Chef Michael Deutsch is to cooking what actor Anthony Hopkins is to making motion pictures - a brilliant artist with high standards and a passion for experimentation and perfection. Deutsch, restaurant chef at Fleuri in The Sutton Place Hotel - the best hotel dining room in Vancouver (a city that sets the culinary bar very high, indeed), is a born and bred Canadian and proud of it.

"My training in Canada has prepared me to utilize local produce and natural ingredients to the best advantage, planning a menu that's original and inventive while staying grounded in classic technique and merging various cooking styles and traditions," said Deutsch, who has a self-effacing sense of humor to go with his friendly, offhand manner. "The goal at Fleuri is to be as bold and as fresh as any restaurant in Canada - in or out of the hotel market."

Hotels has typically taken a beating in the 'elite restaurant category.' The assumption by many locals - and even travelers - is that since the dining room is in a hotel it cannot be as good as a small bistro on the outskirts of town. Nonsense! A first-rate hotel such as The Sutton Place in Vancouver entertains guests -many who work in the film industry and reside in the hotel for weeks at a time - demanding sophistication and endless variety.

To this end of quality and originality, let's take a critical look at each incredible dish - a la Deutsch - prepared for a special tasting dinner on a very rainy night in January.

Course 1: Maple Smoked Tuna Carpaccio and cauliflower custard with cucumber radish salad and miso dressing. An integration of Canadian flavors and Asian ingredients - fresh, sweet and subtle.

Course 2: Seared Sea Bass on creamed celery root with artichokes and candied tomatoes in red verjus sauce. I'm not usually a fan of sea bass, but the candied tomatoes contrast with the natural flavorings of the fish to provide a perfect balance of smoke-sweet overtones.

Course 3: Cashew Nut Crusted Soft Shell Crab and jumbo prawn "Granulata" with a zucchini fritter in a tangerine and tomato vinaigrette. The best soft-shell crab dish ever served outside of Maryland. The prawn and zucchini fritter are the cherry on top of the vanilla ice cream.

Course 4: Lobster and Scallop with bacon rosti, brioche and endive relish in a ginger jus with foie gras. This dish sounds rich and heavy (bacon and foie gras) but is so complex, soft and subtle that all senses are stimulated and opened to new heights of awareness.

Course 5: Sturgeon Filet and Squab Breast with pickled cabbage and caraway spatzle, squab jus and tomato chutney. I'm no fan of squab, and so even this inspired preparation left me cold.

Course 6: Tea Smoked Breast of Duck with water chestnut and barbequed duck leg Samosa with shiitake mushroom and leek ragout. Okay, I know what you're thinking: How can you combine Chinese cooking styles and ingredients with Indian-Asian touches like Samosas? I'm here to tell you that this dish was genius, both for its complementary elements and broad strokes of Pan-Asian influence.

Course 7: Black Olive Crusted Lamb Rack with eggplant and spiced shank Dolmades, parsnip chutney and curry oil. Deutsch was brave enough to merge Indian and European cooking techniques to produce the best lamb rack available in Canada.

Course 8: Assorted Cheeses. An excellent option in any top-of-the-line dining room in Canada, as Quebec and Salt Spring Island now turn out some of the best cheeses -especially chevre - in the world. Course 9: Dessert Deutsch shocked and amazed your humble food writer with the best homemade donuts on earth. Canadian cooking at its peak of quality and creativity - that's what you will find at Fleuri in The Sutton Place Hotel.

The Sutton Place Hotel, 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. Canada; Tel: 604-682-5511; Fax: 604-682-5513; On the Web: www.suttonplace.com

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