Toqué! - Montreal

 Montrealers are big foodies and love their restaurants. The city has been known to have the most restaurants per capita in Canada and second in North America only to New York. With that many restaurants there's bound to be something for everyone's palate. My last post was on Joe Beef, delicious dishes in a rustic atmosphere. For this post I'm at the formal, contemporary end of the Montreal dinning scene. A landmark in Quebec gastronomy and staple in the city's restaurant industry, Toqué!. Toqué! has been at it's new location downtown Montreal since 2004. It's original modern design and décor have to this day stood the test of time. Their farm to table philosophy matched with an innovative preparation approach have led owners and Chef's Normand Laprise and Christine Lamarche to several accolades and recognitions. Toqué! has been a member of Relais & Chateaux since 2006, and is recognized by the Les Grandes Tables du Monde, only one of two restaurants in Canada. Even their book on Quebec Gastronomy won a James Beard award. My Dined There lunch was chosen from a short, but varied menu with a great craft cocktail list. You know what they say, 5 o'clock somewhere, so, cheers!

Mamie Tonic - Dillon's Rose gin, wintergreen and rose syrup, earl grey tea, tonic

First Course: 

Mussels, shoot salad, roasted lemon gel, radish, cherry bomb pepper, cucumber water gelée

Main Course:
Duck magret, fingerling potato, oyster mushrooms, pearl onions, black garlic purée, smoked sauce

Main Course:

Guinea fowl breast, asparagus, turnip, grilled pepper purée, radish, oyster mushroom, radish leaf purée with poivrade sauce

Dessert: Sea buckthorn meringue and purée with cocoa ice cream on coffee crumble

The Toqué! dinner menu offers a chef's tasting, add on options and wine pairings. For more information on Toqué! visit their website www.Toqué!.com . Stay tuned for next week's post when I bounce back to the West Coast and visit the quaint, foodie city of Palo Alto.

See my post on another Montreal restaurant, Joe Beef, here