APDC or Joe Beef or Les Deux Singes
Looking for some advice.
Out of these three - Au Pied de Cochon, Joe Beef, or Les Deux Singes de Montarvie - which would you pick for a mid-week dinner (and why)?
Thanks.
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Au Pied de Cochon
536 Av Duluth E, Montreal, QC H2L1A9, CA
Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA
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I would go with Joe Beef. APDC is decadent and flirts with being stunt-eating at times, like what I see on some of those travel shows on TV. Joe Beef, on the other hand, is a perfectly crafted restaurant. The setting, food, wait staff, and drinks all match up perfectly. It's an easy going, thoughtfully-executed meal. I found it relaxing.
I do, however, strongly praise the creme brulee at APDC -- an exemplary version. They do an especially fine job caramelizing the sugar on top, using their big branding iron.
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Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA›1 Reply -
I chose among these restaurants by looking through their menus and reviews here. I went to Au Pied de Cochon on the strength of its unabashed respect for the pig - the controversy about its overuse of foie gras notwithstanding.
Understand that as a tourist I had a difficult time deciding between specific items on the menu I'd already pinpointed and the specials; this was my one shot until we next go to Montréal. There were items I was not likely to get back home, such as buffalo tongue. So I settled on that and the boudin, and they were both delicious. I had no room left for dessert, regretfully.
The service was as professional as most elsewhere we ate, and likeable. Soundproofing a brasserie-type restaurant, especially with a partly open kitchen, is probably a pipe dream.
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I haven't been to Les Deux Singes, but I am unequivocal about suggesting Pied de Cochon over Joe Beef.
APDC, to my mind offers more interesting cuisine, at better prices with less attitude - and I have eaten at both many times...-----
Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA -
Deux Singes is a nice place, and I once had an amazing meal there, but on my subsequent visits I found the food and service to be less impressive. I feel like this place is a gamble.
PDC is probably the best value and is worth trying for something who hasn't been before. I think its probably the restaurant I've been to the most, so I'm also a bit worn out on their menu, but they've kept me coming back so that speaks to their quality.
Joe Beef is always great, but its pricey. I like this place best when east coast seafood is still available. I think its early enough in the year that some still is, but I know later in the year they swap for West Coast products that I like less. This place will also be packed due to the press the cookbook is getting, so be sure to reserve far in advance if you choose to go - even on a weekday.
So I think my answer is PDC if you've never been before... In the Joe Beef visitor itinerary in their cookbook they recommend the same thing.
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Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA -
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Never been to that monkey place...
But I would choose Joe Beef - I know some people think it's a bit overrated/ overpriced, but i'm a bit over APDC -too heavy. Plus with the cookbook out i'm sure JB are aiming to impress. Atmosphere-wise those two are pretty much the same.-----
Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA -
I've never been there but I think that Deux singes is definitely not in the same league as the other two.
Joe Beef is the kind of place where I would be happy to eat every week for the rest of my life.
APDC is the place where I had some of the most memorable meals in my life. Either way, you can't go wrong. However, Joe Beef is the most expensive of the bunch.-----
Joe Beef
2491 Rue Notre-Dame W, Montreal, QC H3J1N6, CA
