CocoBean's Profile
WHAT ARE THE TOP RESTAURANTS IN MONTREAL
Say what you will about their hype and attitude, Joe Beef is head and shoulders above other Montreal restaurants, IMHO. The food coming out of Fred Morin's brain and his skilled team has blown me away time and time again. All the right notes are hit here; creativity, playfulness, precision, and tastiness. The wine list is also phenomenal. I love restaurants with a point of view and here, it is executed to perfection.
Their book is pretty amazing, too.
Goodbye Liverpool House (for now?)
Word on the street... Liverpool House is reopening this coming Thursday, with a brand new kitchen and restored dining room. Should be better than ever. Exciting!
Rustic Food for a Private Party of 12?
Mckiernan's!!
Sounds like the perfect fit!
For those who don't know, Mckiernan's is the Joe Beef/Liverpool House offshoot. It seats roughly 15 people and is perfect for groups. Plus it's a great value! I had an event there recently and would highly recommend it. It's wonderfully cozy and personal, like being at a dinner party. For your budget, I think they would really put together something spectacular. Enjoy!
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Mckiernan's
Montreal, QC, Montreal, QC , CA
Please help finalize Montreal resto choices
YES! DNA. It's new (ish), it's fresh, it's inspired, it's all about local products and it's completely different from your two other meals.
Authentic sushi restaurant
I am shocked KAIZEN hasn't had more mentions here. I personally am a very big fan. I know, I know.... there are velvet curtains, sexy hostesses, and neon lights everywhere.... a throw-back to the ealry 90s.... but if those items can be overlooked, I can guarantee that the fish blow you away.
As in any good sushi house world-wide, the important thing here is to talk to the sushi chef. Antonio, an ex at the acclaimed and very high quality ( with price tag to match) MASA in NYC, is the only Montreal sushi chef importing fish directly from Japan. The variety is outstanding (we're talking 3-4 different toro per night, acupunctured snapper, parrot fish, trumpet fish, escolar, etc etc etc, a variety UNSEEN in any other Montreal establishment), and the preparation is flawless, from the rice to the freshly grated wasabi (again, the only spot in the city to offer this). Moreover, he is as passionate as one can get and incredibly creative.
The very big bonus here is that the wine and sake list is fantastic. If I have to sit through another meal at Sho-Dan with hot sake or Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.... someone please shoot me. The sakes are all privately imported and the variety is spectacular. The wine list is also a pleasure, with a big emphasis on french wines, Burgundy, Loire, Alsace, you name it. There is always a very decent selection of wines by the glass, and the staff is very helpful, with several sommeliers on hand to help with suggestions.
Yes, the price tag is high, but IMHO there is no other sushi spot in Montreal worth a visit.
An added plus, they deliver!
Where to go for dinner on Monday night in Montreal?
Some favourites for great Monday night dining;
3 Petits Bouchons
Lemeac
Da Emma
Milos
Kaizen
L'Express
Enjoy!
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L'Express Restaurant
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2W2M4, CA
Dog dining
Brought my very well-behaved dog to Joe Beef's back terrasse last week. Gardens surround this lovely dining area, so my giant poodle hung out near flower patches with a water dish gracefully provided by the staff. I had to ask permission, as I don't think this is standard for them. I think a well-behaved animal is key. They were very nice and beyond accommodating. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the ambiance, as did our pooch!
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Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA
ISO Canele in montreal
My favourite Canele in the city can be found at Mamie Clafouti on VanHorne. They're always fresh, incredibly rich, soft, and tender, with the perfect caramelized crust.
Mamie Clafouti
1291 VanHorne
514-750-7245
To those who already know and love this bakery; Mamie Clafouti just began serving ice cream this week!
Private room for 15 people with very good food?
McKiernans!! A real treat. Check it out.
Recs. for upscale restaurants in Montreal w/ bar
Maybe a tad off your targeted neighbourhood, but Joe Beef and Liverpool House offer awesome at-the-bar wining and dining.
DNA in Old Montreal has a bar AND a lounge, both of which offer the full menu.
I also recommend Les Trois Petits Bouchons on Rue St Denis for excellent food, wine, and service.
L'Express and Lemeac are also always fantastic when dining solo.
Enjoy!
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Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA
L'Express Restaurant
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2W2M4, CA
Guidance needed for a group of chefs/sommeliers
Hi JeanPoutine!
