This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
After two years of uncertainty, MTL à table, the most anticipated fall gastronomic festival in the Montreal metropolis, returns from November 3 to 13 in the traditional format for a 10e flavorful edition. How did this event manage to gain so many followers, and what does it have in store for us this year?
The current director of Tourisme Montréal, Patrizia Dri, knows MTL à table by heart. She contributed to its creation in 2012, then she accompanied its development over the years. “Basically,” she says, “this event was intended to help Montreal restaurants fill up and promote the city at a less busy time. But we had no idea of the extent that this initiative would take! »
Indeed, the success of MTL at the table was immediate. The number of restaurants selected increased from 75 in the first year to 150 in 2019. Each time, the dining rooms filled up, the waiting lists swelled, the hotels were stormed. A real gourmet madness seized the metropolis for ten days.
New trends
The pandemic has put a serious brake on this autumn jubilation, but no knockout blow, since the 2022 edition of the event will bring together 114 restaurants across the city. The forced fasting of the past two years has also led Tourisme Montréal to rethink its formula a bit.
“Before 2020, we spoke more to visitors to Montreal than to Montrealers themselves, who have since become our best ambassadors,” says Ms.me Dr. We are now targeting them as a priority, with proposals for good restaurants in 16 districts of the city so that they can play gourmet tourists near their homes. »
This is not the only aspect of MTL à table that has changed, although the event is still based on the participation of independent restaurants with service open in the evening, on special three-course menus (which this year range from $35 to $75), as well as the maximum use of local products. As the director explains, “before, people ran to the big tables. They are now also curious to discover small restaurants, and really open to diversity. We have also noticed that the vegan choices are more and more numerous and worked on”.
Multicultural mix
There’s something for everyone at the 2022 edition of MTL à table. Popular chefs or those to be discovered, establishments of all kinds – from the bar which serves meals to the high-flying restaurant –, representation from all continents, traditional or reinvented cuisines; the event perfectly crystallizes the dynamism and abundant creativity of Montreal gastronomy.
The Kwizinn restaurant is a good example. Open since 2017, it has been established in Verdun since 2020 and offers Afro-Caribbean-inspired cuisine. “But we don’t stop at this label,” says chef-owner Mike Lafaille, who concocts dishes with his multicultural team that don’t hesitate to mix all culinary cultures. On his MTL à table menu, you will also find giromon soup (a kind of squash), traditionally served on Sundays in Haiti, as well as Asian-style fried rice with Creole shrimp, fish ceviche that one could taste in Mexico, as well as a mac and cheese with pancetta, fried pork and Creole spices. “We have a lot of fun in the kitchen,” admits the chef, who is eager to introduce the eccentric culinary signature of his restaurant, located on “the coolest street in the world!” »
Le Lloyd, at the Marriott Château Champlain hotel, whose kitchens are run by globe-trotting chef Steve Boisclair — he has worked in France and Polynesia, among others — invites epicureans on a gourmet journey. “You can clearly see my journey in my dishes, which combine all my experiences,” explains the chef who, during his first participation in MTL à table, will serve items from his menu that have already proven themselves. Among them, we will find in particular smoked beef spare ribs brought to the table on a small barbecue placed on a pedestal table, as well as rigatoni with morel sauce in yellow wine, truffles, Louis d’or and roasted crust with herbs. “This dish is comfort food at its best, says the chef. It reminds me of my childhood, when my uncle went to get morels, and it goes wonderfully with the yellow wine from my origins and an excellent cheese from Quebec. »
Be careful, Lloyd’s desserts will not be outdone with, for example, an all-chocolate dessert consisting of a pie containing a soft chocolate and original chocolate ice cream. With such proposals, it is not surprising that MTL à table is still so popular. As Patrizia Dri puts it so well, “Gastronomy in Montreal is part of our DNA and we love it just as much as festivals. We really have little gems here that are the envy of cities around the world, so let’s encourage them and take care of them! »
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, relating to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.