Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site


F Bar
Addr: 1485, rue Jeanne-Mance, Montréal
Phone:  (514) 289-4558
Dinner @ F Bar on Friday Dec 2nd 2011 18:00
Cuisine type: Bistro (Modern French with Med/Portuguese touches)
URL: http://www.fbar.ca

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)


(English review will follow) - Le refrain est connu: il faut que nos plus beaux talents OSENT!! Sinon ca donne ceci: bon resto, des plats bien concus, rien de mauvais à dire...mais rien de particulier non plus! C'est dommage d'avoir que ca à retenir de cette soirée. En fouillant un peu, je dois dire que les beaux petits flacons Portugais, ca nous fait voyager un peu et ca a donné le ton à cette soirée, charmante soit...mais comme bien d'autres....à mon avis.


Chef Gilles Herzog has worked under Alain Ducasse (at Louis VX in Monte Carlo) in the past, and has also spent some time alongside Michelin starred Chef De Matteis (Who once was at Taillevent, Paris), 2 star Michelin Chef Patrick Henriroux, and Serge Chenet. He also worked at 2 star Michelin Châteaux de Divonne, 2 star Michelin La Pyramide and 1 star Michelin Le Prieuré (all of those tables been in France).  I first discovered him when he was working at restaurant Derrière Les Fagots in Laval, a restaurant that stood among Quebec's very best when he was at its helm. Without being bold, his French contemporary cuisine maintained itself among the most exciting in the province. Easily among this province's top 5 best Chefs when he was at Derrière Les Fagots .

He now has the mission of offering the so-called market cuisine theme with a touch of Portuguese flair at the restaurant F Bar.

Many tend to confuse F Bar with a portuguese restaurant: its owner is portuguese, some part of the decor pays tribute to Portugal and it's clear that they have Portuguese-inspired dishes (bitoque, natas, etc), but I think it would be erroneous to go there with the sole idea that you are heading to your typical Portuguese restaurant: Chef Gilles Herzog has always made it clear to the medias that he has never cooked Portuguese food prior to his appointment at the F Bar, but that the owner asked him to come up with his take of  Market cuisine 'rhythmed'   by Mediterranean/Portuguese touches . Therefore, what this is more accurately about is a Chef Herzog Modern take on Portuguese / Mediterranean  cuisine. If you are a purist of Portuguese food, then I'll suggest you go to Portugal!

Since its opening, I went at the F Bar twice already. The 1st time, I was on a rush and had their pasta acores, which did not do it for me.  On a second visit, I had the Portuguese Bitoque (runny egg atop a strip loin steak). Which was just ok for me. Both visits occured at the beginning of the week, so this time I decided that an early  Friday evening would perhaps be a better idea, with of course different items.

The food I had on this evening:

Deer tartare, orange/pepper/juniper berry jelly - Tasty tartare, judiciously spiced, chopped  as it should. Then dices of orange jelly (retained the purity of orange flavor, adding extra taste/texture dimension to the dish). On my right, a salad of beets, executed with finesse and seasoned with precision.   This was really Good 7/10, but again, that's what is expected from any good bistro.

Halibut, black raisin-parsley-almond condiment, brown butter/sherry - This is one of their most celebrated dishes among foodies and food journalists. It's well done, that's for sure: the fish is nicely cooked and packed with appealing moist consistency,  the purée (that's underneath) sieved to ideal soft creaminess. Then you get the expected work of textural and flavor constrasts: crunch of the almonds,sweetness of the grapes, the grassy-ness of the parsley. All of this is nice, there's no doubt about that. But we have no surprise, no daring-ness. Just what's expected..again and again..from a good bistro.  In between good  to Very good  7.5/10
  
Coconut milk rice pudding, passion fruit/basil sorbet - This  pudding stood creamy as a good rice pudding should be, its sweetness well controlled (not overwhelming), but where's the coconut flavor???? The sorbet (tasty without being stunning) and some  crunchy bites added to the rice pudding do bring the necessary contrast and variety of  textures ...but I really don't get this dessert: when I was reading its description, elements such as 'coconut milk' and 'basil' led me to think that some aromatic 'pep' would be delivered. In Mouth, they surprisingly remained absent:  take the sorbet for ie...had that sorbet alone rose with a depth of flavor, I would have rate this dessert with a comfortable 8 over 10. Same for the coconut flavor: it's a flavor that I enjoy a lot and it would have certainly impart an interesting kick to the pudding...alas my palate never sensed it.  - Good 7/10 ...but not great.

Bottom line: is F Bar among Mtl's best bistrots. Yes (albeit, in my view, a notch or two behind Bistro Cocagne, Au 5e Péché, Bouillon Bilk). But there's no room to feast, neither:  Chef Herzog had the chance to work with culinary masters  like Alain Ducasse, De Matteis, etc. So why not transferring a bit of that brilliance on those dishes. The dishes were good, a recurrence with many good bistrots in town, but neither on this meal nor on the 2 previous visits there...did I feel any sign of outstanding achievement. That's to be expected from a Chef of the caliber of Herzog! 

PROS: the nice wines of Portugal as that amazing mineral Dona Maria 2009 served along the halibut. The fun, down to earth bartender on this evening (I sat at the bar). The festive atmosphere (it was packed).

CONS: I am not expecting all Bistrot Chefs to surprise me as Lenglet did at au 5e Péché...BUT of a Chef like Herzog, I guess it's normal to expect some sparks. Of course his food is good, better than at a lot of other highly regarded tables (I personally preferred this later meal here to the last ones I had at Le Chien Fumant, Chez Victoire, KGP for ie) , but of a Chef like him ... I need -- at the very least --- to stumble upon random stellar elements (even if it is as insignificant as a simple condiment).



Last but not least, I need to say this --- to Mtl's restaurateurs: making $$$ is wonderful, but people are eating out a lot nowadays, so a bit as in fashion...expect to face more and more demanding customers. Expect to be challenged. Just doing a good job won't suffice. Expect to surpass yourself.


Wishing the best to all of us,and may 2012 be a better year of discoveries!

FBAR
Overall food rating: 5/10 Average for what Iam accustomed to /thus do expect at comparable restaurants/dining category. Iwas surprised by this just Ok performance, knowing well how the Chef here hasbeen able, at his previous restaurant, to offer far  superior cooking. Thefood was pleasant, and as expected from such a talented Chef, it was well done,but keeping things on the safe side has  not worked for me althoughthis is the way to go for their business to succeed: this is a place that isbusy night after night.  Atleast, this is a very pleasant place with electric ambience.  Overall service rating: 8/10 Mostly young,professional on this evening.
Décor: 8/10  Elegant, colorful, contemporary. Go on thei rwebsite,WYSIWYG!
IMPORTANT: 'Overall food rating' HAS NOTHING TO DO with the arithmecticcalculation of all dishes. It is my personal subjective rating of the overall foodperformance  on the specif meal I am sampling  only.

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site

Dinner at Laloux 
Type of cuisine: French Bistro
Friday November 25th 2011, 20:00
Addr: 250, avenue des Pins Est, Montreal, QC
Phone: 514 287-9127
URL: http://www.laloux.com/index.html

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

(Review in English to follow) J'espère que ce ne fut qu'une soirée off: magret et jambonneau de canard trop salé, le jambonneau complètement sec, le tout sans panache. Quant au plat de foie de veau, c'est du beau produit, certes...mais il faut le sublimer, le rendre épatant en bouche! Dommage, puisque Laloux a toujours été un coup de coeur de longue date. A eux de garder l'esprit ouvert à la critique constructive et en profiter pour rebondir.  

Chef Jonathan Lapierre-Réhayem is known as the latest new kid on the block of the Montreal restaurant scene. Many food journalists have raved over his work at the latest La Montée, and now at Laloux. It's with great enthusiasm that I went finding out about this new talent of the Montreal restaurant scene especially after learning that he also worked at some point at XO Le Restaurant and also Au 5e Péché, both being in my very top 5 of Montreal finest tables (one being a fine dining venture, the latter one being an amazing Bistro that I can't stop raving about).

As for Laloux, this is a Montreal institution (almost 3 decades of existence very soon). I used to live right next door to Laloux and this is a classic high end bistro that I have always been a big fan of (I remember, for ie, the top quality dinners I had there when Chef Gonzalez was working at Laloux. I've never experienced Laloux under Chef Jetté, but this might have been another big moment of Laloux's history given the huge talent of Chef Jetté.

The decor of Laloux is classic. It could remind some of a classic Parisian bistro, with its high ceilings, white table cloths, and uniform black and yellow tones, large glass windows. The food is inspired by classic French Bistro cuisine, which is usually the type of cuisine that I am the most fond of.

I began with a starter of fresh oysters (nicely sourced, the oysters were impeccable to all respects: freshness, quality), then ....

