Atelier, Soif Bar à Vin among best eateries, bars in Canada

Six restaurants and five bars in the Ottawa area were named among the best in Canada on Tuesday night with the release of two lists by Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants magazine.

Tops among the Ottawa restaurants was Atelier on Rochester Street, which ranked 40th on the list of Canadian restaurants. Atelier’s chef-owner, Marc Lepine, a two-time winner of the Canadian Culinary Championships, was also named the most innovative chef of the year in recognition of his highly creative and technically advanced dishes.

Also making the magazine’s fourth annual list — compiled from the submissions made by a panel of nearly 100 judges — were Riviera on Sparks Street, which came in 54th, Fairouz on Somerset Street West, which came in 62nd, North & Navy, which came in 74th, Stofa, a new restaurant on Wellington Street West, which was ranked 91st, and veteran restaurant Les Fougères in Chelsea, which was ranked 98th.

The magazine named Alo in Toronto as Canada’s best restaurant, followed by Toqué! and then Joe Beef in Montreal.

The magazine, which hits newsstands April 16, also compiled a list of Canada’s top 50 bars. Among them was Soif Bar à Vin in Gatineau’s Hull sector, the wine bar owned by award-winning sommelier Véronique Rivard, which came in 14th, just ahead of The Moonroom on Preston Street, which was in 15th position. Union Local 613 in Centretown was ranked 32nd, Bar Laurel in Hintonburg came in 44th and Belmont in Old Ottawa South came in 48th.

Tops on the list of bars was Bar Raval in Toronto, followed by Keefer Bar in Vancouver and then The Cold Room in Montreal.