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Montreal Restaurants |
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Cafe Ferreira This high-ceilinged room with pale-yellow walls is decorated with antique pottery and bottles of aged port. It makes an elegant setting for the "haute" version of Portuguese cuisine. The traditional caldo verde, or green soup, shares space on the menu with grilled fresh sardines; baked salt cod topped with a tomato, onion and pepper salsa; and arroz di marisco, a paellalike dish rich with seafood, garlic, and onions. AE, MC, V. No lunch Sat. Metro: Peel. Bistro Boris A huge, tree-shaded terasse hidden behind the restored facade of a burned-out building is one of the best alfresco dining areas in the city. The bistro fare includes blood pudding, grilled fish, and chops, served with salad or fries. There is an indoor part, as well, which is just fine in winter. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Metro: Square-Victoria. Gandhi Standards like butter chicken, shrimp curry, and lamb vindaloo are served in a pleasant sunny room with yellow walls and immaculate white linen. AE, MC, V. Metro: Place-d'Armes or Square-Victoria. Da Vinci The pioneering Mazzaferros were among the first to give Montrealers a taste for anchovies and take-out pizzas. You can no longer get an "all-dressed to go" (a pizza with everything) but you can sit down in the family's romantic Victorian town house and enjoy gnocchi with lamb ragu or seafood risotto and then follow that with cannoli. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. Metro: Guy-Concordia. Tre Marie Hearty Italian family fare -- think veal stew and baccala (salt cod) with polenta -- is the trademark of this modest but very popular establishment opened in 1966 by sisters Rosina and Maria Fabrizio. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: de Catelnau. Restaurant Daou Rene Angelil and wife Celine Dion favor this casual spot, which serves some of the city's best Lebanese food -- hummus with ground meat, stuffed grape leaves, and delicately seasoned kabobs. MC, V. Closed Mon. Metro: Parc. Alep Graze on mouhamara (pomegranate and walnuts), sabanegh (spinach and onions), fattouche (salad with pita and mint), and yalanti (vine leaves stuffed with rice, chickpeas, walnuts, and tomatoes) in a pleasant stone-walled room draped with ivy and full of young couples. Kabobs dominate the main courses. MC, V. Closed Mon. Metro: Jean-Talon or de Castelnau. Chez Doval Chicken and sometimes sardines, grouper, and squid sizzle on the open grill behind the bar. They can be eaten in the noisy, bright tavern or in the quieter, softly lit dining room. A guitarist works both rooms on weekends. AE, MC, V. Metro: Mont-Royal. Claude Poste Claude Postel closed his well-regarded French restaurant in the late 1980s and moved to Toronto, but in the early 1990s he lended his name to staff members who opened this patisserie-chocolatier. Its sandwiches (on first-rate bread), pastries, pates, coffees, and limited selection of prix-fixe meals (braised veal, poached salmon, vegetable-and-orange soup) are popular with discriminating clerks and lawyers in nearby offices. In summer, there's richly flavored ice cream. The place closes at 6 PM. MC, V. Metro: Place-d'Armes. St-Viateur Bagel & Cafe Even expatriate New Yorkers come to prefer Montreal's light, crispy, and slightly sweet bagel over its leaden Manhattan cousin. St-Viateur's wood-fired brick ovens have been turning out some of the best since 1959. The dough is boiled in honey-sweetened water before baking. With coffee and smoked salmon, these bagels make a great breakfast. No credit cards. Metro: Mont-Royal. CubeHotel St. Paul Fish dishes like roasted striped bass in a lemon-herb broth and starters such as wild-mushroom tart with arugula and cheddar are served in a chic-casual room with gray concrete walls, picture windows, and flickering purple candles. Skip the disappointing cheese offerings -- only one from Quebec -- and try the house-made ice cream. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Square-Victoria. Chorus Gold-framed mirrors, dark-blue walls, and halogen lamps give this two-level restaurant a very modern air. So does the menu, which offers starters such as a beet-and-cheese mille-feuille with mustard sprouts and main dishes like rabbit stuffed with shiitake mushrooms, sesame seeds, and cabbage. