A Sparkling anniversary

In a young and spring-like manner, TOQUÉ ! celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 28, 2003. Meticulously planned in collaboration with M. Benoit Gouez, winemaker DOM PÉRIGNON house, the milestone was underscored by a sumptuous tasting menu. The gastronomic feast was organised around six vintage DOM PÉRIGNON champagnes, three of which were from L'OENOTHÈQUE, the heart of this prestigious house. Inspired by this event, three more anniversary dinners followed on May 29, 30 and 31.

The sparkling anniversary dinner was the ideal opportunity to create contemporary, spring-like food and wine pairings in a collaboration between Normand and his friend, sommelier François Chartier. Dinner began with a 1995 DOM PÉRIGNON served with a heavenly seafood duo: Olympia oysters flavoured with citrus fruit, and Princess scallops with yellow bell pepper and citronnella. A magnum of the 1993 vintage was served with Îles de la Madeleine lobster, whose tender and juicy meat glimmered amid grilled almonds, fiddleheads and yellow beets.

The Oenothèque reserves were then unveiled. The 1980 DOM PÉRIGNON proved to be the ideal complement to the white Kampachi tuna with osetra caviar, served with Guinea pepper and spinach. A flute of 1973 DOM PÉRIGNON enthralled guests with its aroma of grilled hazelnut, enlivening the palate along with Madame Fleury's seared foie gras. The 1964 vintage attested to its maturity with the Stairsholme Farm guinea hen, whose spicy and woodsy aromas and flavours complimented those of this great champagne. The dinner ended with fireworks: the 1992 DOM PÉRIGNON ROSÉ served with three types of strawberries from Rose Drummond's greenhouses, each flavoured following its personality - basil, curry and rhubarb - and that of this benevolent champagne.

Tale of an unexpected birth

It was exactly ten years ago. CITRUS, the best restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, had just closed, prompting discerning diners to shed tears in their wine. After grieving for over a season, the Gastronome* began to fret. Where did the heart and soul of this restaurant go? Where did the pastry chef with the unforgettable chocolate mille-feuille vanish to? They just had to return!

While the Gastronome worried, the two elusive restaurateurs each travelled the world. After investigating a hundred kitchens and discovering a thousand new aromas, flavours and textures, they discretely returned to Montréal. By the end of April, the Gastronome was hearing rumours that these two creative young people with the nimble fingers were opening up a restaurant somewhere in town. But where? No one knew for sure. The Gastronome waited patiently until May 28, 1993. That Friday, at exactly 5:15pm, he took a stroll on Saint-Denis Street where intuition led him to push a glazed door. It was 6pm -- on the dot.

The Gastronome saw Normand Laprise surrounded by a staff wearing hats adorned with a single word: TOQUÉ ! The sympathetic owner led the Gastronome to a table and told him about Christine Lamarche who was on maternity leave, about to deliver her beloved Flora.

*The Gastronome in question is Robert Labbé, a physician and discerning gourmet who founded the Gourmets d’Esculape Guild in 1984. On May 28, 1993, after months of impatience, he really was looking for Toqué ! which he discovered by chance at exactly 6pm. The first client of TOQUÉ !, which he dubbed “the paradise of great food ”, he has since become a regular. Moreover, every year on the last Friday in May, his table is ritualistically set and he is given the kind of royal treatment reserved for Toqué !’s most cherished guests.

