Le Vin Papillon

IN A WORLD overpopulated by raw vegan salad bars and kale juice smoothies, Le Vin Papillon offers a refreshingly different (and far more delicious) approach to eating your vegetables.

The health-forward wine bar serves seasonal produce cooked with enough butter to transform even the dreariest head of cauliflower into something of otherworldly deliciousness. Chef Marc-Olivier Frappier bewitches bland carrot ribbons into tender and meaty strips reminiscent of smoked sockeye salmon, illustrating the range of new possibilities unleashed when vegetables fall into the right hands. The restaurant’s celebrated half head of rotisserie cauliflower with caramelized onions, crispy chicken skin and fresh lemon packs more satisfying savoury flavour than most rotisserie chickens ever do.

In line with the health-conscious theme, sommelier Vanya Filipovic pours fresh and lively natural wines from lesser-known, small producers in Burgundy— as well as less-celebrated growing regions in Hungary and Croatia. These hard-to-find wines, made with organic and biodynamic grapes and little to no sulfur, offer a refreshing opportunity to experience something new. Le Vin Papillon does not accept reservations, so the place is mildly chaotic when everyone shows up at the same time on a Thursday or Friday night. But thanks to Filipovic, there is always enough great wine flowing to keep everyone happy while they’re waiting for a table.