Le Pourvoyeur: Gastro Pub near Jean-Talon Market

Isn’t that a funny expression, gastro pub?  As someone who speaks French, gastro pub makes me think of a bad case of the flu.  However, what it really refers to is a pub with a more refined culinary offering, case in point, Le Pourvoyeur.  In French, they call themselves a “Pub Festif et Gourmand”.

I recently went to a tennis match for the Rogers Cup, and the match was delayed by rain.  So, we went looking for a restaurant to go pass some time with.  I tried for Kitchen Gallery, but unfortunately, it was closed (strange on a Thursday night).  So, my boyfriend and I ended up at Le Pourvoyeur instead. 

The menu has a lot of pub items, so I had decided on two appetizers, the salmon gravlax (Gravlax De Truite Au Gin Québécois « Ungava » Et Sirop D’Érable) and the mini grilled cheese (Mini « Grilled-Cheeses » Au Fromage Du Québec).  However, they were all out of gravlax, so I decided to fall back on a classic poutine instead.

I love poutine, it’s one of my guilty pleasures.  You know, the kind that makes you think : who cares about being healthy…. this is worth it!  However, when you throw caution and reason to the wind like that, you want it to be for a worthwhile poutine.  They also had a poutine with duck confit in it, but having had some bad experiences where they throw in onions in this type of poutine (I understand this might be a good culinary mix, but I despise onions, so it just doesn’t work for me), I decided on the classic one.  The fries were good, though a bit large and not as greasy as I like.  The cheese curds were a little too big, I had to cut them into pieces to have the proper cheese to fries to gravy ratio throughout the meal.  The gravy was nice, not jump in your face great, but a nice, respectable gravy.  Overall, the poutine was good, but nothing to write home about.

However, the definite standout for this meal was my boyfriend’s choice, the fish plate (Assiette de poisson).  He, unlike me, was reasonable and chose this dish.  To me, on a menu full of more appetizing suggestions (ie Hambourgeois De Légumes Et Fromage De Chèvre Des Neiges, Côtes Levées De Porc Du Père Canu, Hambourgeois De Pulled Pork, Gros Chien Chaud, Choucroute Et Chips), the fish plate seemed very underwhelming.   But I was very, very wrong.

Yes, you saw correctly, this was the fish creation that my boyfriend got.  Fish plate, what an inadequate name, this was more than a mere fish plate, it was practically art!  Delicately cooked, tender, white fish (I believe it was tilapia), served on top of a watermelon and strawberry gazpacho.  It was amazing, I was looking at my poutine and comparing it to his plate and suddenly regretting my foolish act of greasiness.

So, all in all, I really liked this gastro pub, despite regretting my choice of meals.  There was a really nice selection of white wine by the glass (I had the La Grenouille, France, Melon de Bourgogne and the Château des Matards, France, Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle) and of beer on tap.  The food was good and did go that extra mile to hit the “gastro” note.  And most of all, I liked the atmosphere, not too hipster, not too casual, just relaxed and busy on this rainy Thursday night.

Enjoy, bon apétit!

184 Jean-Talon Est, Montréal, QC H2R iS7

514-277-5858

http://lepourvoyeur.com/

Restaurant XO, Hôtel St James: As luxurious as it looks?

I had heard of the Hotel St-James before; to me, it brings up images of rock stars and uber luxurious surroundings.  So, when a friend mentioned she was having her wedding reception (and meal) there, I was anxious to try it.  We were a small party of around 30 people, so we were seated on the mezzanine, with a nice view of the first floor and a wonderful chandelier.  Unfortunately, though, it was a little warm, with the air conditioning not quite cooling down the whole level.

I  started off with  a raspberry and lemon cocktail, fresh and tangy on this warm evening.

The tables were decorated with some lovely pink roses, very appropriate for this wedding supper.

The menu was preset, and we were served two entrées and then we had a choice of a main meal between veal or duck, and then a cheese course followed by a dessert course.

They started us off with a selection of breads.  They had some type of pizza bread, it was drenched in oil; greasy, but delicious!

Next, we started off the entrées with snow crab from Gaspé, pistachio powder, lemon, tarragon oil, whipped celery root and roasted red pepper.  I was a little put off by the size of the entrée, it felt a little too small.  However, it was a great start to the meal.  The crab was very fresh and the mixture of textures and tastes was intriguing.  I liked that the whipped celery root and pistachio powder lent some molecular elements to the dish, making it both tasty and interesting.

