Our Air Canada direct flight was scheduled for 11:05 am departure. One of our good friends, Jim Marshall, volunteered to give us a ride to the airport! What an unexpected gift. Merci beaucoup Jim!
Our plane lifted off the runway at 11:15 am so we are pretty much on time. Lana got bumped up to First Class so that was another great start to our short vacation. I sat a few rows back in a window seat. During the flight Lana sent me back her dessert of ice cream and a freshly baked cookie feeling bad for me sitting back in "cattle" class. Yummy.
Landed at 6:45 pm Montréal time and given we had only carry on luggage we were quickly queueing up in the taxi stand. Long queue, but it moved quickly. $40 flat fee to downtown and had a good chat with the driver who grew up in nearby Laval, Quebec. About 25 minutes to our hotel. Checked into the Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth) and room 1762 with a king size bed and view of Mont Royal.
It is a clear night around 5 degrees Celsius. No snow on the ground. Our room is a decent size and ideally located in the downtown area on René-Lévesque Ouest street. We decide to walk the 2.6 kms to Joe Beef restaurant. This is their link.
Our reservations (you need reservations) are for 9:30 pm, which is late, but we think our stomachs are still on Vancouver time so will be ok. We arrive after our 35 minute walk mostly along Rue Notre Dame (good chance to check out other restaurants/bars/shops) in the pleasant cold. We are seated in the smaller room that is very busy. It is dark inside with a very eclectic mix of 'things' on the wall such as a stuffed deer head and antique toys. The server is very welcoming and knew immediately we spoke English. My francais is OK, but not good enough to hold a discussion. Lana is not confident in her French language, although she is pretty good about reading the menus.
There are no hand out menus or lists of drinks/wine/beer/cocktails. There is a huge chalkboard with the menu in French of course and another chalkboard beside it with the drinks. We decide to start with a cocktail and glass of wine. Lana orders a sparkling Gamay and I order their lemon loop cocktail. The cocktail is comprised of Gin, honey, bitters and lemon. Very tart, but delicious. Lana's sparkling Gamay is excellent and it's a wine we have not tried before as a sparkling variety.
The restaurant is very old and they have retained this character with the original wood. The waiter offered to interpret the food menu so that was very helpful. The menu of appetizers and mains is pretty wild with venison, horse meat, rabbit, veal liver etc. as choices. Around us there is English and French spoken. In fact, the table beside us with two young couples switches between French and English so quickly. Lana is reminded of just how weak her french language skills are and feels guilty that as a Canadian--she has not kept some basic french words.
This is an expensive restaurant and we will provide the costs so you have an idea of the prices. Our cocktail and sparkling Gamay were $13 and $12 each. I order a tasty glass of Cotés du Rhone to go with my "Plat" which means the main dish. The "Entrée" is actually their appetizer. The glass of wine with a generous pour was $14.
For our appetizer we order their famous "Foie Gras Double Down". This is the definition of Foie Gras; French for "fat liver" is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. Wow, we quickly understood why this is famous. I don't know if there is a more decadent appetizer ($29) around? Lots of foie gras, bacon, cheese and maple syrup. Great flavours and very rich. Lana loves the maple syrup + foie gras combo and promises to experiment with this when we get back home.
Now for the 'plats' or what we call entrées. Lana ordered the Veal Paillard dish ($30) which is veal cutlets sautéed with an apple calvados sauce. Again, a large portion serving. Comes with cabbage, brussel sprouts, little apples and onions. Plus, a side dish of mashed potatoes. Lana's description of her main dish was "lovely" with a flavourful sauce and well prepared vegetables.
Perfectly cooked mashed potatoes below:
I order the rabbit Cassoulet ($35). I love cassoulets and had to try this version. Some crunchy texture due to the crispy bread cooked into the dish. The sausage was even comprised of rabbit in addition to the generous pieces of rabbit meat (confit style) on the bone. I was given a separate plate for the bones. Very unique cassoulet and probably the best I have eaten. Cassoulet is a comfort dish from the south of France that takes days to make with beans, meats and other ingredients. Again, too much food, but I had to eat it all. The Cotés du Rhone wine was recommended by the server to pair with the cassoulet and it was a good choice.
Overall, this was an excellent meal and we could see why it is difficult to get reservations and has won its many awards. Apparently, many famous chefs visit the restaurant and hang with the two owners. While expensive, you get huge portion sizes and very unique choices and flavours. Joe Beef definitely lives up to it's moniker of "traditional french food with a twist". It is casual so you don't have to get dressed up and everyone is having a good time. If you get an opportunity to visit Montréal, organize reservations at the earliest opportunity. Bring your credit card. :-)
As we leave, the waiter asks if we had any doggy bags to take home. With a smile, we reply "nope--we ate EVERYTHING!!" The desserts served to the table next to us looked inviting, but we were too full from the meal.
We walk in the 3 degrees Celsius weather back to our hotel. Yup, 35 minutes walking time and its always good to try and walk off the calories and full stomach after a brilliant meal. Also, good to learn more about Montréal from walking. While we did finish our meal at 11 pm local time, it is more like 8 pm our Pacific time. We are so full from the dinner, but so satisfied as well. A fantastic start to our Montréal trip. Turn off the lights around 12:30 am.
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