Vegas' Hottest Chefs

Top 10 Vegas Chef as Selected By Us:

1. Chef Charlie Palmer

2. Chef David Burke

3. Chef Bradley Ogden

4. Chef Nobu

5. Chef Michael Mina

6. Chef Alessandro Stratta

7. Chef Wolfgang Puck

8. Chef Paul Bartolotta

9. Chef David Walzag

10. Chef Rick Moonen

Chef Charlie Palmer
Born and raised in upstate New York Chef Charlie Palmer is a true pioneer of American cuisine. At just the tender age of 24 he was selected to be the executive chef for the River Cafe in New York. A short time after he was awarded the three star award of excellence from the New York Times. This was a huge honour for Charlie because it opened many new doors. A few years after receiving his Executive Chef position at the River Cafe, Charlie decided that it would be a good time to open his own restaurant. He felt that he had enough experience and expertise to run a successful restaurant.After some thought he opened the restaurant Aureole and he carried the duties of head chef and proprietor. This is when Chef Palmer really started to stand out from all of the other restaurants in the area and began emerging his new style of cuisine. Many critics were interested in Charlie because his cuisine was so different but still “American” at the same time. Over the years Charlie was labelled as a true pioneer of American cuisine and also taught many notable chefs in America. Charlie is now running and operating many restaurants In America. He gathered a selected team of Chefs which he meets frequently to discuss different menu items, ingredients and of course the success of the restaurants. Charlie still feels the need to go behind the line and cook and feels that “there’s nothing like jumping behind the line and cooking with the new guy on the fish station for three hours, establishing a good rapport and having him learn to cook to the standards of my palate.” He is also an author of three cookbooks that are available throughout bookstores across North America.Chef Charlie Palmer’s Sterling Club in Las Vegas is the most private dining room that is exclusive to very few people. It offers patrons a choice of personalized eight course menu, a five course Degustation menu, a vegetarian Degustation menu, seasonal lamb, beef and seafood menus.

Some Menu Items Include:

Maine Lobster and Artichoke Salad - Thai-basil scented vegetables and citrus vinaigrettePan Seared Barramundi Filet - Citrus Braised Butter Lettuce, Organic Carrot-Orange Reduction Strawberry Lemon Shortcake with Mar De Bois - sour cream ice cream, lemon sabayon

Chef David Burke
David Burke is a New Jersey Native. He attended the Culinary Institute of America for his education of the Culinary Arts. He then moved to France where he had worked for many different Nobel Chefs. David realized he had a passion for pastry's and went to school in France for Pastry Art. Years later, David moved home to America to work as a Sous Chef for Waldy Malouf. At 26, David Burke was the youngest and only American to win the France's coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d'Honneur. He then became the recipient of many other well respected culinary awards. As a Las Vegas icon, his career began there when he partnered with E-Brand restaurants to create the restaurant; "David Burke". Not only is David Burke a outstanding chef, but also an inventor, entrepreneur and an artist. Chef David Burke’s restaurant in Las Vegas called, was built to showcase Chef Burke’s panache for presentation and includes a bar and lounge, with seating for 50; a main dining room, with seating for 250; and space for up to 100 guests in the private banquet facilities.

Some Menu Items Include:

Pretzel Crusted Crab Cake – mango, poppy seed honey

Bronx style Filet Mignon of Veal – Yukon gold dumplings, morels
Butter Scotch Panna Cotta – curry cocoa jelly, meringue

Chef Bradley Ogden
Bradley Ogden was born in Traverse City, Michigan. His passion for the culinary world began at a young age when he decided to pursue his infatuation with food by attending the Culinary Institute of America. In 1977, Ogden graduated with honours and was awarded the student most likely to succeed. Ogden started off as a Bay Area Chef and moved his way up to an executive position at the Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco. It was when Chef Ogden partnered with Michael Dellar to open The Lark Creek Inn in Marin Country when the critics started to rave; Lark Creek was branded as one of the best restaurants in the nation. Following the success of Lark Creek Chef Ogden the opened up the following restaurants; One Market Restaurant in San Francisco, Lark Creek Inn in Walnut Creek and San Mateo, Yankee Pier in Larkspur, Parcel 104 in Santa Clara and finally Arterra in Del Mar. In 2003 Chef Ogden partnered with Ceaser’s Palace in Las Vegas and opened Bradley Ogden, claimed to be the ‘Best New Restaurant’ according to the very prestigious James Beard Foundation. Bradley Ogden is said to bring a little bit of Northern California to Las Vegas. It is a state of the art eight thousand square foot fine dining restaurant which can only be described as refined elegance and a benchmark for the food and wine that is known to Northern California.Chef Ogden has become widely recognized as one of America’s greatest chefs, with his philosophy being: “Keep it simple; use the freshest ingredients available and put them together in such a way that the flavours, colours and textures combine to bring out the best in each other” there is no wonder why he is admired and so well accepted in the culinary world.

Some Menu Items Include:

Fresh Monterey Bay, Pan-Sautéed Calamari - garlic butter, lemon, romano beans

Wood Grilled Whole Branzino - pine nuts, capers, bronx grapes, tea soaked raisins, lemon butter

Dark Chocolate Tart - Espresso Cream, Shaved Guittard Chocolate

Our Justification:
In order to determine Las Vegas’ top Chefs our group did extensive research online and in food and wine magazines. We chose who we thought were the top ten and then ranked our chefs based on the awards that they one. We divided the categories into International and Prestigious Awards, National Awards, Food and Wine Based Magazines, Las Vegas city Magazines and Rankings. It was here where we were able to asses who we felt we the three best Chefs of the ten that we chosen.

Tokyo's 10 Best

Top 10 Restaurants in Tokyo

1. L'atelier de Joel Robuchon - Chef Joel Robuchon
2. Sukiyabashi Jiro - Chef Jiro Ono
3. Sushi Mizutani - Chef Hachiro Mizutani
4. Koju
5. L'Osier
6. Quintessence
7. Hamadaya
8. Kanda
9. Yoshi
10. Tsukiji-Tamura
    
    

Chef Joel Robuchon

Joel Robuchon is a French chef born in 1945 in Poitiers, France. He was titled "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989 and also awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's Best Craftsman) in cuisine in 1976. He has published several cookbooks in French, two of which have been translated into English, and hosted a culinary television show in France. He operates more than a dozen restaurants in cities worldwide, including Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Monaco, New York City, Paris, and Tokyo, with a total of 17 Michelin Guide stars among them - the most of any chef in the world. At the age of 28, he was appointed head chef at the hotel Harmony-Lafayette. He has mentored such distinguished chefs Gordon Ramsay and Michael Caines. At 31, he won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France for his excellent Craftsmanship in culinary arts. Robuchon is the most influential chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era and since the mid-eighties has been called primus inter pares of Paris’ three star chefs for work both at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant. He was renowned for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine. His food was seen as instrumental in leading French cuisine away from the excesses - and excessive reductionism - of nouvelle cuisine. In particular, his cuisine was seen as harkening back to a more authentic, even bourgeois French cuisine - the "cuisine actuelle" of Patricia Wells' book (re-published as "Simply French") which focused on making each ingredient taste of itself.