I lost touch with the radio signal .........

Foie de veau, purée de pomme de terre, panais rôtis, sauce à la pancetta et cipollini - Veal liver (cooked correctly), potato purée (done as it should). But this dish remained a standard dish, with no particular palatable highlight (the taste being ok, but I have tasted way more flavorful veal liver dishes at numerous bistrots). I don't know how many times this should be repeated: it's not enough to just have a good produce (the veal liver was of nice quality, same could be said of the parnsnip)...at a restaurant, you need to elevate all of that to something that awakens the taste buds. This was way too simple to be enjoyed at a restaurant. Classic food is one thing. Simple simple simple food is another thing 4/10

Not knowing what to make out of the last dish (I am not patient with lacklustre restaurant performance...people are paying for this!!!  ), I decided to give another chance to the kitchen:

Magret et jambonneau de canard, spätzle à l'aneth, salsifi et crème sure à la moutarde de Meaux- The quality of the duck is remarkable. But again, the work of the produce comes with a load of reproaches: (1)over-salted meat. Way too much salt and this is coming from someone who loves salt!  (2) presentation lacked appeal (3) the 'jambonneau' was dry...barely edible! I don't get this! 3/10

At that point, I decided to take no dessert, no coffee and just leave. 

Dommage since  I am a long time fan of Laloux (I had some great meals, there, in the past) as I prefaced earlier on. It's then all natural that I  had hard time accepting this kind of under-performance. Laloux has lost a long time fan tonight. Up to them to bounce back and to prove to themselves that this was just an off night. And if I were them, I'd take whoever has cooked this meal, invite him to tables like Au 5e Péché, Bistro Cocagne, La Porte, Raza or Le Marly and instruct him to imagine how those Chefs at the previously mentioned tables would cook that foie de veau and magret dishes  (Those restaurants I have just mentioned are not all offering the same type of cuisine as Laloux, BUT of this given  meal I just  had, there's definitely a lot to learn from those tables, in many aspects: presentation of the dishes, work of the taste, etc)! 

PROS: Wine pairing was inspired on this evening (great little findings from all around the world) and their wine list will cater to every taste. I also like that classic French bistrot decor.

CONS: I can talk only for what I experience. So this concerns this given meal on Friday November 25th 2011: Food, especially when people are paying for it ..needs to be flavorful. Not just well cooked. Not just good produce. And since it's French cuisine, the word DELICIOUS needs to be part of my post-dinner verbiage!  Which was not the case of this specific dinner.

LALOUX
Overallfood rating: 3/10  Why those things happen to my favourite Chefs? I really like their Chef, a man who has travelled a lot and whose  open mindness is well known. My kind of Chef. But on this evening, honestly, nothing really shone.
Overallservice rating: 8/10 Professional .
Décor: Pretty Parisian look-alike bistro style!

IMPORTANT: 'Overallfood rating' HAS NOTHING TO DO with the arithmectic calculation
of all dishes. It is my personal subjective rating of the overall foodperformance   on the specific  meal I am sampling  only.

Click here for a recap of  my picks of all Montreal's top fine dining & best Montreal's bistrots. 
Also: My  3 and 2 Star Michelin restaurant review web site

Le Comptoir charcuterie et vins
Addr: 4807, boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal
Type of cuisine: Modern French/Cosmopolitan Bistro
Phone: 514-844-8467
Dinner there this Friday November 11th 2011, 17:00

Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7), just Ok (6)

