Montreal Food Writers Predict the Headlines for 2018

As is tradition at Eater, we close the year with a survey of food critics, writers, bloggers, and people about town. This year we posed eight questions, from meal of the year, to top restaurant newcomers. All will be revealed by the time we turn off the lights at the end of 2017. Responses are unedited, except for grammar.

Q: What are your headline predictions for 2018?

Lesley Chesterman, Montreal Gazette dining critic:

Wine, wine, wine and wine!

Jean-Philippe Tastet, Le Devoir dining critic:

More emphasis on vegetables and a bigger effort to encourage and promote local products.

Marie-Claude Lortie, La Presse dining critic:

I hope for less sexual harassment in the kitchens, for more coverage of women in the business, for more respect for their work, their choices, their talent, their approaches. I hope that we will change the way we measure excellence to find ways to include them better. I hope for more equality.

Ian Harrison, Ricardo magazine; Eater Montreal founding editor:

#MeToo entangles the Montreal restaurant industry.

Mallory Frayn, Eater Montreal contributor:

I can only hope that we stop seeing a plethora of poke restaurants pop up and that 2018 brings something a touch more original.

Iris Paradis-Gagnon, La Presse restaurant reporter and critic:

More informal places, like comptoirs, take-out, small hybrid spaces.

Élise Tastet, Tastet blog:

More creativity, less ego.

Mélanie Boudreau, La Pique-Assiette blog:

More natural wines, more casual eating, more veggies.

Risa Dickens, Senior Community and Marketing Director at Yelp Montreal:

Purple foods! Man-made meats! Top impeachment treats!

Allison Van Rassel, food columnist at CBC/Radio-Canada Quebec City (note: these are Quebec City restaurants):

The 2018 restaurant scene in Quebec City is (finally!) all about authentic Asian cuisine: Vietnamese at Chez Tao in Saint-Sauveur, Japanese at Hono Izakaya in Saint-Roch and a yet-to-be-confirmed location for Porcelaine, an authentic ready-to-eat Chinese food concept. The revival of the prestigious molecular-gastronomy experience at La Tanière is also expected for 2018.