Chef Jiro Ono

An 82-year-old sushi chef crowned the world's oldest three-star chef by the famed Michelin Guide. Ono was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. He went into service at a restaurant at the age of 9, and after studying in Tokyo, he became independent in 1965. He says he never drank coffee because it would change the taste on his tongue. Ono is head chef of three-star restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro. The restaurant is located on a basement level, has no menu, and doesn't accept credit cards. Its bathroom is shared with another business. A Tokyo edition of the Michelin guide stated that the price for a course ranges between 27,000 yen and 32,000 yen regardless of the time of day.

Chef Hachiro Mizutani

Master Mizutani has been working at Sushi bars for 44 years after graduating from junior high school. He worked Kyoubashi Yosino, Sukiyabasi Jiro, Yokohama Jiro then Sinbashi Mizutani. He now the head chef of three star Michelin award restaurant Sushi Mizutani.

Justification: Our group did an extensive research on the Top restaurants in Tokyo. We researched a total of twenty restaurants and ranked them according to the most prestigious awards. Out of our twenty awards we then selected the top ten according to the most prestigious award received. Our ranking was based on three teirs. Teir one contained national and international recognition such as Zagat, Michelin and Gault-Millau with fifty points. Teir two contained local and regional recognition such as yahoo travel, new york times with twenty points and teir three contained individual favourable reviews by individual food critics with ten points.

Based on this ranking, L'atelier de Joel Robuchon ranked number one on our list with awards such as Michelin, Zagat and Gault-Millau and a total of one hundred eighty points. Sukiyabashi Jiro ranked second with one hundred and twenty points and awards such as World's 50 best and Michelin and Sushi Mizutani ranked third with awards such as Zagat, Michelen and Yahoo travel and a total of ninety points.

All three of our top restaurants received the Michelin three star award this year.

Fine Dinning in Los Angeles & South California

TOP 10 RESTAURANTS
1. The French Laundry - Chef Thomas Keller
2. Cyrus - Chef Douglas Keane
3. Fleur de Lys - Chef Hubert Keller
4. Patina - Chef Theo Schoenegger
5. Chez Panisse - Chef Alice Waters
6. Spago - Chef Wolfgang Puck
7. Mélisse - Chef Josiah Citrin
8. The Belvedere -Chef Sean Hardy
9. Matsuhisa - Chef Nobu Matsuhisa
10. Providence - Chef Michael Cimarusti


CHEF THOMAS KELLER

Thomas Keller was born on October 14^th 1955 in Camp Pendelton, Oceanside California. His father; Edward was a marine drill instructor and his mother; Betty a restaurateur. Keller is the youngest of five brothers.

Keller began his passion for cooking in his teens, beginning as a dishwasher at the Palm Beach Yatch Club. Keller later moved up to a chef and was discovered by his mentor Roland Henin. Roland Henin hired Keller to come work at the Dunes Club as a cook for staff meals. Through the watchful eye of Henin, Keller learned the fundamentals of classical French cooking.

The next couple of years took Keller to New York, Paris and Los Angeles. Where he began his work at The French Laundry.

Today, Keller is a well known for his French cooking style, which is shown through the dishes of The French Laundry. Keller is an American Chef, Restaurateur and Cookbook writer.

Thomas Keller was honoured various awards throughout his career thus far. The awards include:

Ÿ Best American Chef: California, James Beard Foundation, 1996

Ÿ Outstanding Chef: America, James Beard Foundation, 1997

Ÿ Chef of the Year, Bon Appétit Magazine, 1998

Ÿ Five-Star Award, Mobil|Mobil Travel Guide, 1999-2004

Ÿ America's Best Chef, TIME Magazine, 2001

The French Laundry:

Thomas Keller discovered The French Laundry in 1992, when he just happened to stumble upon an old French steam Laundry. Keller fell in love with the building, property and potential, he then began his nineteen month scraping of $1.2 million to purchase the property. The French Laundry opened in the summer of 1994, and has received numerous awards since including:

Ÿ Best New Restaurant (Per Se), James Beard Foundation, 2005 Michelin Guide New York, 3 Stars for per se, November 2005, 2006, 2007 Michelin Guide Bay Area, 3 Stars for The French Laundry, October 2006, 2007

Ÿ Best Restaurant in the World, for French Laundry in Restaurant Magazine Top 50 Restaurants of the World 1st place (2003, 2004), 3rd place (2005), 4th place (2006, 2007) Best Restaurant in the Americas, for French Laundry in Restaurant Magazine Top 50 Restaurants of the World, 1st place for French Laundry (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007),

Ÿ Outstanding Wine Service Award, James Beard Foundation, 2001

Ÿ Outstanding Service Award, James Beard Foundation, 2003 and 2nd place for per se (2005, 2006, 2007)

Ÿ Favourite Restaurant in the U.S. - Restaurant Experts' Poll, Food & Wine Magazine, 2000

Ÿ Top Restaurant for Food, Wine Spectator Magazine, 2000

Ÿ Voted #1 - Top Food, Zagat Guide to the Bay Area, 1998-2003

The menu for the French Laundry contains a fixed price of $240.00 USD per person (2007) with a 5-9 tasting dish. The French Laundry is known for Keller’s praised signature dishes that have ’whimsical names’ such as Oysters and Pearls, Tongue in Cheek, Peas and Carrots and Coffee and Doughnuts.

CHEF DOUGLAS KEANE

Douglas Keane discovered his love for cooking when he was a young boy, helping his mother out in their Michigan home. This love carried Keane through his teens, where he applied and attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. During his schooling, Keane apprenticed in San Francisco’s Ritz-Carleton Hotel.

After graduation he worked at the Four Seasons in New York at the Seminal Restaurant in the Seagram Tower. Here he learned the different cooking stations, and pressures of cooking for celebrities. During his time at Four Seasons Keane worked his way up to Sous Chef. Keane then moved onto the Lespinasse, which is one of the Big Apples high end dining destinations. It was here at Lespinasse that Keane found his mentor: chef Gray Kunz.

Despite his experience and work in New York, Keane’s love for California had him return. In 2002 Keane was honoured by San Francisco Chronicle with the “Rising Star Chef” award, earning a 3.5 star for his cuisine.

