La belle province’s love affair with French cuisine is legendary. It has been rooted in tradition and technique for years. As early as three decades ago, mostly all restaurants in the city had French chefs at the helm serving classic French food. The arrival of Québécois chef Normand Laprise changed the game entirely. Laprise was instrumental in defining a cuisine that, although still rooted in French tradition, is very proper to Quebec. His insistence on working with Quebec producers and using their products to create a unique cuisine has been a role model for a whole generation of chefs.

Chefs in Montreal are not as anchored in the city’s culinary heritage as their colleagues are in the “old country”, perhaps for the simple fact that Montreal is a relatively young city with a relatively short culinary history. We happily embrace new ideas and count among our most-loved restaurants a few classic French ones that have been around for years, like Chez la mère Michel or L’Express, as well as more recent and inventive ones.

Today, many of Montreal’s most famous chefs are taking that classic French training and using it to create a new kind of cuisine, one that can only be defined as the new Montreal cuisine. Some of the most ubiquitous French dishes are being reinvented in ways that could never be conceived of in their place of birth. Boudin (blood sausage), for example, can be consumed in its most classic form in a few of the more conventional French establishments around town. But give boudin to brilliantly inventive award-winning Montreal chefs like Martin Juneau of Pastaga or the team at Les 400 Coups and they will transform it into an explosive croquette or a silky smooth, perfectly spiced tart, dishes that are as far removed from the original sausage-form as possible but that are rooted in it nonetheless.

Whether you’re craving a traditional coq au vin or something more contemporary, today’s Montreal French food scene caters to everyone’s individual idea of what French cuisine is, or must be.

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Joining the league of extraordinary North American cities like New York, San Francisco and Vancouver who also host respective restaurant weeks, it came as no surprise when Montreal announced one of our own. For 11 days, November 1-11, TASTE MTL becomes Montreal’s inaugural restaurant week. Close to 100 restaurants scattered around the city are offering table d’hôte menus at $19, $29 or $39, showcasing Montreal’s finest talent, luring local foodies and visiting epicurean enthusiasts.

I visited Ferreira Café in the Downtown core – a popular upscale Portuguese restaurant.  Serving inspired and refined Portuguese cuisine; their “ocean-fresh” ideology resonates through all their signature dishes. If you’ve ever seen a restaurant menu that you’ve wanted one of everything, go with a friend and you’ll be able to tackle Ferreira Café’s Restaurant Week menu. Chef Tavares and team are offering a choice of two appetizers and two main courses as a part of their 11-day showcase.

Warm mushroom salad, truffle oil and Parmesan tuile. Served on a square of puff pastry, this dish is earthy and aromatic.  Toothsome bites of warm sautéed cremini and oyster mushrooms in a simple pan sauce. The mysterious notes of truffle linger long enough to be highlighted by the sharp Parmesan chip and its crunch.

Cured Mediterranean sea bass, yuzu and fresh coriander – thin slices of fresh sea bass topped with strips of next-to-candied yuzu.  The Japanese citrus awakens your palate as it intermingles with the bitters of diced radish and shaved celery tops.  The fish was sweet standing alone – a true testament to the quality and freshness of the fish.

Ferreira Café’s famous pork and clams. Slow-roasted and seared, the pork was fork tender and delicate as you make your way through the slightly crisp pan-sear. Briny little morsels of clams took on the richness of the braising liquid as did the potatoes did the rosemary from the roasted pork.

Pan seared fresh cod, “new potatoes”, roasted red pepper marmalade and a bouillabaisse broth. A thick cut steak of cod, the meat was supple and sweet. The savory marmalade balanced the broth whose spicy notes were reminiscent of Portuguese piri piri sauce. You could smell this dish coming.

For dessert, caramel and Ferreira white port flan.  The tartness of the berries were able to take away what we thought was an overly sweet flan.  However a great way to round out the back and end a great meal.

The Montreal Restaurant week – Taste MTL initiative is an amazing opportunity to explore Montreal’s culinary landscape featuring some of our city’s finest and most talented chefs and Ferreira Café’s refined menu is no doubt a great way to start a week of culinary hedonism.

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The thing is, we have the same crops here as do many cities in our latitude – mushrooms, greens, tomatoes, squash – and yet our chefs always find new and ever more appealing ways to showcase the season’s bounty. Here are five beautiful dishes that showcase the city’s harvest cuisine this fall.

Gaspesian crab cakes with creamed swiss chard and smoked cauliflower: Chef Martin Juneau at Pastaga invents unpredictable and suprising cuisine de terroir from the best local ingredients, even on a rainy Saturday brunch.

Tarte aux blettes: Speaking of chard, this tart was on offer – but not on the menu – recently at Foodlab, where chefs Michelle Marek and Seth Gabrielese honoured Provence in a one-night-only menu. It’s a classic Provencal tart (blette is slang for chard) made from the unusual combo of chard, apples, and pine nuts. Keep your eyes peeled for more upcoming special events as Foodlab celebrates their one-year anniversary.

Crabapple sorbet: Martin Picard of Pied du Cochon fame has always had a wry sense of humour in his menus, especially for dessert. This tart and delicate crabapple sorbet is part of his Cabane à sucre (Sugar Shack) fall menu, that showcases apples especially. The special menu runs weekends until the end of October, and is sold-out except for a few seats that open on Thursdays. (Photo: Alexandra Forbes)

Fried green tomatoes: Though most Quebecois cooks prefer to make Ketchup Vert with their unripened tomatoes to go with fall-favourite Tourtiere, at Kitchenette they do it Southern-style, with a crunchy breading and sweet fresh cherry tomatoes as garnish.

Agnolotti with Girolles: At Lawrence Restaurant on St-Laurent as in many restaurants in Montreal, the menu changes weekly based on what’s in season. While not groundbreaking or headline-making, this subtle and delicate agnolotti with girolle mushrooms was comforting and pitch-perfect for lunch on a crisp fall afternoon.

The post FIVE MONTREAL HARVEST PLATES appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Jérôme Ferrer, chef and co-owner of Europea, tells us about the culinary experience offered at his restaurant and makes a Quebec foie gras poached on river stones with maple wood chips. See for yourself during Taste MTL – Montreal’s Restaurant Week, November 1-11, 2012.

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