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Toqué! lights up for Alsace
On Tuesday, February 21st , 2006, Toqué! welcomes Antoine Kreydenweiss, son of the producer and owner of the reputed Domaine Kreydenweiss .
Established in Alsace over three centuries ago, this family estate is heavily involved in organic viticulture, and is especially known for it's exceptional Rieslings. Six white wines from elegant terrains, full of finesse and rare complexity will inspire a succession of dishes from Chef Normand Laprise, Charles-Antoine Crête his assistant, and the brigade.
Menu of 7 courses is $325 per person,
including wine, taxes and gratuities . |
Cupid is Visiting 
only on February 14th
Every year, since becoming captivated by Toqué!, Cupid has highlighted Valentine's Day by ushering in lovers two by two. Recently, while keeping a close eye on the couples, Cupid has turned his bow to groups of doting pairs.
Many couples, but also lovely groupings of four and even six, celebrate their annual Valentine outing at Toqué!. They come to whisper sweet nothings and to sample the inestimable cuisine of Normand Laprise and his exceptional team .
Amorous Menu (inspired by the temptations of Aphrodite)
10 courses, including foie gras for $120,
with a suggested pairing of six glasses of wine for an additional $78.
Traditional Tasting Menu
7 services not including wine for $88, with an additional $10 for foie gras ,
and $53 for a suggested pairing of five glasses of wine .
Exceptionally, a Château Yquem 1994 will be uncorked and a 2 ounce glass proposed as an accompaniment to the foie gras . or as a finale.
But only on February 10th , 11th and 14th .
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Dining in
New France
Normand contributed to a recent book published by Art Global: Le menu quotidien en Nouvelle-France, by Hélène-Andrée Bizier. This small gem details how the globalization of taste has been underway ever since Samuel de Champlain's time. Who would have believed that the founder of Québec and the father of New France insisted upon rice, olive oil, lemon peel, and twenty other ingredients imported from France, Italy, Spain and the Indies, to dress local game? Toqué!'s chef and his friends Martin Picard (Au Pied de Cochon), David McMillan, and Alexandre Loiseau (Cocagne) have each supplied five recipes which illustrate their devotion to Québec's terrain. The photographs of the dishes as well as those of the cooking and table items from the French Regime were brilliantly done by Benoît Chalifour. |
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Normand
and the ITHQ Students
 Those
close to Normand Laprise know that he is as reserved and as
discreet now as he was at the start of his culinary career.
Not one to seek the spotlight, he has however accepted the
role of "Ambassador for the year 2005" that was
conferred upon him in April 2005 by the Association étudiante
du tourisme et de l'hôtellerie. It is due to the combination
of Toqué!'s success, the will of Normand to promote
local produce, as well as his social implications, notably
in helping to establish la Tablée des chefs, that the
association pressed him for his collaboration. The new ambassador's
mission from now until next March: to encourage the students
in their endeavours, to help their integration into the workforce,
and to promote the bachelor's degree in hotel and tourism
management.
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Cocagne
 That
famous address on rue Saint-Denis, where the combination of
Normand Laprise in the kitchen and Christine Lamarche in the
dining room, galvanized gourmands around the world, is now
home to Cocagne. Chef Alexandre Loiseau has been entrusted
with that sacred space! Dreaming of his own chance to bewitch
gourmands, Loiseau has replaced Toqué!'s signboard
with that of Cocagne's. Since it's opening, the critics have
been unanimous: the abundance, refinement and originality
of Loiseau's cuisine prove that this Chef is inspired! On
offer seven nights a week, his dishes reflect his talent,
and the prices reflect his generation: 30 dollars and less…
including dessert!
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 This
is the name of the large family of tea trees. It is also the
name of the tea salon opened in 1988 by Hugo Americi on the
peaceful rue Émery, in Montréal. Three years
later their "hospitality salon" doubled from one
boutique where Americi and his employees practiced and dispersed
the religion of tea. The atmosphere is meditative, service
is attentive and knowledgeable, resulting in detailed answers
for the curious clients. Innumerable giant tea boxes gleam
on the shelves lining the wall. Each contains a different
variety of tea leaf. Once opened, one is allowed to inhale
the aroma, then one has weighed for one, 50 or 100 grams or
more of the precious leaves of yellow, green, black or white
tea; crafted, smoked or aged; natural or flavoured... One
quickly loses oneself in the experience and starts to fantasize
about becoming a tea connoisseur! Toqué! has been stocking
up at Camellia Sinensis for a long time now, and has several
of their varieties for you to choose from to end your meal
on just the right note.
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Médiathèque
À la Di Stasio
 Emotional
moments at the broadcasting of a special program from Josée
Di Stasio on Normand Laprise and Toqué! At the beginning
of the show, nine chefs who worked with Normand at either
Citrus or Toqué! over the years, talked about his
influence on their cuisine and their careers. Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly,
Laura Damiano, Julie Lavoie, Alexandre Loiseau, Ian Perrault,
Stelio Perombelon, Martin Picard, Dany St-Pierre and Stéphane
Simard talked about the values that Normand instilled in
them: to respect the integrity of the product, to respect
those with whom one works, to envision the satisfaction
of the customer, and to cook alternatively. The shibboleth
of Normand, to whom these young men and women attribute
the title of ''Father of Cuisine'' as it stands today in
Montréal: ''Work well, day after day''. On the menu
of Josée Di Stasio on that day: breakfast muesli
with fresh and dried fruit, quick papillote for those on
the run, Princess scallops with basil mousse, sautéed
foie gras with tuberous-rooted chervil soup, and for dessert,
a pick-me-up of chocolate and marshmallow.
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The Gazette
When Leslie Chesterman of the newspaper The Gazette was balancing her gastronomic books last year, she highlighted the elements of various meals that had really struck her in the previous twelve months. Alexandre Loiseau, of Cocagne, was mentioned for his pairing of sautéed foie gras, du Puy lentils and beet root reduction. Martin Picard had struck home with his potted foie gras and Toqué! had affixed itself with it's Bluefin tuna tartare served with pineapple jam and homemade chips.
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La Presse
At the end of the Montréal Highlights Festival, Marie-Claude Lortie from the newspaper La Presse published her list of headliner dinners from the festival. Toqué! took first place! ''Meal at Toqué! Memorable, and not only because of the fat slices of black truffle that accompanied the oxtail ravioli. We went nuts for the exotic mushrooms, green olive purée and marinated salmon. And wow! the panna cotta with medlar fruit, all white, which danced on the plate.''
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Match du Monde
The Spring edition of Match du
Monde, the thematic bimonthly published by Paris Match,
turned it's attention towards Canada and it's peculiarities.
Looking, for once, to squash the log-cabin myth, they toured
the country according to motifs that we Canadians excel
at. With regards to cuisine, they focused on Toronto's Susur
Lee, and from the Vendée region in France, but from
now on a Québecois: Jean Soulard, as well as Normand
Laprise.
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Institut de tourisme et de l'hôtellerie
du Québec
In the framework of the inauguration
of their revamped headquarters, Québec's Institute
of Hotels and Tourism allotted an entire page to Toqué!
Christine Lamarche remembers when, long before her association
with Normand Laprise and the creation of Toqué! began,
she was shaped by the Institute, where she got her cooking
diploma. Even if Normand did not study at the famous hotel
school on rue Saint Denis, the institution emphasizes the
important role he plays by welcoming interns to his restaurant,
and by hiring it's graduates.
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