Cooking in an aquarium

Up...
On May 28, 1993, TOQUÉ ! 's kitchen was a glassed-in cubicle on the first floor overlooking the street. The public was rather intrigued by the "aquarium" concept, never imagining it was dictated by necessity - the need to stay afloat -and not aesthetics. At the time, Normand and Christine toiled away in a cramped room on the main floor, which they had hoped to turn into a work space. They used this small, low-ceilinged space for preparing meals, whose finishing touches were completed in front of diners.
Over the next three years, the TOQUÉ team continued to enter this lair at dawn to prepare duck foie gras, quail, salmon, cattails, fiddleheads, leek julienness, beet chips, chocolates and ice creams. By 5pm, ready to conquer the world, Normand and his band of merry cooks would don their hats and -- arms filled with provisions - follow the leader upstairs to this bright space.
Down...
In early March 1996, TOQUÉ ! closed its doors for renovations. On April 1st, patrons discovered a completely redesigned space. The glassed-in kitchen was no more and Normand had finally acquired his upstairs lab. The chef was now officiating in a modern workspace, and the extra space gained from the main floor enabled the creation of a private dining room for groups
Presto!
During the summer of 1999, TOQUÉ ! unveiled a dining room whose velvet-draped walls increased the seating to 95 diners. Still in charge of the renovations, Designer Jean-Pierre Viau added a glassed-in wine cellar with a two thousand bottle capacity and totally revamped the bar area. As for the cramped, downstairs pastry shop, it was brought to the main floor in a space befitting the bevy of desserts enjoyed by TOQUÉ !

Xavier Pellicer's high standards

According to the rumour mill, Xavier Pellicer is a demanding chef with impossibly high standards. "Great!" exclaimed Normand Laprise. With Christine's blessing, he quickly flew to Barcelona to offer the 36 year-old chef the keys to TOQUÉ ! for the Montreal High Lights Festival. Once seated at ÀBAC, Pellicer's restaurant in the heart of Barcelona's gothic district, Normand sampled dishes the Catalan chef was planning to reproduce for TOQUÉ ! He crunched into spicy potato chips and bit into thick slices of tomato and anchovy rubbed bread. He then discovered thin strips of Catalan truffles -- set at the bottom of the serving dish to protect their subtle aromas -- placed in a rosette and covering cod tripes, which were set on a potato purée topped with a hint of chicken broth. The whole dish was deliciously aromatic, incredibly creamy and utterly audacious! the steamed duck foie gras was equally exquisite.

After ÀBAC closed, the two chefs sipped sweet wine and discussed the two planned Pellicer dinners. Pellicer appeared in TOQUÉ !'s kitchen on February 22, 2003 (the day after his arrival) with his sous-chef, Evan Sola. He opened a black truffle-scented treasure chest filled with enough secret ingredients for two 75-seat dinners. Preparations for the February 25 and February 26 feasts began in earnest that Sunday. On Monday, led by Normand, Pellicer visited suppliers and made last-minute purchases. On the big nights, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Catalan chef pulled out all the stops, pairing snow crab with mushroom tartare and avocado and lime sorbet. Inspired by North American scallops - quite the equal of the European Saint-Jacques -- Pellicer seasoned them with pork juice and liquorice oil. To enhance tender suckling lamb, whose juices must be protected, he wrapped the meat in bread crust. Pellicer's anglerfish served "à la plancha" was dubbed the most "deliciously salty" meal of the Festival by La Presse's Marie-Claude Lortie. The grand finale was the famous Boileau venison enhanced with a smidgeon of Vix truffle.

Before Pellicer left Montréal the following Saturday, he joined Normand, Christine, Évan and others at Au PIED DE COCHON. There, chef Martin Picard enthralled the group with pigs' feet stuffed with fresh foie gras and his luxurious interpretation of poutine. On Friday, Pellicer's hosts encouraged him to take advantage of the brisk winter weather. After piling on more layers than he's ever needed in Barcelona, Pellicer explored Boileau and its deer park aboard a skidoo and an ORV

Guess who came to dinner?

1. He lives in California, quit hockey in his prime to enjoy life, and has been spotted at TOQUÉ !

2. He's a star sprinter who collects medals and runs fast but always slows down to stop at TOQUÉ !

3. The smiling face of this athletic TOQUÉ client appeared at the top of a hill she climbed on two wheels!

4. She has a baby, often appears on TV, is in terrific shape, and bites into life with as much gusto as a TOQUÉ ! dish.

5. The students of this woman, who could be called "Senior Academic", are budding stars; she has entrusted Toqué ! with wowing her with their vegetarian dishes.

6. Her smile is disarming, she publishes thrillers whose main character is called Maud, and she has passion for Toqué !'s gourmet meals.