(English review will follow) - C'est le nouveau prodige de la scène gastronomique Montréalaise. Un petit bistro/bar vraiment charmant: accessible, le service aimable, l'ambiance vivante, le décor chaleureux. Coté cuisine, oui, ce fut généralement réussi: ils ont l'intelligence de savoir jouer sur l'acidité, le gras, le croquant, les gouts riches..donc des plats généralement savoureux sans etre bouleversants. Quoique pas vraiment à la hauteur du buzz (à mes yeux, évidemment): des 'shorts-ribs' sans saveur, les meme garnitures sur plusieurs plats, des pates tièdes (le plat de cannelloni)..donc à la texture peu enviable...j'ai beau vouloir faire partie du buzz, mais désolé..il manque de jus dans ce cas. Ce fut quand meme beaucoup mieux que mes repas  Chez Victoire, KGP, Newtown mais moins saisissants que ceux  que j'ai dégustés Au Kitchen Galerie, Bistro Cocagne, et Bouillon Bilk. Pourtant, le buzz ca ne conduit pas nécessairement à des attentes exagérés: à preuve, San Sebastian...c'est du buzz....et la prestation gourmande surpassa le buzz. Le Buzz c'est pas de la faute du resto CCV, mais en meme temps ca ne l'aide pas car ce soir, je suis sorti de là en me disant que ce fut vraiment bien...mais pourquoi autant de bruit? Lol. Attention: tel que je l'ai mentionné, ce fut bien mieux qu'à d'autres bistrots en ville (eux, au moins, ils s'assurent que ca goute bon!). Mais d'un endroit avec autant de buzz, sans exiger  de la perfection sur toute la ligne, je m'attends au moins à quelques plats qui tonnent et transcendent. Y allez? Oui, allez-y! A la hauteur du buzz? Non (à mon avis). Retournerai-je? Oui  Dans mes favoris? Non. Aussi: j'espère que c'est un cas isolé ->  le chef était dans la salle au lieu d'etre en arrière des fourneaux au moment de notre passage (Vendredi 11 Nov à 17:00)..??? À leurs époques, de grandes Toques comme Ducasse, Joel Robuchon bossaient  fort en arrière de leurs fourneaux. Ici à Montréal, des Chefs de grand  talent (Rouyé, Alexandre Loiseau, Mercuri, Navarrette Jr) font de meme: ils sont en cuisine. L'on se pose donc naturellement des questions... Paul Bocuse? Robuchon? J'aurai compris..mais là... Bref, c'est pas un drame..d' autres jeunes cuistots Montréalais sont de toute facon concernés par ca...Lol.. et c'est surement pas tout le temps comme ca..du moins je l'espère..., mais la cuisine c'est aussi une question de perception! Au final,  lisez attentivement la description de chacun des plats que j'ai mangé: tout y est exprimé en toute franchise.

This web site  focuses on what stands out amidst Montreal finest dinings and bistrots, but honestly, lately ... I am disappointed: many good tables have recently opened but none (in my view) really worths spending time to write about. I have visited a good dozen of the latest  new ones, and mostly ended with  comments like ''oh geez...can someone surprise me a bit please"!  Most of us cook since a long time (in my case, since my tender childhood), so I don't expect surreal fireworks from food (it's not a circus, it's food) at restaurant but for the money I pay, I do expect either  a work of flavors that is outstanding (as usual, compared to what the most are offering in the same city of the restaurant that I am eating at) or things I seldomly see at most of the competitors of that restaurant. Wherever I go, I like comparing local apples to local apples. I am not the type of person expecting one city to be compared to another. When I write, for ie, that a restaurant is creative or stands out, that is in comparison to its closest peers (wherever it applies, I'll of course mention if the restaurant performs to standards I saw abroad) . 

Le Comptoir charcuterie et vins may appear, at first glance, to not fit with what this web site is focusing on, but this restaurant is THE new star in town, with an avalanche of massive raves coming from all parts: the medias, food critics, and way more. I know this does not guarantee that things will necessarily live up to my (or yours) expectations, but I am under the impression that this eatery has that little something that sets itself apart. I went to find out  for myself.

Chef Ségué Lepage of  Le comptoir charcuteries et vins is a charismatic young talented Chef who was once  trained at 3 star Michelin Bernard Loiseau in France.He is now back in Montreal (after couple of years in Vancouver as well) with a Bistro/Charcuterie/Wine bar formula that is quite common in town lately, but appearently,  from what is buzzed around, his formula is 'beating the formula': since its opening, this eatery attracts hordes of gourmands, the success being instantaneous (Chef Ségué Lepage, within one year of opening his venture, has already many accolades to his credit: Gold Medal Plate's top 10 best Chefs in Montreal, Air Canada's En Route's Mag top Montreal tables for this year, etc).