Welcome to Montreal. Your list is solid!
Despite other comments on this topic, I think a group of food and wine lovers will much prefer L'express' classic Parisian style to Lemeac's subdued vibe. Only at l'express will you find classics like Oeuf en Gelee, Bone Marrow, Croque Monsieur, and Isle Flottante! The wine list is truly fantastic, and it's open til 2am. The bar is always crowded with chefs late night. We take this old-as-water spot for granted in Montreal, but it's amazing. And there's nothing like it in Chicago! A must.
If you're here within the next month, APDC's Cabane a Sucre could be a riot. If you arrive this summer, Joe Beef's garden-studded terrasse with its house-built smoker and greenhouse is a must-try. Both are paradise for true foodlovers and the wine lists are spectacular. True inspired cuisine.
You'll love DNA. Expertly prepared offal-heavy menu. Canada-centric wine list. Modern and relevant. Yes!
3 Petits Bouchons deserves to be added to your list. It's awesome food, and awesome mostly natural wine, as in vin nature. Really good first stop for wine and bouchonnailles.
Other wine bar musts: Pullman and Buvette. Wonderful lists and great vibe.
Great idea to go to Schwartz' for lunch. Also consider Wilensky's, Montreal's own smoked pastrami sandwich joint. If you want yours with no mustard, it's an extra fee. Old school egg soda machines on premises!
Chef friends were in town a few weeks back and also attempted two meals per night. Very ambitious! The second meal always seemed more boozy than the first... at least this was my impression!
I suggest the following meal #2 options, based on their experiences:
La Banquise: beers and many many variations of poutine. How can one go wrong!?
La Raclette: A classic smoked cheese BYO! Grab a couple bottles of Riesling and let the fun begin!
Garde Manger: Oysters, bloody caesars, and loud music
Chien Fumant: New kid on the block. Plateau eatery open til 2. Good food. Great chef-after-work vibe.
Something else to consider: In the summertime, Le Club Chasse et Peche serves lunch in the historic and gorgeous gardens of Chateau Ramsay, right across the street. A lovely setting!
Cuisine Szechuan is a great idea, as is Qing Hua Dumpling, or end your already too-long night in Chinatown at Mo-Nan or New Dynasty with Tsing Tao, Whole steamed fish, BBg duck and big chinatown-style oysters!
Skip the steakhouses in Montreal. You have us beat by miles and miles in Chicago!
Hope this helps. Enjoy!
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Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA
New Dynasty
1110 Rue Clark, Montreal, QC H2Z1K2, CA
Where did you eat this week ?
Let's see. An simple but very average lunch at Les Enfants Terribles on Monday. Had a romaine lettuce salad with cherry tomatoes and 2 poached eggs. It was fine.
Chocolactee at Bilboquet for dessert ended my lunch on a high note!
Had fantastic sashimi at Kaizen for dinner. Truly the best fish imported directly from Japan. Each visit always tops my last. My favourite was definitely the buttery mackerel. Great wine list, too.
A night cap at Buvette was lovely. Tried a few exceptional bottles, including Sancerre from Francois Cotat and a white Cotes du Roussillon from Domaine Gauby. Both were mind blowing.
Lunch on Tuesday at Olive and Gourmando was simply fantastic. The best gaspacho of the year without a doubt, and a crunchy green bean salad with toasted almonds. Terrific!
Ended the day at Pullman for a fantastic bottle of Santorini Agyritikos white accompanied by some deliciously greasy grilled cheese.
Had a surprising brunch at Marche 27 over the weekend. Ate a perfect cold roasted fennel and tomato soup and a great red skinned potato and haricot vert salad accompanying a simple but lovely BLT with arugula. Not a bad word to say about the place, and service was friendly and knowledgeable to boot!
Made it over to Boustan for a spicy creation later in the week, always a hit.
Stopped over to the Julep for a hot dog and julep combo Saturday. Perfect on a hot day.
Also indulged in Les Chocolats de Chloe's delights. Her newly found talent as an ice cream maker are a welcome addition to the city's many great ice cream options. Had both the Valrhona chocolate ice cream sandwich and the chocolate dipped ice cream lolipop (on separate days!). Both were great. Also brought home some dark chocolate covered fresh wild blueberries. AMAZING!
And of course, had my daily fix of Myriade's iced cappuccinos. Can't live without 'em in this heat!
best calamari in town
I have to say I think the fried calamari at Kaizen is sublime. Not being a fan of hyper expensive sushi joints, I really appreciate their light, non-greasy, crispy calamari.