Next we had the foie gras with spiced brioche, strawberries, millet mint, macadamia and molasses.  The best part of the dish was definitely the spiced brioche.  It was so concentrated in flavours, cinnamon, molasses and nutmeg.  Also, it was a nice contrast to the creamy, unctuous foie gras.  While the crab was small, this was a huge piece of foie gras, and many people at the table were unable to finish it.  I therefore got some leftovers and ended up eating two to myself… yum!

I decided on the veal course for the main meal.  A duo of veal cheek and filet, celery root, butternut squash tortellini, burnt onion gel and collard greens.  Both the filet and the cheek were extremely tender, and the veal filet was cooked to perfection.  The butternut squash tortellini was another highlight of this dish, with a creamy and decadent filling.

The other option was the duck magret with apricot, kohlrabi, maitake, wheat berry, orange and wild leeks.  While I did not taste the dish, other guests mentioned it was good, and also very well cooked.

Next up was the cheese service.  I don’t recall the exact cheeses, but I recall them being good…. Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever met a cheese I didn’t like!

Finally, the dessert was a chocolate pudding with cherry sorbet, pistachio, crumble and yogurt spuma.  I didn’t particulary like the dessert.  Again, the effort was there with a pistachio chip, some whipped yogurt, the crunchy crumble, etc.  However, I’m not a fan of cherries and found the tastes, while all good individually, didn’t do much for me personally.  And, despite my earlier fears of the portion sizes being too small, I was now stuffed, so I didn’t bother finishing my dessert.

As a nice touch, we were also given some mignardises to finish the meal.  There was some meringue, some blackberry gelly, and some crunchy little cakes.

The décor was beautiful, though quite empty on this Saturday evening. I would have expected more people at the restaurant, and was surprised by the low turnout.

In conclusion, while probably not up to par with their usual service and offerings due to the fact that it was a set menu for a wedding, I nevertheless really enjoyed my evening at the XO Le Restaurant at Hotel St-James.  I felt that they showed inventiveness in their ingredient selection and their offering of different tastes and textures.  So, while it’s definitely not what I expect is a typical experience that might get if you went there for a romantic evening for two, I still felt it gave me a good idea of the quality of the restaurant.

I enjoyed my experience and would recommend the restaurant.  Definitely worth experiencing.

Enjoy, bon apétit!

XO Le Restaurant

355 Saint-Jacques Street, Montreal, Québec H2Y 1N9

514-841-3111

http://www.hotellestjames.com/the-life/dining/dining.asp

Banquise: Is it really the best Poutine in town?

Poutine is often referred to as Quebec’s culinary achievement, something that we are quite proud of having created, and which is particular to Quebec.  So, there is fierce competition as to which is the best poutine in town.  For many, that poutine can be found at La Banquise, or so I’ve been told anyway.

After a night out on the town, me and a group of friends decided to head out for a poutine.  A great source of sustenance after having over-imbibed a little, and a great chance for me to experience this legendary poutine first-hand for the first time.

I had the classic poutine.  After all, what better way to judge if this is in fact the best poutine in town?  I must admit, I was under-whelmed.  The fries were delicious, and had a little sweet taste that made them extra special.  However, the gravy was too bland for my taste, adding nothing to the overall taste of the dish.  Moreover, one third of my fries had no gravy on them, which is not ideal.  And, the most important ingredient (for me) in a good poutine is the cheese, and in this case, the cheese to fry ratio was not sufficient.  I had to carefully ration my cheese to ensure I had enough to finish my poutine.

One of my friends had ordered the chicken and pea poutine.  She enjoyed her poutine immensely.  Personally, I find peas don’t fit on top of a greasy poutine, but she enjoyed it.

In conclusion, La Banquise has achieved cult status in Montreal.  Even at 3am, there is a line-up to get in and another line-up for takeout.  Personally, though, I am still not convinced this is the best poutine in the area, I think this place is overrated.  Good, but not mind-blowing.  Let’s just say that I still haven’t found the poutine I’m looking for….

La Banquise

994 rue Rachel Est

Montreal, Quebec H2J 2J3

514-525-2415

http://labanquise.com/