Garde-Manger in Old Port Montreal: If It Tasted Any Better, It Would Be Illegal

This review can be summarized with the following two words: lobster poutine. Eat your heart out, La Banquise.

My good friend Dave calls me up two weeks ago; “Want to go check out Garde-Manger? I managed to secure a table for four people. Kriss and Lindsay are coming along too, and we need a fourth participant.” There was no way in hell I was passing this opportunity, so I hastily agreed. I kept hearing about this place from friends, and I wanted to review it for Montrealing ever since I first witnessed it across from Santos.

Getting a table at Garde-Manger is a bit hard, as the restaurant is constantly packed with people. Dave had to call in a week and a half in advance to reserve a table for four people. This says a lot concerning Garde-Manger: they must be doing something right if they’re always this full. Most of the publicity this place gets comes from the cooking show Chuck’s Day Off (seen on FoodTV). Don’t let this fool you though, as the quality of the food alone would be enough to sustain their business without the extra publicity.

Friday night rolls around, and our reservations are for 9:30 PM. Since Montreal city loves digging up their roads constantly, we decided to leave early to curb traffic and cut through the mess Old Port is currently in at the time of writing this review. For reasons unknown, there was no traffic and finding parking was a breeze. This resulted in arriving at our destination half an hour early. Luckily for us, our table was already ready and we were seated immediately.

Looking around the (packed) place, it reminded me of a time where restaurants were actually in business to please their clientèle. Garde-Manger is quite warm and cozy. If this place could talk, it would say: “sit down, relax, have a coffee… there’s no rush, stay for as long as you like”. With that said, Garde-Manger is small in size. I think the whole place can roughly handle 40 seated people at a time. But great things come in small packages, right?

The only menu you’ll get here is a wine list, so you’re going to have to glance at a nearby wall that has the specialties scribbled on a blackboard. This leads me to realize that their menu changes constantly. On the left side of the blackboard are the appetizers, while the right side features the entrées. There were so many dishes I wanted to try as they all sounded great, but I settled on the short-ribs with barbecue sauce as I had a craving for meat. Right before the waitress moved on to ask what Dave was ordering, two magical words that were at the top of the appetizers list just hit me in the head: lobster poutine. Rudely cutting off my friend placing his order, I screamed it out: “LOBSTER POUTINE!”. That’s when Dave and Kriss looked at each other and said “make that three”. The waitress, smiling, wrote it down on her pad.

Lindsay, who is not a big seafood fan, decided to try the salad with cheese-balls.

Since my friends are the kind of people who love sharing, I managed to savour a few dishes in one sitting. From top to bottom, the images below feature the short-ribs, pork & mushrooms and duck meat. I can’t describe what the dishes were mainly composed out of, but what I can confirm is that everything just tasted so damn good. The pork was very tender (properly cooked) and the duck… well, I’ll simply quote Kriss: “They didn’t even ask me to cook it medium-rare… this is how it’s supposed to be. They got it right on the money.” I couldn’t have agreed more when I tried it.

I thought the meal I was having was the bomb, up until I glanced over to the table next to me. I cannot describe the monstrosity of this tray, so I will let the picture do the talking.

Finally, our night was coming to an end, but there was desert on the horizon. The four of us didn’t know what to expect in terms of sweets. Before the desert, our waitress asked us whether we wanted any coffee or tea. Kriss and I tried the espresso, Dave had Earl Grey tea while Lindsay had a cappuccino. It was a machine that prepared the coffee, so it was good, although my espresso felt a bit luke-warm. Now, choices for desert were banana cake with caramel, fried Mars bar, and the classic chocolate brownies fused with marshmellows. All three of these dishes were served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. In the order they were introduced, take a glimpse of what you will experience should you have a chance to check out Garde-Manger.

If there was a list of places I would take my first date out on, Garde Manger would be at the top. The place is small and cozy, and dimly lit for that seclusive factor when you’re with friends or a loved one. I had one of the finest dining out experiences in a long time. I’ll be coming back to this restaurant very, very soon.

Pros

• Delicious meals, all original
• Cozy atmosphere
• Great wine list
• Excellent service
• Lobster poutine

Cons

• Somewhat pricey
• Loud, but you can still have a conversation
• Reserving a place is difficult, so think in advance!
• Get ready to add on some unwanted weight with all the great food

Address: 408 Saint-François-Xavier, Old Port
Telephone: (514) 678-5044

Saint-Paul will become a pedestrian street!

Fresh off the press! Rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal will become a pedestrian street this July!   Yep! Terraces, street acts, and candies and lollipops shall abound this summer!

Saint-Paul is of course THE tourist trap of Montreal (ok, maybe #2 after Club Super Sexe on Sainte-Catherine which has indebted so many visiting American students who are not yet 21 years old). But I’ll be the first to come clean, Saint-Paul/Place Jacques-Cartier is the first place I take any out-of-towner (unless it’s an American student who is not yet 21) to show them how awesome Montreal is.

Of course, the whole issue has a huge political undertone, with Montreal Mayor Gérald “too nice to rule a city” Tremblay having opposed the project, and leader of the opposition/mayor of the Ville-Marie borough Benoît “people don’t really like me” Labonté deciding to implement in anyways.  To be fair, the whole thing was initially Mayor Tremblay’s idea, but he backed out because the Old Montreal businessmen were opposed to the idea.  Mayor Tremblay, unsurprisingly, didn’t want to insist…

Political considerations aside, I think this is pretty good news for Montreal.  Anyone who has worked/lived/passed by the Village in the summertime will tell you that, quite frankly, it’s an awesome place to be.  Plus, Rue Saint-Paul’s cobbled streets and Europeanish buildings make it, in some regards, a more obvious and cozy choice than the Village which, let’s face it, has a staggering number of porn shops.

