32: Le Club Chasse et Pêche, Montreal

Le Club Chasse et Pêche is a serious, market-driven restaurant cleverly disguised as a fishing lodge. Chef Claude Pelletier sticks to his Québécois cuisine roots and signature plate presentation, with sauces and herbs turning each dish into little pieces of art. His food is equal parts Cube and Pied de Cochon and his menu changes weekly. Desserts by pastry chef Masami Waki are equally enticing, especially the Paradiso, a cool combo of warm caramel, puff pastry, and milk-chocolate ice cream. It’s more of a scene than an actual ‘Hunting and Fishing’ club (sadly no guns are allowed), but it sure ranks as one of the top ten dining destinations of Montreal. - R.B. 423 St-Claude Street, Montreal, QC. 514-861-1112.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

31: Lee Restaurant, Toronto

Lee is the sequel to Super Chef Susur Lee’s immensely popular “Susur.” “Lee” offers a more casual venue with a larger wine list and a tapas-style menu. The room is right beside “Susur.” It is outfitted in steel with blood red walls and the occasional decorative parrot. The service is speedy and the food is up to Susur’s out-of-this-world standards. Susur Lee has left his mark on Toronto. Much like Waldo, it’s now only a question of where he will pop up next. –J.T. 603 King Street West, Toronto, ON. 416-504-7867.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

30: L'Atelier, Montreal

While the location is slightly strange, owners and chefs Patrick Garneau and Benjamin Fortier hit the jackpot with this innovative and slick restaurant. L’Atelier offers scrumptious shared plates that are original and never-before seen. Try the Tartare de magret de canard with shiitake mushrooms to create magic on your tongue (so corny). The hallmark of this resto is really the inventive sauces and marinades that truly make the taste of each dish memorable. If you’re into deer, give the juicy roasted t-bone a try, smothered in creamy peppercorn sauce. L’Atelier’s fresh decor features tall walls brightened by a panel of trees and pictures of the resto in construction phases. The linen-topped tables are paired with sleek brown banquettes for lounging and schmoozing. The long communal table is perfect for meeting the person of your dreams while you sip/chop away- just make sure there’s a knife handy for food-in-teeth checks. –S.B. 5308 St. Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, QC. 514-273-7442.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

29: L'unita, Toronto

With exposed brick, lots of mirrors, an air of intimacy, and a well-stocked bar, this new Avenue Road bistro has effectively eliminated all elements of the former Arlequin Restaurant. The space has been re-worked with cool-kid touches at every turn. Gracefully understated and thoroughly engaging, L'unita deftly interlaces heart and local flavor in a warm and well-executed Italian eatery. With owners David Minicucci and Sam Kalogiros working with the shell of the Arlequin, the space could have lent itself to soapy Yorkville-esque treatment, but the two first-time restaurateurs thankfully know the difference between design and pomp. While not fine dining, L'unita certainly crowd-pleases with innovative Italian fare that eschews the genre's staid and standard template. L'unita is an affordable but area-appropriate eatery that can dazzle without bankrupting. -D.E. 134 Avenue Road, Toronto, ON. 416-964-8686.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

28: Thuet, Toronto

Thuet Cuisine is the first solo project from Marc Thuet - a fourth-generation chef from Alsace, France - who has honed his culinary skills over many years working for a variety of venues, globally and locally, from the orchestral bliss of The Fifth and the exhibitionistic Centro Grill to the corporate stoves of the Rosewater Supper Club. While the decor is hotel-ish innocence, it does nothing to frame the excellent French cuisine of the seasoned chef. With Thuet Cuisine, the chef has found his utopia, which is to say each plate is as intricate and well-turned out as humanly possible. All the more credit belongs to the Thuet, who keeps the flavours strong and pure yet is not afraid to throw in a few Alsatian tricks to show what’s spectacular about the cuisine. -B.J. 609 King Street West, Toronto, ON. 416-603-2777.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

27: One, Toronto

There's only one good U2 song and this Hazelton Hotel-based restaurant shares its name. Problem? With a design that borrows heavily from the Windsor Arms' paradigm, the space, designed by Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu of YabuPushelberg, consists of a 250-seat dining room and a 70-seat, wrap-around patio. Furthermore, One has a stunningly strong Toronto epicurean pedigree, including manager Tim Salmon (Bymark) and co-owner, Mark McEwan (Bymark, North 44). The décor employs a pure hotel restaurant aesthetic: velvet upholstered walls, polished woods and tiger-eye onyx. With both its big-budget hotel-ish interior and shockingly hip patio (a big redeemer), the restaurant stands tall and confident among its pricey peers. It’s that hazy dichotomy that makes One a success. While not quite a sleeper, it’s definitely a worthy Yorkville addition. -D.E. Hazelton Hotel, 118 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto, ON. 416-963-6300.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

26: Parkside, Vancouver

Chef Andrey Durbach serves up his food his way. His menu is comprised of four and five course meals with no option to order just one item and why would you want to. The food is a mix of Mediterranean and French cuisine that borders on gluttony, just how we like it. Fois gras, rabbit saddle and rack of lamb are among the succulent choices that spatter the Parkside menu. –J.T. 1906 Haro Street, Vancouver, BC. 604-683-6912.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

25: Kultura, Toronto

Kultura features a breathtaking restaurant design in its own right and is a retrofit of a historic landmark that pushes the best elements of the original site to a glorified level. The restaurant adheres to social dining, which owner Hanif Harji describes as “a concept where a group can sample trans-ethnic flavours while celebrating centuries of mixed culinary traditions.” Chef Roger Mooking brings flavours from various cultures to create meals that are innovative and scrumptious. The whole Kultura package is original, fun, slightly ambiguous and devoted to delivering quality cuisine. – D.E. 169 King Street. East, Toronto, ON. 416-363-9000.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

24: Amuse Bouche, Toronto

It's hard not to be awestruck by the little eatery at Tecumseth and Whitaker. Jason Inniss and Bertrand Alépée have successfully created an ambitiously cute French bistro. The dining space is bright and comfortable, radiating privilege (thanks, elderly moneyed couples). The focused menu spans the globe with dishes like coconut and cashew crusted yellow-fin tuna with Dungeness crab and bamboo shoot salad (that’s a new one to me). Also, Grilled Alberta beef tenderloin is a great Canadian classic with a spicy corn flan. The dishes are expertly prepared and plated ever so elegantly- you may not want to ruin the swirls of sauce and meat. Oh, who are we kidding- you’ll appreciate it for a second and then go to town on the dish, scraping the plate clean. Is there any other way? –S.B. 96 Tecumseh Street, Toronto, ON. 416-913-5830.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

23: Susur, Toronto

Susur is a restaurant out of a daydream, with a kitchen that ranks among the best in town, it's a place where an intimate dinner stretches on for a good three or four hours courtesy of Super Chef Susur Lee. Opened in 2000, Susur already oozes with history. Boasting clean architectural lines, it's one of the most distinctive and sexy dining rooms you'll ever see. A fixture of Best Restaurant Lists (ahem), Susur's kitchen doles out exquisite food and a tasting menu that will keep you engaged for hours. Call a month ahead and you will be lucky to score a reservation; it's that popular. –J.R. 601 King Street West, Toronto, ON. 416-603-2205.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide