MONTREAL — Lesley Chesterman, The Montreal Gazette’s fine-dining critic, has published a wrap-up of the top restaurant trends of 2014, highlighting menu items, serving style and cooking techniques after a year of dining out in many of Montreal’s top restaurants.
In 2014, tasting menus fell by the wayside as appetizer-style dishes took the spotlight. “The starter/main course/dessert formula is on the wane as newer restaurants are offering a list of appetizer-sized dishes, and it’s up to you to order as many of them — and in whichever order — your appetite desires,” writes the critic. This year, Chesterman predicts family style eating will take over.
Bitter flavours from rutabaga, turnip, Brussels sprouts and dandelion greens replaced sweet flavours last year, according to Chesterman, who predicts the trend will morph to burnt, charred and blackened flavours. She suspects last year’s dry-aged beef craze will soon include other aged ingredients, such as pork, pheasant and cheese.
Biodynamic wines enjoyed the spotlight in 2014, as have classic and gastronomic cocktails, but Chesterman predicts that wine sourcing will soon focus on rarity, from little-known producing countries, such as Croatia. To read the complete list of trends and predictions, visit montrealgazette.com.
