Sunshine on the terrace

Have you noticed Toqué!'s smiling-sun logo? It captures the spirit of Normand Laprise and Christine Lamarche and their restaurant's way of cheering up its customers, even when winter drags on and on as it did this year. That sunbeam now spreads out onto the narrow terrace that runs along the west side of Saint-Denis. When it rains, a wide awning provides shelter, and rain or shine, the bright railing provides a splash of colour bordering the sidewalk. Coiling around the railings are the stems of a Chinese gooseberry, a fruit-bearing plant that has been known throughout North America for over 20 years under the name "kiwi." On warm nights, Toqué!'s terrace is furnished with high tables and stools - the ideal spot to sip an aperitif or digestif, see a kiwi up close, or enjoy an after-dinner cigar.

Draw for DiSpirito and Wakuda

This spring, as part of the Montreal Highlights Festival, Toqué! turned its stoves over to chefs Rocco DiSpirito and Tetsuya Wakuda. Due to a flood of reservation requests, Christine and Normand had to curb their customers' enthusiasm by holding a draw for the much sought-after tables -- a first in the history of the restaurant.

Rocco DiSpirito

On February 21, the brigade of Rocco DiSpirito's New York restaurant Union Pacific, filed into Toqué!'s kitchens. The young chef showed up the next day. Cool, casual and chatty, he handled the inevitable press conference like a seasoned pro. Describing his shift away from American continental cuisine, he said high-end restaurant food has entered the "post-fusion" era, with "genre" cuisine giving way to "chef" cuisine. His own style centres on four elemental flavours: bitter, salty, sweet and sour.

At the six-course, DiSpirito-style dinner presented on February 22, guests savoured a range of fine products served in startling combinations. On the shell: Maine scallops swimming in tomato water, mustard oil and crushed mustard. Under a sprinkling of caviar, the seafood plate featured marinated halibut, lobster and rock crab nestled on an apple Riesling jelly. The most eloquent display of his passion for bold matches was his San Marzano tomato osso bucco literally smothered in Périgord black truffles.

Tetsuya Wakuda

The Spring 2002 special edition of Courrier International named the world's three most famous chefs: Alain Ducasse (France), Ferran Adrià (Spain), and Tetsuya Wakuda (Australia). The author added: "Right now, Wakuda is without a doubt the best chef in the world," an opinion shared by everyone who enjoyed the two dinners orchestrated by Wakuda at Toqué! on February 26 and 27, 2002. Two different instinctive meals - each with more than 15 tasting courses - gave an almost complete sampling of the dishes offered in Wakuda's Sydney restaurant. As in Sydney, customers were offered a written menu only at the end of a meal that had moved from suspense to. adventure! Accompanied by six members of his brigade, the Japanese-born chef brought treasures from Australia, including the fabulous Tasmanian trout "caviar," smoked and confit.

Among the highlights of Wakuda's menus were a lobster mousse with wasabi jelly, a carpaccio of foie gras and scallops, and a blue cheese and vanilla Bavarian -- unforgettable taste sensations one and all. For Normand, meeting Wakuda was one of the highlights of his career: "In the kitchen, Wakuda is a master -- a genius -- who handles his art with a blend of simplicity and efficiency."

About Christine

Christine Lamarche is instrumental to Toqué! 's success. Recently, the first feature article on the unassuming but determined partner was written by Gérard Therrien for L'Édition, le journal des gens d'affaires. From him we learned that Christine was born in Saint-Lambert, grew up in Saint-Donat, and earned a degree in geography before making the shift to gourmet cooking. The turning point was a gastronomic tour of France with her mother and a group of Soeur Berthe's students. Mother to Flora (born a few weeks after Toqué!'s opening) and Philippe, Christine may not be Normand's wife, but together they did create a "baby" called Toqué! that will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2003.

À la table des jardins sauvages

After featuring their suppliers' names on the menu at Toqué!, Normand and Christine are going a step further and recommending a side trip to La Table des Jardins Sauvages of François Brouillard. From the appetizer to the coffee-enhancing truffles, the food is a blend of aromatics, seasonal wild plants, and game. Located in Saint-Roch de l'Achigan on a peninsula in the Saint-Esprit River, the house, which sits on an estate established in the 1920's, is surrounded by the murmur of natural waterfalls and soothing views of the woods, river, and herons that nest there.

