22: Pied-à-Terre, Vancouver

Pied-à-Terre is French bistro to the hilt; the wine list is French, the food is French, and even the servers are quite comfortable speaking French. Don’t try ordering ketchup (for your fries); its sauce tomate (for your frites). The room is designed for comfort. It seats thirty and although you’re dangerously close to your neighbours, its not annoyingly cramped. The owners-industry veterans Chef Andre Durbach and Chris Stewart-have created a place where guests can come for lunch and linger until well after dinner. Pied a Terre is more than a mere neighbourhood bistro; it's a little venue wherein every inch of it is packed with French passion. Friendly service stretches out with a relaxed but slightly formal character. Simple, flavourful food, affordable prices and attentive service make Pied-à-Terre a Bistro that’s not to be missed.-C.A. 3369 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC. 604-873-3131
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

21: Pintxo, Montreal

Think tapas is so yesterday? Think again. It seems as though this year was devoted to small plates, but our vote for the year's most promising new tapas joint goes to Pintxo, who dished out the most wildly original one-bite treats. Billed as a “nueva modiva Basqua,” the Spanish Basque restaurant doles out modern Basque bites - also known as Pintxo’s (make sense?). Filet of Basque cod served with pepper and tomato salsa is sophisticated and satisfying, while the Pintxo de Pulpo a la gallega is a mini squid indulgence. Mains (Los Platos) are also imaginatively done. The Filet Mignon with goat cheese is superb; served rare and lightly filmed with herbal butter, the steak is almost buoyant in its flavourful juices. As for the scene: is a good Spanish eatery ever anything but lively? -K.J. 256 rue Roy East, Montréal, QC. 514-844-0222.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

20: Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge, Vancouver

Bacchus, the Greek god of wine and revelry, is a fitting mascot for this luxurious restaurant. The wine list is worldly and the food is divine. Chef Lee Parsons cooks up French cuisine made from local B.C. ingredients. The décor is ornate with its dark wood and vintage light fixtures that made the flight from Venice to grace the Wedgewood Hotel; a trip any self-respecting connoisseur would be delighted to make. –J.T. 845 Hornby Street, Wedgewood Hotel, Vancouver, BC. 604-608-5319.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

19: Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner, Toronto

This surprisingly small restaurant consists of only fifteen to twenty tables arranged in an L-shape around a sleek black bar. With an inventive use of spice and sophisticated blend of tastes, the tapas-based menu here ranks among the best in town. Lunch reservations are mandatory and can be difficult to secure. The restaurant’s popularity could be the repercussions of new chef de cuisine Scott Vivian at Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner. Private functions, from weddings to TIFF parties, can handle one hundred and twenty seated guests for dining or three hundred minglers for cocktails. - D.R. (P.B.) 111 Queen's Park, Toronto, ON. 416-362-1957.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

18: C Restaurant, Vancouver

Executive Chef Robert Clark has a knack for making edible seafood creations that go beyond anything you’ve ever dreamed of tasting. Clark's love for his craft and his high respect for the ingredients he makes use of are no doubt the guiding factors to Clark’s genius. The folks at C Restaurant have made it very clear that they aren’t performing a fusion of two kinds of regional cuisines and making the result their own like most other Vancouver eateries. The philosophy at C Restaurant calls for a high respect of all traditional recipes, and being open to the natural evolution of those recipes to make new and interesting tastes. The result is mouth-watering. Try the eleven course Chef’s Tasting Menu for a real treat. Its highlights include the Octopus Bacon Wrapped Bayne Sound Scallop plate with warm Summerland apple salad and black truffle gastrique, and the Baked Sablefish & Crispy Heritage Pork Belly with Glen Valley heirloom squash in a concorde grape reduction. This extravagance rings in at around $130 per person and is perfect for special occasions. –J.T. 2-1600 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC. 604-681-1164/
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

17: Ravisoups, Toronto

Ravi Kanagarejah left a void in the Toronto food scene after he left the kitchen at Mildred Pierce (RIP). Fortunately, the soup master became a restaurateur in his own right as the man behind Ravisoups. The concept is as simple as it sounds, yet his perfect potages are a perplexing fusion of flavours. Jerusalem Artichoke Purée, Curried Apricot, and Red Lentil are probably second nature for Kanagarejah, who has been cooking since he was a teenager at his family's restaurant in northern Sri Lanka. Besides soup, the resto also serves up sandwiches and pastries, all prepared by Kanaharejah's wife. There's also Ravislaw, a unique take on traditional coleslaw. It was sad to see Mildred Pierce close one door but it's thrilling that Ravisoups has opened another. – L.D. 322 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, ON. 647-435-8365.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

16: C5, Toronto

Artifacts always make me hungry and crystals always make me crave tablecloths. Thankfully, C5 satiates both of my ROM-induced desires. Situated at the peak of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, C5 is not just scaling physical heights, but also employs high culinary concept. Think upscale dining meets graceful eccentric theater. The space is bright and stark, showcasing the industrial edges. A lounge area cordoned off by a glass sculpture catches your eye with its sleek designer furniture lighted like a diorama. The fare is contempo decadence with an inventive flare, so expect art plates aplenty. C5 may be a museum restaurant, but it has a backbone (making up for what the shuttered prehistoric dino exhibits lack). The restaurant's confidence comes through in its portions, which are judiciously restrained, and in its super-polished service (both expert and discreet). -B.J. 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, ON. 416-586-7928.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

15: Le Crocodile, Vancouver

Michel Jacob’s restaurant constantly lures top visiting celebs and foodies who have flagged Le Crocodile as a dining must. The interior has a simple, serene quality, dominated by French accents while the menu, best described as classical French bistro, flourishes its Alsatian influences. Le Crocodile has ascended to the heights of fine dining by offering a deceptively simple classic menu. For example, an expertly cooked grilled prime rib of beef, ($36) served on the bone with just enough Bordelaise sauce that baby beets and fennel do not eclipse it, ravishes diner tongues. Many double decade restaurants coast on autopilot and a carousel of regulars, but Le Crocodile just keeps getting better and better (take that, Alligator). - R.B. 100-909 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC. 604-669-4298.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

14: Foxley, Toronto

Principally featuring Mediterranean cuisine with nods to Chef Tom Thai's Pan Asian roots (remember his stint as sushi chef at Canoe?), and some distinctive plates of his own invention, Foxley is not your usual neigbourhood eatery (no matter what the Ossington residents advise you otherwise). Featuring a range of small plate options, the short menu changes daily, and, according to Thai, will reflect the best of the markets that particular day (read: fresh). –D.E. 207 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON. 416-534-8520.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide

13: Kaiseki-Sakura, Toronto

This Church and Wellesley eatery rarely breaks away from its signature fair. Owner/chef Daisuke Izutsu's periodically changing multi-course menu lets you sample Japanese food in all its diverse deliciousness. Try the fish-tastic (sorry) Panko-Crusted Salmon stuffed with a sautéed onion, bacon, and sour cream mix. The flavours are subtle but complex, creating a rollicking impression on the tongue. With a side of sendai miso paste, a myriad of sensations (salty, rich, creamy, crunchy) play off of one another in uvula teasing harmony. A plate of House-Smoked Salmon is artfully arranged with a shiso leaf and a mound of puréed capers. The best of the best, the Beef Tongue braised in miso, features a topping of green onion and a load-lightening French stick. With its inspired gastronomy and innovative melding of complementary ingredients, Kaiseki Sakura dazzles. – D.E. 556 Church Street, Toronto, ON. 416-923-1010.
101 Essential Restaurants: Complete Guide