Trip Report... LCCP, L'Epicier, misc stuff (Long)

[Rabbit]

I'm a Torontonian who visited Montreal last weekend for a bit of conference-ing and a bit of le weekend-ing (the second part was waaaay better). I've been to Montreal several times before and love your city, but here's what I found this time around:

1. Le Club Chasse et Peche - My partner (Mr. Rabbit) joined me for the pleasure-ful part of my trip and we dined Saturday at LCCP. Overall, this was a fun evening of interesting food in a cool setting (and I hate the word "cool," but I'm acknowledging that this is what LCCP wants to be and that it's working for them). We actually disliked our appetizer (billed as "duck prosciutto, persimmon, ricotta, butternut, balsamic"). It presented as a round of squash filled with the charcuterie and cheese, amid a dollop of pureed squash and a few drops of balsamic. We could not detect the persimmon (one of my favourite fruits ever). Somehow this dish just didn't work and felt like an experiment gone wrong on Top Chef. We left most of the plate and were actually surprised that our server did not ask about this.

But things got better with the mains. Mr. Rabbit was pleased with his veal - a mass of delicately battered sweetbreads and a tasty shortrib in a jus with vegetables. This was a hearty and pleasing dish. My "lamb two ways" offered a succulent and well-prepared loin with a Napolean of sliced lamb, spinach, and roasted red peppers frosted with a thick layer of goat cheese. The initial bite was wondrous, but the rich-ness of the dish made me succumb to early fatigue and I did leave part of the serving. The real star of the main event was the "vegetables with panache." The winner on this plate offered corkscrews of sunchoke with peas and a pork hash - delish! Also pleasing were a beet, sweet potato and arugula salad with raspberry vinaigrette and an eggplant puree. Less-good was an upscale "potato-skin" with mushrooms and cheese.

Dessert was a winner - ginger shortbread with cranberries and white chocolate ice cream only got better when it melted its way into a sort of deconstructed ice cream sandwich. Yum!

We found the wine list reasonable, and put back a value priced bottle of Portuguese red that worked well with our meal. Service was perhaps a bit too casual and sometimes lax (we had to ask for bread and were ick-ed out when our server wiped the lip of our wine bottle with his hand), but we were out for an enjoyable evening and for about $168 (with tax, before tip) this meal seemed like a deal. Mostly recommended.

2. L'Epicier - On our second night, we wanted something a bit more casual than LCCP. But since the weather had taken a turn for the frigid, we also wanted a bistro in walking distance from our hotel in Old Montreal (the Saint-Sulpice... more later). Our concierge booked us at L'Epicier, and although it was not note-perfect, it was a pleasant meal.

We started with two Kir L'Epicier, made with their own raspberry syrup - delicious! As we waited for our entree, the chef amused us with a tasty pork samosa with yogurt dip. The the entree appeared, and we were wow!-ed. The rabbit confit ravioli presented as three pillows planted in dollops of sweet potato with a hazenut foam emulsion. The tastes and textures were a total winner and we sopped up every last drop with baguette.

After such a stellar start, the mains proved a bit disappointing. My cod suffered from being too timid, which was extra-disappointing because the chef's instincts were spectacular - but none of the flavours quite delivered. The cod was expertly prepared and rested on top of a (bland) square of coriander polenta. The accompanying pineapple salsa was lovely, but the cod croquette and its leek salad were again lacking in punch, and the curry mousse for the fish (with an unexpected texture of whipped butter) would have been fab it only it had proper gravitas.

Mr. Rabbit's main suffered the same fate. Three pieces of bison flatiron steak appeared amid three blots of yam and offered a nice taste. But the jimaca wrapped in spinach crepes were blah. However, the kitchen redeemed itself with a bison shortrib and barley risotto that lived up to the promise of the rabbit ravioli.

Dessert involved a selection of sorbet and ice cream - five quenelles of mango, melon, rhubarb, coffee, and pistachio. This was a nice finish, with the melon and pistachio standing out.

L'Epicier won huge points for their warm and excellent service. And our total bill was (again) around $165 (note that we had two glasses of Spanish red with our mains and a coffee and calvados to finish). A nice spot, and a solid option for Old Montreal.

Miscellaneous Bits...

3. Hotel Saint-Suplice - A charming hotel that deserves recognition on CH because they were super-accommodating of my obsessive and health conscious room service demands before Mr. Rab arrived on the scene. Thanks to SS for amiably preparing salmon and veg sans butter and for not laughing when asked to send up a great glass of red with the plate.

4. The single most delectable thing we ate in Montreal was pizza from Pizz'Ancora at the Atwater market. I was seduced by their Sicilian square pizza (with olives... my fave)... excellent crust, just the right bit of cheese, fab sun-dried tomatoes and zucchini - and they wrapped the last square for subsequent snacking. My Rab loved his veggie triangle with its deliciously thin crust and mounds of veg and cheese. We don't even really like pizza, but this place was over the top!

5. Claude Postel Patissier - Offered excellent breads (we ate a cinnamons swirl and raisin loaf in one day), coffees (fab cappuccino) and delightful extras like fresh fruit and cheese by the slice (Oka and nice cheddar). Around the corner from our hotel, this was a great find for breakfast, and their lunch offerings looked great too.

6. La Caverne - On Cote-des-neiges was a total hit. This Russian resto had the best cabbage rolls ever, wonderful perogyi and a beet salad that I actually wanted to sample (Rab hates beets). I hit up this spot as a lunch destination while conference-ing, but it was good enough that I'd drag Mr. Rab back next time we're in Montreal. I'd love to drink vodka here all night until I got freaked out by the taxidermy and pelts. Fantastique!

For more, including photos, see www.rabbitreporting.com (although most of our Montreal photos suck because lighting was dull and we were mostly a little drunk). Thanks for showing us such a great time in your city!!

[afoodyear]

Thanks for visiting :) Glad your trip was (mostly) enjoyed.

[emerilcantcook]

Thanks for the report. I've been meaning to try La Caverne. Now it is bumped to the top of my list.