Van Horne Cuisine du Marché: Art is a high priority at this beautiful little white bistro on avenue Van Horne in Outremont: there’s a Richard Bernstein litho of Picasso behind the bar and a wall gallery of Lichtenstein plates in the dining room and the food is high art as well. Young chef Eloi Dion, who was previously a commis at the ultra-chic private supper club 357c, is actually at the stove in the bistro’s cozy space, and serves up plates that are wildly creative, expertly prepared with an eye towards aesthetics. A recent dinner included a roasted veal salad with piri-piri and a pan-seared savoury pumpkin cake, followed by a deconstructed apple tart that was so fresh and popping with flavour that it may as well have fallen straight off the tree.

Les 400 Coups opened last year amid great fanfare: Marc-André Jetté, well-known on the food scene here from stints at Laloux, Bu, Chez L’Épicier and others, opens his haute bistro in Old Montreal with partners Patrice Demers (pastry chef) and Marie-Josée Beaudoin (sommelière). The menu is iconoclastic, the buzz is high and a reservation here is already sought-after on weekend nights- this enRoute accolade only solidifies this resto’s rep as a new Montreal classic.

Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins: Ségué Lepage’s small spot on St-Laurent is almost impossible to wedge yourself into during 5 à 7 (happy hour) time on a weekday, that’s how popular the place is. He’s figured out a winning formula- an accessible wine list complimented by small plates with fresh seasonal accents constructed before your eyes behind the bar in the main-floor kitchen based on the array of intensely delicious, traditional charcuteries that he crafts in his basement kitchen/lab. Lepage is dedicated to upholding and innovating on the rich tradition of Québec cuisine while keeping flavours fresh and inventive. Le Comptoir is what Montreal cuisine is (and should be) all about.

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THE DETAILS

Van Horne Cuisine du Marché, 1268 Van Horne, (514) 508-0828

Les 400 Coups, 400 Notre-Dame East, (514) 985-0400 ‎

Le Comptoir Charcuteries et Vins, 4807 Saint-Laurent, (514) 844-8467

The post 3 MONTREAL RESTAURANTS NAMED BEST IN CANADA appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Montreal becomes Festival Central every summer, its streets permanently animated by crowds and performances. At the heart of it all is the always-lively Quartier des Spectacles, or Show District, which is anchored by a public esplanade where many of Montreal’s free shows are held. The Jazz Fest may be wrapping up, but the party keeps going when the Just for Laughs festival takes over downtown…

If you’re heading there to catch a show and want to grab dinner and drinks beforehand, you won’t need to go far: two of the best casual restaurants in town are right there on the main esplanade, one beside the other. The F Bar and its neighbour Brasserie T! have great terrasses which afford that rare combination of great food and great people-watching, with front-row views of the main outdoor stage. My Montreal Buzz colleague Melora Koepke recently reviewed these two great spots in a post about Montreal’s Best Restaurant Patios.

For those who have been there, done that, I’ve got two more tips of where to eat and drink well around the Quartier des Spectacles. The first is a classic: the small and intimate Pullman wine bar has been around for years and is always a sure bet when looking for a place to nibble on small portions of this or that with a good glass of wine (there are plenty of non-obvious by-the-glass choices, smartly curated).

My second tip is the relatively new Bouillon Bilk, a hip little restaurant a mere block away from the esplanade with a simple and almost stark décor, but pleasingly elaborate plate presentations and preparations. While the summer festivals last they’ll offer what’s called a 4-à-7 special (a play on the French term for happy hour), where you can have, between 4 and 7 P.M., a dozen top-notch oysters for $24 or a platter of delicious appetizers for $10 per person – a great deal, considering the quality of what’s on the plate.

Bouillon Bilk, 1595 St. Laurent, (514) 845-1595  (you may want to check for more specials on their very active Facebook Page)

Brasserie T!, 1425 Jeanne-Mance, (514) 282-0808

F Bar, 1458 Jeanne-Mance, (514) 289-4558,

Pullman, 3424 du Parc, (514) 288-7779

The post QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES: WHERE TO EAT appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

Thankfully, the whole process of choosing wines for your meal is dealt with lightly and with plenty of good humour. All the tapas-sized dishes have cheeky names (yuppy duck tartare, anyone?) and the menu suggests not only an accord (pairing) but also a désaccord (an off-the-wall, unusual pairing that might seem, initially, to disagree with the food).

One might feel very adventurous when visiting Accords and try having their smoked ribs of bison with a white table wine from Domaine de la Rectorie, in France, for example, although I seriously recommend sticking with the more conventional pairing of a Vacqueyras red, also from France.

I, for one, stuck with the proposed “accords”. My duck tartare with fig and tiny nuggets of foie gras went nicely enough with the recommended Mordon 2009, from the Domaine Chamonard. As the night was windy and chilly, I chose something rich and comforting for next course (a great excuse to stay on the red wine!). Out of the kitchen came three big-bellied pasta pillows filled with pulled braised oxtail covered in a sticky, beefy sauce. The second wine pairing was also successful, but hey, how can one go wrong with a 1999 Pessac-Léognan?

The non-initiated and wine buffs alike are advised by the young-and-cute sommelier Philip Morriset (who worked for years at the excellent Club Chasse et Pêche, in the same neighbourhood) and can choose from a vast selection of wines-by-the-glass.

In colder months, diners are seated between wine cabinets and a stone wall, but as soon as the Montreal spring permits they open their beautiful terrasse. As owners Guy A. Lepage (of Québec television fame), Chantal Fontaine and Jean-Pierre Des Rosiers say, “we’ve given ourselves the restaurant that we’d like to go to as customers”.

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THE DETAILS

Accords, 212 Notre-Dame West, (514) 282-2020

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