Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2008

Best Starts and Finishes

Best aperitifs
Liverpool House in Montreal offers a snort of the anise-flavoured Armand Guy with a tiny bottle of limonata. 
At Pied-à-Terre in Vancouver, you can enjoy the hard-to-find Lillet Blanc, served over ice with a twist of orange.

Best digestif
No matter how much you’ve eaten, a glass of the deliciously bitter and herbaceous Fernet Branca will ease the burden. Find it under "World Solvents" on the menu at McKiernan Luncheonette in Montreal.

Bathroom of the Year

At Duel in Montreal, the sinks are enclosed in a clear glass column but it’s the built-in video screens showing vintage episodes of such shows as Hinterland Who’s Who (remember the red-breasted nuthatch?) that take the prize.

Honourable mention 
We have to acknowledge the business acumen of a restaurant like Alloy (Calgary), which has secured a hand-soap sponsor.

This Year’s Favourite Snacks

The spicy potato bhaji with shredded potato, spinach, chili peppers and yogurt at Metro in Vancouver.
Edamame with garlic, shallots, chili and lime at Stage in Victoria.
The star anise BBQ-pork-belly bites and Asian slaw at Koko in Montreal.
The spinach and fig tikki fritters at Amaya the Indian Room in Toronto.

Best Culinary Soundtracks

Amy Winehouse is this year’s Ubiquitous Restaurant Soundtrack Artist of the Year. A bit surprising considering the woman looks like she lives on a diet of tobacco-flavoured crisps. Restaurants with the most creative soundtracks include Fraser Café in Ottawa with its satisfying mix of old school (Talking Heads, Elvis Costello) and modern (MGMT, LCD Soundsystem). The Harbord Room in Toronto pulled off a similar feat with its old-rock blend, spinning Bowie, Dire Straits and Springsteen. Meanwhile, a karaoke party nearly broke out when L’Orignal in Montreal brought on the 1980s hits: Simple Minds, INXS, Terence Trent D’Arby. 

Our Top Ten Directory

1 Nota Bene 
180 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com

2 Le Local 
740, rue William, Montréal, 514-397-7737, resto-lelocal.com

3 The Harbord Room 
89 Harbord St., Toronto, 416-962-8989, theharbordroom.com

4 Chef’s Table 
1126 Memorial Drive N.W., Calgary, 403-228-4442

5 Boneta 
1 W. Cordova St., Vancouver, 604-684-1844, boneta.ca

6 The Only on King 
172 King St., London, 519-936-2064, theonlyonking.ca

7 Lucien 
36 Wellington St. E., Toronto, 416-504-9990, lucienrestaurant.com

8 Fraîche 
2240 Chippendale Rd., West Vancouver, 604-925-7595, fraicherestaurant.ca

9 Liverpool House 
2501, rue Notre-Dame O., Montréal, 514-313-6049

10 Stage 
1307 Gladstone Ave., Victoria, 250-388-4222