Casino Montreal Restaurant Nuances

 

A casino is not really the kind of place I expect to find a really lovely high end restaurant. Particularly when the path to said restaurant is littered by poker machines and similar decor. And to be honest, casinos don't hold much lure for me apart from reliving some sort of Oceans Eleven fantasy of glamour.

  1. Casino Montreal Restaurant Nuances De
Nuances

So we were a little surprised when we saw the dining room at Nuances at the Montreal Casino particularly after seeing the blinking assault of pokie machines on the way to the restaurant. It had huge windows, thick drapes, leather banquettes and cream all around with green accents. It was very elegant and nothing like what I thought it would look like. Interestingly, as all four casinos in Quebec are state owned this means that they show daylight and night-time outside unlike others that avoiddoing this so people pass the time gambling. You also cannot drink and gamble at the same time and there are also no taxes on wins.

Test your luck at some games or just enjoy the great vibe in one of several restaurants and bars at the Montreal Casino Montreal Casino at night cc licensed photo by Philip Lai Easy to access by a combination of the Metro and a shuttle bus, Casino de Montreal is the place where those who love games of chance can find a really good time. The only restaurant where this sort of extra attention doesn't seem like a put-on is Nuances, because here, at the most upscale restaurant of the Montreal Casino, super solicitous service is a.

Nuances

I liked the sound of the 'Menu for the senses' which is five courses that are composed based on the chef's intuition. We alternate this with the five course tasting menu. We're very impressed by the depth of knowledge of the staff and how they can answer any question that we ask them and then some. They also match the courses with some excellent wines.

We start with the bread bowl which is generously portioned with three types of bread: flaxseed, Egyptian wheat and French baguette which are all lovely and fresh. But with five courses we only sample a little of each. We need stomach space!

Scallop Amuse Bouche

We're used to seeing those fat Canadian scallops and so we were a little surprised when this scallop came out as it was about half the size in thickness. But like Australia, Canada is a very large country and the fatter scallops are from the Pacific and these are more local. It is served with tomatoes, olive oil and basil. Interestingly, whilst olive oil is omnipresent in Australia, it isn't so much here as they do not produce it locally.

Tomato, gazpacho emulsion, mozarella, Alaskan crab, spicy oil with chorizo from Charlevoix

This was an interesting dish as the gazpacho was more jellied than liquid. We were supposed to dip the other ingredients into the small cup although this was not practical to do particularly with the Alaskan crab. It's also a little odd to dip buffalo mozzarella and tomato into a tiny espresso cup. However the flavours were strong and clear and the gazpacho was deliciously spicy.

Nuances

_Lobster salad with fennel pannacotta (senses menu) served with Soave Classico 2007

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The first dish of the Senses menu comes out and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will love it. It's a lobster salad with a thin fennel pannacotta disc, tapioca balls, a creamy emulsion and finely diced sauteed lemon zest and dressed with delicate leaves. The lobster claw meat is beautifully cooked and is served chilled and goes very well with the subtle fennel pannacotta. There is perhaps a touch too much lemon zest as the rest of the flavours are quite mild.

Pan fried foie gras of duck, spiced roasted pineapple confit, pineapple sauce, pork caramel served with Château Villefranche Sauternes

This ended up being one of my favourite dishes. the duck foie gras is nothing short of divine with it's soft texture made even more delectable by light pan frying. A duck foie gras is said to be better to sear at high temperatures than goose foie gras. As they set the plate down the first thing I think of is dessert as there is a subtle but very persistent aroma of vanilla along with the pineapple as well as a sweetish cab sauvignon sauce drawn on in long strokes. It is finished off with a vealstock jus which along with the foie gras saves it from being a dessert. And it goes absolutely wonderfully with the honeyed sauternes.

Sardine with chermoula (Senses Menu) served with Chambolle Musigny m. doudet-naudin

The sardine was stuffed with a heady, flavoursome chermoula. I'm not usually a sardine lover, I'll eat them but I'll rarely choose them but this is really good as the flavoursome chermoula helps to balance the extreme fishiness of the sardines. It comes with with sweet red peppers and eggplant caviar.

Tandoori flavoured quail a la plancha, organic yogurt and raita, fennel salad

I don't mind the tandoori flavoured quail but I don't feel that it goes that well with the fennel and grape salad and I eat them separately

Filet Mignon Sushi (Senses Menu)

We were both looking forward to this sushi. The raw filet mignon is wrapped around sushi rice and it sits on a bed of horseradish and red pepper mayonnaise and is topped by tempura crumbs. The only thing is that I wish there were slightly more tempura crumbs as the soft and crunchy sensation is delightful, other it is another favourite.

Quebec Lamb chops flavoured with Ethiopian spices, creamy quinoa with yellow beet juice, seasonal vegetables and lamb jus

This was a very generous served of local Quebec lamb cutlets rolled in Ethiopian spices. It is served with a nutty quinoa risotto which is creamy and cheesy. There are also seasonal vegetables like tiny golden and purple beetroot.

_Guinea hen with foie gras served with Do ut des from Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino

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The pieces of guinea hen are a tad dry and paired with minted basil guacamole which I don't really go for. It is served with foie gras, bok choy and wild asparagus.

Moist chocolate cake and milk chocolate mousse, fermented milk ice cream and Jivara chocolate crisp.