In 2003, Keane opened his restaurant Market with his friend Nick Peyton. Keane ran the back of the house, while Peyton ran the front of the house. Their restaurant key focus was on all-American cuisine, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, meatloaf and pork.

Cyrus:

Nestled in the heart of Sonoma wine country, with its intimate elegancy, Cyrus restaurant is describe by Keane as his “dream restaurant.” The restaurant illustrates a combination of contemporary luxury cuisine with a strong French base, and contemporary global accents with an emphasis on seasonality. The Cyrus menu is price fixed yet completely flexible, it consists of a 3-5 dish selection from anything on the menu, wine sommelier to pair for you, amuse bouche and extensive cheese tray to start, and to end your night, mignardises and bon bons to take with you.

CHEF HUBERT KELLER

Hubert Keller was born in Alsace, France and attended École Hotielier in Strasbourg. Upon graduating, he began his career as a pastry chef. Keller has trained with legendary France chefs, Paul Bocuse, Paul Haeberlin and Roger Verge before coming to San Francisco. Keller’s cooking is contemporary French cooking with a Mediterranean accent.

In 1986 Keller co-owned with executive chef Maurice Rouas, of the first Fleur de Lys restaurant. Keller opened the Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, where he featured a $60 “Rossini Burger” which was made of American kobe beef, sautéed foie gras and shaved truffles. When 1990 arrived, Keller received an invite from the White House as their first guest chef. Keller prepared a gourmet, low-fat dinner for President Clinton and his family.

Keller has been honoured with many awards throughout his career thus far. Some awards include:

Ÿ 10 Best Chefs in America (Food & Wine Magazine)

Ÿ Best Chef, California (James Beard Award), 1993

Ÿ Who’s Who of Food & Beverage (James Beard Foundation) 2003

In 2004, Keller opened a Fleur de Lys in Las Vegas, and now works alongside his wife: Chantal Keller. She assists with running the restaurant, she tests recipes and styles gifts, and assists with his cookbooks and TV shows.

Fleur de Lys:

Fleur de Lys restaurant is world renowned for its dishes. It has been honoured with many awards including:

Ÿ Second Best restaurant in the World (Wine Spectator), 1998

Ÿ Ivy Award (Restaurants & Institution)

Ÿ Dining Hall of Fame

Ÿ DiRoNA Award (Nation’s Restaurant News) 2006

Ÿ Top 25 Restaurants in America (Food & Wine Magazine)

The Fleur de Lys menu is classic French cuisine on a fixed priced. Keller uses his Alsatian sensibilities for his dishes instead of the old standards. The menu is also attractive to customers because it offers dishes that are reduced in fat, vegetarian, no-fat dinners all with seasonal California ingredients.

New York City's Top 10 Restaurants!!

New York City's Hot Top 10!

1) La Bernardin- Executive Chef Eric Ripert
2) Masa- Executive Chef Masa Takayama
3) Per Se- Executive Chef Thomas Keller
4) WD- 50- Executive Chef Wylie Dufresne
5) Craft- Executive Chef Tom Colicchio
6) Babbo- Executive Chef Mario Batali
7) Jean Georges- Executive Chef Jean Georges Vongeriehten
8) Daniel- Executive Chef Daniel Boulud
9) Aquavit- Executive Chef Marcus Samuelsson
10) Blue Hill- Executive Chef Dan Barber

Top 3 Chefs Biographies!!!

La Bernardin- Executive Chef Eric Ripert

Born in a south eastern region of France called Antibes, from which Eric pulls the base of his own creative palate, favouring a more Mediterranean taste in his youth.
Mr. Ripert’s passion for cooking forced him to join a culinary school in Perpignan. By the beginning of the 80’s his had moved to Paris and was working at La Tour D’Agent a restaurant that dates back over 400 years, there he began his professional life as a cook and soon to be chef. Eric’s next post would be as Assistant Chef de Partie at the Michelin three-star, Jamin, a big step up from a line cook. Eric would leave Jamin in 1985 to perform a tour of duty, after which he went back to Jamin in a more senior capacity as Chef Poissonier.
After four years with owner Joel Robuchon Eric moved to the states where in went to work in Washington DC. By 1991 he was living in New York. Eric’s star really began to rise in 1995 while working for the Le Cozes’ as chef for Le Bernardin. Ripert earned a number of four star rating from the New York Times by 2000. In 1997, GQ named Le Bernardin the best restaurant in America. With Eric at the Helm Le Bernardin was recognized by the Zagat Guide as the “Best Food” in New York City for the past four consecutive years. In 1998, the James Beard Foundation named Le Bernardin Outstanding Restaurant of the Year and Eric Ripert Top Chef in New York City, and in 1999 they received the Outstanding Service Award.Chef Ripert has also been named Outstanding Chef in the United States.by the Beard Foundation.
Le Bernardin, was the brain child of French brothers Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, its cuisine was complete seafood driven and got its style from Gilbert Le Coze, whose detail for the highest levels of ingredients prepared fresh and simple. The Le Coze's parents owned and operated a small restaurant and inn, called the Hotel de Rhuys. This was the basis for Gilbert’s cooking passion by helping his grandfather and father in the kitchen and on the fishing boat while Maguy Le Coze worked alongside her mother in the dining room a true family business was created. When this combination of elaborate preparations and presentations; large meals of small, often quite rich courses; extensive wine cellars; and the attention to detail and service created by Gilbert duo complimented each other well and drove them to Michelin star status almost immediately. After having work at the restaurant in the years leading up to the death of Gilbert Le Coze, Chef Ripert continued where so proudly started, The menus today still echos the name of Gilberts whose passion for seafood has created a competitive niche market for themselves in New Yorks budding restaurant landscape.

