Club Chasse et Peche
Old Montreal | $$$$ | Website
The tiles in the entranceway are plain terra cotta. The diners at the bar look like they just returned from a ski trip. The excitement isn’t over trendy decor, a branche crowd or a menu chock full of exotic ingredients. No, what’s exciting here is the contrast between old and new, traditional and modern, complicated and simple. Even the restaurant’s name points to a juxtaposition of styles. Though the hunting-and-fishing-club reference seems stodgy, the establishment is owned and operated by two of the most innovative restaurateurs around. Former partners at restaurant Cube, dining-room manager Hubert Marsolais and chef Claude Pelletier have figured out just what it takes to create a successful Montreal restaurant: flawless cooking, an innovative and affordable wine list, a cool environment, and a wait staff that is genuinely pleasant as opposed to professionally charming. It also doesn’t hurt that these boys set – rather than follow – trends.
[Lesley Chesterman]