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The MtlTA Resto Review Thread.
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| smellyblack |
Thread speaks for itself (Malek this would make an awesome sticky:p)
I know it is in the armpit of Montreal aka Lasalle, but La Griglia Doro on Newman is really something else. I never thought i could get quality food, a great wine list, all at very reasonable prices so far away from the city's center. The decor and ambiance is nice, and the service is bar none.
The menu changes everyday according to what certified meats they have fresh that day, and all of their hand made pastas are to die for. I usually end up getting a "degustation" menu, in which you get:
4 entrees
a course of 4 small pasta/risotto dishes
the choice of either
4 fish/seafood mains
4 meat/poultry mains
all this for 50$, which is really an unbelievable price considering the size of the portions and the quality of the food.
http://www.grigliadoro.com/
This next restaurant, I am sure everyone knows, but i have to give serious big ups to once again. (lol big up bip up mana poom poom shot). Le Garde Manger in Old Montreal. If you haven't tried it yet, you have to. It is small, with often a nice party atmosphere, featuring a small daily menu (osteria style on a chalkboard) consisting of about 7 entrees and 7 mains. The specialty here is Seafood, and you can get huge platters of it as either an entree (70$, or for a full table at 120$). I tried a lobster "poutine" (nice big chunks of lobster served over traditional home fries and cheese curds with a lobster bisque sauce) that was simply out of this world.
The chef, Chuck (The guy from the Hellmans Mayo adds and the guy who will have a food network series starting march 30th called Chuck's Day Off), really has a knack for turning traditional comfort foods into something special.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/67/72163...anger-Montreal
******
Now for a bad review.
Limon
http://www.limon.ca/
Avoid this place at all costs.
I have been searching for a good "upscale" Mexican restaurant for ages, and i have not found one in Montreal yet. (by upscale i mean food that does not taste like it comes from a can. No one does Mexican right in this town, which is hilarious, because even in places like Seoul, South Korea I was able to get very great Mexican food half way across the world.)
The decor just looks cluttered at Limon, and the service is beyond horrible. I walk into a "Mexican" restaurant to hear middle eastern music being played so loud, that i cannot even hear the waiter talk to me. Usually i can put these factors aside if the food is good, but the fare offered here was one of the worst i have ever had in Montreal. Out of the 6 dishes we ordered, 3 of them ended back in the kitchen, with the other 3 barely being edible. For the prices they charge for simple food, you would be better off paying a homeless guy 50$ to eat his feces. Really truly horrible. They also tried to charge us for the 3 dishes we did not touch and sent back. We paid what was on the table, told the manager he could off and left.
How this place can remain open is beyond me.
*****
The Burgundy Lion
http://www.burgundylion.com
15 years ago, no one would have thought twice about opening a place like this in Little Burgandy. The rapid growth of condos in the area has given this British style pub a nice mix of clientele spanning from students to well dressed young professionals. Everything in the place is wood, and it has a very cozy atmosphere, even when packed to the gills.
The Burgandy Lion features all of the beers you would expect from a pub of this sort, plus a few others you might not. If you like domestic swill made by the big breweries, you will not find any of that here. The premium scotch and whiskeys are abundant, the only downside is a limited wine list, featuring many wines that i really do not like. You can tell that this is not their forte, but only my girlfriend likes to order wine in a pub of this style, so it was fine by my tastes.
The food is a tad inconsistent here , some dishes being very generously portioned, with others leaving you with the impression that they are cutting corners to save a few bucks.
Starters:
The vegetarian samosas with spicy home made salsa were the highlight of the night for me. Each bite was so full of flavour, that everyone at the table ordered seconds. For those of you adverse to spice, these might not be the best option, but if you do enjoy a little piquant in your life, these can really do no wrong. The cod fish cakes are good, the only failure in terms of taste during starters was the scotch egg. Then again, i have never been a fan of this dish.
Mains:
This is were things started to get inconsistent a bit. The Cambridgeshire Salad was huge, consisting of a nice melange of Stilton pears, walnuts, grilled chicken, and blue cheese. The only complaint to be had here was not enough chicken, and way too much blue cheese! Towards the end of the dish, it became so potent that it was all we could taste, this put aside (and the fact that our breaths must have been rank enough to melt plastic afterward'), i would still order it again.
The Manchester Curry with Tiger Shrimp was extremely delicious, and it is possibly the first time that i have been able to enjoy an "English style" curry in Montreal that did not completely miss the boat. The "Colonial Chicken" plate,( featuring Chicken Tikka Masala, Rice, and Naan Bread) was very tasty, but not anywhere near as much as the previous curry dish. It was enjoyed, but i probably would not order it again.
A major complaint by one of the guests of our party was the "Highland Burger" (Highland Beef from “Maple Lea Farm, West Bolton, QC”, kaizer bun, cheddar cheese and house chips). The flavor was not the problem with this dish, as i was told the slab of aged chedder complimented the beef quite nicely. The major qualm was that it was served on a huge kaiser bun, but the portion of beef was so small that it barely covered half of the bun's surface. I have no problem with paying 13$ for a hamburger platter, but when i do order such a thing it is usually because i crave a hearty meal that will leave me satisfied. My guest left hungry (and actually ate a Dillalo burger from across the street after leaving a few hours later, which he found more satisfying in terms of size,price and taste), leaving me to guess that the chefs are told to be stingy on the meats here. (see aslo: The Cambridgeshire Salad)
In all the experience had here was a positive one. If you are looking for something resembling a "gastro pub" (the concept is all the rage in England right now) to have a drink and enjoy a good conversation and meal with friends a little off of the beaten path, this place is for you. You won't find any puking university students here. If you want a burger, save the 13 bucks and cross the street for a "buckburger". The servers at Dilalo's might not always be as smiling and as nice as at the Lion, but they do make one heck of a tasty burger.
also:
My gf and I have received a bit of funding to start a restaurant review site, and we would like those of you with distinguished palates who enjoy food discussion to join us. This project is in the development stage and is non paying, but rest assured there are a few perks to be had along the way. If this type of thing interests you, and you feel it might be something you would enjoy doing, please feel free to pm me We are also looking for students of web design who would like to possibly take on a project to join us.
Take care,
Jason. |
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| UneeK |
good thread idea.
Good Resto i went to the other day:
Casa Minhota
Grilled octopus was amazing. Great wines, cozy restaurant. Typical Portuguese grilled meats.
another good one i went to recently:
Il Piatto Pieno
This is one of the best BYOW ive been to. Table D'Hote is $30, selection of any entre, main dish, desert and coffee.
wood oven Pizza's were HUGE and amazing. Pretty decent Pasta dishes also.
very good value. |
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| smellyblack |
in depth reviews are good, but i am glad you chose to participate.
Casa minhota is good, but:
http://restomontreal.ca/portal/port...dex.php?lang=en
portuscalle is better simply because of their awesome tapas menu.
i actually tried this because of ostrich's (another TA and the guy who runs the 13% nights) review on mtlnights. The service is a little ty, and the price is a little more expensive, but tapas like this with real Serrano ham(not the us made stuff) makes everything more worthwhile.
Nagda has great taste in music, and his food taste is pretty good too:)
ps inb4louis and club chasse et peche.:p
(which is awesome and i will post a full review soon as we ate there last weekend:) )
elfreak was banned francis, but that thread is good too:) |
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| Ninja Francis |
| Didn't we had one of these threads like 3 years ago? |
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| smellyblack |
maybe, but this one has more smileys
:gsmile: |
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| julien2 |
| I highly recommend Le Local |
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| mmax24 |
| les infidèles, on the plateau. |
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| Enjoy |
i went to Les Pyrénées in old port the other week
good stuff |
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| Leif |
I'll second that. Casa Minhota does have a wicked lunch special though...
Portus Calle also wins for being conveniently located right across the street from me :p |
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| smellyblack |
| quote: | Originally posted by julien2
I highly recommend Le Local |
yeah that is an easy one, i am going there friday before karma. (i am going to karma because if you didn't know i am now homosexual)
:p
bad reviews are also welcome, don't only tell us what is good, we want to know what is bad! |
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