Kitchen Bliss

“Poetic” could describe Bon Temps’ Instagram posts. For example, “attente (noun) – a strong belief that something is about to happen [like the arrival of your meal’s first delicious dish, perhaps]”. All that is about to happen is noteworthy. The dishes are impressive but the first order of the day is hospitality, and we’re talking about conviviality with historic roots.

When owner Dave Fauteux stumbled upon L’ordre de Bon Temps (the Order of Good Cheer) he knew it would be central to his new venture, launched in April. After managing others’ restaurants – most recently as part of Hamilton’s Other Bird Group – he’s finally captain of his own ship in the space previously occupied by Rapscallion.

In the winter of 1606, Samuel de Champlain founded the Order of Good Cheer to promote settlers’ good spirits and health. As Fauteux describes it “At the heart of the Order was a weekly feast… where a community united under one roof to break bread, drink wine, and be merry.” For Fauteux, “the Order” is no gimmick. So central is it to his hospitality ideals that if Champlain hadn’t invented it, Fauteux might have.

The Bon Temps team does have some French Canadian creds. A Hamiltonian for the last decade, Fauteux’s family has links to Ottawa River areas bordering Quebec. The great-great-great grandfather of Chef Joe Duprey (who joined the team recently) arrived from France in the late 1800s.

Together they created a new menu of small plate / sharing dishes that combine modern cuisine with the culinary history of Canada. It was suggested that we order 2-3 plates per person, and joined by a third diner we sampled quite a few dishes. The kitchen delivered the dishes individually or in groups, sequenced for an optimal dining experience.

Charcuterie was the first arrival. Highlights of this appetizing board were the guanciale and the creton. Unlike a pâté, creton is a more coarse mixture of pork traditionally seasoned with cloves, all spice, and nutmeg. On crostini with house-pickled asparagus, this was a “bon” start.

Next came a hot cast iron bowl of sweet corn, fancied up with miso butter, lardon bacon, and pickled chili. So good, it puts simple corn on the cob to shame.

The lightness of the corn was next contrasted with the more hearty Casserole - smoked tofu, Gruyère and lentils. In the evening chill of late summer this was well received and one of our favourite dishes. Sautéed mushrooms (cultivated and foraged) on arugula followed.

Eye candy arrived in the form of halibut, nestling on sweet corn succotash, enrobed in saffron beurre blanc. It tasted even better than it looked and I was wishing we were not sharing plates. Fortunately the table was also graced by pleasing Crab Cakes on celeriac remoulade and Scallops on truffle corn purée, topped with made-in-house bacon jam – genius.

The Nut Loaf with enoki, beans and carrots was impressive. The mixture of almond, pecan, and Brazil nuts, dressed with wild mushroom gravy was meatloaf reimagined.

The protein course served up pork tenderloin wrapped in wild boar bacon, sweetly swimming in celeriac cream with maple glazed beets – delicious. The Elk Ribeye in a reduction was tender and succulent, plated next to a cleverly shaped potato fondant cooked in butter and stock.

Dessert changes daily and we shared chocolate pâté with Bavarian cream, peaches and cherries. The only wrinkle in the dining experience was the coffee – not memorable.

Fauteux hopes the drinks from the bar will be memorable. He’s proud of their cocktails and aims to make his wine cellar one of the best in the city. A current feature each Wednesday is half-price bottles of wine.

All of this takes place in a cozy, urbane space of dark hues accented by wood, pops of colour and the artwork of Natasja Bischoff. Fading daylight is replaced by soft lighting from antique chandeliers. Seating includes the bar and bar tops, tables, and banquettes draped with fur skins. The demographics and the vibe change as the night progresses. Fauteux has a special interest in encouraging the patronage of restaurant staff from the Hamilton food scene. Enticement beginning at 10 is “Buck a Shuck” – oysters for a dollar each.

Tasting menus are on offer. Saturdays and Sundays offer a prix fixe menu of 5-7 courses and Sunday features Surf n Turf. Follow Bon Temps’ social media for news about their Butcher Dinners.

Bon Temps is one of those rare settings where the owner is on site acting as your congenial host. As if welcoming you to his own home, Fauteux is an active part of the team – taking your order, serving, chatting with guests and making great cocktails or wine recommendations that tap into his knowledge and expertise. He aims for the experience to be “the best part of the diner’s day”. Without doubt, Bon Temps delivered on that!

Hours: Monday, Tuesday closed; Wednesday- Sunday 5-12 a.m. (check their social media to ensure this has not changed)

What you’ll pay: Mushrooms $10; Sweet Corn $8; Nut Loaf $14; Casserole $17; Crabcakes $16; Scallops $19; Halibut $24; Charcuterie $16; Wild boar wrapped pork tenderloin $17; Elk Ribeye $26; Chocolate pate $9

[Click to read the review as it appeared online in the Hamilton Spectator - with interior/exterior photos.]