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Not since a rave last August for Bouillon Bilk has Gazette critic Lesley Chesterman crushed so hard on a Montreal restaurant. In her latest (behind the paywall) review, Hôtel Herman scores a rare three and a half stars. Cheese plate aside, Chesterman orders the entire small plate-driven menu. Two dishes "never took flight" but "the rest wowed." The verdict is about as good as it gets for partners Dominic Goyet, Ariane Lacombe and chef Marc-Alexandre Mercier: "The way the food flowed during that dinner, the bright flavours, the new tastes, the friendly wait staff, the divine wines and this very special setting — not young, not old, not anything but completely pleasant — all amounted to one superb restaurant experience."