1226 Van Horne Ave. (near Bloomfield); 514-271-7502 Website: leparisbeurre. com; no wheelchair access; reservations are essential; vegetarian-friendly; Parking: Small lot next to the restaurant or street with meters. Price range: $$-$$$
Four years ago, I had one of those dream bistro dinners at Outremont's Le Paris-Beurre. The dream bistro dinner is all about garlicky terrines, lush salads, melting confit, toothsome bavettes, rich profiteroles and silky custard creams. Add some inky French red wines and a charming waiter to the mix and you have the dream bistro dinner. Le Paris-Beurre also has this great out-of-a-Truffaut-film bistro setting and an attractive service staff and crowd of Outremont regulars straight out of central casting.
1083 Beaver Hall Hill; 514-861-2634; www.andiamo.ca; no wheelchair access; reservations are essential; vegetarian friendly; major cards; price range:$$-$$$.
Mussels with chorizo sausage, tomatoes and white wine
Lunch is a beat I rarely cover in this column, and for that I apologize. The reason is that most restaurants serve a cheaper, abbreviated menu at lunch and, as most chefs work nights, it's often the B team doing the cooking. And then there's the time thing. Catering to the harried business crowd, many restaurants aim to serve lunch in less than an hour. At night, dinner is a leisurely affair, which for me is essential for enjoying a luxurious meal. Yet there are now so many excellent restaurants doing lunch that I've decided to investigate, starting with the 4-month-old Andiamo.
6422 St. Laurent Blvd. (corner Beaubien St.); 514-276-0444; www.apolloglobe.com; wheelchair access; reservations recommended; major cards; vegetarian friendly; parking easy on surrounding streets; price range: $$-$$$.
Seafood Salad at Apollo Bistro
There is no Montreal chef I find harder to review than Giovanni Apollo. This is the fourth time I'm writing-up one of his restaurants, and I'm just as puzzled after this meal as I've been in the past.
The first review came in 2001, after I dined at Tentation, a restaurant with excellent if somewhat fussy food, located in a dreary space unworthy of its glitzy occupant. The next was for The Lychee Supper Club, where the surroundings were impressive, but the fussiness of the food veered out of control. Think bison tataki with sautéed Thai vegetables and grilled shiitake mushrooms. Get the picture?
3610 Wellington St.(near LaSalle Blvd.); 514-768-4224; www.simplechic.ca; major cards; no wheelchair access; vegetarian-friendly; parking easy on the street; price range: $$$.
Tables overlooking Wellington St.
Restaurant reviews usually focus on new restaurants, 'cause we all want to know if the new bistro getting the buzz really is all that. Once said establishment has been reviewed, the fact that it draws crowds is testimony to its success. Yet, restaurants are a work in progress. Or, worst-case scenario, a work that ceases to progress. All too often, I have endorsed restaurants that eventually fail to hold up their side of the bargain. People think that time can only make a restaurant better. But often it's the opposite: the restaurant goes from sharp to unfocused. Case in point: Simpléchic.
9030 L’Acadie Blvd. (corner de Beauharnois St.); 514-850-0000; www.restaurantellada.com. All major cards and Interac; wheelchair access; parking lot on site;
vegetarian friendly; reservations are essential on weekends; price range: $$$.
Published on Apr 28, 2009
Whenever I yearn for something seriously scrumptious, Greek food tops my list. And I’ve noticed that even my most-reluctant dining companions are always up for a night of fine dining at our local estiatorio. Even my husband, the most unenthusiastic diner on the planet, never says “oxi” to Greek nibblies. Problem is, halfway through his first plate of calamari, he starts to regale me with stories about his great trip to Greece when he was 19 with his ex-girlfriend. Not my idea of romantic dinner conversation. Anyhow, there’s no denying the draw of good Greek grub, and as I’m not on the grub beat, I’m happy to get more than my share of excellent Greek cuisine prepared in the finest of restaurants.
