Kitchenette
Where
1351 Bd Rene Levesque East
When
Thursday 7:30 pm
The Food
Flawless…there really is no other way to put it. Started with the grilled octopus with BBQ sauce on a bed of “texas caviar” (black eyed peas) and preserved lemon relish. Toni had the Warm “Yukon Gold” potato salad, which she loved. For mains we had the Beer-braised short ribs, and Smoked organic Charlevoix chicken, wild rice stuffing with roasted chestnuts, Brussels sprouts, bacon & pumpkin seed brittle. That pumpkin brittle was awesome. Nice and spicy. For desert we each had a Pets De Soeur, which are made daily by the chef’s mother in-law apparently. They took me right back to when my mom would pull out a fresh batch from the oven…amazing.
The Service
Fine. No complaints. Props to the waiter for literally filling my glass with wine, instead of a third full like other places do when you go by the glass.
The Atmosphere
Quaint and casual, with the kitchen sitting in the middle of the room and the tables surrounding it, giving it the feel of…well…a kitchenette.
The Bill
$130 for 2
The Website
kitchenetterestaurant.ca
Mess Hall
Where
4858 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest
When
Saturday 7:30 pm
The Food
High end bistro maybe? Tough one to categorize. We went there a few years ago and I remember loving the ox-tail pasta, which is no longer on the menu. Not sure why we haven’t been since (it being two blocks away) but we figured we’d give it another shot after the not-so-favorable review in the gazette. Now, we are by no means professional restaurant reviewers - or writers! - but we all had a fantastic meal. Things got started on the right foot with the calamari app. I’ve had a ton of calamari, but these were so tender and tasty they’ve become the benchmark for future calamari apps…yes that good. I had the tartar with fries as a main. The capers were a nice touch but nothing else really stood out. Just a good tartar. Toni and my sister both had the burger and Toni claims it might be the best burger she’s ever had! We were too full for dessert so it ends there.
The Service
There was only 3 other tables there at the time so the service was great. One small thing though, every time the waitress either came to our table or walked by I was assaulted by a strong perfume smell. Is there some sort of general rule among servers about this? Just seemed kind of weird at a restaurant.
The Atmosphere
red neon lights…no kidding, but it kinda works in a strange way. The booths are very comfortable.
The Bill
$120 for 3
The Website
www.mess-hall.com
Rumi
Where
5198 Hutchison, Outremont
When
Saturday 8:00 pm
The Food
Moroccan! Everything was great. We started with two dip appetizers (hummus and hodja…which is like baba ganoush but with tomatoes and roasted red peppers) and an assortment of marinated olives. For mains I had the tagine of lamb ring with onions, fresh garlic, greens and organic tomatoes and toni had the Majdub, which is a vegetarian dish ‘inspired’ by the chef that day.
The Service
Felt like we were forgotten about for the 1st 15 minutes or so but picked up nicely from there.
The Atmosphere
Moroccan….colorful walls and curvy patterned benches.
The Bill
$95 for 3
The Website
www.restaurantrumi.com
Thali
Where
1409 St Marc, downtown Montreal
When
Friday 7:30 pm
The Food
Counter buffet style service but everything seems pretty fresh. Sometimes the beef is less than braised and way too chewy but everything else is usually great for the price. Big portions too. For less than $20 for two you can’t go wrong here.
The Service
Counter service.
The Atmosphere
Cafeteria/diner, but you’re not there for the ambience. Great for a quick dinner when you’re in a rush.
The Bill
$18 for 2!
The Website
www.thalimontreal.com
L’Orignal
Where
479 rue Saint-Alexis, Old Montreal
When
Saturday 7:30 pm
The Food
Fresh, seasonal, pretty amazing in fact. Started with the beef/bison tartare combo. The beef was topped with a mushroom salsa and the bison had homemade ketchup mixed in…exactly like the kind my mom used to make when I was growing up! I couldn’t really taste much of the bison but it was still delicious. Toni had a wild berry salad with 12yr old balsamic dribbled over it. For mains I had one of the specials of the day; grouper with a corn risotto, and toni had the grilled chicken breast with smoked paprika and garlic confit. Everything was great….quite a memorable meal and we’ll be back.
The Service
Excellent.
The Atmosphere
Upscale pub, downstairs. Very comfortable. People started flowing in around 9:00 and hanging out at the bar, where they have a small bar menu for nibbling while you drink.
