La Chronique Is a Model of Consistency, Raves Jean-Philippe Tastet

For two decades now, La Chronique has fed Mile End, and indeed, Montreal, very well. "Clients come and go in waves. Sometimes you're the favourite and then it changes. But we do have clients who have supported us from the beginning, from ten or five years ago who have since become regulars, whom we recognize and have immense pleasure in serving," chef-owners Olivier de Montigny and Marc De Canck remarked a year ago. One of those regulars, Le Devoir critic Jean-Philippe Tastet, revisits the Laurier model of consistency this week.

Suffice to say, La Chronique is Tastet's kind of restaurant. The chefs, the critic writes, evince "un très grand sens artistique dans l’utilisation des divers éléments et ingrédients de toutes les compositions proposées." Hits from de Montigny and De Canck's kitchen range from a soigné take on vitello tonnato, to a tuna tataki ("également jouissives"), to beef shoulder ravioli with cèpes and foie gras emulsion. Another starter, corn velouté with langoustine and a trace of truffle, is resplendent.

Tastet samples four main dishes; all impeccable. There's Kamouraska lamb with polenta, artichokes, and eggplant; petit pois risotto with chorizo and scallops; ris de veau with turnip quenelles, and Brussels sprouts; and black cod with celeriac, spinach, and mushrooms. Not a whit of criticism. Ditto for a trio of desserts. Bottom line: "En 2016, on retrouve ici les mêmes qualités qui faisaient le succès du resto à ses débuts." Tastet's third review of La Chronique in his long career could well be his most favourable yet.