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends and July 1-Sept. 1. Metro: Sherbrooke. Area1 Items on the short menu in this tiny 38-seat restaurant in Le Village are categorized as cold, hot, or sweet. Sweetbreads in a gingerbread crust and cabbage salad are among the suggested starters. Main dishes include chicken leg stuffed with pistachio paste. Desserts are equally inventive. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Mon. No lunch weekends. Metro: Beaudry. Bazou The name means "jalopy," and a car theme appears in both the decor and the table d'hote menu. To start, for example, you can have crevettes Thais Suzuki, shrimp cooked with peanut butter, coriander, chili, and fried spinach; the duo Maserati main dish is cannelloni with four meats and sauce napolitaine, a tomato sauce. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Beaudry. Beaver Club Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth This grand old institution traces its roots to a 19th-century social club for the trading and banking elite, and its wood paneling, formal settings, and starched, veteran servers give it the air of an exclusive men's club. No one does a better job with such classics as roast beef, grilled chops, poached salmon, and Cornish hens. The bar serves the best martini in the city. Jacket and tie. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. and July. No dinner Mon. no lunch Sat. and in Aug. Metro: Bonaventure. Bens9 This big, brassy deli is a Montreal institution, with 1950s decor and green and yellow walls hung with photos of celebrity customers. Sadly, the food isn't what it once was, though this is still a good place for a late-night snack. Reservations not accepted. MC, V. Metro: Peel. Bistro Gourmet At chef Gabriel Ohana's tiny but richly atmospheric bistro, you can try such classics as rack of lamb with garlic, roasted shallot, and a stuffed broiled tomato; fillet of beef in a sauce spiked with blue cheese; and breast of duck over a wine-stewed pear. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends. Metro: Guy-Concordia. Bon Ble Inexpensive Chinese fare is served up in a pleasant atmosphere. Sizzling shrimp with onion, green pepper, and carrot, and finely chopped lamb served with celery and bamboo shoots in a peppery anise-flavored sauce are two of the intriguing dishes. The Beijing-style dumplings are good starters. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: St-Laurent. Bonaparte A cheerful fireplace and walls richly trimmed in imperial purple and hung with sketches of Napoleonic soldiers set the tone, and the menu features traditional French dishes served with a light touch. You could start with a wild-mushroom ravioli seasoned with fresh sage and move on to a lobster stew flavored with vanilla and served with a spinach fondue, or a roast rack of lamb in port sauce. Lunch is a good value. Upstairs is a little auberge. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends. Metro: Place-d'Armes. Cafe Stash On chilly nights many Montrealers turn to Cafe Stash in Vieux-Montreal for sustenance -- for pork chops or duck, hot borscht, pierogi, or cabbage and sausage -- in short, for all the hearty specialties of a Polish kitchen. Diners sit on pews from an old chapel at refectory tables from an old convent. AE, MC, V. Metro: Place-d'Armes. Chez Clo Here, deep in east-end Montreal, where seldom is heard an English word, is authentic Quebecois food. A meal in this unpretentious neighborhood diner could start with a bowl of the best pea soup in the city, followed by a slab of tourtiere. The dessert specialty is pudding au chomeur (literally, pudding for the unemployed), a kind of shortcake smothered in a thick brown-sugar sauce. The service is noisy and friendly and the clientele mostly local. No credit cards. Metro: Pie IX. Chez Delmo The long, shiny wooden bar is crammed at lunchtime with lawyers and businesspeople gobbling oysters and fish. In the back is a more relaxed and cheerful dining room. The poached salmon with hollandaise is a nice slab of perfectly cooked fish served with potatoes and broccoli. Also excellent are the arctic char and the Dover sole. Reservations essential. Da Emma Massive stone pillars and wooden beams give this family-run restaurant on the Vieux-Port a genuinely Roman feel. So does the food. Seafood antipasto (squid, mussels, shrimp, and octopus drizzled with olive oil), fettuccine with porcini mushrooms, and suckling pig roasted