ottawa foodies

My gf and I are thinking of going to Montreal for my birthday for a high end dining experience. We are looking for either a French restaurants or restaurants that fuse French style cooking/ heavily influenced by French cooking. I must say I have become a big fan of restaurants that do 7-10 course meals on a grand scale and that would be ideal but its not a necessity.

I posted a request for recommendations on the Quebec board of Chow Hound and got some recommendations but when I looked into reviews by others for the places the reaction was mixed. One restaurant that a lot of people praised was Toqué but lots of others were not so enamored. I am pretty careful when choosing this sort of restaurant as I am interested in excellent food and service.... not just a high bill.

In terms of comparisons, the only local restaurant I would compare with what we are looking for, that I have been to, is Le Bacarra at the Casino. Others restaurants in other cities that I have been to that I would offer a comparison would be Daniel in NYC, Lumiere in Vancouver, Susur (food was great - serviced was deplorable), Scaramouche and Splendido in Toronto.

We do a meal such as this 2-3 times a year and budget to spend somewhere between $400 and have once gone as high as $700 which includes drinks and a very nice bottle of wine (i.e. $100-$160). I should also add that we are not rich. We do well but neither of us is making 6 figures. Food is our key hobby but we always choose very carefully because we can only do it a few times a year.

So any help from Ottawa foodies would be appreciated.

Cheers

I really like a place called Modavie in the Old Port www.modavie.com/indexm_e.html
Both the food and service were excellent - we had a great table updstairs by a window.

Though I was last there about 2 years ago so I don't know if it is still as good now as it was then. It might not be as high end as you are looking for, but thought I would mention it anyways. They do have an pretty extensive wine list - including a 1979 chateau latour for $1185, and lots of choices from $30 to $130 range.

My husband and I went to Toque before - and we had the menu degustation. We both really enjoyed the experience, except my husband kept complaining how ugly the carpet was... so that was a wee bit distracting... (grin) However, the food was very good and they did an amazing job pairing wines with each course.

If you really enjoy le Baccarat, why don't you give Nuances a try? It's a 5 diamond restaurant in the Montreal casino.

www.casino-de-montreal.com

I find Montreal to be a city of fantastic bistros - our personal favourite is Ferreira Cafe. Their oven roasted black cod is simply to die for. www.ferreiracafe.com/

Whatever you do, do not go to Queue de Cheval - the only enjoyable thing we had when we went was the bottle of wine.

Have a great time!
-M.

In the "Where To Eat In Canada" guide, the highest rated restaurants in MTL are as follows:

Bronte ***
Decca 77 ***
Toque! ***
Garcon! **
Laloux **
Au Tournant De La Riviere **

I've always wanted to go to Au Pied du Cochon, for pure caloric overload and delicious food, but that might be a bit extreme for your needs. And there's also the debate as to whether Québecois cooking = French cooking. ;)

When I was at Au Pied du Cochon - it was totally foie gras overload... It was delicious, but boy I couldn't stand the sight of foie gras for a month afterwards. However, the food was good and I will probably go back again. Also, while we were there, we met the owner, Martin Picard. He was going around the tables and he looked a little tipsy! At one point he just picked up a bottle of wine from a table and drank right from it! Quebec joie de vie? :)

-M.

That, in a nutshell, is *exactly* why I have to eat there. Dude definitely loves what he's doing.

And considering I have foie gras maybe once or twice a year at most, going on full overload sounds like fun ;)

I ate at Modavie in the spring, and didn't think it was spectacular. Nice wine list, but the food wasn't as good as I expected for the price. I'll be heading up to go to Au Pied in a couple of weeks, and am really looking forward to it, especially after seeing the place on No Reservations.

i'm going to "au pied de cochon" in december and am really looking forward to it.

For those that have been there, has anyone ever tried the "Duck in a can"? It looks original. Also, can one buy cans to bring back home?

In the album (book), it tells you how they cook the can (in boiling water for over 20 minutes), but i was curious.. can one buy cans and how much they are. I'm tempted to try this dish.

I also saw a review online that talked about their "deep fried Foie gras". :o i'm guessing it's not a doctor recommended restaurant :)

I had the Duck in a can last time I was there! It was delicious. I loved it. And yes, I believe you can buy the cans of carnard from them too and make it at home. Not sure how much they cost though...

My husband also got the cook book - it's definitely not for the faint of heart...

We've always gone there in the winter... but I'd like to try it out in the Spring/Summer when they switch to a lighter menu.

Enjoy!

-M.

BTW Joe Beef (2491 Notre Dame) is getting a lot of buzz, I love the place...very small, very intimate and very tasty.
For some Italian: Da Emma (777 de la Commune) and Le Latini (1130 Jean Mance) are 2 of the best.

Can you get bad food anywhere in Montreal?

I walked into a small greasy spoon off of St. Cathrines and had the best fillet mingnon ever, not to mention that the escargo served on toast was unreal tasty.
One of those imparitives I try at every eatery. Though I have yet to find a palatable Steak Tartare that matches my neighbours mothers from my youth.


However, I'd suggest Gibby's:

www.gibbys.com/


It was an old horse stall used by the Grey Nuns and also part of a hospital.
Sounds kinda freaky, but like all things in Vieux Montreal, it's beautiful.

Atmosphere is warm and inviting. Food is excellent as well as the location.

Waiters were busy but very professional.

But heck, I'd suggest you play it by luck alone. Usually the more fun approach. Don't forget that Smoke meat sandwich for lunch at Schwartzs and pick up some bagels from the Fairmont Bagel Factory.

Oohhh makes me wanna drive there right now.. mmm.