Although Chef Lepage is not trying to re-invent the wheel with his latest offerings (his cuisine is clearly playing in the same field as the casual modern bistro-centric trends), my   interest here is really to see how far he can push  the bar in leaving his imprint (read: how flavorful his food shines through or stands out in a way I could walk out from his eatery with the feel that his work has that little 'je ne sais quoi''). You don't need culinaric wowness  for this (for ie: when 3 star Michelin Chef  Jean-Francois Piège decided that he would be behind the stoves of his   bistro Thoumieux in Paris...naturally such Bistro benefitted  from  the very best standards / I did that Bistro btw, and however dissenting our opinions would be, Piège will always get away with what will always stand among the very best bistro formulas you"ll  ever find around the globe - I am always opened to be proven wrong, but I'd seriously be surprised of the contrary); some great Chefs  did just that within the same casual bistro standards that Chef Lepage is facing and they did it right here in Montreal: Chefs Axel and Bourdages at Kitchen Galerie (on Jean-Talon), Chef Alexandre Loiseau at Bistro Cocagne, Chef Lenglet at au  5e Péché. Could  Chef Lepage compete with those Chefs or even surpass them? Based on the raves, I naturally hoped so (or at least competing with that level) ! As a reminder, the food of Lenglet, Axel, Bourdages and Loiseau can't be accused of being super complex, but in their apparent simplicity they've managed to outstand the most with bistro dishes that  simply taste better.  I  went to CCV expecting a bit of that from Chef Lepage.

The room was packed when we were eating there and I'd be surprised that you can get a table just by showing up at the door on a Friday/Satur evening. So book in advance. The interior did remind me of a  small wooden neo-rustic loft with omnipresence of wood. Le  'comptoir' translates into 'counter', therefore you need to expect the minimal  setting that is in line with this designation. It's busy,  and informal. Open kitchen, the menu  on a chalkboard and offerings follow what's in season. The wine list will appeal to most Mtlers: mostly, bio wines with prices that reach out to a wide range of patrons (for ie wines as low as $33 Ribera del Duero Miros 2006, Penafiel up to a Corton Rognet grand cru 2008, B Clavelier @ $200 with plenty of affordable great findings in between). They do also offer some wines by the glass (this is one of their strengths: the wine by the glass that were offered to me on this evening being truely inspired with many wines rarely found in town).

FOOD:
I've skipped everything that's marinated or that needs few manipulation (for ie, their beet salad) and went right into the cooked dishes so that I can more accurately get a good idea of this cuisine (this is my very first time here):

  Tarte de homard, oignons blonds, tomates confites, crème fraiche, huile d'estragon $19 - A lobster tart. My wife and I exchanged divergent opinions over this one. She thought this was the best dish of this evening. She gave it a 8 over 10. For her, every thing was right on point: the lobster meat being succulent, cooked right. To me, coming from a fishermen's village, I prefer lobster with more upfront marine freshness, yep..even at this time of the year (it happened before) . Make no mistake though: the lobster was meaty and tasted good. Onions, tomatoes logically complemented this dish. A 7.5 over 10 for me (the sablé pastry tart that was beneath the crab was average in conception and  taste; it was not bad, but lacked the refinement and excellent execution I usually expect from a standout kitchen - I have no problem being challenged with my choices, that's a subjective matter anyways, but before I rave over a meal it needs to be refined even in the little details. With that fullfilled, I can live in peace with my enthusiastic appreciation. Given the raves - Top 10 new table in Canada in 2011, etc -- I believe it's normal to have such basic expectations) which is very good --mostly for its price/value ratio  and especially because it tasted good ---- but not a 9 (excellent) nor a 10 (exceptional), the latter being actually marks that I don't necessarily hold only for fancy tables: the proof, some  of the $3 tapas I ate  in SSB were rated with 10/10. Same applied to some fares I've sampled at simple bistrots like Kitchen Galerie on Jean-Talon, Bistro Cocagne, Au 5e Péché ..regardless of the $$$. With that said, I insist and re-iterate: this $19 lobster tart remains far superior to many 25$-$30 food items you'll get at many highly regarded bistrots in town. 

Cannelloni de poulet confit, compote de tomate, crème sure à l'ail - Chicken Cannelloni. My wife thought this was less impressive than the previous dish, although she had no particular reproach. To me, this was the best dish of this evening: rich, with various dazzling flavors shining even into the little details such as in the black olive cream and delicious fresh tomatoes. Close to Excellent (8.5/10) for me, Just good (7/10) for my wife. In my view, had all the dishes performed at this level, then Yep...I'd tell you that I get the buzz. A friendly advice though: two dishes with same garnishes (the topping of greens that you've just seen on both the Cannelloni and Lobster tart) ..that's to be avoided (this tends to take some appeal out of the dishes, I found). Also: always serve pastas warmer if you don't want your dish to suffer from lackluster texture (which I still forgave since this dish was so tasty, but this is one of those slips that kept me a bit conservative about going enthusiastic over this table. Many would have under-rate this dish because of the textural slip...I won't, but let's keep in mind that my 8.5/10 is justified by the stunning taste of this dish only). At $11, this was  great value.