Masa- Executive Chef Masa Takayama

Masa Takayama Mr. Takayama has been cooking since he was a teenager. He grew up in a small town one hour north of Tokyo, where his parents owned a fish shop and a catering business. Takayama along with his brother and three sisters all helped in the store, loading the fish into the display cases before school. After school, Takayama would get on his bike and deliver sashimi that his father had made. In the spring, which is wedding season in Japan, the family catered celebrations, typically five-course dinners for 200 guests. After he graduated, he moved to Tokyo where he worked at Ginza, a well-known sushi restaurant, as a dishwasher and bathroom cleaner. He became a sushi chef there, but eventually wanted to do things his own way. He left after eight years and arrived in Los Angeles in 1980, working in a number of sushi restaurants before opening his own. After eight years on Wilshire Boulevard he moved Ginza Sushiko to Rodeo Drive in 1992. When he decided to relocate to New York, he sold the restaurant to his sous-chef, which in the same location is now called Urasawa. He said he is looking forward to his parents' first visit, though he has no desire to return to Japan. Mr. Takayama is separated from his wife, he said. Two of his children are in college, and the other has already graduated. He plays golf and runs marathons (his best time was in New York, 4 hours 50 minutes).
Masa Mr. Takayama is the the chef and owner of the Masa restaurant that opened in 2003 in the Time Warner Center. He made his reputation at his Beverly Hills restaurant, Ginza Sushiko, as a perfectionist sushi chef whose brilliance could be seen from preparations of fugu, the poisonous blowfish considered a Japanese delicacy, to foie gras, cooked in such a traditionally Japanese fashion that the French would hardly distinguish it. For 20 years, his food has been a particular passion for a first-rate group of diners who embrace his version of details and all that it entails.
90 percent of the fish he serves is flown in from Japan and that will cost you. The prix fixe per person at Masa starts at $300, and depending on the ingredients in season, can go as high as $500. That's without drinks, tax or tip. It is currently the most expensive restaurant in New York. Masa is a high end exclusive sushi restaurant.

Per Se- Executive Chef Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller was born on October 14, 1955 in Camp Pendleton, Oceanside in California to his parents Edward and Betty. He is the youngest of five boys, however during his teenage years he began his culinary career with his mother teaching him how to cook at a restaurant that she managed. From that point onwards he worked at the Yacht Club in Palm Beach Florida as a dishwasher, Keller then realized his interest in cooking and quickly got promoted to from being a dishwasher to a cook, shortly there after he focused on perfecting the art of making hollandaise sauces.
Keller worked numerous cooking jobs throughout Florida and New York to perfect his art. However one summer he had the opportunity to meet Chef Roland Henin who is French and taught Keller the elements of classical French cooking at his restaurant called the Dunes Club. Thomas then went on Paris to work as an apprentice at different Michelin-starred restaurants in the early 80’s to further enhance his skills.

Chef Keller is mention to be among the best of Americans chefs since he has attain a number of distinguishable culinary awards, he has also wrote a number of best selling cook books to showcase his french culinary skills. Keller notable awards include the following:
Ø Best American Chef: California, James Beard Foundation, 1996
Ø Outstanding Chef: America, James Beard Foundation, 1997
Ø Chef of the Year, Bon Appétit Magazine, 1998
Ø Voted #1 - Top Food, Zagat Guide to the Bay Area, 1998-2003
Ø Five-Star Award, Mobil Travel Guide, 1999-2004
Ø Favorite Restaurant in the U.S. - Restaurant Experts' Poll, Food & Wine Magazine, 2000
Per Se

In 2004 Per Se was opened at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle in New York City with much of the design and flare and beauty of a French restaurant. The dining room holds just 15 tables and boasts spectacular views of Central Park. There's also a salon, bar, wine cellar, a private room for 10 and another that accommodates up to 60 guests ( Thomas Keller Per Se © 2004 onwards by Juliette Rossant, all rights reserved Many of the dishes made at Per Se are elgantly designed with great detail being placed on presentation, mood and surrounding atmoshpere.

Some of the common trends with chef Keller are his warm fruitwood-smoked salmon with potato gnocchi and balsamic glaze, or braised stuffed pig's head. tongue-in-cheek recipe names like "Macaroni and Cheese" (aka butter-poached maine lobster with creamy lobster broth and mascarpone-enriched orzo) and "Banana Split" (actually, poached banana ice cream with white chocolate-banana crepes and chocolate sauce). Many of the ingredients and trends that are done by chef Keller is a mixture of his experience in complex dishes blended with his French cooking art..

Our Justification of Our Choices

With our top 10 restaurants, we researched numerous amounts of websites and food critique analysis as to determine the top trends in haute food culture in New York City. New York City has become the destination to open up a restaurant in the world. With so many restaurants to look at we tabulated the restaurants that showed a remarkable consistency on most food critics’ pages. We calculated the results based on their specifications and input from other group members. These results have shown impeccable descriptions about the restaurants style, class, and of course cuisine. These descriptions gave us an understanding of the choices for us to make when planning our top 10 electives.
We found the information to be a good opportunity in the determination of the top ten restaurants in New York City. This is in partly due to a collaboration of many sources and the ranking process of the most popular by other food critics and magazine articles. However one downfall was that majority of the information provided was based on personal opinions.

Paris Group

Top 10 Restaurants in Paris France

1.Plaza Athenee- Alain Ducasse, Christophe Moret
2.Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant- Pierre Gagnaire
3.L’Astrance- Pascal Barbot
4.Guy Savoy Restaurant-Guy Savoy
5.Grand Vefour-Guy Martin
6.L’Atelier-Joel Robuchon
7.Le violon d’Ingres-Christian Constant
8.L’Arpege-Alain Passard
9.Le Cinq-Philippe Legendre

10.L’Ambroisie- Bernard Pacaud

Plaza Athenee Restaurant

World-renowned chef and owner of Plaza Athenee Alain Ducasse offers his guests modern and classic French cuisine. The Plaza Athenee restaurant offers the unique experience of being able to choose your own menu from a wide variety of dishes from different regions and cultures. Alain Ducasse brought in interior designer Patrick Jouin to oversee the interior design. Jouin calls the finished look of the restaurant "as if the décor added its own extensions overnight". Ducasse appointed Denis Courtiade as his maite' d. Himself and his staff work hard to maintain an exceptionally high level of service. "Black jacket, charcoal grey trousers, fine white cotton shirt with a Georges NYH collar and gray twill tie - this is the uniform worn by the dining room staff". Alain Ducasse appointed Chritophe Moret as his head chef for the restaurant. Ducasse calls Moret a "passionate, rigorous and curious, with skills and an open mind. The Plaza is now the premier restaurant in Ducasse's fleet.

Some Menu Items:

1. Lucien Tendret-crushed pate
2. Bresse poultry with Albufera sauce (bechamel sauce with sweet peppers),
3. Creamed truffled semi-dried pastas and cocks kidneys and combs

Alian Ducasse

Alian Ducasse was born September 13, 1956 in Castel -Sarranzin in the southwest of France. He began his apprenticeship when he was sixteen in 1972 at the Pavillion Landais restaurant in Soustons as well as the Bordeaux hotel school. After his training, he began to work at Michael Guerard's restaurant. Ducasse started working as an assistant at Moulin de Mougins in 1977 under legendary chef Roger Verge, creator of Cuisine du Soleil. Here he learned the cooking methods for which he was later known.

Ducasse's first position as chef came in 1980 when he took over the kitchens at L’Amandier in Eugene Mougin. A year later, he obtained the position of head chef at La Terrasse in the Hotel Juana in Juan-Les-Pins. He was awarded two stars in the Michelin Red Guide. In that exact same year, Ducasse was the one and only survivor of a plane crash that nearly killed him.