My best experience ever though was in St. Eustache at Cabane a Sucre.
What a good time, what fun and music and dancing and the most friendly hosts!
The food was like WOW... just think Hommer Simpson.. "maple syrup Mmmmmmmm"
I'll never forget that day.

Oh, I can't wait, my Au Pied reservation is this Saturday!

Hi medicine........

If you're looking for something really interesting I suggest AIX CUISINE DU TERROIR www.aixcuisine.com/

It's a beautiful restaurant in Downtown. It's one the best restaurant in Canada and their suppliers are the best Bio farms in Canada. They have an International wine list with good Old World wines.
I like this restaurant because it's devoted to the enjoyment of local Quebec cooking.

P.S.(I'm shocked for your bad comment on Susur in Toronto. I had a good experience there, even the chef came to our table to dscuss with us. He was so kind!)

I try to go to Montreal once a month or so. Toque has great food (but the room is not fantastic), Bronte is really good and Cafe Ferreira has great Portugese food. I'm anxious to try Au Pied du Cochon!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I am not sure what I am going to do but I do think I will need to try Au pied du couchon sometime in the next year.... There are a few others here that sound very appealing too!

Mr. Red... regarding your comment on Susur... the reasons for my comments are elaborated here:

www.ottawafoodies.com

and

www.ottawafoodies.com

I have heard that others, including Food is Hot, have had good experiences in terms of service since I was there. Sadly, I did not.

Cheers

I went to Au Pied in September of 2006; it was quite simply the best time at a restaurant I've ever had. It is VERY reasonable, price-wise(e.g., local crappy pub prices), extremely laid-back, and yet the service is knowledgeable and attentive.

It's just fantastic: lard, meat, organ meats, house-made pickles, and not a vegetable in sight. Of note was the pickled venison tongue tartare and the huge-ass .5kg pork chop, mason jars of whipped foie gras and grape jelly with crustini, loads of duck confit, etc, etc. It's all high quality, and deliberately flies in the face of the snobbery and pretense of modern cuisine.

Even though the prices were low, five of us still found ourselves with a bill of $600 with three bottles of wine.

So, really, Au Pied makes your choice a bit difficult: do you just want to spend money, or do you want to eat well?

Also of note:
Just outside Isle de Bellevue (20 min west, off the highway) is a place called Smoked Meat Pete's. Hands down best smoked meat sandwiches anywhere.

So, tedj, I was asking about Smoked Meat Pete's a while ago (ottawafoodies.com). Have you tried Schwartz's too? I want to hear from someone who's tried both. Then I'll know which one to try first! :-)

Au Pied du Cochon! It's so delicious and very chic. You should invest in an IN Guide from a bookstore - it's Canada's national guide to restaurants in 13 major cities - the Montreal section is nice and thick! I think the new one should be out by now. I found mine in the magazine section at Chapters for $14.95 and it's come in handy for me in five different cities.

Being a MTL'r...I must chime in re: smoked meat goodness. I have had the pleasure of eating Smoked Meat Pete's & Schwartz's many, many times (smoked meat is a constant within our crew). There is a special buzz about Schwartz's...the long lines,the old school servers, the random people you find yourself sitting beside...nothing can compare. But getting down to brass tacks...both are absolutely incredible. Smoked Meat Pete's is a bit out of the way...a perfect nosh after a round of golf. But Schwartz's takes the title...there is something within that Schwartz's experience that gives their sammy the tip of the hat. You haven't had a MTL experience w/o a Schwartz's session.

I went to "Au pied de cochon" last friday with a friend and we had a good meal and really enjoyed it. Any restaurant that offers its clients "a pig's head for 2" is good in my books! :)

I also bought a "duck in a can" to bring home for my saturday dinner. The waiter told us we had to cook it within 2-3 days because there are no preservation agents added.. so that's what i did. It comes as follows: the can, a slice of bread and a little container with a "celery-root reduction", which you spread on the piece of bread after it's toasted and before you pour the contents of the can on top. It takes 27 minutes to cook the can (boiling water). I have to say it was extraordinary. The can includes: Magret de canard, foie gras, garlic, thyme, some cabbage. Again, it was oustanding. :)

Speaking of that restaurant, chef Martin Picard now has a series of 7 episodes on TV called "Martin sur la route". It will air on Radio-Canada Thursdays and fridays at 7pm, from december 20th to January 4th, and friday january 11th. In that series, Martin goes on the road with his sous-chef. In the first episode, they go Moose hunting near Rimouski. They then demonstrate how pretty much everything can be eaten on a Moose, including the heart and testicles. :)

He talks as he talks normally in this series (includes lots of french swearing). For those who don't understand french, the series will also be on the Food network (not sure of when it'll be aired), but the shows will be 30 minutes instead of an hour (as aired on RC). Martin says: That network was castrating. They didn't want anything graphic to be shown because they think the viewers are "not ready" to be shown that. The food network also refused to show Martin hunting beaver.. which he finds very ironic considering it's Canada's emblem. :)

That sounds like a great series.. i'll definitely be watching.

Steff, I had the Duck in a can went I went there a few weeks ago, it was great, and was a fantastic presentation. Also in the can that you forgot about was the duck stock and demiglace. My only complaint about the place was that at our table of 6, the side dishes were pretty much all the same. The pork chop however, was monstrous. I look forward to seeing the show, thanks for the info!

Hi Tre!

true, i totally forgot about the duck stock and demiglace. :) The only complaint i had about the food was that the broccoli was a bit to "acid-y".. in fact, way too acid-y, but the rest more than made up for it. :) I definitely want to go back.