Dessert time! The chocolate cake has a layer of rich chocolate sponge on the bottom and a light chocolate mousse on top. It is draped in chocolate and has a crisp, thin rectangle of chocolate on top. The ice cream is intriguing, it's made from 'Lait de Petit Beurre' which means 'milk of small butter' which has no flavour but gives it a creaminess. It is like a yogurt icecream in flavour_. _

Strawberry mascarpone parfait

My favourite dessert however is the strawberry mascarpone parfait with butter crumble, Quebec strawberry sauce, pistachio crumbs and meringue straws. The cooked strawberries are sweet and go perfectly with the creamy parfait log and sweet meringue straws.

I ask Mr NQN what he thought of the meal and he replies simply 'Sensationelle!'

So tell me Dear Reader, do you visit casinos much?

NQN and Mr NQN dined as guests of Nuances and travelled to Canada as guests of Tourism Canada

Nuances

Casino de Montreal

1, Avenue du Casino, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 4W7, Canada

Tel: +1 (514) 392 2708

Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat Recipes - Nuances leveil des sens at the Casino du Montreal, Canada
Written by Debra C. Argen

Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat of Nuances léveil des sens at the Casino de Montréal in Canada shares his vision of 'awakening the senses' and a delectable recipe for Lobster Salad in an Asparagus Chartreuse, with Balsamic Vinegar, and Olive Oil.

I had the opportunity to meet Executive Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat while I was having dinner at the restaurant in May 2009, and speaking food with him, his blue eyes twinkled merrily as he described his culinary philosophy. After training at Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec, he further honed his skills at prestigious restaurants in Canada before venturing off to Paris where he worked for five years at the top restaurants including at the prestigious Pré Catelan and Guy Savoy, as well as attending École Lenôtre where he studied the art of pastry.

Returning to Canada, he has been with the award-winning fine dining restaurant Nuances léveil des sens for the last 15 years, where the restaurant's numerous awards and achievements also include being awarded with the CAA/AAA Five Diamond rating consistently every year since 2000.

He is a chef that does not like the idea of a culinary tag to describe his cooking style; rather he focuses on taste and the guest experience. When creating, he feels that it is easy to focus on presentation in today's image conscious world where we think about the visual effect; he likes to focus on taste, and matching flavors. Chef Jean-Pierre begins by finding his flavors, and then he thinks about the presentation and creates the effect.

He is someone who is passionate about life, about wine, about music - his taste is eclectic and he enjoys playing the piano; about sports - he likes to ski, play soccer, and hockey; and about art, which he enjoys discussing with his daughter who is a university student majoring in art.

Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat graciously shares his recipe for Lobster Salad in an Asparagus Chartreuse, with Balsamic Vinegar, and Olive Oil, and notes that this recipe is quite simple and offers a nice presentation and good taste. The chartreuse may be prepared in advance before you receive your guests, so that you may enjoy their company.

Lobster Salad in an Asparagus Chartreuse, with Balsamic Vinegar, and Olive Oil
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2

1.5 pounds ea. (700 grams)

Lobsters

2

Pounds (1 kilo)

Green Asparagus

4

Teaspoons

Mayonnaise

1

Lemon

5

Tablespoons

Virgin Olive Oil

2

Tablespoons

Balsamic Vinegar

1

Small Bunch

Chives

Baby Greens

Salt and Pepper

Method: Boil the lobsters in salted water for approximately 8 minutes and let cool. Peel and boil the asparagus. Chill quickly in icy water. Cut the asparagus the same length (save the bottom parts), and then cut the asparagus lengthwise.

Remove the lobster meat from the shells. Cut the tail meat into 12 medallions. Roughly chop the rest of the lobster meat. Slice the asparagus bottoms. Mix the chopped asparagus, the lobster meat, some chopped chives, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Make the vinaigrette using the vinegar and olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Fix the asparagus lightly coated with the vinaigrette on the side of a round bottomless round mold (emporte-piece). Put the lobster salad inside. Remove the mold and tie the chartreuse with a chive that was lightly boiled.

Presentation: Serve the chartreuse in the center of the plate, top it with the baby greens and drizzle with some vinaigrette. Put three medallions of lobster around the chartreuse and drizzle with additional vinaigrette. Bon Appetit!

Nuances léveil des sens is open for dinner Sunday - Friday from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm, and on Saturday from 5:30 pm until 11:00 pm.

Read about Nuances in the Restaurants section and in Chefs' Recipes where Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat provides his recipe in French.


Nuances léveil des sens
Casino du Montr
éal
1 Avenue du Casino
Montréal, (Québec),
Canada H3C 4W7
Restaurant:+1-514-392-2746
Toll-Free:+1-800-665-2274 ext. 2708
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.Casino-de-Montreal.com

Read other articles on Montréalin the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, and Chefs' Recipes sections.

For more information on Montréal and Québec, please visit the websites: www.QuebecRegion.com, www.BonjourQuebec.com, and www.Tourism-Montreal.org.

For information on traveling by train in Canada, please visit the Via Rail Canada website at: www.ViaRail.ca or contact them at: +1-888- 842-7245.

For weather information in Canada, please visit the websites: www.Weather.ec.qc.ca and www.TheWeatherNetwork.com.

© September 2009. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.

Casino Montreal Restaurant Nuances De

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