In 1987, Ducasse was offered the Chef position at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo at the hotel's restaurant Le Louis XV. Three years later, Louis XV became the first hotel restaurant to be awarded three stars in the Red Guide. After assuring himself that the Hotel's restaurant operations were running good, Ducasse gave up management of all of them but the Le Louis XV restaurant.

Ducasse came to the U.S. in June of 2000 and opened the Alain Ducasse restaurant in New York City which received the Red Guide's three stars in December of 2001. Ducasse became the very first chef to own restaurants carrying three Michilin Stars in three cities: The Plaza Athenee in Paris, Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, and Alain Ducasse at Essex House in New York.

Plaza Athenee in Paris scored 19/20 points in the Gault millau guide and ranked 18th in the Guide's European Restaurant Rank. The New York restaurant attained Mobil Guide's five-star award and the New York Times four-star review.

The Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant

The Pierre Gagnaire Restaurant is considered one of the finest in France because of the experiments in fusion and modern French cuisine. The restaurant has one of the most daring and challenging menus, with a unique use of ingredients, which are always changing. In 2005, Gagnaire Restaurant was ranked in the top 20 in the world by industry magazine Restaurant, and ranked 3rd best restaurant in the world in 2006, and 2007. He has won many awards for his cuisine in the past, like the Gault-millau, and in 2007 he repeated his succsess by being awarded 3 Michelin Stars again for his experiments in fusion and modern French cuisine. The restaurant's modern decor is beautiful dove-gray walls with polished honey-colored wood while the service is refined and professional, but relaxed and friendly.

Chef Pierre Gagnaire

Pierre Gagnaire is one of the most well known French chefs in the world today, and the head chef and owner of the Pierre Gagnaire restaurant in Paris. Gagnaire is one of the top chefs in the world, who was at the front of the fusion movement, and whose name is synonymous with an adventure in dining. Gagnaire enjoys to experienment and alter the conventions of classic French cooking by introducing daring and interesting mixs of flavors, tastes, textures and ingredients. The 57-year-old Chef is recognized as a leader in the global trend of molecular gastronomy and his influence on cooking has been worldwide. The mission of his cooking is to have a lively cuisine which takes risks while respecting the past. His focus on contrasts in texture, color, acidity, with his vibrant flavors and ingredients are said to be unusual and sometimes surprising lifting dining to new heights. It is said that a visit to Pierre Gagnaire can be a life experience, one to be remembered for a lifetime.

Some of his menu items include:
1. Minuscule rolls of veal stuffed with microscopic bits of veal liver
2. A jus of cucumber covering pureed essence of cucumber and topped with pine nuts
3. Foie gras with mussels and sweet, crunchy bean sprouts
4. A paté of leeks intertwined with Japanese Wagyu beef
5. Chicken leg cooked in citrus and topped with a glowing-white perfect hemisphere of scallop mousse.

L'Astrance

Since it’s opening in July of 2000, L’Astrance Restaurant in Paris, France has received nothing but praise. Near the Jardins du Trocadero, the accomplished owners of this small, silver and saffron coated split-level restaurant promote a quality of service and cuisine that's rarely matched. L’Astrance offers an intimate, yet sociable setting, with enough privacy to put guests at complete ease Chef Pascal Barbot’s cooking style is modern French with hints of distinct flavors enthused from global influences.

The most exciting and reputable feature offered at L’Astrance is the “Surprise Menu” with guest’s trusting in the expertise of Barbot to create the perfect meal according to their preferences. At L’Astrance, attention to detail is extremely important, from cooking techniques to the well-mannered service staff. But simplicity is the key. Barbot's energy for minimalism with his sense of taste and patience are responsible for his envied style and huge success of the establishment.

At L’Astrance premium ingredients are allowed to bask in their own glory, massaged into unexpected complexity and rich flavor. Some menu favorites include:

-"Ravioli" of Avocado-Wrapped Crab.

-Two St. Jacques atop a curry yogurt sauce and wilted baby spinach, served alongside a small bowl of dashi, lime, herbs and St. Jacques tartare.

-Celeriac veloute topped with black truffle cream, a dollop of parmesan mousse, hazelnut oil and a large slice of black truffle.

-Two mini pear clafoutis with lime zest and passion fruit caramel, served alongside an almond sabayon and a pineapple sorbet quenelle, sprinkled with praline.

Chef Pascal Babot

Pascal Barbot was born and raised in the small town of Auvergne in Central France. Here he grew up helping his father harvest vegetables from their garden and watching his parents prepare traditional French cuisine. It was from these early encounters with cooking that inspired Barbot to become a chef

As a young culinary student and enthusiastic traveler, Barbot began training for the culinary world at a few of the top restaurants in Europe and Australia. His training included time spent at Maxim’s in Paris, Clave in Clermont- Ferrand, Les Saveurs in London and Troisgros in Rome. He then worked with mentor Chef Alain Passard at L’Arpege, who above all taught him to respect even the most basic of products. It was during those five years that he met Chrisophe Rohat, which led to a partnership and the opening of their restaurant, L’Astrance in July of 2000. Chef Pascal Barbot has already received two Michelin Stars in appreciation for his talent in the kitchen.

In the kitchens of L'Astrance, Barbot redefines French cuisine by steering away from traditional staples like cream, butter and salt, replacing them with fresh local ingredients. His food - basic produce and meats layered with intricate flavors - reflects both his humble upbringing and his high-level of training.

Justification:

We based our rating of the top chefs and restaurants in Paris France on two different criterions. First, we took into consideration the number of awards received and selected ranking status on each contending restaurant through prestigious, creditable, and esteemed culinary guides such as "The Michelin Guide". Our second criterion for rating excellence was based on individual reviews and recommendations found on various online websites promoting restaurant blogging. We feel that though it is crucial for an establishment to win over the opinion of the expert critic, true success of any restaurant in the industry is based on the perception of the guest.

Vancouvers Top Restaurants & Chefs

Vancouver's top Restaurants and Chefs

1. Lumiere- Rob Feenie
2. Blue water café- Frank Pabst
3. Tojo- Hidekazu Tojo
4. Gastropod-Angus An
5. Le Crocodile-Micheal Jacob
6. Hells kitchen
7. Vij's- Vikram
8. Moustache café - Geoff Lundholm
9. Cincin- Mark Perrier
10. Araxi- James Walt

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Lumière:

In 2000, the Lumiere restaurant in Vancouver received the Relaid Gourmand Designation, which is an award depicting those who excel in catering to the passions of life, quality, refinement and a sense of the exceptional. Considering that the restaurant only opened in 1995, we feel that this is an outstanding accomplishment in such a short period of time. The dishes are prepared with French and Asian influences in an elegant dining atmosphere. Along with an impressive wine list, the Lumiere has a menu that changes from season to season to ensure all produce being used is fresh and in season.

