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September, 2002 Toqué! - the highlight of delicious Montreal If I had to choose the best city for spending a summer vacation, considering the fact that we live in Boston, it would have to be Montreal. There are many things that make Montreal so pleasant -- great festivals, museums, architecture, parks and gardens, biking trails, shopping, and of course the restaurants. As one British ex-pat put it, "I don't know any other place where one can get French food in American quantities at Canadian prices!" Over three trips to Montreal in the past year, I have accumulated many wonderful gastromonical finds and would like to share with you the jewel of my collection -- Toqué! We went to Toqué because we heard too many great things about it and because we were curious. We have never been to a French restaurant of this level and this price. We anxiously awaited the moment of truth - can a food experience be worth C$300? Toqué proved that it can. What's worse is that it's addictive. As we walked into the artsy-fartsy, but cozy dining room, I did not know what to expect. I was just hoping that Toqué's food would be as carefully constructed as its decor with lime green walls and diagonal doorways. I hate walking out of a restaurant thinking that it was probably good, but I ordered the wrong thing. I did not want to blame myself for ordering the wrong thing in Toqué, so both Jason and I got their 5 course blind tasting menu with 3 matching glasses of wine. We wanted to be pleasantly surprised. Crusty, earthy breads arrived in a wooden box with creamy butter. The hazelnut bread was particularly special and I had to remind myself to leave room for dinner. The meal started with an amuse-bouche (an extra course that the chef decided to add to our meal). After taking the first bite, I had complete confidence that this would be one of the most memorable meals I've ever had. It was a sweet giant clam paired beautifully with sorrel puree, chives, herb oil and tomatoes. All the dishes that we tried were creative and unusual, yet so memorable that I can see myself craving them again and again. The first appetizer course was a plate of raw scallops served in the shell with lime mousse. Our waiter suggested that we eat them with our hands and we were only too glad to take his advice. It was fun to slurp up the slippery scallops with the mousse so very light and tangy it felt surreal. I couldn't resist licking my shells. I love small appetizer dishes like tapas and was happy to see another appetizer presented to me by the waiter. It was seared tuna, perfectly rare, served over cabbage with bacon bits. The cabbage and bacon gave the tuna a pleasant smokiness and an Alsacian rather than Oriental flair one usually sees in seared tuna dishes. We got two different main courses and enjoyed sharing them. I got a guinea fowl that was wonderfully tender with a crisp skin. It was served in a foamy wine sauce with an accompaniment of a huge wild mushroom ravioli that made me think I was in mushroom heaven. Jason got venison accompanied by corn, fiddleheads, and carrot puree. The venison was wonderfully moist, tender, and lean. After the main course, the waiter came over with a big platter of 7 Quebec cheeses. I was concerned that I'd have to choose one, but he announced that we must try them all. He cut us a piece of each one and brought it on a plate with walnut bread. Most of the cheeses were made from cow milk except for one goat cheese. The flavors ranged from mild to pungent. The meal ended with desserts. Jason had a luscious chocolate ginger crème brûlée and I had strawberries with various sauces and sherbet. I usually prefer pastry based desserts, but strawberries were a wonderful light finish to a great meal. The best aspect of Normand Laprise's food is that in spite of its complexity, you can taste every component of a dish. The flavors and textures are beautifully balanced and every ingredient is there for a reason. Besides the wonderful food, Toqué takes great pride in their wines. We chose the "Discovery" blind wine menu and were served 3 glasses of wine with our meal that matched the dishes beautifully. We had to wonder whether the wines were found to match the dishes, or the dishes were created to show off the wines. It's rare to find such synergy! We were served a Riesling from Austria, a dry white from Corsica, and a nutty full-bodied red from the south west of France. As a final note, I have to take off my hat to the staff of Toqué. The service was impeccable, but not stuffy. Our waiter presented all the dishes and wines with humor and told great stories, particularly about Corsica. I think visiting Toqué will become a tradition each time we we'll be in Montreal. If you are planning a trip to Montreal, here are some additional resources: More Montreal restaurant reviews by Helen Jeremy & Vinita's Montreal Restaurant Guide Chowhound Montreal Restaurants forum |
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