My girlfriend and I went to Anise last night to celebrate our anniversary. I'll begin by stating the obvious: it was really, really good. The service was excellent, knowledgeable, and to-the-point, without being rude. Rather, they were polite in their lack of intrusions (though they were always on hand). The food was out of this world, the way Racha doesn't use traditional ingredients. Not even that, but her flavours don't complement each other, but play off of each other instead. It's remarkable. We both ordered the nine-course menus--I had the surf, she had the turf (though after sampling some of my food, my girlfriend was beginning to come around on fish). The amuse-bouche was roasted peanuts, served with strings of curry. It was needed, considering I had downed a martini and a half by that time on an empty stomach. Needless to say, many bathroom trips would be made throughout the evening, with the fear of falling always lingering in my thoughts. A side note on those bathroom--they were beautiful. Clean and regal, with very private stalls, and a towel rack and bin. I like to say that you can always judge the attention to detail in a restaurant's food (or of a hotel) in the quality of their bathrooms. These are the nicest I've ever been to. The first course was a thick and creamy red lentil broth. Truly remarkable for a soup devoid of "filler" material. It was incredibly flavourful--some pepper would have done it even better, though. Next came the first wine-pairing. I don't remember any of the wines other than their countries. A small glass of white French wine (2001) was served with something termed as "salmon curry bonbons, with nori ribbons and pineapple salsa." The salmon was of an incredibly high quality They were incredible, and my fish-hating girlfriend agreed. She had the foie gras with gingerbread and chutney...I, the foie gras hater, thought it was excellent...She agreed. A large glass of white French wine (2001 as well) was served in accordance with the next two courses. First came perfectly seared ahi tuna, with a side of soba noodles in a japanese olive sauce. The tuna itself was flawless and tender; however, the spices it was encrusted with made it a little too salty. The noodles were fresh and the sauce was tangy and excellent...Iw ould have preferred those served hot. My girlfriend had sausages wrapped in brussel sprouts. These weren't grocery-store or mass production sausages...They seemed homemade, on the level of those at the Passe-Partout. The brussel sprouts overpowered them a little too much. Next came a cup of grilled shrimp...It was a single jumbo shrimp served on a bed of risotto. The shrimp was basted with fennel and arak, I believe, making it juicy and tender, not to mention very tasty. The risotto was out-of-this-world, with a perfect consistency. My girlfriend had quail, in a mushroom, almond and fig mix. A little too sweet for the quail, but nonetheless excellent. A grapefruit sorbet was served next, to cleanse our palette for the main course. Grapefruit being my favorite, I felt this to be some of the best sorbet/ice cream I've ever had (nothing beats the homemade ice cream at Bice). The main course for me was served with a glass of Californian wine from 1999. Pan seared red snapper, on a bed of dandelion stems. I originally had doubts about ordering the surf, since red snapper is not my favorite fish, but it was soft, meaty, and somehow (and for red snapper this is surprising) 99% deboned. It was perfectly cooked as well, with overcooking being a real possibility. The dandelions were an excellent contrast, bitter, but not to the point that you'd cringe. My girlfriend had the Quebec lamb saddle, which was juicy and tender, the way lamb should be. I wasn't a big fan though--I prefer lamb shoulders. On to the desserts. First came a piece of Charlevoix cheese, served with a side of raisin bread. While I normally detest raisin bread, it proved to be an excellent companion to the cheese, which was somewhere on the level of cheddar in terms of mildness. The cheese itself was fresh and creamy, like brie. A glass of red wine was served...I was surprised to get it, considering the menu said three wines, not four. Oh well, no complaining. The only problem was that it was served AFTER the cheese course, leaving that cheese without a wine companion. Maybe I was supposed to leave some in the previous glass for the cheese. Oh well. I couldn't even finish this last small glass, as the previous three glasses and 1.5 martinis was starting to really get to me. I hate dates (the fruit)...Absolutely hate them. I was planning on skipping the next course entirely, called a date delight. It was a small date served in an ice-cream-style cup. I don't remember much else about it, other than that it was quite good for a food I hate. Last but not least, the show-stopping final dessert. REAL pistachio ice cream with coconut (I believe), chocolate fondant (think of an ultra-thick think, pure chocolate mousse--a cross between mousse and fudge) and a cinnamon stick attached to a glazed slice of orange. The ice cream was subdued, though pistachio was not my thing. It could have easily been too sweet, but it's mildness proved an excellent counterpoint to the mind-blowing chocolate fondant. It was thick and creamy, with semi-sweet chocolate heated to perfection. It had a hint of star anise (which is all over the place here, lending the restaurant its name), which after a few off-putting spoonfuls, proved an excellent compliment. I hate cinnamon, especially pure cinnamon, so that was a moot point. The espresso I had was excellent. Dinner clocked in at $320 CAD for two, but my girlfriend didn't order the accompanying wines (it would have been around $400 in that case). We should have ordered our own bottle though, as the wine pairings were none too spectacular, with the best being the second wine (which I'm sorry to forge the name of). The martinis were also a little bland, both in presentation and taste. Everything about this place was a study in beauty. From the muted exterior windows, the the cream coloured, barren walls, to the railings, to the chairs, to the tablecloths, to the lights (concealed in "bumps" coming out of the wall). The plates were gorgeous, with a different plate for each course. The sorbet plate was especially noteworthy, with it's large, swooping rim, and tiny indentation cut out in the middle for the sorbet. As I mentioned before, the bathrooms are the nicest I've ever been in (I wish my bathroom at home was this nice), and the service was accomodating without being annoying. All in all, the best 4 hours of my culinary life.
