Part of the reason that I wanted to go to Montreal in the first place was to visit the most well known restaurant in Montreal,
Joe Beef. As it is the most well known restaurant in Canada, it is also very difficult to get a reservation. They take reservations three months in advance which are gone very quickly and I was unable to get one.
Eater Montreal, said that Joe Beef has become very tourist focused and to go instead to
Mon Lapin, a Wine Bar by Joe Beef, which is located in Little Italy (as opposed to Little Burgundy which is where the other restaurants in the Joe Beef group are located) and does not take reservations. This sounded like a good idea because I would have to take a subway to get there and it would let me explore another neighborhood. I decided to get there when it opened both because I could much more easily get a seat and I was going on my last day and would be leaving early on the next day. The subways were pretty cool. They were bigger than those used in Chicago with multilevel stations. It actually reminded me of the Tube system in London. I arrived in the neighborhood early and explored a little. Located on the other side of Mont Royal from Downtown, Old Town, Little Burgundy, and the port, it's smaller and looks more residential than the downtown area. Mon Lapin is in a storefront on a main road and has a large front window and a nice patio to the side. The inside is small, a little rustic, and bistro-like. There is a small granite-topped bar in the rear that overlooks the kitchen where I decided to sit. I sat to one side, next to a selection of French Liqueurs using things like quince and cherries, but the one that caught my eyes was the tomato liqueur. They all sounded interesting, though I did not try them.
There was a chalkboard on the wall to the left behind me that listed the wines by the glass that were available. I started with a dry white that had a very fruity aroma, though a dry flavor and it was very nice. For food, I decided to go with the tasting menu. Items on the tasting menu were also on the a la carte menu, but I figured that the chef would better be able to put a meal that flowed well, than would I, so I let the chef drive. The food menu was very vegetable heavy, and in fact, the only meat that I had was in the first course. I was served Radishes with an Eel Cream Sauce and a very large Razor Clam with Asparagus and topped with Pork Belly. The Radishes were very fresh and crisp and the eel cream sauce complemented the spice of the radish well. The best way to eat the razor clam was with both the asparagus and pork belly, though admittedly, that was a little difficult. Every part of it was very good. The clam was briny which complemented the saltiness of the pork belly. The asparagus was also fresh and crisp and gave this part of the course some crunch. I saw quickly that things were going to be very fresh and crisp.
For the second course, I was served Shrimp with Lovage (an herb similar to parsley with a celery flavor) and Cucumbers. In the center of the dish there was a plastic skewer that skewered all three elements together. The shrimp was very fresh, tender and sweet, and the lovage and cucumber added texture and a green vegetal flavor.
Course three was probably the most savory and was a favorite. It consisted of Snow Crab with Tagliatelle topped with Bread Crumbs and Chives. The pasta was perfectly al dente with a lot of tender and flavorful crab. The bread crumbs added a little texture and flavor and tied everything together.
I was ready for another glass of wine with my fourth course. It was a Red Vinho Verde, which is actually called a Vinho Tinto. Like other Vinho Verdes it was bright and light. It isn't exceptionally complex, but it's a great table wine. As it is a red, it does go well with more savory courses. With my Vinho Verde, for my food course, I was served Halibut with Fried Nettles. I had had and like halibut before, but I had never had Fried Nettles (nor nettles at all, for that matter). The Halibut was light, moist, tender, and flaky. The nettles had a texture similar to kale and a flavor similar to spinach. With the light flavor of halibut, the nettles definitely added some flavor, though the butter also helped.
For course number five, we went back to the vegetables and, in fact, back to the Asparagus. I was served Fresh Grilled Asparagus with Ramps. While asparagus has a strong flavor, grilling actually concentrates the flavor. Ramps are a type of wild onion that are in season in May. They have a flavor that is kind of like a cross between garlic and onions and it went well with the asparagus.
Course number 6 actually surprised me a bit because it was essentially a salad. I am aware that serving salads first is an American tradition and other parts of the world, France specifically, will serve it after the entree. That doesn't mean that it still didn't throw me off a little. I was served Lettuce with Bacalao Sauce and Salmon Roe. Bacalao is a dried and salted cod, so with the salmon roe the dish was pretty savory. It was very good, but it was a salad.
Pre-dessert was a Cheese Course. It was a Louis Dor Hard Cow Cheese served with a Sour dough Cracker and Honey. The sourdough was thin and crisp and was easily breakable into smaller pieces. the cheese, had a nice sour salty flavor similar to cheddar, and the honey added a nice sweet finish. It was enjoyable enough that I would have eaten the cheese even without the cracker or honey.
To finish things off, came a dessert that both was very seasonal and referenced Canada. Called Maple Flan with Fried Rhubarb, it started with a nice firm flan topped with a lot of Maple Syrup. If that would have been it, it still would have been very good. Maple complements the sweetness of flan well. I have had Rhubarb both fresh and baked in a pie with strawberries. It is very sour, though cooking does reduce that. Frying it made it more tender and added a little sweetness to the sour. It was very good, I liked it a lot and it was a very nice finish to both my dinner and my trip to Canada.
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