Rob Feenie: (Executive Chef)

Chef Feenie has had a love for cuisine since high school. After attending an outstanding culinary school in Vancouver, he became a Sous Chef for a variety of top restaurants in the area. Here he had the opportunity to work with some of the best Chefs in the area and kick start his career. Not only is Rob Feenie a chef, he is also a chef-consultant as well as an ambassador for Canadian food products worldwide. He has opened a couple restaurants with great success as well is working on his third cookbook.

Menu includes:

frisee and herb salad
with ficelle croutons, long beans and a lemon-herb mayonaise

beetroot velouté
with cauliflower foam and summer truffle

Beef Carpaccio
with oven-dried tomatoes, pickled shallots and shaved reggiano

Barbequed Peking Duck Broth
with pork & duck wontons, enoki mushrooms and Thai basil

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Blue Water Café + Raw Bar:

Known for its seafood, the Blue Water Café offers a breathtaking dinning room and raw bar. Along with a heated patio, there is also a private wine room which holds the entire award winning wine selection. The Raw Bar is home to some extremely skilled sushi chefs who prepare colourful and innovative Japanese dishes to their guests right in front of their eyes. Vancouver magazine also awarded the Blue Water Café the Gold Award for best new restaurant.

Frank Pabst: (Executive Chef)

Chef Pabst is renowned for his innovative creativity in regards to seafood preparation. He has received his skills from working in Germany and France with highly educated chefs. Once he arrived in Vancouver in 1993, he was hired on as the Chef de Cuisine, and then a few years later he opened his first restaurant. He has now been working with the Blue Water Café since 2003, preparing some of the most elegant fresh seafood that Vancouver has ever seen.

Menu includes:

Salmon Tartar

raw and cooked vegetables tossed in argan oil and honey vinegar

Trap Caught Wild Prawnssnap

peas, carrots and fresh herbs in ginger, chili and lemongrass

Kobe Style’ Beef Short Ribs

roasted root vegetables, sweet soy and sesame reduction

European Heritage Chicken

organic carrot and parmesan risotto with chanterelle mushroom, sage jus

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Tojo’s:

Tojo’s opened in 1988 and is known has the best Japanese restaurant in Vancouver, if not in all of Canada or North America. Tojo’s is located on the 2nd floor of an office building, providing guests with an expensive, but delicious, fresh and innovative meal. Tojo’s is unique in the sense that with the ever-changing menu, guests could eat there every week for years and never experience the same meal twice.

Hidekazu Tojo:

Working in Japan for 16 hour days, he developed his skills with fish. Tojo came to North American in search of an environment that was multi-cultural, and ended up in Vancouver. Tojo’s opened in 1999 and has been successful every since. Tojo’s restaurant is home to many celebrities who travel to experience his exceptional food as well as some of the most educated food experts in the world. Tojo is now giving young chefs the opportunity to learn alongside him as he educates to provide an outstanding future for Japanese Cuisine in Vancouver.

Menu includes:

Edamame
Boiled green soy beans

Ebi Shinjo
Prawn dumpling

Teriyaki
Broiled with teriyaki sauce

Beef
New York steak with vegetables

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Justification:

Our rating system was based upon three different categories based on the number of awards received through prestigious, credible, recognitions groups like “zagat” for example, the second along with regional groups and the third category which includes individual reviews and recommendations.

Toronto and Niagara

Top Ten Restaurants and Their Chefs

1. North 44 - Mark McEwan
2. Susur- Susur Lee
3. Canoe- Anthony Walsh
4. Truffles- Jason McLeod/Lynn Crawford
5. Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar- Jamie Kennedy
6. Bymark- Mark McEwan
7. Thuet Bistro and Bakery- Marc Thuet
8. Auberge Pommier- Jason Bangerter
9. Celestine- Pascal Ribreau
10. Lai Wah Heen- Ken Tam

Honourable Mentions

1. Eigensinn Farms- Michael Stadtlander
2. Langdon Hall- Jonathan Gushue

Top 3 Chef's Bio





Mark McEwan, one of Toronto’s many celebrity chefs, is chef/owner of three of Toronto’s most exclusive and prominent restaurants. Currently, Chef McEwan is managing North 44, Bymark, and his newest venture, One, located within Toronto’s newest boutique hotel, The Hazelton.


From 1976 to 1979, McEwan began his career and studies in Toronto at the Regal Constellation Hotel and George Brown College respectably. He worked under the tutelage of Executive Chef, Joseph Vonlanthen as an Executive Sous Chef. Upon graduation, Mark McEwan landed an apprentice position at Switzerland’s prestigious Grande National Hotel. He later returned to Toronto and began his endeavors as one of Toronto’s top chef. After moving up the kitchen brigade to Executive Chef at the Sutton Place Hotel, McEwan acquired Pronto Ristorante with two partners. For many years this was Toronto’s most prestigious restaurant and was deemed the pinnacle of the city’s finest cuisine.

This wasn’t enough for Chef McEwan though; he needed a restaurant to call his own. To fulfill this need, McEwan opened his own restaurant, North 44, in May 1990 and sold his share of Pronto Ristorante in 1992. Between opening North 44 in 1990 and Bymark in 2002, Mark McEwan kept busy as a chef/owner in local restaurants (Marketta, Terra Restaurant) and even offered his knowledge and experience as a consultant for the Air Canada Center and The Old Mill Inn and Spa.

McEwan’s newest endeavor, One, is located within Toronto’s Hazelton Hotel located in Yorkville. This restaurant opened the summer of 2007 during the Toronto Film Festival which immediately gave One a infamous reputation.





Chef McEwan’s main concern is providing his guest with a good meal. The menus at all three of McEwan’s restaurants draw from the best local purveyors of meat, fish and produce, with a focus on seasonal ingredients. Menus change every few months in order to keep up with the freshest products. He feels that he may have taken a bit of a step backwards in terms of focusing his cuisine more on classical styles compared to the trends of “fusion confusion”. McEwan’s favourite menus are the more classic European-style menus, which focuses on simplicity, which is why he refers to it as sophisticated home cooking. This is the only cooking that will turn his head these days.

North 44:
Located in the Yonge and Eglington area, a popular and busy district of Toronto lays McEwan’s notorious restaurant, North 44. As the website promotes, this “restaurant possesses a sophisticated, yet relaxed atmosphere with a contemporary decor. A destination for celebrities and out-of-town visitors, North 44 is a gourmet experience perfect for business professionals, social and romantic dinners.”

