Le Gourmet (Granby) - anyone know this place?

[idenon]

We will be going there for a birthday dinner on Friday night.... does anyone know this place? I could not find anything on the internet, except that it's a BYOW and it says "fine cuisine"... How "fine" is it? Is there anything in particular you recommend?

[idenon]

Well, now someone can say that they know this place... I've been and would not go back. So here is a warning in case anyone gets dragged there (like I did)... it is a very small place, well decorated, romantic atmosphere. The food was ok, but way too expensive for what it was (quality wise). They offer a table d'hôte, between $38-40 pp. Everyone gets a soup (that evening, it was a pea soup... not bad, but not amazing). As an entrée, I took the mille-feuilles aux escargots - nothing special, almost bland. My main course was the fish/seafood casserole: although the fish tasted good, I found the mussels a bit dry; the portion was fairly small too, I was still hungry after this. My boyfriend enjoyed his filet mignon and friends just loved the lamb, but we had a good laugh at their sides: 2 pieces of haricots verts and 1 lonely asparagus... I have eaten in lots of French restaurants, but trust me, this was truly a poor and sad sidedish to the filet mignon/lamb.
Desert was a plate of 3 small portions of pecan tart with nougat ice-cream (my favourite of all three), creme brulee (nothing special) and a chocolate mousse cake (everyone at the table took one bite and did not eat the rest). So my two cents: for $40 pp, you can eat waaayy better elsewhere.

[moh]

Thanks for taking the hit Idenon - appreciate the review!

[Jhn]

I've been to gourmet many times. Although It is nowhere near the best restaurant i've been to, I do find your review a bit harsh. I'll agree with you that the sides are somewhat deceiving, however, what you fail to realize, is that for 40$, this bring your own wine probably beats any other such offerings in montreal. Take à l'Os for example; the gourmet is half the price for a soup, an entrée, a main, dessert and coffee. The food is probably nowhere near, but it's still a pretty decent try.

As an entrée, the mousse de foie gras is, at least in my opinion, pretty decent. So is the assiette de cochonailles (albeit nowhere near the bouchonailles from 3 petits bouchons).

As for mains, I'd stick with the surf and turf, but the lamb is indeed well prepared.

I'll say it again, the upside of this restaurant is the fact that it is byow.
If you go there and drink a 20$ bottle, you'd indeed be better of to go aux 3 petits bouchons, europea, or even the Brontë. But if you have an old Brunello, Moulin Touchais, or grand vin de bordeaux, that you don't feel like cooking, and that you're in good company, the gourmet, at 40$ does the job...

One last thing, I haven't been there for a few months, so there might have been a recent change in quality / preparation, but I'd be surprised if it did.

If you stay the night in Granby, you might also want to try Faucheux, which is a bit more refined and traditional french than le gourmet.

I'm looking forward to reading your opinions on the place. I generally enjoy your reviews.

J.

[idenon]

J., thanks for your reply. I was truly disappointed in their portions and the quality of the seafood and my escargots entrée. If I would have taken the lamb and another entrée, my experience might have been completely different.
I have heard about Faucheux before, and I will suggest that next time I will be in the area. On another note, what is your opinion of Di Carlo (since you seem to know the places in Granby) ?

[Jhn]

Hi Idenon,

Last time I have been to DiCarlo was a long time ago. I grew in Granby when I was younger, but have been living in Montreal for 6 years now.

I know that my parents go there once in a while. I'd say it's probably the best Italian in the area. But I'd be surprised if it was up to par with the average - best Italian restaurants in Montreal like Graziella, San Lorenzo, or the likes.

You'll just have to try it and report back to us.

Here are my quick recs in the area:

For Sushi - Restaurant Sakura (rue Gill)

The service can be rude to sometime plain awful, and the atmosphere is nothing to rave about. But on a good night, the quality of the food can be amazing, I've been many times, and can attest that this restaurant has the stuff to beat some of the big names of the city (Shodan, Tri express, maybe not Juni and Mikado laurier however). The other downside to the place is that the quality of the food varies considerably depending on the chefs humor. On the flipside, it's a BYOW.

For French - Faucheux or Plumet

Both are probably not the most amazing french restaurants in Qc, but are certainly decent establishments. Well renowned in the area, and respected by local foodies Faucheux would be my first choice for french fare. Their rognons and ris de veau are well prepared.

Last time I went to Plumet was a long time ago, but the chef changed a few years ago (from father to son) and I heard reports that the quality had changed considerably. I can't confirm this however.

The hidden gem - Au nid de poule

I was hesitant to post it as the place might not be the average montrealer's type of restaurant. But their rabbit liver salad is to die for. Worth trying in my opinion if not for the drastic change provided by the ride to the place and landscape as opposed to the city.

That's about it for Granby...

J.

[MaximaFDV]

Granby has lots more to offer for restaurants, Plumet & Faucheux are Good but VERY Expensive! For the same quality at better prices, I would also suggest La Petite Marmite, Swiss -French cuisine which is on Drummund Street, try their special Garlic bread and Entrecôte Café de Paris and for desert the Crepe au Chocolat is also a must. Also Swiss and worth the detour is La Cloche Vaudoise on St-Joseph Street, the Veal is excellent and the service always superb, Ask for France!

For BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine) restaurant, Au nid de Poule, which is in Dunham (Not Granby), in a remote country setting, (It's well worth the detour for sure), has Superb French Terroir cuisine. Alfonzo, which used to own the Picoletto in Dunham, is the Chef Proprietor with his wife. They use their own veggies grown in their gardens and they use meats and other produce from their neighbours. See pictures.

Another good BYOW restaurant in Granby is Le Balzac. French cuisine here too. A bit noisy but good food and honest prices.

For Regional cuisine with a twist, La maison Chez-Nous in Bromont is another Excellent BYOW Restaurant, Chef Daniel & Sophie are always on the ball. The ambiance and Decor are comfy, try their Sucre à la crême just as you go out, compliments of the house!

Finally, for a modern decor & infusion style cuisine, another excellent BYOW place is the BON restaurant in Cowansville, more pricy than the others discussed previously, but very good nonetheless.