky. Michelle and Seth have organized a special set of holiday menus, Les Grandes tablées, which set menus for groups of six people or more – a great place to meet with family or friends over the holidays.
Speaking of pork, Lawrence Restaurant’s wintry Quebec-raised pork chop with braised radicchio and local apples, a signature dish which is always salted and sweet enough to warm even the chilliest bones. Apples are bountiful in Quebec, and cooks can count on them all winter long to sweeten the deal.
Speaking of root cellar-produce, Nora Gray has a mean handmade beet and gorgonzola ravioli on their December menu, as well as some rabbit saddle and tripe that’s recommended.

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Oliver, his ex-boss and good friend, is merely a financial backer, who only visited the place for the first time a couple weeks ago. I, for one, have been back three three times since first trying Maison Publique’s brunch – and have yet to order something that wasn’t very tasty. The dishes, listed on a board, are hearty and sometimes quite heavy (like the English-style breakfast platter for two): not for the faint-hearted or the dieting nymphettes.

Some days, unctuous, wobbly bone marrow is drizzled with olive oil before being served with fat slices of toasted sourdough bread (the menu constantly changes). Foie gras pâté forms a tall mound atop more bread, in another indulgent appetizer.

The quiche, its filling nearly white from all the cream, is studded with pieces of lardons and soft, sweet onions (the very lightly-dressed greens on the side make for a nice contrast).

One night, I had a main course of tuna that was perfectly seared on the outside and raw and ruby-red inside, topped with greens, capers and fried croutons. But the specialty here is the offal, from the crisp slices of pig’s liver to the meltingly tender beef tongue served in a sandwich, with a generous pile of pillowy freshly-grated horseradish. Damman, who previously cooked at the extinct DNA in Old Montreal, is well-known for his expertise in butchering and preparing more and less common parts of beef, pork and other meats.

Desserts run along the same rich-and-rustic vein. Their cobbler served in a glass is a nice play on textures, although my favourite sweets are brunch items: the flaky apple pastry and the oh-so-fluffy pancakes with pear butter and top-quality maple syrup from Societé l’Orignal (whose foraged herbs and special oils, all local, are sold at the restaurant, during the day).

Other welcome touches are the all-Canadian wine selection and the expertly-brewed coffee. The only downside, if one can call it that, is how crowded it gets at peak hours. They don’t take reservations and there isn’t much room for those waiting, so my advice is to go very early and very hungry.

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THE DETAILS

Maison Publique, 4720 Marquette Street, (514) 507-0555

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