So what else is new? It’s another local restaurant that I haven’t been able to get around to visiting. My brother for example, beat me to this restaurant by oh, over a year.

As it turns out, the arrival of a colleague working on a joint project for Charlotte gave the opportunity to give DNA a spin, and smack in the middle of DNA’s “Canadian Wine Week” promo to boot. A pretty good bargain with 4 dishes (3 savory + dessert) for $45, with multiple dishes (including cheese course) available on top of what’s offered for an additional supplement. And Canadian wines. Mmm…

The restaurant operates on two seatings (6:30 pm or 8:30 pm; take the later one), which isn’t particularly common on the Big Croissant and not a particular habit I like. An early arrival meant parking for a couple of minutes at the bar with a very friendly bartender and a plasma television showing video of jellyfish. I’d also say “mmm…” but one of my team spent some quality time being stung by Portuguese man o’war (Physalia physalis) so probably not something to mention. We didn’t stay too long at the bar – just enough time to get a couple of glasses of wine and lamb tartar to while away the time. The restaurant overall has a funky glass and metal meets disco ball and orange leather motif which you either love or hate (I was okay with it). It’s over several different levels and the kitchen itself is in the basement (you can see it from the outside – they work clean) much like in France.

Not sure how raucous DNA gets on a busier night but they were fairly packed for a Tuesday. We got a 2-top banquette seat next to a standalone table with a really nice chair with a snakeskin motif. Clue: snakeskin. Potentially wild crowd, which eventually manifested itself in the form of a young woman who spent the night running out the door to take calls on her Blackberry, doing wine chug-a-lug with a variety of bottles, and pawing the waitress. Last time I saw this was that unfortunate lunch about a decade ago with Chris and Terry but she was considerably more discrete. Actually there was no loud noise or annying behaviour in general – just happy sounds.

 DNA was originally chosen because it had posted a more fish-centric menu, which wasn’t put forward for Canadian Wine Week. On top of that, what’s not really mentioned is that Chef Derek Dammann is into Fergus Henderson-inspired nose-to-tail eating (everything except the oink). Fine by me, but more limited for my colleague. Foie gras does appear to be always available and ranges between $12 and $22 extra depending on the preparation and if one is feeling particularly peckish, no problem – there is a 60 oz rib steak designed as a service for two or a service for one should one have a freedman appetite.

Dinner

Tartare d’agneau épicé (amandes, menthe ): this was actually offered to us while we waited at the bar for our table. Very spicy, which overwhelmed the lamb a bit but it was a good starter to help absorb the booze.

Porc de chez Gaspor (as an amuse): also offered to us when we got to the table. Tender porky goodness in a single bite (one!) like all good amuse-bouche should be.

Tartare de cœur de bison (fois gras, vinaigre balsamique Venturi Shulze, brioche « ciccioli »)(supplement +13): this was actually my favorite dish. The tartar is made with bits of foie gras and served with a foie brioche and just worked well together.

Tomates “tonnato”: my colleague’s starter. Most of the other options were somewhat frightening so it pretty much came down to this. Nicely-executed variation of a classic Italian salad.

Pappardelle (champignons, mascarpone et citron): we both opted for the papperdelle but I chose this specifically because this dish was being made with wild mushrooms including lobster mushrooms and matsutake (the mushroom that will make you strong). Pasta was nice, sauce was nice, but this wasn’t a dish for matsutake. Apart from the fact that I couldn’t identify where the matsutake was (I suspect it’s probably one of those little rectangular chunks) the Parmesan and other sauce elements overwhelmed its aroma and flavor.

Porc de chez Gaspor (topinambours, Xérès, feuilles de gourganes, « dragoncello »): it’s slow-cooked pork shoulder with some nice crackling. Good homey dish.

Flétan rôti (aubergines marinées, poivrons et charmoula): my colleague’s suggestion as a main; she said it was very nice with the halibut proper cooked.

Sorbet (fraises, framboises): we both opted for this but I chose this because I wanted something cold and she chose it because it was light. Pretty good sorbets with nice creamy mouth-feel and no icy grittiness. The raspberry was better than the strawberry.

Melon du Québec (local canteloupe): yet another offer at the end of the meal. Nice touch, and a very clean palate-cleanser to help send us on our way.

Wine

This is probably the only restaurant in Québec to be actively showcasing Canadian wine production and they have won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2009 . This is good: I love Canadian wines and try and support producers (there are exceptions). As this was still a business dinner, I didn’t have a chance to really go through their offerings but I did spot Laughing Stock Portfolio and Tantalus Pinot Noir among the BC offerings and several different botllings from Daniel Lenko and Stratus out of Ontario. I went with a glass of the 2008 Riesling from Lailey Vineyard (Niagara on the Lake, Ontario): a bit pricey at $15/pour, especially as the wine is not quite ready for prime-time and needs a good couple of years.

There is however, a potential issue with the wine list. The problem lies in the fact that not one provincial liquor board in Canada actively supports Canadian wine production apart from token offerings from the national brands (e.g. Jackson-Triggs, Mission Hill, André’s etc). To offer these bottles for sale in the restaurant unfortunately means that DNA had to go the private import route, meaning that the end result is an impressively expensive bottle as both the intermediate négociant and the SAQ each need to get their share before it reaches the table. Case in point: that Tantalus Pinot Noir? I have this wine; you can buy it from the winery for $29.90/bottle. However, because of the private import route, DNA is offering a single glass for $20 and the bottle for well, considerably more. Ow, ow, ow…

Photos

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Impressions

I actually had a pretty nice meal, with efficient unobtrusive service and interesting wildlife whose presence wasn’t detrimental to the dining experience. DNA’s Fergus Henderson-influenced eating, which I certainly don’t mind, is however not for everyone. They might want to not try and extend it into so many things as a topping of shaved crispy pigs’ ears tastes better than it sounds.

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