Lesley C

I think pastry books should be written by pastry chefs BUT there should be major handholding involved by an excellent editor. I have many more shitty pastry books written by amateurs than professionals. Amateurs often write things that are DEAD WRONG and the execution of the pastries is wretched (see Alton Brown thread on icing a cake ).

This thread is not about Robert's credibility, it's about the EnRoute restaurant ratings. If you want to explore that subject, it's the wrong place to do it because it will end the original discussion. Also, if you're asking Robert to comment on an old post, you should revive it so he can read it, as well as the posts that led up to that allegation. He might also want to see the name (or pseudonym ) of the person who made that comment. Thank You.

Steve W, I really think this should either be a PM, or better yet, find the thread in question and ask your question there. This question has nothing to do with the EnRoute restaurant ratings. Try to find the post and revive it so it can jump to the top. David, in Robert's defense, the EnRoute team edit down the choices and then send this Amy Rosen woman to dine out in each city to choose her favourites. I see the journalist selections as just a guide for this woman. Think of it this way, they are doing her work for her -- for a little bio blurb next to the article. Rosen chooses the top ten, not Robert or Marie-Claude or any of the other journalists in other cities. I don't think Robert screwed up. I think EnRoute made the perimeters a bit too wide. I could understand Cluny making it in a weak year BUT 2003 was a very strong year for new restaurants in Montreal. Also, the EnRoute deadlines are odd. Wasn't Cluny open in 2002? Maybe Brunoise didn't make the cut because it opened late in the season. There's stuff like that to consider. I know last year I ended up recommending a restaurant like Lemeac (that I'm not wild about) because it fit into their "new restaurant" time frame. What I would really like to know is whether Bymark and this Vancouver restaurant are that much better than Les Chevres! Les Chevres has a very strong concept behind the cooking. I wonder if they would have made #1 if they had spent an extra million on decor -- like Bymark and last year's winner, Catch? Anyway David, who really gives a frig. Last week when George Clooney was in town he ate at your place right -- not Cluny!

I was there last Saturday --late -- and was happy to enjoy a nice bottle of 1993 Coteaux de Languedoc and a plate of Parmesan. It's a great place to unwind, chat, and chew.

Hi Robert, Welcome to eGullet and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm with Rabbit Angstrong on Cluny. I really have to question whether Cluny does Montreal justice. The decor and concept perhaps, but considering the high level of culinary skill in our city, the food just doesn't cut it. I visited the place this summer to add to the casual section of my book and walked away unimpressed (needless to say it didn't make it to the book). And I would never take a friend or family member for a meal there -- no matter how hip or stodgy they may be. Frankly, I would never eat there again. In the area, I can have an $18 lunch at Cube -- and they bring it right to the table. PS: Some of us look the trees up and down to understand the forest.

Stelio, what's the deal with grouping BYOW restaurants with snack bars? BYOW restaurants like Christophe and Les Infideles have a heck of a lot more in common with Les Chevres than a snack bar like La Paryse and Schwartz's, or a cafeteria like Cluny. Oh, and come to think of it, Christophe is another excellent restaurant -- a BYOB no less -- that could have been considered one of the best new restaurants of 2003. Unreserved, thanks for bringing the thread back on track. I was just looking at the Beckta Web site and the menu seems a bit odd. I'll have to drive to Ottawa and see what it's all about.

But there isn't even service at Cluny and I don't recall a wine list. OK, food shouldn't be the only focus of a restaurant rating, but places with a lineup, cafeteria trays and wilted salads. Come on... I bet even the nice people at Cluny are surprised.

Oh BS. We all know Les Chevres is a good restaurant. Many of us have gone on record here and elsewhere singing their praises. We're not belittling anyone's accomplishments. But you know, if I were a young restaurateur who had opened a restaurant this year and had been overlooked for a place like Cluny, I'd be really really pissed.

Jesus, I never said I wasn't for Les Chevres. I just gave them the highest rating of any new restaurant in my book. I have never doubted the talented crew at Les Chevres. Do me a favour Mr. Suhl and try to avoid putting words in my mouth. My issue is with Cluny ( a funky place granted, but one of Canada's top ten new restos? Hardly). And yes, I do find the judging a bit off, especially as both Montreal judges work for the same newspaper. Get J-P Tastet in there... get Sarah Musgrave... mix it up for heaven's sake.

Oh that explains everything. Marie-Claude Lortie is a Cluny fan. She's into decor.

Overpriced? You have to be kidding.

The flights are free.

guru, which local reporters were in on the judging this year? Why aren't they named? I certainly don't mean to take away from your success. I just don't see Cluny above restaurants like Brunoise and Rosalie. I had some seriously mediocre food there this spring. What are they judging on then? Décor? Ambiance?

