My search for the best traditional French restaurant in Canada has come to a happy ending.

In the spirit of James Bond’s (Ian Fleming’s licensed assassin with a taste for danger and gourmet food) pursuit of the perfect grilled sole, served in simplicity and purity, your humble writer has journeyed across Quebec –occasionally stumbling into French bistros in Toronto, to explore restaurants that equal or surpass the best dining rooms in Paris, Nice and Lyon.

As fate — and sheer luck — would have it, I had to venture into a casino to locate the real article, that sensational dining room and kitchen staff that can duplicate the ambience of France in North America — and since Quebec is the beacon of French culture in Canada, this was the likely end to a gastronomic quest that has taken more than 30 years to complete.

The Nuances Restaurant, located on the fifth floor of Casino de Montreal, offers brilliant service that equals the sophistication of the cuisine. Jean-Pierre Curtat, executive chef extraordinaire since the official opening of the Casino in 1993, lords over the menu and kitchen with the passion of a Miro or Picasso — the main ingredient is imagination combined with inspiration.

Nuances Restaurant

Curtat’s link to the French culinary legacy began in 1982, when he served as Chef for Quebec’s General Delegation in Paris. Marc Labrie, restaurant services manager, also served a two-year term (1986-88) at the Quebec General Delegation in Paris, where he apprenticed at Le Notre and Guy Savoy, as well as Jacques Chibois in Cannes.

"The dining room at Nuances is designed on the formula passed down for generations in French tradition — elegance, comfort, superb wines and the most high-finesse cooking in the world," said Labrie, who is a very sophisticated fellow indeed.

TRADITIONAL FRENCH COOKING LESSONS

Curtat’s view of cooking is brilliant — ingredients must be the cornerstone of each dish, "with the elegance of the presentation and the erudition of the flavors blending to create the ultimate in complexity and satisfaction to the palate," he said.  "My cooking is creative in the same sense that a musician will seek other artists for a jam session; in my case, I work with other chefs to fuse our different ideas into one culinary innovation."

Menu gastronomique (about $90-$100 US and about $55 for the accompanying wines by the glass) started with . . .

Mozzarella di Bufallo, coated with brioche crumbs in a sweet garlic puree and herb oil. This Franco-Italian production matched the subtlety of the fresh cheese with the raw power of the garlic and oil preparation.
Wine Pairing: Champagne Lanson, Brut Rose

Fig and foie gras, followed in round 2, served in a beautifully buttery tartlet with onion coulis and balsamic vinegar reduction. The blending of the Quebec foie gras (the best in the world) and fresh figs was inspired; the overtones of onion added a note of complexity that Curtat demands in each of his carefully designed plates. Wine pairing: Gewurztraminer Riesling, Pillitteri Estates, Niagara Peninsula, 2002.

Pan-fried bass, (the classic French way to cook bass) was then served with clam and spinach ravioli, shellfish and fennel emulsion. I found this dish very light and the ravioli stole the show with the interweaving of clams and fresh spinach flavors. Wine pairing: Tokaji, Furmint, Chateau Pajzos, Antaloozy Cellars, Hungary, 2002

Roasted Veal

Sweetbreads. The test of any true French chef is whether he or she can cook veal sweetbreads with originality. Curtat and his support staff passed the test with flying colors: Round 4 offered up a delicious veal sweetbread with five-spice powder, barley risotto, asparagus and mascarpone.
Wine pairing: Pinot Noir, Mondavi, Central Coast, Private Selection, California 2002.

The coup de grace — no shock here — came with a roasted rack of Boileau deer loin, wild mushrooms and pumpkinseed oil and roasted noisettes served in a Jerusalem artichoke puree. The highest-quality venison — fresh, clean and pungent — complemented by the exotic mix of hazelnut and pumpkinseed flavorings. Extraordinary.
Wine pairing: Chateau Clos Daviaud, Les Cimes, Montagne-St. Emilion, Bordeaux, 2001.

Dessert The meal came to a close with a pear tarte tatin served in a vanilla sauce in a crispy pear. Suffice it to say, by now I was almost levitating over the table, the Holy Grail for divine French cooking at its logical end.
Wine pairing: Neige, Cidre de Glace (Ice Wine), La Face Cachee de la Pomme, Hemmingford, 2003.

Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat