| 1 to 21 of 21 |
Montreal, QC
This place is a total gem. Not only is the wine list robust, but the food will knock your socks right off. Being that my party is non-french speaking, the waiter went through the entire (daily) menu and translated every last word for us with a smile. Homeslice was informed and tres helpful. What more could you ask for? Oh, red snapper ceviche with strawberries and sour creme as an appitizer and Veal Tar-Tar with a Red Wasabi sauce for an entree? Yeah...they have that too. Believe the hype, folks. Believe. The. Hype.
Montréal, QC
Au Pied De Cochon isn't for the faint or weak. Not for the faint of stomach (think duck fat and pork), faint of heart (think duck fat, pork and your arteries) nor the faint of wallet (think duck fat, pork and a reputable name that costs money to even utter).
Call in your reservation weeks, even a month or so in advance. This is no walk-in spot.
Please do not bring your squeamish friends here as they will not enjoy the experience, and you may not either. Also, do eat lightly the day of because this meal will consume and overtake your body, and also that part of your brain that controls food comas.
Our reservation was called in a couple of weeks in advance, and we got an 11pm block on a friday night. We arrived and were seated immediately. The restaurant itself isn't cabaret. No flashing lights or people in pig costumes. It blends with the surrounding establishments on its block, ninja-like if you aren't keeping a good look out. The ambiance is actually very casual, and upbeat.
Oh and their piggy icon is very symbolic of this spot, a little bit comical, a lot fatty.
We wanted to sample a lot of different things: two orders of the foie gras poutine, the infamous duck in a can, pied de cochon stuffed with foie gras, boudin maison, and côte de cochon heureux.
The foie gras poutine was heaven on a plate. With every bite, I could hear angels trumpeting behind me. I scooped up the last bit of it with our complimentary bread. Never knew I could fall in love with something so alien to me.
Duck in a can! Literally. It's quite a sight and very photo/vid worthy to catch them serving this up to you. Taste-wise, the amount of duck fat in there would make a roll of papertowels run away, but it ridiculously succulent.
Stuffed pied de cochon swims underneath a rich, glorious brown gravy, if you're lucky, you'll find some semi crispy skin under there. I know I did. Boudin maison was a delectable porky tenderness as well, probably the more conservative of the dishes.
Wasn't a fan the last dish on our list because there was just way too much blood sausage, which I have never been a fan of.
To cap this artery-clogging feast, and about 1:30 am, we got brazilian coffee. Hot, creamy and liquor-y.
Unforgettable experience best saved for the brave.
Montreal, QC
Maybe this place is great for locals, but my friends and I (tourists from NY) didn't have great experience with this place when we visited. I had poutines from different parts of Canada as this wasn't my first time visiting. I wanted to try some authentic poutine where locals go for eats. I googled many different places and selected this one for try before we leave for Ottawa the next day.
It's an extremely tiny place. But it's okay, you can get it to go and eat it at the park right next to the restaurant. Actually, this may be better option because the inside is extremely crowded and small that you probably can't even move around.
It's best described as fast-food joint. You can get burgers, sandwiches, and of course, poutines here. I believe they also serve beer. I got a cheese-burger and poutine to go with a drink. The price wasn't all that bad so if I can get used to local taste, I can see myself coming back here frequently for more good stuff (but I live too far now).
The poutines were alright. I had better poutines in Ottawa. Maybe this is the authentic taste and one I had previously were for tourists. The portions weren't too big either - more of individual size so not great for sharing. The gravy was too think and didn't much have other ingredient tastes in my mind. The burgers were pretty good though. I live in Washington DC where we have about 8 great burger joints in 10 mile radius, so I wouldn't say this is one of better ones I had, but definitely better than poutine I ordered. It saved my night.
The service was bit slow. Maybe they just had a lot of orders prior to mine. I think I waited at least 20 minutes for my burger and poutine. They only had a dude and gal cooking up and one dude taking orders. I don't know whether this is a family owned business or not but they could use more hands to speed up the process. I hate the non-value-adds. Lean it up!
Montreal, QC
This is for sure the best restaurant I've ever been to in Montreal.
I've been twice, once with my boyfriends family and once for my birthday. It is on the pricey side (appetizers $9-$12, main courses $25-$34), but you really need to get the escargot appetizer.... unlike any I've had before, but sooo good. I think I had the venison filet both times, and it melts in your mouth.
I also loved the atmosphere. It's super small and not really fancy, but has a nice intimate feel. The kitchen is open and the host/waiter makes you feel welcome with out being overbearing.
Make it a point to eat here, you won't be disappointed, the food is incredible. Just make sure to make reservations. They have two seatings, I think one around 5:30 and one around 8:30..I'd try for the second, but just because I wouldn't want to feel rushed.
Montreal, QC
This was the challenge: Find a restaurant in Montreal for a group of 21 (12 adults and nine children) including one vegetarian, one who only eats hamburgers, two who dislike almost all restaurants, one who doesn't like to spend anything, and at least five who are looking for the best food possible at any price. So we went to Les Trois Petits Bouchons and it turned out to be the perfect solution.
The children had a table of their own with very accommodating service and lots of delicious things to eat, and the adults had their own festival of yumminess. The service was casual, enthusiastic, yet completely professional. The wine was fascinating and very reasonably priced. The Petoncles Princesse was as good as anything one might find in a restaurant -- a small, raw, impressively fresh scallop, served in its shell with diced cucumber, a dash of wasabi oil, and a spoonful of strawberry puree.
If I lived in Montreal, I would go here as often as possible, either to sit at the bar for a glass of wine and a snack, or for a casual dinner, or for another large celebration.
Montréal, QC
Ambiance and service, just fine. The drinks (Martinis) were watered and weak. The sea bass was rubbery and the worst my guest had every had. The braised lamb had great flavour but was the wrong cut for the cooking method, too many bones in every bite. And the accompanying veg and potato was badly overcooked.
The espresso was very good though.
Never going back there!
Montreal, QC
In the heart of the old city, Modavie provides the perfect setting for a wonderful dinner with some live jazz for your listening pleasure.
Located on Rue St Paul the main thoroughfare of the old city, Modavie has two levels of dining. The ground floor is complete with a small bar, plenty of tables and a somewhat open kitchen. The upstairs has a small stage and a larger dining room the spands the length of the restaurant.
It was at the request of my associate (whom has been a previous patron) that we sit upstairs as the live jazz singer was a little loud while sitting downstairs. But, the stage is upstairs... he assured me he knew what he was doing. As we sat in the power table in the corner with two beautiful windows overlooking Rue St Paul, we talked about the day's meetings and discussed the future.
I started off my meal with a goat cheese and arugula salad with a citrus vinigrette. While the goat cheese was not in the salad per se, (came melted atop small pieces of baguette) their flavor carried into each bite. The vinigrette cut right through the tanginess of the goat cheese with tastes of pepper from the arugula.
Upon next fillet Mignon. Cooked to a perfect rare, this steak was succulent. With a small portion of risotto and sauted veggies to go along with it, I was a happy camper. The name of the wine we had escapes me but I remember it went well with the steak. Modavie being a wine/ jazz bar there will be no shortage of choices when looking for that perfect bottle.
Montreal, QC
This would be the Quebec equivalent of a diner. The atmosphere is nothing fancy, and it serves all-day breakfast along with sandwiches and about 10 types of poutine. I had the chicken poutine which had some unappetizing grey-green peas from frozen, but the French fries in the gravy were great. The service was very friendly.
Montréal, QC
Pros: nice terrace on the pedestrian street Rue Prince Arthur, friendly staff, two for one beers during happy hour, delicious seafood bisque.
Cons: Shrimp in my pasta dish tasted like they were from frozen, dessert that came with our table d'hote was an extremely dry yellow cake that tasted like it had been in their fridge for weeks, the wait staff's ability to speak English was extremely limited
Montréal, QC
When I mentioned to all the locals that I was going to Au Pied De Cochon they gave me this really jealous look and demanded to know how I scored a reservation...The trick? Have a friend call 8 weeks in advance. It's so worth it.
Great food and fun atmosphere! I went here with 4 friends and we had a feast! The duck carpaccio really stole the spotlight, so make sure you order it. The duck in a can is phenomenal, so is the pied de cochon, don't even think about skipping these two stars. Leave the lamb alone, it's not their specialty. Here it's all about the pig.
Two rounds of beer, a bottle of wine, 3 appetizers, 5 entrees, and creme brule cost us about 70 bucks each. Can you get a better deal?
Montréal, QC
We stopped into this restaurant because it was the closest place that looked good near our hotel, the Gouveneur Dupuis. We were drawn in by the menu and the cozy atmosphere that included an outdoor terrace and tables indoors with windows opening over the terrace. We were getting frustrated during 30-40 minutes it took us to be served and were even considering leaving, but we were so glad we stayed. This was definitely the best meal we had in Montreal. The parmesean fondant served with bread was absolutely amazing. The best cheese dish we had in all our time in MTL. I had the salmon stuffed with brie, which was also amazing, and generous in portion size. Our waiter, who may also have been the owner, was very friendly but so, so slow. The food would easily merit 5 stars, but I'm witholding a star for the seriously slow service. Nonetheless, I'll definitely be back at least for the parmesean fondant. We did actually try to return here for dinner, but came well after 9 and by then they were closing.
Montréal, QC
If you are a vegetarian do not come here. If you are a meatatarian, you will be in heaven!!
Not only does this place have an awesome pig mascot, this place is just a haven for unique meat dishes. Pork and duck and more pork and duck and a lot of foie gras, you can't really go wrong!
5 of us ate here with a bottle of wine and a couple rounds of beers for about $70 per persona and in spirit of the restaurant we definitely left here after pigging out on WAY WAY more food than any normal human should have eaten. We started with the foie gras with berries AMAZING AMAZING, bison tongue which was definitely a new experience, and this absolutely perfectly and wonderfully made Duck Carpaccio. I really wish we had ordered more of this appetizer because it is simply divine! Heaven on a plate for sure.
Then it was onto our 5 main dishes we all split: DUCK IN A CAN was definitely the winner. It was also the priciest canned food I have ever eaten which would bring canned food drives to a whole new level! They cook the duck and foie gras and sauce and onions before hand, seal it in a can and when you order it for $35 they heat up the whole can on the stove, bring it to your table with a can opener and open it and plop it on a plate! My tastebuds hadn't been happier. That sauce you literally wanted to mop up with anything else leftover on the table.
The pied du cochon or the pigs feet stuffed with foie gras was awesome too and I thought that one would have grossed me out for sure! Again that sauce was bangin! And the beef tartare was definitely refreshing and lighter in feeling than any of the other dishes we had especially when wrapped up as a lettuce wrap! Their happy stew is not for you if you don't like blood sausage because there is a huge healthy portion of that in here but it is pretty darn flavorful. And the loser of the entrees but still pretty good was the lamp and lentils dish. Just didn't quite excite our tastebuds like the other dishes.
And if that wasn't enough, we officially all had muffin tops over our pants when we ordered the creme brulee that was fire toasted with a brand of the restaurant on top! Amazing!!
Man we were all still full the next day, and we definitely had to waddle around like big fat pigs after this meal, but this was one of the best meals I've had in quite some time. The service was really good too! He tried warning us we were ordering too much, but we showed him!! Even though yes, we really should have never eaten that much, we always like a food challenge!!
Montreal, QC
A nice place to come late and eat. Will not disappoint.
The restaurant name is on the floor outside spelled out in tiles, so you might miss this restaurant if you drive by quickly.
It looks cute inside..
There is your French Bistro stuff like bone marrow and hardboiled egg with mayo. There is quite a bit to choose from and the portions are fair sized - not gigantic obesity size, nor miniscule anorexia size.
Save room for dessert and order as much dessert as possible. The maple sugar tart was the best (it might be seasonal, though). Baba rum ball was good too if you like rum.
It is a nice place, L'Express Restaurant. You will not find gobs of crap and lardy tarts like at some chain restaurants. Also you get nice polite service, not in-your-face, fake jokes and stupid pretending to be friendly tip-hungry crap like in some American places.
I'm hungry...
Montreal, QC
This restaurant was recommended by the concierge at my hotel.
Had the 30.95 prie fixe menu and I must say this is the best deal in town for what you get.
This was a 3 coarse meal, included coffee.
And then I added wine by the glass.
The food was amazing. For the appetizer I had the rabbit tarte, entree was the trout, and dessert was the chocolate moose.
The sauces were amazing.
I will be back to try one of the larger prie fixe menus.
Montreal, QC
Great atmosphere in a am area of old Montreal where you wouldn't expect a restaurant. Great fois gras appetizer an steak frites (almost went for off menu special of filet mignon with torched food GRAS on top for the FG duo). Steak cooked perfectly and fries had good crisp. Lots of better restaurants in city but worth checking out for the eclectic menu and great location/atmosphere.
Montreal, QC
Amateur de cuisine française, anniversaire en vue, occasion spéciale ou simplement envie d'un copieux dîner en tête à tête qui n'en fini pas... L'Européa vous est destiné!
Façade extérieure discrète, sans doute pour laisser à votre imagination le soin de travailler. Accueil chaleureux et poli, ambiance intime et douce lors d'une réservation le soir, atmosphère baignée d'une musique lounge, l'Européa est adapté à la culture nord-américaine tout en conservant un décor sobre mais sophistiqué, un cachet très français et une cuisine pour le moins excitante!
L'hospitalité française se ressent à chaque instant, dans chaque plat et à travers l'accent de chacun des serveurs.
Une fois assis, laissez-vous embarquer par le flot ordonné de serveurs chevronnés et bercer par la poésie du sommelier qui connaît sa cave sur le bout des doigts.
Fiez-vous à ses conseils, il connaît son métier!
Pour aussi peu que 90$ par pers., vous pourrez jubiler devant 11 plats aussi impressionnants que délicieux avec le menu dégustation.
Amateur de truffe, caviar et foie gras vous serez servi!
Petite réserve sur le poulet de Cornouailles, assez décevant, fade et endormant.
Le tout est agrémenté de petites surprises du chef tout au long du repas, selon son humeur et ses envies créatives du jour ( incluses dans le prix, mais pas mentionnées au menu ).
Quelle belle expérience pour une soirée en tête à tête ou encore pour un dîner corpo. qui ne vous ruinera pas et ne vous laissera vraiment pas sur votre faim.
Amateur de cuisine française, vous DEVEZ vous arrêter à l'Européa.
Petit plus, le resto possède une salle disponible pour y donner des cours de cuisine quasi-privés, et le moment idéal pour y est aller, est lors du Festival Montréal en lumière en février. Les prix sont réduit.
Montreal, QC
So I was trying to find a restaurant comparable to Toque. Someone suggested Europea to me. I went there by myself. Got an outside seat. First, the weather was good, so it was okay. However the club across the street was blasting dance music all night, which degraded the dining experience. Then the dishes took at least 20 minutes each, add that to the tasting menu, and we get a 4 1/2 hour dinner. Yes, they said it was their busiest night, but that's no excuse. At the end, the cold night air was too much for me, and I had to call it quits early. Even with like 10 patrons left there, the dishes were taking half an hour each. The food was so-so. Maybe better than your average restaurant, but nothing to wow about. Even the full Foie Gras dish I ordered extra wasn't well balanced, with too heavy of the liver taste. Yes, there was some hype with the thick egg soup, bringing you a whole crock pot showing you a chicken, but you got to taste about a mouthful. The cotton candy bit (which came too late for me). The quality of food was there, just not as good as I expected. The place is tiny, and I am not sure doing up, downstairs and outside is the way to go. Overall, I regret going to Europea instead of Toque. Will not do that again.
Saint-Marc-Sur-Richelieu, QC
I love to eat on the waterfront. There is plenty of water around Montreal but not so much good restaurants right on the water. This place is half an hour out of town but the site is extraordinary.
It is one of my favorite spot anywhere. Great food, outstanding service. They have an unbelievable prix fixe menu, changing every month.
Not a cheap place for sure, but the place to go for memorable moments!
Montreal, QC
This is a teeny tiny restaurant, situated right next to the Soupe Soup on St. Viateur. It is charming and cozy, with somewhat bizarre artwork (x-rays of monkeys?).
The menu is simple French fare -- two different types of steak, lobster sausage and duck risotto, and of course, fois gras and ris de veau. It has an open kitchen, and dessert and wine options listed on the blackboards. I saw one vegetarian option listed. Definitely not a place for large groups -- when we went, it was mostly couples eating there.
The service was excellent, and the food was cooked perfectly. I had the bavette, which was very tasty, and had a bit of my husbands filet, which had hazelnuts on top -- which I didn't love, but the meat was cooked well. Dessert was fondant au chocolat and ile flotant, both done very well. We started with some amazing baguette from 3M bakery on Mont-Royal -- our server highly recommended visiting there for their pasteries as well, so we will. It was about $50/person (with tax+tip) for our meal.
I love this place for an intimate french dinner in our neighborhood, it was worth the money!
Montreal, QC
* Nice physical spot, ok brunch *
The physical layout of this spot is really nice. It is a long narrow space with painted brick walls and wooden tables, along with about 8 sidewalk tables. There is also a small food market towards the front, which had a very nice selection of chocolate and some local products like smoked duck in a can, etc.
I had brunch at one of the sidewalk tables.
The brunch included:
- A sweet bread (not sweetbreads, but a cake like bread, which we were never served although saw all of the other tables getting)
- A smoked salmon egg scramble, where the whites and yolks were not fully incorporated to each other
- Half a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers (tasty local bagel with nice quality salmon)
- A sweet potato and salmon cake (was a bit cold and crumbled apart but had nice salmon flavour)
- A green salad (which was good, but slightly overdressed)
- Some cut fruit (fine)
- A glass of orange juice (unfortunately not fresh squeezed)
- Coffee or tea (I had a nice quality tea, although the water was not as hot as it should be)
The sidewalk tables suffer from the attack of many bees. The two women at the next table had a constant battle (probably their strong perfume was saving our table a bit from the onslaught - but we had our fair share as well over the course of the meal). My side tip - open some of the confiture packs and place them away from your table to attract the bees away - it seems to basically work!
Overall the brunch was ok, but nothing I would rush back for.
| 1 to 21 of 21 |