Today the EnRoute restaurant winners were announced. Here's the press release: For Immediate Release October 28th 2003 enRoute is proud to announce the winners of Canada's Best New Restaurants 2003 October 28th 2003 - After calling upon a nationwide roster of professional food editors to recommend restaurants across the country that opened between June 2002 and June 2003, enRoute contributing editor Amy Rosen (whose work on the 2002 Best New Restaurant Survey garnered her a nod at the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards) and editor-in-chief Arjun Basu are proud to unveil the results of a cross-country journey to seek out the 10 best new tables in the country. The winner of enRoute's Canada's Best New Restaurant 2003 is Bymark Toronto, ON Amy Rosen describes Bymark as "a triumph." Proprietor Mark McEwan's "attention to detail - from gathering the finest ingredients to the passionate wine list and extremely chic cocktails - is exquisiteŠ It's a significant addition to the country's food scene." Rounding out enRoute's picks for Canada's Best New Restaurants 2003: 2 Bis Moreno Vancouver, BC: this "stunning, minimalist" eatery is hailed as "a modern Italian masterpiece" 3 Les Chèvres Montreal, QC: a "raucous eight-course vegetarian tasting menu that includes three desserts" 4 Beckta Dining and Wine: Ottawa, ON: "a stellar wine program" and "ingredient-driven modern cuisine" 5 The Temple Victoria, BC: "a rarified blend of Zen monastery and hipster hang" with "worldly influences" 6 Celestin Toronto, ON: "a creamy décor and easygoing atmosphere" with food that's "universally delicious" 7 Eau Toronto, ON: featuring a "talented chef" who " hasn't dumbed down his menu for the hot pants set" 8 Muse Restaurant and Lounge Calgary, AB: "at once contemporary and whimsical - but the food is no joke" 9 Sobo Tofino, BC: "a purple catering truck where people come from afar" to enjoy "sophisticated takeout fare" 10 Cluny Montreal, QC: "a new-school cafeteriaŠ where a hot line, refectory tables and beautiful people all amicably coexist" I was a judge for this last year and from what's written here it sounds like only Ms. Rosen and the editor of the mag chose the winner. I'm not wild about this rating system, but hey, it's their magazine. Has anyone here dined at more than one of the top ten choices? If so, does this rating hold ground? I really question Cluny. The setting is great but the food isn't so hot.

McKay, classic is never boring when properly executed. Never, ever. I'll take one of those boring cocoa-dusted truffles any day over one of those crappy truffles made with pre fab chocolate shells. And regarding Steve's method of making ganache (chocolate into the cream) I sat next to the great French food chemist Herve This tonight, and he's all for Steve's method, the fat being slowly incorporated into the liquid. I'm now changing my method to Steve's.

Bu opened on Oct. 21st. It's at 5245 St-Laurent between Fairmount and St-Viateur. The co-owner, Angelo Rindone, has compiled a seriously great little wine list. It's very cool, and apparently already the after-hours hangout for many of the city's chefs. I'll let David add his two cents.

The classic truffle is coated in cocoa powder (it's supposed to look like a real truffle). The spiky chocolate ball is called a chardon.

For a whipped ganache truffle, pipe it immediately in long logs using a very large round tip. Cut about 1 inch in size and ball immediately. Or to better conserve the light consistency, keep the truffles in that odd square shape, roll in chocolate, then cocoa.

Chef's jackets aren't that flattering. I met Caroline McCann-Bizjak when she was working in New York and you would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful, charming, and competent chef (not food personality, chef) in North America. In person, she's a major stunner.

Have to say I'm loving Ina Garten. She's like Nigella Lawson and Nathan Lane rolled into one. All her food looks terrific and she's very cute. The program has a nice calm pace quite like the British cooking shows. I love the way she says " faaabulous!" She's someone I'd love to cook with: "Ina, please pass me those faaabulous cucumbers..."

Er...truffles should never be crumbly . Why would you want crumbly truffles?

I heard a rumour that Bras will soon be retiring and handing the kitchen over to his son. Does anyone know if there's any truth to this one? My source was quite reliable.

I would think most people who make truffles in Montreal are hand rolling them, unless they are using corps creux, those hollow chocolate shells in which ganache is poured. All the cocoa-covered truffles at Patisserie de Gascogne are hand rolled. To coat your ganache balls with chocolate, place the tray of balls in the fridge and chill until very firm. Melt your couverture until it's warm to the touch (above 32 degrees C) and place the bowl on your work table to the left of a tray filled with a thick and even layer of sifted cocoa. Remove the ganache balls from the fridge and place them on the left of the bowl of chocolate. Pick up three of four balls with your left hand, dip your right palm into the chocolate, and roll the balls between your palms until they are completely and evenly coated with a thin layer of chocolate (no, there are no palm marks). Drop the balls in a straight line, horizontally, along one side of the tray, wait a few seconds, then, using a chocolate dipping fork or a regular fork, roll the truffles to the middle of the tray. Repeat the operation several times, then rotate the tray to the other side. Eventually you will end up with a large mound of rolled truffles in the middle of your tray. When you're sure they are set, pick them up carefully and pile them into a large container. If you choose to coat them twice, just refrigerate the once-coated balls on parchmant lined trays a second time, then proceed with the cocoa step. I prefer the two-coating method because it povides a thicker protective shell for the ganache, and it gives the truffle a more interesting mouthfeel and enriched chocolate flavour. It's very important, however, that you do not use a ring and "dip" the chocolate. The layers must be as thin as possible. By dipping them one by one you end up with a thick shell. About the reduced cream method: Sorry, I just don't get it. Why bother? I just boil cream for one minute when I make ganache destined for chocolate.

I had a seriously shitty pizza at Napolitano a few weeks ago. What's going on there? There really is no good pizza in this city. The last decent one I tasted was at the new Pizzaole in T.M.R.

OK, I see this very differently. I think the problem here is that you are not coating the ganache balls in couverture before you roll them in the cocoa. To me truffles that are just balls of ganache rolled in cocoa are amateurish and silly. In my chocolatier's view, you must roll the refrigerated boules at least once in couverture (it doesn't have to be tempered) before rolling them in chocolate (don’t do this with a fork or ring, roll the balls between chocolate-coated palms). The chocolate coating helps maintain the truffle's shape and gives a bit more resistance to the tooth when you bite into it. I always roll my truffles in couveture twice before they hit the cocoa, and every good chocolaterie I worked at in France and here in Montreal does the same. Try it, you'll like it. And the mooshy consistency might be a good thing if it isn't melting all over your fingers.