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Want to Eat at Canada's Best Restaurant?

Are you Canada's greatest food lover? If you are, you could be in for one fabulous treat. In conjunction with its Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide for 2013, Vacay.ca will crown the Canadian Foodie of the Year in April. The winner will have the opportunity to dine at one of the 2013 Top 50 Restaurants in Canada.
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Are you Canada's greatest food lover?

If you are, you could be in for one fabulous treat. In conjunction with its Top 50 Restaurants in Canada Guide for 2013, Vacay.ca will crown the Canadian Foodie of the Year in April. The winner will have the opportunity to dine at one of the 2013 Top 50 Restaurants in Canada, as well as receive round-trip airfare to that restaurant's destination city and a luxury hotel stay.

To be eligible for the Foodie of the Year contest, Canadians simply have to vote for their favourite eatery by emailing vote@vacay.ca and explaining their selection.

One of the early entrants has singled out Joe Beef, Montreal's legendary restaurant, for its spectacular dining experience. In her contest submission, diner Jo-Ann Samo wrote: "I immediately focused in on the Spaghetti Homard-Lobster that woke up all the senses within me. A velvety lobster and luxurious pasta dish, it melts in your mouth from the first bite. This recipe is also featured in The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts by David McMillan, Frédéric Morin, and Meredith Erickson. ... My guest ordered Duck Braised in a Berry Wine sauce with fingerling potatoes. The dish was adorned with whole berries complemented with a flawless piece of tender pink meat topped with potatoes and a perfectly sweet sauce.

"For dessert, we had a multi-layered marjolaine Chocolate Hazelnut Cake coated in brandy that was decadently delicious. I ordered a rich Mousse Chocolate Pot de Crème served in a miniature jar topped with whipped cream and two sugar cookies on the side.

"I must admit the Joe Beef experience is unlike any other that you will encounter. It is a cavalcade of outstanding dishes, each a conquest of amazingly glorious, gluttonous and eccentric recipes. Servers were knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming. It's a celebration that needs to be on everyone's 2013 bucket list."

Votes from Samo and other members of the public will be added to those selections made by the Vacay.ca academy of judges and will be used to determine the 2013 Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List, which will include a second annual People's Choice winner.

"As the only democratic list of its kind, we wanted to make sure we rewarded the dining public, whose patronage is really what determines whether a restaurant stands above its peers. We have a mix of food industry professionals, exceptional food and travel writers, and passionate foodies on our judging panel. When you add in the public's vote, then the list is truly representative of a cross-section of tastes, budgets, regions and experiences in Canadian dining," says Janine MacLean, a chef and food columnist who is the Chair of the Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List.

The Top 50 Restaurants list for the first time will also include winners for Best First Nations restaurant, Best Female Chef and Best Food Truck in Canada.

In April 2012, Vacay.ca launched the inaugural list that named the best 50 restaurants in Canada. It was the first publication to produce such a guide.

Vij's in Vancouver was named No. 1, with other notable restaurants such as Hawksworth, Les 400 Coups, Toque!, Au Pied de Cochon and Araxi also earning honours.

"The Vacay.ca list was founded to celebrate Canadian cuisine and to export word of our fantastic food scene to those keen to travel to our nation," said Vacay.ca Managing Editor Adrian Brijbassi.

To learn more about the restaurant rankings and the Foodie of the Year contest, visit Vacay.ca.

#20: Basho

Vacay.ca's Top 20 Restaurants In Canada

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