Nectar

[epicurious]

Anyone has some feedback to give me for Nectar? I've seen it mentioned a few times on other threads but with no reviews. I'm considering going there on Easter weekend (I'm from Montreal).

If not, does anyone have other suggestions for a great dining experience, at around $200 per couple? We'll be 3 couples willing to spend a few bucks but none of us has a Susur budget!

Thank you

D.

[sadistick]

Depending on what you order (Wine mostly) You could do $100 per person at Splendido...Highly recommended...

[Manolo]

I tried Nectar a few weeks ago and had a great time there, the food was great and the decor was fantastic. The only problem I had was the very gimicky menu..

The apps. just have the main ingredient listed i.e. Duck and a one word description underneath it ie. Hot or Cold.. so you have to constanly ask the server what is what? Turned out that Duck/Hot was seared Fois Gras.. But for a table of 8 it made it very difficult to get in all the questions..

[Wine_Dad]

I've been a few times because I like the deconstructed/reconstructed menu. However, the service is spotty. The fist time I went I ordered the beef entre and it was mostly gristle. I made a mention of it to the waiter who simply replied with "sorry". That was it - not other mention.

The second time I was there, I order the foie gras appetizer. I got a peice of the vein in my portion (4 inches worth) and mentioned it to the waiter (after showing it to my dining companions who were appalled) and I got th same "sorry".

Shame on me for going back after the poor service. But low and behold, I went back a third time and everything was fine. I get the distinct impression that there's an "attitude" at Nectar that if you question the concept, menu or preperation you're not better than a pee-on and you shouldn't be there.

Shame on them because this is the second time I've posted this story and you can't ignore a food community as tight as the e-gullet group.

At $200 per couple, it's still worth it but so are Se5ens, Lee, George, etc.

Welcome to Toronto.

[epicurious]

Thank you Wine-Dad for you honest comments! I too was drawn to the place for its unusual menu concept (I'm an art director so I'm all about concepts!) and also because Pierre Jutras was one of the owners of my favorite club in Montreal in the early 90's. So whatever food or service "problem" I might encounter that night, I will make sure he knows about it!

We reserved the chef's table for that night so we'll be having the tasting menu at 100$ per person. So with drinks and wine, our bill is probably going to be more around $300 per couple. I'll come back here next week and let you know about my evening.

Until then, happy Easter everyone!

D.

[epicurious]

Back from TO... here's my Nectar review!

We got there at quarter to 9 last Saturday night and grabbed a cocktail at the bar while waiting for our fellow dinners. When everyone was there, we were seated to our table, which was the last table at the back of the long restaurant. Not the best spot but those sitting on the banquette (I was) had at least a view of the kitchen.

Our waiter came over to explain the menu which is presented in a minimalist way: soup thin/thick, lobster mild/wild, foie gras chaud/froid, grouper fire/ice, lamb grilled/braised/roasted ... you get to pick one or the other for the appetizer and you get both ways (sometimes three ways!) for your main course. I ordered some cold oysters, the "earth" tartare (beef - the "ocean" one was tuna that night) and the duck breast/leg. All were very tasty and originally presented: lots of little dishes/containers/plates for everything. For example, my tartare, shaped in a perfect cube, came with a small dish of cornichons and capers, another small dish of aioli and avocado oil and a mini bottle of Tabasco. The duck was a nice pink breast served with spinach, acorn squash purée and delicious reduction. The leg part were pieces of confit on top of wild rice in a separate plate. Other great stuff sampled from my friends's plates were lobster croquettes and angus steak, and cold, warm and hot tuna. All of that with some great Ontario wines (when in Rome...)

I finished with the sampler dessert plate which I shared with my other half. The most memorable item on the plate was a flourless chili-chocolate cake with avocado ice cream. That was quite the party in my mouth! When I also commented to my waiter on how good their chocolate lollypops were, he brought a whole extra plate to our table!

Funny anecdote.. we witnessed our waiter being fired!! We saw him rush by our table with his coat on soon after he took our order and heard a door slam (our table shook!). A person at our table thought he heard the manager say "get out of here or I'm calling the cops". That caused a moment of confusion at our table but soon after, the manager came over to apologize and tell us that he would be taking over our service. When we insisted he tell us what happened, he said the waiter was caught using drugs (which means, if I remember my restaurant days correctly, quite possibly some white stuff that looks like powdered sugar...). We had a good laugh about it, joking that we didn't see THAT on the menu!! Otherwise the service was excellent. Bill came up to about 200-250 per couple, tax and service included.

So I would recommend Nectar for its above average food, its originality in a sea of cookie-cutter restaurants and its service. Enjoy!