Aromes restaurant reviews (Montreal) – A recap

 ***This is an anonymous private and personal initiative: I went to all the restaurants that are known to stand out in Montreal (this naturally explains the general positive reviews you will read, and yet ..even the best do sometimes fail as you will realize on a few occasions through your readings) and found for myself. , Enjoy!
***Click on a restaurant’s  name to read its  full detailed photo text   review
***The   * sign signifies that the meal had potential of  top level for enjoyment and cooking (worths passing by if you happen to be around),  the ** means it was of the highest level one could find in Montreal at this moment ( worth leaving the comfort of home  to attend the dinner).
***What to look for in my reviews? I apply myself to be as concise as possible. Even if I do not like a meal, if it is well cooked, for ie, I’ll have to be honest about it. So, you should look at  the rating over 10 for my ultimate opinion on a dish, since that rating goes with the level of enjoyment detected by my taste buds (8 is very good food, 9 is excellent and 10 is food that would be hard to improve upon) . Meals of top level are those with at least two 9/10, or one 9/10 and a 10/10. Click here for more on my rating system.
***Last but not least: to maximize your chances of enjoying a good meal, chose to dine on a Friday or Saturday evenings (more likely to get the good Chef working on those evenings), start earlier rather than late (food is fresher). In Montreal, currently, there’s no big change at the upper level of dining (fine dining, top bistro): Chefs Mercuri,JF Belair, Navarrette,Laprise,Loiseau,Lenglet,Belair,Rouyé,Axel/Cloutier,Pelletier,  Ferrer, Juneau , Derek,  Chef Eric Gonzalez at Auberge Le Saint Gabriel are still the reigning kings of what stands out in Montreal.
 
My top tier favourite restaurants in Montreal:
XO Le Restaurant (Fine dining, Modern European) **         
Restaurant Raza  (Fine Dining, Modern Latino/French Fusion) *
Restaurant La Porte  (Fine Dining, Modern French) ** 
Restaurant L’un des Sens (Fine Dining, Modern French/North American) ** 
Bistro Cocagne  (Bistro, North American) **
Le Marly (Fine Dining, North American/French – Closed)**
Kitchen Galerie (Bistro, North American) ** 
Au cinquième péché (Bistro, Modern French) **   
Bouillon Bilk  (Bistro, Modern French/Cosmopolitan) **
M sur Masson   (Bistro, North American) *  
Kazu (Japanese Bistrot) **
Lawrence (British/Intl Gastro pub)**

Montreal: Sushi-yas, ethnic food, macarons that stood out
+Review of Montreal sushi places that stood out during my latest tour of all major Mtl sushi-yas
+My top 15 best dinners in Montreal & Surroundings
+Montreal major macarons boutiques that stood out
+My top 10 best food items of all my Montreal dinners
+Montreal’s best roasted chicken
+Best Pizza in Montreal
+Montreal ethnic food by Aromes

My Favourite classic French tables in Montreal:
They are those restaurants where I love going back, because classic French cuisine is my favourite food and they do it better than most: Le Bonaparte (all Chefs missing filet mignons, bisque..etc..please pay a visit here ..you will understand what I’m looking for) , Le Margaux, le Mas des Oliviers and Chez La Mère Michel. Had one of those three tables decided to close, I’d be saddened! Simply the best classic French in town! Please never ever let modern trends distract you: you are simply the BEST!

Mtl restaurant reviews by categories:
–Fine dining:
XO(** ), Toque(**)!, La Porte(** ), Club Chasse & Peche (** ), L’auberge Saint-Gabriel (*), Europea (* ), DNA (*), La Chronique( *) , Nuances (*  closed for renovation),  Restaurant L’inconnu (Closed*), Raza (*),La Maison Boulud (*),  Osco!, Renoir,  Newtown.
–Bistro:
Bouillon Bilk (**), Bistro Cocagne (** ), Kitchen Galerie (** ), La Montée (** closed), F Bar (*), Comptoir charcuterie & vins (*), Café Sardine (*), Cuisine et Dependance (* closed), Brasserie Central, Mezcla, Hotel Herman , Chez Victoire, Joli moulin (closed),   Au Pied de Cochon, Lucille’s oyster dive, Mas Cuisine, Le Quartier General, Le Filet, Le Chien fumant, KG Poisson ,Restaurant Helena, Le Margaux, Hambar, Brasserie Centrale, Kazu, Lawrence, Park  , Hotel Herman,    Laloux,
–Oriental, Fusion: Jun I (**), Biron  (Closed)

Outside of Montreal:
L’Eau a la bouche ** (Perfect 10 on a  first dinner there,  slightly less impressed by a second dinner, but I could easily  name a good dozen of  1 star michelin tables that  have not done better than EAB), Poivre Noir ** (they can hit highs pertaining to solid 2 michelin potential), Restaurant L’initiale * ( One of the very few Relais & Chateaux of Eastern Canada: I was not blown away, but the food was skillfully well done and I am sure that a dinner there might fare better), Restaurant Quintessence * in Tremblant (That reported last dinner there was of world class material. I’d say that specific dinner  was easily of 1* Michelin potential), Les Zebres * (Val David, a bistro that stood out).

