Restaurant review | L’Épicurieux: convivial gastronomy in Val-David

Through the good shots and, sometimes, the not so good, our restaurant critics tell you about their experience, introduce the team in the dining room and in the kitchen, while explaining what motivated the choice of the restaurant. This week, a Laurentians institution: L’Épicurieux restaurant in Val-David.

Iris Gagnon Paradise
The Press

Why talk about it?

Last January, the Quebec Institute of Statistics published its annual report on interregional migration in Quebec. The region with the biggest gain? We give it to you in a thousand: the Laurentians. Some 12,000 more people have chosen to settle there in 2020-2021. It is not surprising that the gastronomic offer has abounded in the region in recent years. In 2019, during a report on gourmet boiling in the Laurentians, a quick visit to the restaurant L’Épicurieux made it possible to meet its very friendly team, which offers catering on a human scale. The highly creative dishes, very aesthetic and focused on our local terroir, had also impressed us. So we went back to live the experience in due form.

Who are they ?

L’Épicurieux was born from the desire of Dominic Tougas, a guy from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts who worked in several Montreal restaurants, to offer his region a table worthy of the name, and also in his image. He teamed up with his wife, Marie-Michèle Desmarchais, and chef Fanny Ducharme, also from the Laurentians, to imagine L’Épicurieux. They are supported by a small, motivated team: William Lamarre and Émerik Paquette in the kitchen, and sommelier Elia Lebeau, among others, on the floor.

Our experience

In this pretty and welcoming dining room offering a view of the open kitchen, which is complemented, in good weather, by a large covered terrace on which you can hear the murmur of the Rivière du Nord, local products are showcased. with finesse and inventiveness.

The strength of L’Épicurieux undoubtedly comes from this alliance between a high-calibre gastronomic experience and a setting that remains relaxed and friendly. The best of both worlds, what.

There is nothing stuck here, either in the service or the atmosphere, very warm. The staff is smiling and friendly. We can’t help but underline the kindness of the kitchen team, who went out of their way to create a dish that tasted like a son, who looked up at the yet delicious and airy sweet potato agnolotti that he were offered.

The restaurant only offers one formula, the seven-course tasting menu — we’ll come back to that. Is this the ideal setting for a family outing? Probably not, but there is a way to average, as they say. Normally, one of the daily specials will do. But that night, a difficult child was also on the menu. The cooks even went down to the cellar to unearth some dry pasta, which was used to make a quick mac and cheese. Problem solved, and here are parents relieved to be able to enjoy their evening!

The creations offered change often. Everything we tasted on this chilly winter evening was carefully crafted and superbly presented. The chef has a certain talent for creating harmonies of creative and successful flavors and textures, using local and seasonal ingredients. What you taste here may not be like anything else. And it is for this reason, among others, that we love L’Épicurieux.

Several dishes give pride of place to vegetables. Season requires, many root vegetables shone, all very well prepared.

Here, the roasted celeriac cubes were accompanied by a “misonnaise” (miso mayonnaise whipped with camelina oil, a local treasure) and camelina seeds. This plate was served with the cod in a nori and pistachio crust, and its mashed carrots. Two dishes with subtle flavors, but very harmonious.

There, pan-fried mushrooms went wonderfully well with a creamy parsnip purée and smoked hazelnuts. They accompanied the very tender beef scoter, lacquered in birch syrup, enhanced by mashed beets – a choice companion, even if it was a little too salty for our taste – and roasted buckwheat, for a crunchy touch.

The success of a tasting menu is also based on the order in which the dishes are presented, on a gradation avoiding overloading the palate with tastes that are too intense at the start. A success, as far as we are concerned. The pace between services was also neither too slow nor too fast, testifying to a well-established kitchen.

A word about the dessert, memorable, not too sweet, very balanced and original: a squash pannacotta, topped with a crunchy pumpkin seed tuile and a deliciously flavored tonka bean ice cream. A final that everyone enjoyed…even the recalcitrant child!

In our glass

One of the pleasures of sitting down at L’Épicurieux is discovering the wine list, which has several pearls and rarities. The natural or biodynamic wine is present, but always straightforward and digestible. We highly recommend choosing the pairing, which includes five wines to taste. Sébastien Riffault’s Sancerre Auksinis, a maceration smelling of honey and ripe fruit, delighted us, as did the incredible sweet Jurançon from Château Lafitte, a dessert wine aged 15 months on lees, with a lively and unctuous mouthfeel. , smelling exotic fruits.

Good to know

As indicated earlier, only a tasting menu is offered at L’Épicurieux. If you have dietary restrictions, if you are vegetarian or even vegan, just let the restaurant know when you make your reservation, but not the same day, please!

Price

It costs $80 per person for the tasting menu, a very reasonable price for the quality offered. You come out satisfied, but not too full. Add $65 per person for wine pairing.

Information

L’Épicurieux welcomes customers from Thursday to Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations absolutely recommended.

2270 Church Street, Val-David