7. He dreams for a living and has been known to tell stories about sharks, extra-terrestrials, and dinosaurs over a good meal up at TOQUÉ !

8. In 1947, he was born David Robert Jones. He was dubbed "the most influential rock star of his time" but followed the crowd all the way to TOQUÉ !

9. He's a New Yorker from Little Italy who has played a taxi driver and a godfather in the movies and a client at TOQUÉ ! in real life.

1. Alexandre Daigle. 2. Bruny Surin. 3. Geneviève Jeanson. 4. Véronique Cloutier. 5. Julie Snyder. 6. Chrystine Brouillet. 7. Steven Spielberg. 8. David Bowie. 9. Robert de Niro.

They say that…

In the July 2003 edition of FOOD & WINE, Tina Ujlaki was finally able to satisfy her curiosity by visiting TOQUÉ ! Normand dazzled her with his creativity, his unique way of combining flavours, and his respect for organic products. In its summer edition, the prestigious Japanese magazine GRAN devoted several pages to Montréal and Québec. Seduced by the historic and traditional aspects of Québec, its reporters were tantalised by Montréal's avant-garde fashions, quaint hotels and its one and only TOQUÉ ! GRAN showcased Normand's art through photos of four savoury dishes, including the princess scallops and green apple mousse, and fresh pineapple topped with ice cream made of strawberries from Rose Drummond's greenhouses. In the May 25 issue of the NEW YORK TIMES, Clifford Krauss gave his readers 100 reasons to visit Montréal this summer. After listing the major events and festivals, he went through the top tourist attractions, then recommended the best hotels and restaurants. TOQUÉ ! figured among his five top "hottest restaurants in town" picks. On April 3, 2003, LA PRESSE's Martha Gagnon wrote an article on deer farming, as practised in Boileau by Douglas Harpur, along with Jacques Saint-Jacques and Denis Ferrer. The latter, a genuine ambassador of the product with restaurateurs, spoke at length about Normand's contribution to introducing this unique product to U.S. chefs like Charlie Trotter and many others in Québec. "He's our guide," said Ferrer, adding that the chef "is a locomotive". In its special Québec edition published in December 2002, the French magazine, LE POINT, also gave TOQUÉ ! a nod. While underscoring the event, LA PRESSE'S Françoise Kayler further mentioned that Anne Desjardins of L'EAU À LA BOUCHE was named Knight of the Ordre national du Québec. "Both these Québec chefs have the same passion: an appreciation for local and regional products. They're originals."

Flora’s “Dessert Beach”

Those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Flora should know that she’s the reason why Christine missed TOQUÉ !‘s grand opening 10 years ago. Indeed, while Normand launched the restaurant solo, Christine was preparing to deliver Flora, who was born on June 22.

Though Christine has been the undisputed queen of the Saint-Denis street eatery for the past 10 years, Flora has been known to hold court there as well. In fact, this past June 22nd, she celebrated her 10th birthday by inviting her teacher, Sylvie Colucci, and her 4th grade classmates to a “dessert beach” party aimed at easing those sad summer holiday farewells. Classes began shortly before noon with a picnic in the garden of their friend, Albani, after which the 10 girls and boys headed straight to TOQUÉ !, to get the party started.

The well-mannered students made themselves at home, washed their hands, and sat down like little ladies and gentlemen, placing their napkins on their knees or around their necks. The youngsters were served tall glasses of milk as well as Rose Drummond strawberries topped with vanilla ice cream, and a garnished of caramelized ground cherries and shortbread. Meanwhile, Mrs. Colucci sipped a 2001 Moscato d’Asti while distractedly listening to her students recall fond memories, some of which dated back to half their lives!

At the beginning of the day, Flora and her procession passed right under the nose of Tom, Normand’s son, who also attends the école Arc-en-Ciel l at the corner of Berri and Rachel. Next year, it will be his turn to celebrate his 10th birthday and kick off summer in his father’s restaurant. Rumour has it he intends to hijack the ovens, forcing Normand to take early retirement!