Short ribs de boeuf, agnoletti p.d.t, purée de céléri-rave, oignon braisé au vin rouge.  $15 (could have been a bargain, but...read the description of my review of this dish) - Braised beef short ribs - As much as both previous dishes had  many rich flavors, contrasting textures and a smart display of balanced acidity (without being necessarily exceptional), this was surprisingly average (no savory dimension, no upfront delicious beefy taste). Short ribs are condemned to be very flavorful, but flavors were muted on this one. The purée was fine, the braised onions without reproach but the main element was short of  sparks. 6.5/10


Poélé de chanterelles, langue de porc braisée, mini raviolis à purée de racine de persil - Smiles were back on track with this one. A dish like this has that kind of succulent  mouthfeel (without being exceptional) that made me insisting on the fact that although I didn't think that it shone at heights of the buzz  it is enjoying (again, not the fault of this restaurant), this table still has an edge over many other top bistrots in town. The braised pork tongue was well cooked, it was packed with enticing flavor, the mushrooms perfectly seared and the raviolis had the right al dente consistency. It's not a revolutionary dish (which I actually largely prefer over fancy challenging culinary constructions) , but the palatable impact is high. Again and again: why that topping of the same greens that appeared on both previous plates?????????? In the diner's psyche, seeing the same garnishes over and over simply kills the mooooood!!  BUT what a bargain at $11! (many bistro fares charged at  double  the price of this course  never came as close to half of the amazing taste of this dish!!)  8.5 /10

Panna cotta à la vanille, compote de pomme à la fève tonka, purée de dattes, sablée breton aux pacanes - Vanilla Panna cotta, apple compote was average. No reproach with regard to the execution here (the panna cotta being technically conceived as expected, the compote flawless)..but the overall palatable impact was weak without being bad. 7/10    


Bottom line, I found CCV to be a fine and fun (it's popular and the atmosphere is festive here) small laidback spot to have some nice wines (they  indeed have little gems you won't see oftently at other tables in Montreal), food that's mostly tasty (honestly, for a web site like mine that focuses on what stands out in town -- No, this is not done in a snobbish way but just with the humble intent to find tables that push the bar -- you'll catch some top tables that haven't offered as many 8/10 or 8.5/10 dishes as on this dinner). The problem here has nothing to do with CCV (although this meal at CCV is not a revelation neither): it's the lousy buzz. If at least one single item (out of the 5 that we've sampled) was outstanding (the cannelloni and poélé de chanterelles were great, but I had better poélés de chanterelles and cannellonis alike-dishes in Montreal), I'd at least understand a bit of the buzz.  When you see  some tables that are far superior (for accuracy purpose, remember that those don't match CCV's cost Vs value advantage neither) not benefitting from such buzz, you naturally don't get the buzz! CCV should not be criticized for that. But on the other hand, if buzz needs to predominate here in Mtl, then it has to start with far superior tables like Au 5e Péché, Raza, Le Marly, Bouillon Bilk, XO Le restaurant, La Porte..etc. Then I'll get the buzzy buzz..................!      YES..for the $$$, CCV outstands, but is buzz about $$$  or food performance???  It's a restaurant review site, so I insist in believing that food performance needs to be considered first (again, some food items here were absolutely delicious, for ie the chicken cannelloni and poélé de chanterelles...but not to a buzz-worthy level in my view).

A reality check directed to some chefs in Montreal:  I am not targeting any specific chef (they will recognize themselves wherever this applies): the intent here is not to be mean nor to patronize but to raise a constructive point that would benefit not only to yourself but also to your diners in their appreciation of your work -> when I went eating at 3 Star Michelin victor Gourmet Schloss Berg, Chef Bau was working hard behind his stoves till 2:00AM. This Chef  is one of world's very best Chefs around the globe. When I went at 3 star Michelin L'Ambroisie, one of the greatest Chefs of all times, Bernard Pacaud, was working behind his stoves. 3 star Michelin Chef Pascal Barbot at L'Astrance...closes his restaurant when he is away! Many other Chefs who are among world's very best are working hard behind their stoves (another great ie would be 3 star Michelin Chef Valazza)...HERE, in Montreal, Top Chefs like Alexandre Loiseau, Navarrette Jr, Axel, Rouyé are  working hard behind their stoves ..Now, what do you think..some  may think of YOU....when they see you absent behind YOUR stoves! .................GET IT??........................