They also have a delightful grilled calamari in a super flavourful basil sauce.
well worth a try!
Birthday dinner - DNA or Graziella ?
I'd definitely pick DNA over Graziella for both the food AND the ambiance. Brace yourself for a very modern decor, but the food is rustic, super fresh and innovative, and delicious. The wine list there is also spectacular and fairly priced. The room has a bustling quality when the restaurant is busy, but I don't think it ever gets too loud to carry on a conversation.
I think Graziella is better suited for corporate functions and business meetings. The food is ok, but definitely not as interesting as DNA.
Also in Old Montreal is Da Emma which offers the option of dining al fresco on the gorgeous terrace. Great Italian food.
Mtl restaurants closed during the contruction holiday
Les chocolats de Chloe is closed until mid august I believe.
Also Joe Beef/Liverpool House/McKiernan's will close for the first two weeks of august.
Old Montreal-Italian?
For delicious Roman fare: Da Emma for wonderful, classic, simple, and incredibly flavourful food. I can't recommend it enough, and the terrasse is an added bonus on those rare sunny summer nights!
Da Emma
77 rue de la Commune Ouest
Montreal, QC
(514) 392-1568
Dinner at Le Latini- which dishes would you recommend?
My dinner at Le Latini last week was also excellent. I had the octopus to start as well, and it was delightfully tender and fresh, and my dining companion had the snow crab legs and claws, which were terrific, again very fresh, and carefully removed from their shells for easy eating.
Our primi courses included the fresh tagliatele with porcini, absolutely outstanding, simple and loaded with flavour, and the gnocchi, which wasn't bad, but a bit bland and definitely not as impressive as the fresh tagliatele. The waiter suggested we opt for half portions on the pasta course, which was very much appreciated when we saw the size of our secondi.
We decided to share a gorgeous Filet Mignon on the bone, charred to perfection and cooked the deisred rare temp. On the side were some crudites, and a bowl of bagna cauda resting on a burner. The bagna cauda contained anchovies, olive oil, lemon zest, and black truffle shavings. Each bite of the filet and of the vegetables were dipped in this amazing concoction and the result was outstanding! Definitely the hit of the night.
We topped our meal off with the classic Latini dark chocolate and sparkling orange muscat combo.
To answer your question, I'd definitely recommend ordering a primi and a secondi for the full experience. This is one of those restaurants where splurging pays off.
Pied de cochon, seafood season?
I'd like to confirm that it is most definitely seafood season at our favorite restaurant! I was there this week and ate like an absolute queen, thanks to the best seafood platters in the city, bar none.
A few things I remember which blew me away:
- Cold mussel salad with confit lemon
- Razor clam tartare with sunflower seeds
- Oysters 3 ways: natural, with saltwater jelly, and with creme fraiche and caviar
- Fresh scallops raw with tobiko
- Sea snails
- Quebec Snow Crab
- Raw Littlenecks: natural, with cucumber, and with crispy rice
- Softshell crab tempura
Also indulged in an amazing 2 lb QC lobster with hollandaise and fiddleheads and asparagus.
Dessert: panna cotta with rubarb. So good we ordered 2!
Minetta Tavern Service?
Both of my experiences dining at Minetta Tavern have been superb, and the service has played a big part in making those dinners amazing. From the wonderful, knowledgeable, and energetic bar staff, to the polished, cheeky, and charismatic waiters, service has been professional and lovely every step of the way. I am sure you'll have similar comments. Enjoy!
Cuisine et Dépendence report
So lovely to hear another glowing review of this fantastic establishment. I've always been delighted with their offerings, both from their perfectly executed and locally inspired menu and from their great selection of privately imported wines. Service is also always wonderful. I agree with Carswell that despite always leaving more than pleased, I'm never itching to return. Curious, indeed.
PS- The 2005 Chateau Yvonne Saumur spotted was surely the higher cuvee currently available through Rezin via private import only. Its retail price is a little over 40 bones.
PUB BURGUNDY LION
This pub is located a few minutes from my home, and I drop by frequently. I think it's important to note that they do not pretend to be "gastro" by any means. In fact I see no pretension at all. The concept is a modern British bar with all things English. From my experience, the food has always been exactly that. Simple, classic, and very good.