Non-Montreal contents:
My 3-star Michelin website is now available (click on the following picture to access the site):

Restaurant DEREK N’ ALEX (DNA), Montreal

This Friday (April 23rd 2010), I went to pay a visit to two major tables considered by the most as Montreal best: A Lunch @ DEREK N’ ALEX, then I completed the day with a dinner at L’Inconnu (See next review for the review on L’inconnu).

DNA Restaurant
355 Marguerite D’Youville St. (Vieux Port / Old montreal)
Montreal, QC 
Phone: 514-287-3362
URL: http://www.dnarestaurant.com
Type of Cuisine: A Mix of Modern French/Mediterranean/Italian

Arome’s the food blog: Q&A’s, Guidelines, Ethics, Vision

DEREK N’ ALEX (DNA) is widly known as one of Montreal hottest and most popular
restaurant of the moment. Located in the Old Montreal, at a stone trow from the
harbor, the restaurant is hosted in a beautiful  building:
  What I like with DNA is it’s commitment to a cuisine that goes way beyond the usual  monolithic same of the same usual Bistro/North American  fares that’s spreading all around this city,  thanks to it’s mediterranean touches and original takes on game meats, seafood,
thoughtful ingredients. Ironically, during for this Lunch  @ DNA, I did not pay justice to their own unique dishes (Sorry DNA! ;p). More on this later on.

Upon arrival, on this Lunch, I felt transported in an oasis of beauty: their rooms (a lounge section on the
Left of the reception area dominated by warm orange touches):






the main dining room on the right  (dominated by glass and an overall light-penetrating modern and trendy looking area) are beautiful  renditions of attractive design:


In it’s genre, perhaps one of the most beautiful restaurants of  this city (with La Porte remaining my personal coup de coeur for it’s Milles & Une Nuits decor / But both are from 2 different styles, obviously).

I first thought about paying tribute to their usual classics (sweetbreads in agro dolce, etc),  but the beauty with most of those fresh Market-focused Montreal restaurants are the little surprises they just brought from the market. So the waitress informed that they had also snow crab salad and fresh halibut. Sorry Chef Dammann for not paying a tribute this time to your classic own creations,  but I am a son of the Sea (born and raised at a stone throw from the Indian Ocean surrounded by the freshest  mass of seafood in the warmest waters;p…perhaps one of those rare moments I didn’t fear to surrunder to the mass! Rfaol!) and was seduced by the Seafood offerings.

Choice #1: Snow crab, Meyer Lemon, Aioli
Disposed on a fresh piece of bread, the crab salad was drizzled with aioli. Oozing of freshness,  the Snow crab meat was of impeccable freshness. With a more upfront punch of marine robustness,  this crab meat would have been pure joy in heaven. My second best crab salad in this city after the one I had at Cuisine & Dependance. 7/10

Choice #2: Halibut, Salsa rustica.
Topped with a perfect golden crust, the fish was ideally moist and had an unbelievably  beautiful snowy white texture (within) that made no doubt about it’s impeccable freshness.  It’s cooking, it’s tempting taste, it’s balanced texture and precise spicings made of it an impreccable piece of fish. We may not, in Montreal, be as gifted as in Japan or on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea and yet some restaurateurs are doing miracle in managing to catch up with great fresh seafood. I tend to lower a bit my expectations with seafood in Montreal since it’s unfair to compare the level of stunning fresh seafood I was surrounded by on the banks of the Indian Ocean (totally on  a different scale, there), but honestly I know many cities who would envy Montreal for that. To conclude on this dish, underneath the fish there was wheat seeds replacing rice. Cooked at enjoyable al dente consistency and packed with it’s pristine flavors, this was a masterfully well thought addition. The accompanied salsa rustica was good, light and precise. 8/10

The overall was accompanied by a wine that I asked the waitress to chose from her own inspiration:  Pinot Blanc Lake Breeze 2008. Her choice turned out to be an ideal spot on match to the seafood and the  wine on it’s own was without reproach: nicely balanced, enjoyably aromatic with remarquable freshness, enjoyably fruity (sensed perfectly well the subtle aromas of pears +citrus). Excellent.

The welcoming and the service was also of admirable mention: the several ladies who served were impressively patient, attentive, efficient. Their class and quality of service is of  high mention.

The dominant festive music (varied rythms of Jazz, Reggae, French and more), the beautiful layout,  the remarquable charming and impeccable service, the great food, the proximity to the waters/harbor (I can see lots  of couples enjoying a nice roamantic walk on the water front after their meal there)…DNA is unarguably a HOT spot!

I hope you do not limit yourself to my two simple meals there (make them sound like a seafood place ;p).
For something more elaborate, I’d suggest you go with their dinner. From a past dining experiences there, a while back,  I recall a level of gastronomic coup de force that skyrocketted this restaurant easily among the very top best dining experiences I had the good fortune to enjoy in this City, not to mention how creative and original they can be!