with garlic and rosemary are among the highlights. Guy and Dodo MoraliLes Cours Mont-Royal Lots of art decorates this comfortable restaurant in the Cours Mont-Royal shopping plaza. In summer, dining spills out onto a little terrace on rue Metcalfe. The daily table d'hote menu is the best bet, with openers such as lobster bisque followed by agneau en croute (lamb in a pastry) with thyme sauce, or fillet of halibut with leeks. For dessert try the tatan (apples and caramel with creme anglaise). Katsura Stick to impeccably fresh sushi at this stylish restaurant and you won't go wrong. Items include the spicy Kamikaze Roll -- salmon, avocado, fried onion, and Masago roe. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends. Metro: Peel or Guy-Concordia. L'Express This Paris-style bistro has mirrored walls, a smoky atmosphere, and noise levels that are close to painful on weekends. But the food is good (even if the tiny crowded tables barely have room to accommodate it), the service fast, and the prices reasonable. The steak tartare with french fries, the salmon with sorrel, and the calves' liver with tarragon are marvelous. Jars of gherkins, fresh baguettes, and cheeses aged to perfection make the pleasure last longer. L'Express has one of the best and most original wine cellars in town. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Sherbrooke. Le Caveau Among the towers of downtown is an eccentric Victorian house where buttery sauces, creamy desserts, and fairly reasonable prices have survived the onslaught of nouvelle cuisine. The restaurant gets its name from its warm and comfortable low-ceiling cellar, but claustrophobes can dine on the upper two floors amid sculptures and paintings. A main course might be rabbit cooked with sweet wine, spices, and raisins, or rack of lamb crusted with bread crumbs, mustard, garlic, and herbs. A children's menu -- rare in restaurants of Le Caveau's caliber -- is available. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends. Metro: McGill. Le Taj The cuisine of the north of India, less spicy and more refined than that of the south, is showcased here. The tandoori ovens seal in the flavors of the grilled meat and fish. Among the vegetarian dishes are the taj-thali, which includes lentils, basmati rice, and saag panir, spicy white cheese with spinach. A nine-course lunch buffet is less than $10, and at night there's an "Indian feast" for $20. The desserts -- pistachio ice cream or mangoes -- are often decorated with pure silver leaves. AE, MC, V. Metro: Guy-Concordia. Les Halles Main dishes such as grapefruit Marie-Louise with scallops and lobster or roasted duck with pears sit comfortably beside the chef's ventures into nouvelle cuisine, such as his lobster with herbs and butter. The desserts are classic -- the Paris-Brest, a puff pastry with praline cream inside, is one of the best in town. Mirrors, murals, and light colors are part of the Paris-market decor. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch. Metro: Guy-Concordia or Peel. Les Remparts A stone-walled cellar under the Auberge du Vieux-Port showcases innovative French cooking in an atmosphere redolent of Nouvelle France. The restaurant gets its name from an ancient lump of gray stone unearthed during renovations to the building in 1994 -- it once formed part of the city wall. Dishes include braised deer shanks, semi-smoked salmon with sweet-potato gratin, and wild-mushroom risotto. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Place d'Armes. Magnan Defiantly masculine, this tavern in working-class Pointe St-Charles didn't give women full run of the place until 1988. Before that they were tolerated only in a small, coed dining room. The decor is upscale warehouse, with TV sets noisily stuck on sports. You can't beat the roast beef and steaks, though; everyone from dock workers to corporate executives comes here. The salmon pie is a delightfully stodgy filler that makes great picnic fare. Also on the menu are pigs' feet (pattes de cochon) and soul-satisfying desserts like sugar pie. In summer the tavern adds Quebec lobster to its menu and turns its parking lot into an outdoor dining area. Excellent beer from several local microbreweries is on tap. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Charlevoix. Maison Kam Fung You get Chinatown's most reliable dim-sum lunch at this bright, airy restaurant. Every day from 10 to 3, waiters push a parade of trolleys through the restaurant, carting treats such as firm dumplings stuffed with pork and chicken, stir-fried squid, and delicate shrimp-filled pastry envelopes. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Place-d'Armes. Mediterraneo Sandstone floors, a space-age metallic ceiling, and huge windows that wrap around two walls set off some of the trendiest food in Montreal. Dinner could start with a plate of grilled king herring and mushrooms and continue with a veal chop served with sweetbreads and wild-mushroom sauce. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Sherbrooke. Milos Don't let the nets and floats hanging from the ceiling fool you: this isn't a simple taverna but rather a first-class Greek restaurant. Paul Newman and Bette Midler are among the admirers who enjoyed Milos so much that they persuaded its eponymous owner to open a branch in New York City. The real display is the octopus, squid, shrimp, crabs, oysters, and sea urchins. The main dish is usually fish grilled over charcoal and seasoned with parsley, capers, and lemon juice. The fish are priced by the pound ($23-$32), and you can order one large fish to serve two or more. You can also find lamb and veal chops, cheeses, and olives. Milos is a healthy walk from the Laurier Metro. Reservations essential. AE, D, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends. Metro: Laurier. Moishe's The Lighter brothers still age their big, marbled steaks in their own cold rooms for 21 days before charcoal-grilling them, just the way their father did when he opened Moishe's in 1938. There are other things on the menu, such as lamb and grilled arctic char -- but people come for the beef. The selection of single-malt Scotches is exquisite. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: St.-Laurent. Nuances The magnificent view of Montreal over the river is the best reason to eat in this formal, paneled restaurant at the Casino de Montreal. The items on the menu -- scallops with shallots and caviar, orange and spice-marinated duck, and crisp-skinned pigeon -- are often good but much pricier than similar fare in town. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Parc Jean-Drapeau. Salsa Thai The portions are generous and the prices reasonable at this popular Thai eatery on Square Dorchester. Among the appealing choices are hot-and-sour seafood soup with coconut milk; squid salad with onion, hot chilies, and mint leaves; and deep-fried whole pomfret (butterfish). Frogs' legs are fried with pepper, garlic, and sesame seeds; beef with satay sauce (a peanut-based sauce) comes on a sizzling-hot plate. MC, V. Metro: Peel. Schwartz's Delicatessen Its proper name is the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, but everyone calls it Schwartz's. The smoked meat (cured in-house) is the city's best, and the tender steaks come with grilled-liver appetizers. Waiters are briskly efficient; the furniture is a bit shabby. Don't ask for a menu (there isn't one) and avoid the lunch hour -- lines are long even on the most brutal winter days. Reservations not accepted. No credit cards. Metro: Sherbrooke. Toque! Innovative co-owner and chef, Normand Laprise, has achieved a level of celebrity in Montreal equaled only by the captain of the Canadiens hockey team. His menu changes constantly, depending on whim and what ingredients are available. A cold summer soup from fresh green tomatoes might be replaced in winter with a fluffy cake of bronzed potatoes, goat cheese, and spinach. Main courses could range from quail with raspberry sauce to butter-bean stew with cumin and jalapeno peppers. The portions don't look big but are surprisingly filling. And the desserts -- creme brulee, almond-crusted blueberry pie, chocolate mille-feuille -- are worth saving space for. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Sherbrooke. Brioche Lyonnaise The quintessential Quartier Latin cafe -- it opened in 1980 -- is in a semibasement with stone walls across the street from the Theatre St-Denis. A display case holds some of the city's finest pastries, all loaded with butter, cream, pure fruit, and a dusting of sugar. The butter brioche and a bowl of steaming cafe au lait make for one of the city's finest breakfasts, but heartier fare is available, too. Table d'hote meals are served at lunch and dinner, and the place stays open until midnight. The atrium in the back and a terasse are open in fine weather. MC, V. Metro: Berri-UQAM. Les Gateries The revered Montreal playwright Michel Tremblay is reputed to be among the writers and artists who take their morning espresso in this comfortable little cafe facing Square St-Louis. The menu is decidedly more Montrealais than European with such local favorites as bagels, muffins, maple-syrup pie, and toast with cretons (a coarse, fatty kind of pate made with pork) sharing space with baguettes and croissants. MC, V. Metro: Sherbrooke. Binerie Mont-Royal That rarest of the city's culinary finds -- authentic Quebecois food -- is the specialty at this tiny restaurant. The fare includes stews made with meatballs and pigs' feet, various kinds of tourtiere (meat pie), and, of course, pork and beans. It's cheap, filling, and charming. No credit cards. No dinner weekends. Metro: Mont-Royal. Chalet Barbecue In the early 1950s, Swiss-born Marcel Mauron and French-born Jean Detanne built a large brick oven in this west-end location and pioneered a Montreal tradition: crispy, spit-barbecued chicken served with a slightly spicy, gravylike sauce and mountains of french fries. There are dozens of imitators all over the city, but no one does it better. Many of the restaurant's customers order their meals to go. MC, V. Metro: Vendome. Orchidee de Chine Diners feast on such delectables as baby bok choy with mushrooms, perfumed spareribs, feather-light fried soft-shell crabs with black-bean sauce, and steamed, gingery grouper. The elegant, glassed-in dining room has a great view on a busy, fashionable sidewalk; a more intimate room is in the back. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Sat. Metro: Peel. Globe Frosted lighting fixtures, potted palms, and red-velvet banquettes adorn this fashionable haunt of successful thirtysomethings. The vegetables are organic, the meat and poultry free-range, and the portions generous. Slow-cooked meats -- rabbit, baby back ribs in red-wine sauce -- are best bets. The menu also includes alphabet soup and home-fried potatoes. La Chronique Yellow walls and minimalist decor make an understated backdrop for some of Montreal's most adventurous cooking. Owner-chef Marc de Canck seamlessly blends lightened French fare with Japanese, Chinese, and creole flashes. Starters like sashimi salmon rubbed with coarsely ground pepper, coriander, and mustard seed could precede pan-fried mahimahi served with thin slices of goat cheese-filled eggplant, for example, or veal sweetbreads with chorizo. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.-Mon. No lunch Sat. Metro: Mont-Royal. Caprices de Nicolas Antique furniture, plush seats, stained-glass lamps, and dainty china make this restaurant one of Montreal's most luxurious. Its two art nouveau-inspired rooms are magnificent, but the most romantic tables are in the soaring, three-story atrium filled with tropical plants (reserved for nonsmokers). The poached sea bass is exquisite, as is the salmon pave with onion preserves and currants. Meatier dishes include Alberta beef with an herb crust and pistachio gravy. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Peel. Chez la Mere Michel A fine gray-stone town house provides a staid front for one of the city's most elegant dining rooms: big, well-spaced tables; large, comfy chairs; and bright paintings and murals. Chef-owner Micheline Delbuguet -- the Mere Michel of the name -- presides over a kitchen that turns out such flawlessly executed examples of classic French cuisine as Dover sole meuniere and coq au vin (made with a rooster -- not a chicken). Save room for such desserts as souffle Grand Marnier and poached pears in an almond basket. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Mon. and Sat. Metro: Guy-Concordia. Le Paris Every city should have a Le Paris. Its crowded dining room, with big tables and age-dimmed paint, is as comfortable as the reasonably priced bourgeois fare that streams out of the kitchen. The brandade de morue -- salt cod, potatoes, garlic, and cream -- is famous, and dishes such as grilled boudin (blood sausage), calves' liver meuniere (dusted with flour and sauteed), and tripe satisfy the soul. Desserts range from creamy pastries to comfort dishes like stewed rhubarb and ile flottant (basically meringue floating in a sea of custard). AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch Sun. Metro: Guy-Concordia. Mythos Ouzerie Scores of incipient Zorbas come to this brick-lined