Also very important is to realize the power of feedback. This is a relatively new establishment, owned by young and enthusiastic boys. Letting them know about less than desirable experiences will only help in making my neighborhood pub a better place! They're all friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate. I'm sure they'd be all ears to any complaint.
Did any of you with negative comments voice your opinions to management?
Best foie gras to take home in Montreal
McKiernan's (the Joe Beef luncheonette) sells jars of amazing Foie Gras parfait to take home, as well as other delightful little treats. Definitely worth checking out!
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Mckiernan's
Montreal, QC, Montreal, QC , CA
downtown lunch?
Anton and James on Stanley + Ste Catherine makes terrific sandwiches for take-out or eat-in. I especially like the chicken chipotle and the wild mushroom.
Vasco de Gama on Peel and Maisonneuve serves up fresh salads and some pretty good sandwiches as well.
Zenya sushi on Ste Catherine is great for lunch and very reasonably priced.
For coffee, definitely Cafe Myriade on Mackay. They also serve up St Viateur bagels and Premiere Moisson pastries.
MBurger can be fun for lunch, as well as Europea. Europea espace boutique also delivers great lunch specials to the downtown area.
Tonic water
When out for cocktails in Montreal, I know that Q Tonic is offered at the following establishments: Joe Beef and Liverpool House, Kaizen Sushi, L'Orignal, and Burgundy Lion. Cheers!
anything to recommend late night near Chateau Versailles hotel??
Just take the friggin' 10 min. (at the most!) taxi ride to PDC. You will not regret it!!
Lunch in old Montréal
You know what? In my opinion, Olive and Gourmando crushes all these competitors in a heartbeat! Unbelievable sandwiches, soups, salads, antipasto platters, etc... accompanied by fantastic baked good, delicious coffee, and the friendliest staff in the "vieux". It's my favorite lunch-time destination, and I crave it daily. I would live there if I could. Just go.
PS. Whenever O&G is closed for vacation/renovation/and the like, I go to Cluny. There is ABSOLUTELY no comparison between the two. O&G is simply superior. Just go.
La Montée lunch review
There's no doubt that 7$ lunches are readily available throughout our fair city, but judging from what you ate, I'd say we're very lucky to have the chance to pay a mere 18$ on the occasional lunch date and to be wowed to the max. I cannot give more praise to the team behind this wonderful restaurant. What a fantastic Montreal destination!
Review of Macaroni on St-Laurent
Let the record show: I too, was shocked upon reading the online review of Macaroni. 3 1/2 stars!?!?!!! But the paper version read 2 1/2. I checked because I couldn't believe my eyes. This is clearly a major mistake on the gazette's part. At least the actual rating was indeed more fair and appropriate given the comme si comme ca review. Hopefully they'll be more careful in the future!!
McAuslan Brunch anyone go ?
So interesting to see everyone's different opinions on this. I also attended and had an absolute ball. The dishes served (last seating at 2pm) matched the ones mentioned already, aside from a few exceptions.
My carpaccio was definitely beef, and might I add, delicious.
The beans and pheasant were spendid, although my friend found a pellet in his!!
The omelette with boudin and braised pork was definitely a stand-out, and I ate mine with one of PDC's famous plogues. Portion sizes were mentioned earlier. I definitely wished I could have chowed down on the entire omelette to myself, but considering the number of courses, I think the PDC team was simply trying to make sure we'd still be hungry come chocolate fountain time.
After the omelette came the seafood and squid ink soup, which we all agreed was fantastic.
Then the makis with beef tartare and duck fat, splendid!
The canned braised beef and chicken liver, one of my least favorites, was well executed none the less.
The caesar salad "a la minute" with the incredible smokey fishy dressing really hit the spot after all that meat.
Then came the fried seabass and polenta, the steak sub (fantastic!), and ... no one has mentioned this yet... the quail and cornish hen duo!! Roasted perfectly, unbelievably succulent with griddle marks all over, the quail and hen dish was a definite favourite!
The dessert was ok, I think the idea of have chocolate fountains appealed more than the actual sad banana and doughnuts, but the doughnuts dipped in the dark chocolate... not bad at all.
We scooted to Chloe's for some chocolate to take home after.
The best part of it all is definitely the smile on the waiters' faces, the giant lobster being stuffed in the kitchen, the bottomless pitchers of McAuslan, and the family-style vibe of the entire event. For 55$, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