On this estate, one can also visit a naturalist, archaeology, and wild plant conservation centre. 17 Chemin Martin, Saint-Roch de l'Achigan. Telephone: 450-588-5125.

Featured wines

This summer, on the terrace and in its three dining rooms, Toqué! will showcase two Niagara peninsula wines from Vineland Estates, one of Canada's most reputable vineyards. The Cabernet-Merlot Reserve 1999 is an equal three-part blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. Full-bodied and balanced, it works wonders with the contrasting notes of Boileau deer and Bas-du-Fleuve saddle of lamb. Served chilled, the strong-nosed and fruity 1999 Gewurztraminer is lovely as an aperitif or an accompaniment to Mr. Dallaire's La Malbaie smoked salmon. Cheers!

Crescendo Laprise/Chartier

Over the past nine years, Toqué! has welcomed many wine-gourmet clubs. At such events, Normand sometimes throws caution to the wind, for when it comes to matching wine and food, all-champagne or all-porto dinners can be challenging. Normand's biggest challenge to date came in May 2002, on the 10th anniversary of the Club des Vins François Chartier. A dozen outstanding wines had been selected by the renowned sommelier, who presented them in an unusual order: a crescendo! The idea behind the dinner came from an in-depth discussion between Normand and François regarding: legs, bubbles, lightness, acidity, tannins and produce, textures, aromas, flavours, bitterness, saltiness and sweetness. Based upon and built from the juxtaposition of opposing sensations, the tasting led to the discovery of original harmonious combinations. It also demonstrates through its many wonderful constracting notes, a lovely equilibrium between food and wine whereby neither one nor the other was overpowered or under whelmed. As a result, it was possible to begin with Princess scallops (Riesling Scharzhofberger Auslese 1999), to continue with two Quebec cheeses (Caymus Special Selection 1992), to back-step towards a giant Palala Bay Oyster (Bollinger Champagne Vieilles Vignes françaises 1992) and then to follow up with a guinea fowl supreme (Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Espscial 1970 Rioja). After the asparagus "intermission" (White Hermitage 1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave), it was onwards and upwards to the veal loin (Graham's 1970 VintagePort) and then a smooth slide towards the parchment-baked strawberries with a puff pastry crisp (Cuvée Constance 1997 Vouvray, Domaine Huet). For the finale, a caramel cigarette perfumed with Churchill Romeo y Julieta cigar tobacco (Pedro Ximénez Solera 1910 Montilla-Morilles, Alvaer).

Échos.

Toqué! has made the news as far away as Italy where the magazine Gambero Rosso stated in its issue devoted to Canada that "in Montreal, they live to eat." Its survey included a description of home-grown cheeses and timeless classics such as "poutine" and "pouding chômeur." Introduced to the "fenemeno Toqué!" by Gazette restaurant critic Lesley Chesterman, Gambero Rosso's globe-trotting reporter wrote that our restaurant was "I tresori di Montreal" and mentioned that Normand was cited in the L'Express 2001 guide as one of the 100 most influential personalities in Quebec. The magazines Bon Appétit and Travel Leisure continue to hail Toqué! as one of Montreal's ultimate dining experiences. Maeve Haldane, of the Montreal weekly Hour, succumbed to Toqué!'s fabulous hot foie gras. And the Toronto Saturday Post sent Sara Borins to Normand's kitchens to learn the art of preparing and enjoying the said foie gras.

Taste of the Nation

The 9th annual gala, Taste of the Nation, took place on May 1, 2002 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Since this event was introduced in 1994, almost a million dollars has been distributed to food charities. In 2002, the Fondation Aide et Partage, Dans la rue, and Oxfam Québec benefited from the support of restaurateurs and suppliers. Manning the Toqué! booth were Normand, Christine and special guest Julie Snyder. Offerings included Pec-Nord's Princess scallops marinated in fresh strawberry juice; Mr. Daignault's skirret root and spring baby white turnips in a cold soup; La Reine de la Mer's Arctic char from La Mauricie, and François Brouillard's daylily buds mixed with Greek-style vegetables and razor clams.