Bymark:
This restaurant is located downtown at the TD Centre. Located in the atrium, the rays of incoming sunlight flood the restaurant and provide warmth to the below ground dining rooms. The restaurant consists of a main dining room with three private rooms, each with a 14 guest capacity. The dining room provides intimate surroundings and the bar is always busy and exciting. Their menu demonstrates a contemporary, fine dining touch, with core of classic cuisine matched by an extensive wine list.

One:
Recently opened during the Toronto Food Festival in the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville, One provides guest with the simplest of dining experiences. This restaurant is built on the philosophy of simplicity being the new complexity. Diners are presented vegetable and garnish free plates, highlighting the one main food item that McEwan has mastered. One is a perfect example of how fine dining cuisine is returning to its roots. Yabu’s Pushelberg, one of Toronto’s most acclaimed interior designers, provides the perfect sexy and elegant atmosphere.

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Internationally acclaimed Chef Susur Lee emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada and opened his first restaurant “Lotus” in 1987. Throughout the years, Susur Lee has never deviated from a consuming passion: to explore beyond the horizons of received culinary knowledge, and to create unique, sublime compositions for the palate that blend textures and flavors in sensuous harmony.

Pronounced by Zagat as a “culinary genius”, Susur Lee fuses the complex food traditions of China with the classic techniques of French cuisine. He also places great emphasis on daring and original plate presentations. Chef Lee currently owns and operates two of Toronto’s hottest restaurants under the names of “SUSUR” and “LEE”

“SUSUR” opened its doors in 2000 and immediately earned great reputation. Since its beginnings, the restaurant has consistently received the highest possible rankings from many food critics and international restaurant ratings. In 2004, the chef opened “LEE”, a less formal sister to “SUSUR” in which Chef has fun creating an inventive menu yet consistently showcasing the best of gastronomy. With the two restaurants side by side, “SUSUR” “LEE” is synonym of perfect harmony.

Even though Susur Lee is a perfectionist, he delights by playing around with freedom and experimentation. Susur's recipes are not ordered by fish, game, or vegetable, nor are they ordered by season or course. He likes to combine old recipes and techniques into new experiments. An example of this is the emulsified fatty Tiajin stock Susur learned to make while stunning and gutting fish at Peking House in Hong Kong he recreated in the form of a Wuxi-Style Wild Boar Belly on Parsnip Romano Bean Puree with Apple and Cipollini Onions, which at the same time evolved from an Ontario Rabbit with Szechwan Garlic and Eggplant Sauce with Black and Sweet Rice Sausage once served at Lotus in Toronto.

Susur Lee really likes to make balanced food and draws from different sources of sweetness. Sweetness plays an important part in the composition of his dishes. On a recent interview he describes how in his pig’s ear terrine he likes to use sugar cane because that kind of sweetness is not very harsh and it does not destroy your appetite.

The pieces of Susur's culinary puzzle come together as every story tells a dish. In what can only be described as Susur-style.

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Located on the 54th floor of the Toronto Dominion Tower in downtown Toronto, this critically acclaimed restaurant has been said to be the definition of Canadian cuisine. Canoe restaurant and bar offers everything from a breathtaking view of the city to the finest and freshest Canadian produce, game, and fish to an outstanding selection of Canadian vintages.

Through the textures and flavours of some regional Canadian cuisine, Executive Chef Anthony Walsh has brilliantly captured the rich raw environment that is Canada. This fine dining, business casual restaurant is mostly corporate dominant, with menu items ranging from $19-$44. Whether trying to decide between the Roasted calamari and cuttlefish, served with artichokes, orange and olives or Grandview Farms venison loin accompanied with Cape Breton chanterelles, potato gnocchi and Niagara concord grapes, you are sure to leave very satisfied.

The Chef is Anthony Walsh, a name that many people know in Toronto. He was the first chef to ever represent Canada at the World Food Summit in Singapore, was awarded the Ontario Hostelry Institute Culinary Gold Award in 2004 and captured the Olympic Gold Metal Plates for Ontario in 2005. But how did this man become the chef he is today? Walsh started off as an English student majoring in Classical Literature at the University of Toronto, shortly after he went to George Brown College to embrace the culinary arts.

Upon his completion of the culinary program, Walsh began his apprenticeship at the Windsor Arms then moved over to the Founder’s Club where he was introduced to Jamie Kennedy, one of the biggest influences in his life to this day. Chef Walsh also had his own place, JAW (his dad’s initials), until the doors were closed after two and a half years. In the fall of 1995, Canoe hired Chef Walsh as the day saucier. After two years he is still working at Canoe, however with a much more demanding role as the executive chef. As if that wasn’t enough, along with overseeing the daily productions at Canoe, executive Chef Walsh also oversees two other restaurants, Jump and Biff’s Bistro.

Chef Walsh’s favourite thing to do is keeping as many of his ingredients Canadian; such as Prairie grain crusted lamb loin with Cumbrae Dorset lasagna, Cookstown turnips and Applewood smoked Atlantic salmon, Cookstown beets, Chicory and Pelee Island caviar.

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Honourable Mentions

At the intersection of Osprey Township Tenth Line Road and Side Road 30 you will find a lonely dirt road leading off to a driveway. Down the driveway, a 19th century brick house and an old red barn. The property is surrounded by chickens, pigs, and ducks recreating a picture perfect scene of remote country life with smells that lead you to wonder what’s cooking inside.

This is the home and refuge of one of Canada’s best chef’s, Michael Stadlander. The farm, one of the most unusual restaurants in North America considered one of the best restaurants in the world. With over 15 years of experience, Michael Stadlander offers an extraordinary culinary experience in six or eight courses to a maximum of 18 people a night for approximately $250.00 per person.

With great anticipation, guests from all over the world book months in advance to visit Eigensinn Farm. The name, borrowed from the title of an essay by Hermann Hesse, means ''single-mindedness'' or ''obstinacy,'' which accurately expresses the vision and mission behind Michael Stadlander’s concept.

Imbued with the German (and Canadian) love of the outdoors, he has come to believe strongly that a chef can insure the integrity of what appears on the plate only by maintaining the closest possible links between the farmers and the fishermen who produce the food that enters the kitchen. So he has become a farmer himself, but a farmer who still practices his old craft at the highest level. In a sense, he returned to his roots: he grew up on a small family farm, where as a boy he handled chores like feeding the chickens and ducks.

Most of his culinary techniques came from his mother and grandmother from whom he learned things like how to make pickles with a bumper crop of cucumbers. For this reason and more, his peers such as Jamie Kennedy consider him a legend and speak of his cuisine as “clean, pure and visionary”. And precisely clean and pure is what you should expect. Stadlander is not a fan of lavish or trendy cooking methods or voguish presentations. This means no tall food, no dusting of plates, and very little greenery.

