Laloux, Jolifou, or Les Heritiers?

[troise]

I'm looking for a restaurant in Montreal where I can take my father to dinner for his 98th birthday (yes, 98!). It should be attractive and reasonably quiet, with good service and great food, and be less expensive than something like Toqué, say 40-50pp before wine and tip.

Since I live in Ottawa, I'm mostly going by reviews I find on the web, and have narrowed down to the three listed above. I'd love to know if these three really do fit the bill, and which one would be best for the occasion.

[troise]

Thanks Everybody! You really helped me make this decision - it's like having very articulate foodie friends in Montreal - and I now have a reservation at Laloux. Hope to try the others on another visit to Mtl.

[Abendschein]

My choice would be Laloux although it can be a little on the noisy side (high ceilings). Another nice option could be Restaurant Les Pyrenées on St-Paul in the Old Port. I've only been once but it was quite lovely, good food, warm ambiance.

[riboflavinjoe]

Yeah, Les Heritiers is good food, nothing to blow you away, but decent food at a decent price. But like shopgirl says, it's loud on a busy night. And it's BYOB.

[shopgirl]

Oh, one more thing: We've been to Les Heritiers on a Saturday night, and it's not so quiet...pretty packed. Be sure to make a reservation, whenever you go. And one of you order the lamb....it's wonderful.

[troise]

Thanks Shopgirl. That addition (not so quiet on a Saturday night) is pretty important to us, and I appreciate that you thought to add it. My best to your mom, too - she sounds like quite the trouper.

[shopgirl]

Well, having a 92 year old mom myself, I know she'd love Les Heritiers, as we do. The friendly staff, and wonderful food. Let's just say we've gone to Montreal for about 6 or 7 years now, and Les Heritiers is always on our list. This June is our anniversary and that is where we'll spend our night. We don't need fussy frills, just waitstaff (and CHEF...not cook) that treat us well. It's a wonderful atmosphere and the food is on spot. If you get the degustation menu, you will get soup to nuts for probably under $50. And bringing your own wine is, of course, the plus here.
Say, too bad Ottawa is so far from NJ, USA, or I'd introduce your dad to my mom! :-)
God Bless Him and tell him Happy Birthday from me!

[carswell]

«and CHEF...not cook»

Depends on how you define chef, I guess.

How much has the menu at Les Héritiers changed in the six or seven years you've been going? If memory serves, not much.

How much does the menu change from season to season? The occasional special aside, hardly at all.

What about their cooking can be described as original, challenging, creative, surprising? Nothing, in my experience.

So, an unchanging list of competently prepared if safe and predictable dishes.

In that sense, the kitchen staff at Les Héritiers are like good cooks. And I'm not knocking good cooks, by the way, especially since I tend to think of myself as one. But a chef I'm not. And neither are the *brigades de cuisine* at the majority of Montreal's BYO restaurants, including IMO Les Héritiers, at least not in the way Laloux's Jetté and Demers, Jolifou's Furguson or even Le Bleu Raisin's Mey are.

[carswell]

Laloux for the decor (airy deluxe bistro), spiffy service, contemporary French cuisine and wine list. Jolifou for French cooking with a Latino twist in a pleasant, airy but minimalist space. Les Héritiers for more traditional, even retro French dishes in an intimate, even homey setting. Les Héritiers is the least expensive (and that's before you take into account that it's a BYO), Laloux the most. $50 should cover a standard meal at any of them; check their websites for specifics.

www.laloux.com
www.jolifou.com
www.lesheritiers.com

Personally, Laloux -- one of the city's most inviting spaces -- would be my choice. Then again, a meal at Le Jolifou is always a pleasure, always filled with unexpected combinations of flavours and imaginative touches. And while I find it harder to get excited about Les Héritiers, some might count its predictability an advantage and find its French village resto setting the most appealing. Another way to put it: if at Laloux and Le Jolifou you can feel there's a creative chef in the kitchen, at Les Héritiers it's more like a good cook. You know better than any of us which your father is most likely to appreciate.

[troise]

Thanks Carswell. Someone just mentioned to me that Le Pegase might fill the bill better than any of these three. At the risk of further confusing myself with additional choices, what do you think of that idea?

[carswell]

Haven't been in a year and a half. Last time I visited, the food was good if not exactly exciting modern bistroish French, somewhat more ambitious than Les Héritiers but also somewhat more uneven. On the plus side from your standpoint would be the ambience; it has to be one of the quietest BYOs around, a fact due partly to the clientèle and partly to the layout (two or three small carpeted rooms and a small backyard terrace). Table settings are attractive: linen tablecloths and napkins, good stemware, cutlery with heft. Price would depend on what you ordered but should be within your budget.