semibasement every weekend to eat, drink, dance, and make merry in a Pan-inspired atmosphere of chaos and frenzy. The food is good every night -- unctuous moussaka, plump stuffed vine leaves, grilled mushrooms, braised lamb, grilled squid -- but go Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night when the live and very infectious bouzouki music makes it impossible to remain seated. If you want to burn those calories before you have a chance to digest them, this is the place. AE, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Laurier. Rotisserie Panama No one seems to know why this big, noisy Greek taverna is named for a Latin American country, but who cares? It offers some of the best grilled meat in Montreal, at prices so reasonable you'll do a double take. The chicken and crispy lamb chops are excellent and on weekends you can order roasted baby lamb. The more adventurous might try the kokoretsi (various organ meats wrapped in intestines and grilled on a spit) or the patsas, a full-flavored tripe soup. And although the chefs specialize in meats, they have a deft hand with grilled fish and octopus as well. AE, MC, V. Metro: Parc. Il Mulino Nothing about the decor or the location of this family-run restaurant in Little Italy hints at the delights within. The antipasti alone -- grilled mushrooms, stuffed eggplant, pizza, broiled scallops -- are worth the trip. The pasta, too, is excellent, especially the agnolotti and the gnocchi. Main dishes include simply prepared lamb chops, veal, and excellent fish. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.-Mon. Metro: de Castelnau. Pucapuca Dark green walls and Latin music give this bargain restaurant a vaguely junglelike atmosphere, and its mostly young aficionados give it a cheery air. But it's the Peruvian cooking and the great value that keep the crowds coming. The owner, Ciro Wong, serves up a particularly fine version of the classic Peruvian papa huancaina, a boiled potato covered with a spicy cheese sauce. Other items on the menu include grilled beef heart, rabbit with roasted peanuts, and grilled shark. No credit cards. Closed Sun.-Mon. Metro: Laurier. Maestro Wine-red walls, etched glass, and a chalked menu board give this seafood spot a real bistro ambience. The musical instruments on the walls match the playfulness of the cooking. Oysters are the specialty -- dozens of kinds from all over the world are always in stock. The rest of the menu is impressive, too -- variations on mussels-and-fries, an excellent poached salmon with mango butter, and a bountiful fish and seafood pot-au-feu in a tomato-basil sauce. Appetizers include tender calamari as well as shrimp dipped in beer batter and rolled in shredded coconut, with a marmalade and horseradish sauce. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch weekends. Metro: Sherbrooke. Mr. Steer This unpretentious restaurant with vinyl booths and plain beige walls has several things going for it: a great location in the heart of the downtown shopping district, friendly if brisk service, and the best hamburgers in Montreal. The thick, juicy, almost globular patties, discreetly seasoned and served slightly saignant (rare) with a wide choice of almost unnecessary dressings and garnishes, are a worthy replacement for steak -- although that's available, too, at reasonable prices. MC, V. Metro: Peel. Chao Phraya5 The huge front window of this bright, airy restaurant with its subtle flashes of Asian decor overlooks fashionable rue Laurier, from which it draws many of its upscale customers. They come to feast on such classics as crunchy, multiflavored poe pia (imperial rolls), pha koung (grilled-shrimp salad), and fried halibut in red curry with lime juice. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch. Metro: Laurier. Chu Chai Vegetarians can usually dine well in any Thai restaurant, even one that serves plenty of meat and fish dishes. But the chefs at Chu Chai -- rigorously vegan in their cooking -- see no reason vegetarians shouldn't be able to enjoy the same classic Thai dishes as their meat-eating compatriots. So they cook up such delicacies as "duck" salad with pepper and mint leaves, "fish" with three hot sauces, and "beef" with yellow curry and coconut milk, substituting soy and seitan (a firm, chewy meat substitute made from wheat gluten) for the offending flesh. Reservations essential. AE, DC, MC, V. Metro: Sherbrooke or Mont-Royal. |