The Bill
$160 (with tip and 3 drinks) for 2
The Website
www.restaurantlorignal.com
L’Oeufrier
Where
4785 Rue Sherbrooke O.
When
Saturday 1 pm
The Food
We have have been waiting for a breakfast joint to open near us for years, finally, late September we got our wish. Only problem was that the lineups were insane, - we’re talking an hour to wait for your food after ordering insane. I’m not known for having patience so there was no way I’d wait that long for a plate of food. Months later, we finally went to check the place out again. By this time, the newness had been shed and we were able to walk in and grab a table. I had a bacon and cheese sandwich on whole wheat with some home fries and fruit. Nothing special but those home fries were really good and when you make bacon crispy the dish is always a winner. Jean probably had eggs Benedict I can’t remember and to be honest it wasn’t the highlight of his dish. The highlight was the fruit (mine had some too but his had a lot of fruit), it was super fresh and just a great thing to eat after eating heavy food. So was this place worth the wait? You bethca’! The fruit alone at this place is worth going to, like I said it’s fresh, you get a lot of it and the variety is great. It’s so rare to see actual fresh fruit at a breakfast joint, so thank you.
The Service
I can’t remember it so that means it was good.
The Atmosphere
Friendly, nice decor, bright.
The Bill
aprox. $20 for 2
The Website
http://loeufrier.com/
Mesa 14
Where
1425 Bishop
When
Saturday 7pm.
The Food
We’ve been to this place a few times with some friends, it’s a great place to go to before a movie or just for an early night out. We started with the guacamole and nachos, I thought it was a pretty good guacamole (and I make amazing guac, seriously) with some fresh tomato salsa on top, but everyone else thought it needed more heat or garlic. For our mains I shared a vegetable fajita platter with a friend. The portions for this were not thought out well (that’s an understatement). There were only 4 fajitas when clearly 6-8 were needed and not nearly enough salsa, guac, sour cream and cheese given. That said the vegetables were very nice as I love caramelized vegetables. Jean had the Bandera Mexicana which is essentially 3 different enchiladas with some rice and really good black beans (these made me a believer). Another friend had the fish taco, he always gets this here so I assume it’s really good. Apparently the mojitos are really good too!
The Service
Good, the server was very busy and they should probably divide the tables up in a more logical manner.
The Atmosphere
Friendly
The Bill
$88 +tip for 4 people
The Website
www.mesa14.com
Bistro Orange (now closed)
Where
Stanley between deMaisonneuve and Ste.Catherine
When
Sunday 2:30pm
The Food
This space used to be a Chez Cora, I have no clue when Bistro Orange took over but I’m assuming recently since there seemed to be some kinks still being worked out. For instance our waiter said more than once ’sorry there was a problem’ in regards to no one being assigned to our table and the wrong order being cooked. Both mistakes were easily fixed and the food was good. I had an omelet with bacon (a little disappointing as I like crispy bacon and this was not it, not even close), onions and potatoes with a side salad. Normally side salads are an afterthought but I must say this one was quite good and I would gladly eat it again. Jean had an eggs Benedict with some smoked salmon. The eggs were beautifully cooked and the yolk a perfect shade of yellow.
The Service
Could be better. I don’t really like over attentive servers but some attention would be nice. We waited 20 min for someone to take our order and then had to ask a different waiter to get our bill.
The Atmosphere
Nice decor, laid-back Sunday feeling in the place.
The Bill
$22 + tip
The Website
N/A
Lemeac
Where
1045 Laurier O.
When
Saturday 8pm.
The Food
We chose this place for our 8th anniversary and it was definitely a hit. We began with appetizers; I had the panko crusted goat cheese and apple salad and Jean had the tartare with frites - no complaints here and the goat cheese was nice and smooth. For mains I had the Braised Beef Short Rib with swiss chard and barley w. mint pesto. The short rib was divine, but I wasn’t thrilled by the rest of the dish. I’m not a fan of the texture of swiss chard and the mint pesto needed a bit more flavour, although the addition of orange peel was very, very nice. Overall the dish could have used more of the jus from the short rib. Jean had a veal special with a lovely sauce and some savoy cabbage and multi-coloured carrots that was very good. We had a plate of mignardises for dessert that had some macaroons, fruit jellies, truffles and petit fours. It was a great way to end the meal and great plate to share with someone.
The Service
Good, when we couldn’t figure out some of the translations she was helpful.
The Atmosphere
The decor was nice and fairly minimal and the atmosphere unpretentious.
The Bill
$130 + tip
The Website
www.restaurantlemeac.com
Bens De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant
Ok this is just an excuse to post this photo….and to commemorate this institution in Montreal from 1908 to 2006. I ate there a couple times before it closed and I hate to say this but the food was nothing special, typical diner fare done well I guess. Great for late night food binging, for sure.
