From Field to Fork

After a petit pause in early 2024, our doors have reopened with an enticing new menu dégustation — a seasonal showcase of ingredients presented with French flair and exacting care. 

Using the best duck available, sweet and subtly briny Atlantic snow crab, fire-kissed vegetables, and so much more, Executive Chef Solomon Mason teases the start of spring with fresh flavours while staying true to cold weather comforts. Honouring classic cooking techniques, he celebrates the rich roots of classic French cuisine while peppering in a few surprises along the way.

To understand the journey from field to fork, we must start at the beginning. Long before guests are serenaded with a melodic meal of textures and flavours, Chef Solomon carefully curates each dish. Sourcing the best-of-the-best proteins and produce from across the country, he upholds a no-compromises dining experience using the harvest of small producers, farmers, and suppliers.

Allow us to explain what guests can expect from our latest tasting menu as we delve into how our team assembles each course.

Designed to prime the palate, our journey begins with a delicate array of rotating canapés that span four categories: warm, cold, crunchy, and raw. Be it oysters or tartare, croquettes or consommé, our offering changes day to day, as dictated by the week’s best finds.

A fine dining take on nostalgic breakfasts, Chef Solomon’s first course pairs maple and waffles with luxurious foie gras. While North Americans often eat this delicacy seared, Chef re-introduces guests to the cold preparation common across Europe. Friendly for both first-timers and foie fans, his airy parfait uses Madeira and cream to deliver a light-yet-full-bodied bite. The addition of a maple syrup reduction split with foie gras fat joins the plate together with delicately sliced grape, while brown butter waffles offer a warm and crunchy vehicle to enjoy every last bite.

Exclusive to the tasting menu, our second course stars rich and buttery Atlantic snow crab to deliver the ultimate savoury treat. Said to outshine Arborio in the texture department, Chef Solomon uses Koshihikari sushi rice together with dashi (a cooking broth at the heart of Japanese cuisine) and butter to bring a luscious risotto to life. Layered with dashi-poached shiitakes and topped with buttered crab, miso, chives, and lemon, this indulgent dish is an ode to what Chef calls the ultimate seafood. 

Showcasing a unique butchery technique (different from our à la carte counterpart), Chef Solomon channels a Thomas Keller classic for his intricate fish course. Inspired by his time at The French Laundry and Per Se, he crafts his version of a VIP Keller dish while paying homage to deep French roots. Carefully fileting the Dover sole, he produces an elegant fish chop with beautiful pieces of bone emerging from the top. Using smoked bones, cream, and vermouth to make a fish stock fumé, a luxurious velouté is spooned overtop for added texture and brine. Though their foraging season is short, crispy fried black trumpet mushrooms offer earthy notes, while confit parsnips complete this resplendent plate. 

A standout among standouts, there’s no denying our duck course is a gastronome’s dream. The team takes Hudson Valley Moulard ducks, which are meatier than the average canard, and ages them in-house — an important step that intensifies flavour, tenderizes the meat, and dries out the skin for an ultra crispy result. Dry-aged for a month, roasted whole, and sliced off the crown, it is served with a sauce made of duck jus, confit chestnuts, orange, and Grand Marnier, alongside chestnut purée and chestnut chips. Confit squash also graces the plate, and if guests are lucky, they’ll sample the sweet and musky Sucrine du Berry, a variety Tamarack Farms grows exclusively for our menu. Cooked to absolute perfection, savour every bite of this staple French favourite and month-in-the-making masterpiece. Add the optional addition of La Canardière’s single-farm foie gras for even more luxury.

In a playful transition to dessert, choose from a selection of French cheeses, served tableside for ultimate personalization and enjoyment. Featuring cheeses curated by Toronto’s king of fromage Afrim Pristine, guests can enjoy a rotating offering of our personal favourites, presented beautifully with a brief description. Select from cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, or blue and enjoy with honeycomb, jam, and crunchy housemade crisps dotted with nuts and dried fruit. 

Crafted by Pastry Chef Chloe Hung, a few final bites of heaven are delivered in the form of an impeccably assembled torte au chocolat. Using the gold standard Valrhona Grand Cru Guanaja 70%, this elegant finale features chocolate on chocolate with a layer of feuilletine for added crunch. Paired with a dark chocolate crémeux and sweet and nutty malt ice cream, the dish’s flavour, texture, and temperature complement each other perfectly to close out the meal on a high note.

Don’t depart before one last round of one-biters, although we’re happy to offer our perfectly packaged petit fours to go for a takeaway treat. Though our offering changes daily, guests can expect a trio of confections like a madeleine, pâtes de fruits, fanciful fudge, or canelé.

Uncompromising in quality and elegant in execution, white glove service is front and centre in the confines of our cozy French retreat. Whether you sample our sumptuous menu with curated wine pairings or a sommelier-recommended bottle, we can’t wait to host you in 2024.

Bon Appétit!