I stepped in here the other day without knowing much about it at all and was greeted by a completely unassuming and utterly mellow guy in a toque behind the counter. He walked me through the menu and I settled on the $20 pick yer fish option and was directed towards the Pickerel, something I had never had, as I am a seasoned West Coaster. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting that much from a lake fish and my Pacific Ocean bias has always told that ocean fish was where it's at. I am super happy to say that I was proved very wrong. The fish was presented to me perfectly pan fried atop a small pile of rapini, and flanked by pan seared fingerling potatoes drizzled with salsa verde. When I bit into the fish, the synapses in my brain were firing off saying 1) lake fish is insanely delicious and you were a fool to ever think otherwise and 2) don't you ever doubt a mellow man in a toque again (because, you know, there are just so many out there). To round out my meal, I also requested 4 of their oyster varietals and a cherry soda. All were exceptional. I have dreamt of this meal every day since I left its doors and I vow to return soon.
PS - after I left, I found out that the man in the toque is the legendary restauranteur, John Bil (whom I once read a couple of awesome things about) My admiration for the man has exploded exponentially to fan-girl levels knowing just how low key and rad of a guy he is in person.