PRO: Pedestrian streets rock.

CON: Say goodbye to some prime parking spots

PRO: All those cars on a tight street like Saint-Paul kinda make it lose its charm anyways

CON: hmm, looks like I’m out of CONs..

PRO: When Les Deux Pierrots closes at 3, we can just move the party outside!

CON: oh, just thought of one.  The few people actually living on Saint-Paul probably don’t want a bunch of drunk people singing Paul Piché at 3:01AM (though honestly, if I lived there, I’d definitely join in)

PRO: More pedestrians = more people who will marvel at the hilarious “I COME FROM CANADA EH” t-shirts that are showcased in 95% of the stores on Saint-Paul

CON: Damn it!  One more.. The pedestrian street experience just won’t be all it can be as Montreal STILL has no street hotdog vendors.. (Note to self: look into why Montreal still has no hotdog vendors)

PRO: Opens up a whole new option for guys who nervously notice on their first date that you can only walk around Place-Jacques Cartier for so long..

CON: Aha, one more! Will probably invite a whole bunch of people engaging in unfortunate public displays of affection on an otherwise charming street.

Uh-oh… final CON: the project in itself should cost about 20,000$.  I predict we will be entertained with a whole new only-in-Montreal-and-possibly-Sicily scandal a few months later, where we’ll find out that we ended up spending $47 million to close off a street and put a few chairs and tables outside..

So, Montrealers, what do you think?

Suite 701 – Don’t Forget to Shave

Feel like bumming out and getting wasted with your buddies without spending too much? Then don’t head off to Suite 701, because you probably won’t even get in with those dirty sneakers of yours. This lounge is the definition of class – the interior is beautiful, the people are beautiful and the drinks are beautiful.

Located in Old Montreal, Suite 701 is relatively small: basically a long narrow room with a bar running down one side. However, its extremely high ceiling prevents the feeling of being cramped. Opposite of the bar, a series of low coffee tables and lounging sofas help accommodate large groups. The interior architecture is absolutely fascinating. The high ceiling paired with the detailed moldings, modern chandeliers and boudoir-type mesh curtains give the space a classical, contemporary and naughty feel.

Although you’ll see the DJ booth the moment you walk in, there unfortunately isn’t an existent dance floor. So really, a DJ is kind of useless but she was hot, so there you have it. I’m more of a chat-over-a-drink kind of person, so the absence of the dance floor didn’t bother me. What was frustrating however was the excessively loud music that even prevented you from having a conversation. After somewhat mastering the art of reading lips, the ambiance was pretty chill and ideal for going out with a group of friends.

The drinks are not cheap, they’ll run you about 12$ for a cocktail, but you’ll definitely find some original ones made with quality liqueur. Maple syrup is an interesting ingredient found a few times on the menu – a tad too sweet for my liking, but worth trying and will definitely be enjoyed by most girls. Fortunately, Suite 701 is one of the rare nightlife spots where they serve mojitos! Finally! You can sit down with a drink and pretend like it’s just another hot summer day when the reality is that you’re completely unaware a snow plow has just ripped off one of your side mirrors during its run. Unfortunately, I speak from experience… By the way, the reason why those drinks are so hard to come by is due to the fresh mint leaves needed as the prime ingredient. Most of the time, it’s not worth for clubs or bars to carry something with such a short shelf life if the demand isn’t high enough. So ladies, no bitching if a club or bar doesn’t offer mojitos. Order something else and quit acting like a princess. … again, I speak from experience.

If there’s a drink that you must try, it’s called The Basilic. Evidently, one of the ingredients is basil… sounds nasty, I know, but its combination with the sweetness of the raspberry liqueur makes it very interesting. It’s a usual favorite for the ladies, the men however, find it tastes like spaghetti sauce.

Pros:
• Good music
• Good drinks
• Gorgeous design

Cons:
• Pricey
• A slightly snooty crowd
• Tight space

Business Lounge; An Old Port Hot Spot That Won’t Disappoint

Located in Montreal’s Old Port district, Business Lounge offers an ambiance similar to the many nightlife establishments nearby. At first sight, one would feel like having just walked into a bourgeois’ dining room. However, its level of elegance and class make this venue stand out from the rest while still offering drinks at affordable prices.

Its modest entrance opens up to a narrow and deep, dimly lit room. The doorman and efficient bartenders greet you in a friendly manner, a characteristic seldom seen in Montreal’s busy hot spots. With two floors open on a Saturday night and the many festivities being held in the neighborhood, there was no problem in finding a seating place for all sized parties. The interior decor reminisces of the centennial-type architecture complete with dark wood wall paneling, burgundy velour banquets and black iron chandeliers that give a somber, yet intimate mood. The latter also enhances a feeling of intoxication without having to down half a bottle of Grey Goose. The dark vintage furniture contrasts with the bar’s metallic industrial look. This change in décor is interesting and mixing up your surrounding made the venture for drinks that much more exciting.

A quaint dance floor placed near the bathrooms serves for the select few who chose to get their groove on in an establishment best suited for sit-downs and friendly conversations. With good music pumping throughout the place without it being over-drowning, Business Tapas & Lounge is a spot I highly suggest to check out whether it’s for a quick drink with a partner, a night out with a large group of friends, and everything in between.

Pros

• Friendly staff
• Good prices
• Elegant décor
• Many mirrors on the walls (for the ladies)

Cons

• Secluded location
• Small dance floor
• Slightly younger crowd (age 20-25)