Visiting from Boston, making tough choices
Bonjour, les Chowhounds montréalais!
I'm making an Friday-Saturday trip to Montreal with friends and want to give them a great taste of Montreal, albeit a brief one. I lived there in part of '02 so I have a few ideas, but would love some input. My leanings are (at this point):
> le Bleu raisin (based on CH postings)
> l'Académie (based on CH postings)
> Barraca Rhumerie et Tapas (recommended by a friend - any thoughts?)
> Ferreira Café (based on my own experience)
> Restaurant Julien (CH and friend recs)
> Au petit extra (a little out of the way, but it sounds so good...)
Any suggestions on a terrific creperie? That might be an option, too. Are some of these much pricier than others? (I'm guessing tapas will be less, but am imagining the others to be about the same in price - is that right?) Are some hard to get a table? - I probably won't make reservations til Friday morning when I've consulted with the whole group (nous serons 4). Our Saturday morning/noon will be spent at Santropol, no question. We're staying in the Quartier Latin, Parc @ Sherbrooke, and I hope we'll spend most of our time in the Plateau area.
Thanks for your input! I'm very excited to visit your vibrant city after such a long hiatus!
mollymac
Aug 08, 2006 01:50PM
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I urge you not to go to l'Académie. First of, they don't take reservations on the weekend and lines can get pretty long. Plus, the food is nothing special and the place is really noisy. For an only in Montreal experience, head a few blocks down Duluth to Au Pied de Cochon (reservation strongly advised) or Brunoise (reservation) that cooks really well and for a decent price. Not cheap by any means but not that expansive. For good BYOB that are much better than l'Académie, La Colombe on DUluth is nice, Les Héritiers near Laurier is good, so are Chez Pégase and Yoyo, both on Gilford or le P'tit Plateau on Marie-Anne. If you're willing to dish out a little more money, À l'Os is a good option. All of these places are in the Plateau neighborhood. On Ontario and not that far from your hotel, O'Thym is a very nice place.
I do believe that Barraca is more of a bar where you go for a beer and some tapas before going to a restaurant. You could also visit Marché Jean-Talon if you're into chow things. Lots a fruits and veggies and specialty stores. You can easily find something to grab for lunch in and around the market.
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Thanks so much for your advice! I think we're looking to keep the cost down a bit, as one of the group is new to the workforce and not rolling in the dough yet - that's why I'd shied away from Brunoise. And APDC sounds like a great experience from the Chowhound posts, but a little heavy on the foie gras (not my thing) - Looking for something a bit less traditional. Any thoughts on Bleu raisin or Julien in comparison to the choices you've listed? O'Thym and La Colombe are interesting options - Any with an especially good ambiance as well as the food?
I used to be a big fan of marché Jean-Talon when I lived there - Bought lots of plants for my deck and all of my veggies. I'm not sure we'll make it that far north of downtown this time around, but I'm looking forward to a longer visit at some point soon when I can stop by.
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I think Le Bleu raisin would be your better choice. Ferreira and Julien get quite expensive because of the wine. It always depends if you and your group have wine with your dinner. If you don't, those three restaurants will probably cost the same. Although, they are completely different. I have been to Julien a couple of years ago. It is good, but Le bleu raisin will probably impress you a bit more. A friend of mine has been there and he said it was really good and he is picky! Barracca is a rhum bar where you can go for a before dinner drink, but not more. It is always too crowded and they let people smoke on their little outdoor terrace in the back, so it takes the enjoyment out of the experience!
Le petit extra is good. It is not a BYOW, but a traditional french bistro. That means tables close together and noisy.
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I've eaten at Julien and Le Pegase. I would say Le Pegase is both better and less expensive.
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Thanks for all the great ideas and information, you guys! Looking at the menus, I'm hungry already!
Were there any creperies you might recommend (or to not recommend)?
Un grand merci depuis Boston...
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As creperies go, they have gone out of style a couple of years ago so there are not too many left. There was one called Ti-Breiz on Rachel Street at the corner of Mentana. I think it is still there but I would not bet my life on it. Years ago, it was supposed to be one of the best. You could check out the Internet for it.
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Here's an old review from the Montreal Mirror for Ty-Breiz including address and phone number. It is less than shining.
http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVE...
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Not a very inspiring review. Perhaps we'll pass on the crepe concept. Everyone keeps talking about le petit extra. It's a bit out of the way, but might be worth the walk.
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Au petit extra has good food, and represents one of the best values in Mtl imho - portion sizes are generous, and the quality is high. The prix fixe menu includes an appetizer and main, along with coffee or tea, and ranges from about $16 to $25, depending on what's on offer. Dessert is extra (around $5 on average). And you can order a carafe of the house wine ('un demi"), which is quite reasonable.
The only caveat is that it's a bit far from your hotel, so you might consider taking a cab there, and not walking.
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We ate at le Bleu Raisin last nite [8-10-06]. This restaurant is located on St. Denis, about a mile beyond the normal restaurant area.
The cuisine is French Market, with a concentration on local produce combined with interesting spicing. There is no menu, only a chalkboard with five appetizers and five entrees. Help was provided in broken, though charming, English. For appetizers we had delicious tomato soup and a sherbet liquor. [I don't exactly know what this was, but had two.] The main courses were an incredible sea bass and salmon. Both came with perfectly prepared vegetables. Other entee choices included venison, sweetbreads. Deserts were a standard creme brule and a great chocolate torte.
The food was prepared with care and creativity. The service was also exceptional. By the way, BYOB. There may be more expensive meals in the city, but I don't know if I'll find one better. Bon Apetit.
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Thanks so much for the great review of that restaurant - now I have a much better sense of it!
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Don't give up on crepes completely! See my post here http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/... on Le Jardin Nelson. Should fit the bill.
Enjoy!
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I had a bad experience at Le jardin Nelson. I think it is a tourist trap and rather expensive for VERY ordinary food. It is always packed and there is a line up often when the weather is nice. The location and decor is wonderful but I would go there for just a drink and skip the food.
I think the idea of crepes is good but the trend has passed many years ago and we don't find many restaurants of that kind nowadays in Mtl. There was a trend many years ago and lots of creperies opened but they have since closed for the most part.
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Sorry to hear. How long ago were you there? Perhaps it isn't as good as I remember it? (I was last in Montreal just over a year ago).
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