On Wednesday, November 16 at 8 p.m., Eater will present the 2016 Eater Awards, our seventh annual celebration of all that's made the Montreal restaurant world run — and run wild — in the past 12 months. Winners will be selected on both the local and national levels in five major categories, and the voting begins right now. The poll’s now closed for restaurant of the year. Next up? Chef of the Year. Cast your vote for the chef that really made a difference this year below.
Eligible chefs must have taken to the burners at their current restaurant within the last 12 months — that is, the chef must either be working at a new restaurant, or must have newly moved to an existing restaurant. The nominees are: Leigh Roper, who joined Griffintown restaurant Foxy, and formerly of the Dave McMillan empire at Joe Beef and Le Vin Papillon. She brings a fiery and hearty menu centred on the grill but balanced out with delicate, earthy touches on the produce side. There’s Aaron Langille, who opened his own Mile-Ex small plates spot Le Diplomate last winter after stints at Café Sardine and Orange Rouge. Refusing to stick to culinary codes, he ambitiously mixed bold and fresh flavours in unconventional yet simple and successful ways. Next, Sherbrooke chef Danny St-Pierre (formerly of Auguste) also opened his own venue, Petite Maison in the Mile End. With dishes like his poutine inversée, he kept excess culinary bells and whistles out of the kitchen to execute simultaneously homey and refined plates. Former Les 400 Coups chef Marc-André Jetté opened Hoogan et Beaufort alongside sommelier William Saulnier in Rosemont late last year; he wowed critics with elegant cuisine that, like Foxy, used plenty of fire. Finally, S’Arto Chartier-Otis took charge of the kitchen at Griffintown’s Hvor after honing his skills at Les Enfants Terribles, the Saint-Sulpice Hotel and many others. His technically-refined and locavore-oriented set menus have turned house-grown produce into rave reviews since opening in May.
Here's how the voting works: Eater editors have named nominees in Montreal for each of five major categories. Editors will pick winners from the nominees, and readers will vote to award one nominee in each category with a readers’ choice award. Ready to play your part? This poll will be open for 24 hours; voting irregularities will be strictly policed.