A sample six course dinner would include the following:

-Very crusty, whole-grain sourdough bread
-A nibble of tuna carpaccio served in an abalone shell, with seaweed on the side, collected, salted and mailed to Singhampton by Mrs. Stadtlander's mother in Japan.
-Fish dressed with wasabi, rice vinegar, soy and ginger.
-Consommé with floating ravioli, stuffing of celery-root and beef tongue inside the pasta, beef marrow poached in the soup and chopped celery greens sprinkled on top.
-Risotto with foie gras, tons of herbs and plump, moist, locally picked chanterelle mushrooms
-Black currant sorbet, made with kirsch and red wine and little sugar as a palate cleanser
-Tender lamb chops and loin from milk-fed animals raised by a friend of the Stadtlanders in neighboring Grey County, with carrots, acorn squash, yellow summer squash and a wedge of cheesy rosti potatoes.
-Strudel made from some wild apples on the porch of the farm and homemade vanilla ice cream with a few spicy home-preserved damson plums served on the side. _________________________________________________________________

Langdon Hall is a 52-room inn located in Cambridge and offers guests some of the best services available anywhere in the region. Their restaurant has a CAA/AAA rating of 5 diamonds and offers guests breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and room service. They also provide sommelier Sylvian Brissonnet who can make wine pairing suggestions for the food prepared by chef Jonathan Gushue.

Jonathan was born in St. John’s Newfoundland and attended Georgian College for front of the house operations. It wasn’t until a co-op experience that he realized his place was in the kitchen. After graduating he worked in Japan and England, and returned home to the Fairmount Newfoundland in 1998. He worked in Vancouver before moving to the Four Seasons in Toronto, and then Truffles from 2003-2005. And finally he came to Langdon Hall to continue learning and incorporate his idea of “bons produit, bonne cuisine”.

This is an important philosophy that he tries to incorporate into his menu ideas. His goal is to use local farmers and blend local culture into his menu. Jonathan Gushue has tried to use Cambridge’s rich Mennonite community to inspire him to create great food. I feel that this would be his favourite trend in the restaurant industry.

He loves to use the fresh ingredients from his kitchen garden or to use whatever the farmers have in season. He says that it is a disadvantage to be out of the city not getting deliveries daily, but you are closer to farmers with fresh ingredients. Chef Gushue has put a lot of time into his tasting menus and works hard to pair it appropriately with wine. I also noticed that in true Newfie form cod was on the menu a few times. When asked about his favourite foods, he said that his Dad’s clam linguini was one of his most beloved meals.
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Justification

We rated our restaurants based on a 3 tier ranking system which rated the awards that each restaurant has been granted. Through the points system, we graded each establishment and ranked them in their appropriate order. Although we don’t feel that this is the most accurate way to definately say which are the best restaurants, it is a good way to benchmark the top establishments.

We also looked outside of the immediate Toronto and Niagara region to showcase some of the excellent chefs from the surrounding areas. Because these restaurants, including the ones located in the Niagara Peninsula, are not within the specifc geographic location of our research, they did not receive the exposure, recognition or acknowledgment from the Toronto mainstream media. The process of ranking these restaurants was scientific and shows the most established restaurants that have experienced continued excellence in southern Ontario.

Montreal

Top 10 Montreal Restaurants Listed in Order of Rating:



1. Toque!

2. Schwartz's

3. Moishe's Steak House



4. La Chronique

5. La Queue Cheval

6. The Beaver Club

7. Au Pied de Cochon

8. Cafe Ferreira

9. Bronte

10. Joe Beef



Profiles of the Top 3:



Toque! was established in 1993 by Christine Lamarche and Chef Normand Laprise. Chrisinte and Normand believed in creating an authentic Quebec product through the use of locally inspired ingredients. Some of the signature ingredients and dishes available at Toque! include duck foie gras, wild glasswort, lamb, young vegetables, and fresh herbs. The cost to dine at Toque! reflects the quality of the cuisine, as it lies within the higher price bracket. Within the past two years Toque! has received recognition from Zagat, Mobil Travel Guide, Conde Nast Traveller, and also from a variety of local and regional sources. Chef Normand Laprise is said to be 'the inventor of Quebec fusion cuisine' and has played a major role in the 14 years of unparalleled success experienced by Toque!. Toque! is often referred to as the 'city's finest' restaurant and has the credentials to back it.



Schwartz's was founded in 1928 by a young Romanian Jewish immigrant by the name of Reuben Schwartz. Schwartz's is believed to be Canada's oldest deli and is referred to as 'Montreal's Hebrew Delicatessen.' This historical deli is located on St. Laurent Boulevard, also known as 'The Main,' which is one of the oldest areas in Montreal. Schwartz's is famous for serving smoked meat prepared using a traditional recipe from 1928. A fresh blend of herbs and spices is used to marinate the meat for 10 day's. The meat is smoked daily to guarantee freshness and is said to contain no preservatives. Schwartz's is also a hub for celebrities passing through the city, some recognizable names include Celine Dion, Hank Aaron, The Rolling Stones, and Angelina Jolie. Schwartz's has gained recognition on both the international and national levels as it has received favourable mentioned in Zagat, Conde Nast Traveller, and Concierge.com. The prices are very reasonable ranging from $4.25 to $16.95. Schwartz's has passed the test of time and remains to be one of Montreal's most popular restaurants.



Moishes Steak House shares some commanalities with respect to history and location with that of Schwartz's. Moishes was founded in 1938 and is also located on St. Laurent boulevard. For almost 70 years this family owned and operated establishment has been a favourite spot for locals and business travellers. Commonly dubbed as Montreal's best steak house, Moishes has proven its longevity in a competitive Montreal market. The menu is very traditional and representative of most high end steak houses. Menu prices range from $27 to $52, which is quite reasonable for a high end steak house like Moishes. The wine list is quite extensive with strengths lying in the wine choices from California and France. Moishes is recognized by Zagat and has also received the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. Every city has one steak house that exceeds all others in excellence and quality, Moishes has been the number one steak house in montreal for almost 70 years, and will most likely continue this tradition for many more.

Rating System

All restaurants are rated using three recognition groups:

1.National & International: Zagat, Wine Spectator, CAA, Mobil etc... = highest scores

2.Local & Regional: Conde Nast Traveller, Travel & Leisure, concierge.com etc... = mid. scores

3.Individual favourable Reviews by Individual Food Critics: Montreal Gazzette,
findyourmontreal.com, Bon Appetite etc... = lowest scores