3518 St. Laurent Blvd. (Near Prince Arthur St.); 514-848-0644; open: Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to midnight (until 1 a.m. Thurs.-Sat.); Sun. 4 p.m. to midnight; bar open until 3 a.m. daily; no wheelchair access; reservations are essential; optional $15 valet parking; vegetarian-friendly; price range: $$$-$$$$.
Published on Mar 17, 2009
Photo The GAZETTE/Tyrel Featherstone
Pappardelle and prosciutto with pears
Seated next to some die-hard foodies recently at the High Lights Festival, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop. The topic was whether the black radishes on the plate were enhanced by the biodynamic, unfiltered Jura wine in their glasses or quashed by it.
The discourse was so intense that the pitch soon evolved from chatty conversation to light yelling. I couldn’t believe my ears. I mean, I enjoy analyzing my food, but yelling over the radish/wine pairing is beyond even my foodie limit.
609 St. Denis St. (near Cherrier St.); 514-544-5038; www.lafabriquebistrot.com; no wheelchair access; reservations are essential; vegetarian-friendly; major cards; price range: $$-$$$.
Published on Mar 14, 2009
Salmon plate at brunch
The opening of a restaurant is always cause for celebration. There’s nothing like a new player on Montreal’s food scene to whip foodies into a frenzy, and the bigger the chef name behind it, the better.
I can’t deny, however, I was a bit apprehensive when I heard Laurent Godbout, chef-owner of the restaurants Chez L’épicier, Version Laurent Godbout and Le Duel, was set to open a bistro. I have been hot and cold on his establishments: hot on the three-star Le Duel, cold on the two-star Chez L’épicier and, I guess, warm on Version, which I rated 21⁄2 stars
8 Sherbrooke St. W. (in the Opus Hotel, near St. Laurent Blvd.); 514-657-5656; www.kokomontreal.com; wheelchair access; parking: $10 valet parking or on surrounding streets; price range: Starters $$$.
Published on Jan 28, 2009
Photo John Kenney, The Gazette
Asian beef tartare and dumplings
I have a love-hate relationship with trendy restaurants. Let's start with the love. I love the over-the-top decor, the ambitious menus, the groovy background tunes, the great-looking wait staff, the designer cocktails and the young-and-comely clientele. Most of all, I love the risk-taking element to these restaurants. It's all or nothing, baby, and when it works, a trendy restaurant can draw the crowds and reap the benefits.
Which brings me to what I hate.
311 St. Paul St. E. (near St. Claude St.); 514-878-2232; www.chezlepicier.com. no wheelchair access; vegetarian friendly; reservations essential. Price range: Starters $$$-$$$$.
Published on Dec 11, 2008
Photo The Gazette
Chef Laurent Godbout
With a serious interest in food, a love of cooking and first-hand experience working in front of or behind the swinging kitchen doors of a restaurant, I think a reviewer is qualified to evaluate whether a fine-dining experience is one that should be praised or criticized.
Praise is lauded on the people who do things right: a bistro with fabulous steak/frites, an innovative restaurant that offers truly novel menu items, an authentic Italian restaurant that sees beyond red-sauce pastas and veal scallopini. That's the easy part.
4007 St. Denis St. (near Duluth Ave.); 514-845-6842; www.lecontinental.ca; major cards and Interac; no wheelchair access; reservations essential; parking: try the lot on Roy and Rivard sts.; price range: $$-$$$
Published on Aug 29, 2008
On June 23, 2007, after 21 years as one of the Plateau's most popular bistros, Le Continental collapsed into a pile of rubble thanks to a neighbouring fire. Four and a half months later, owners Laurent Farre and Alain Rochard set up a temporary bistro in the block south, near Duluth Ave. while the restaurant at 4169 St. Denis St. was to be rebuilt. Designer Zebulon Perron was commissioned to recreate the old space maintaining the same art-deco decor. Sadly, half of the wine cellar was lost, but as Rochard told me after the fire, "about $80,000 of wine was saved. Luckily, they were the best bottles."
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