Restaurant La Montée de Lait, Montreal - Review

[aromes]

Dinner @ La Montée de Lait (in it's newer location on Saint Laurent Str, in Mile - End)

Type of cuisine: Modern North American Bistro fares

Date/Time of the dinner: Saturday June 26th 2010, 8PM

Full detailed photo & text report: http://shar.es/m8lIs

Details of the multiple-course tasting menu I picked:

Course #1: SCALLOPS, CEVICHE, BEEF TATAKI, DUCK-

-Ceviche de kampachi, Poivrons marinés: very good ceviche, with an enjoyable zesty citrus flavor

-Stick de Canard, Mayo au cari: presented as a skewer. Excellent quality of the breaded duck meat. Tasty. The curry flavored mayo was not overwhelming at all. To the contrary, it had a gentle balanced sweetness and freshness to it.

-Pétoncle à la plancha, marinade de poireau: excellent scallops. Big and juicy. Nicely seared on it's top.

-Tataki de boeuf, lentilles vinaigrette - The beef tataki did not impress me. A bit boring, but the quality of the beef is remarquable.

It was paired with an enjoyable 2008 mineral white from Alsace. Nice pairing, not only against the scallops, but also against the duck, the ceviche too.

Course #2:THON BLANC DU PACIFIQUE (KAMPACHI TIRADITO), RADIS - The Hawaian Yellow tail fish (Kampachi) was of a remarquable freshness and exceptional top quality. Amazingly tasty too. Marinated radishes were superb.

Wine: 2005 Pinot Grigiot 2005. Excellent smooth and refreshing white wine with enjoyable fruity aromas of apricot balanced by lemony and honey flavors. It paired well with the dish since it's minerality and remarquable freshness reached out to the tuna + top quality crunchy radishes.

Course #3: CRABE PANÉ, PETITS POIS - It's an entire crab that was breaded. I usually love my crab not breaded, as close as possible to it's pristine purity but I must concede that this one was oozing of perfect fresh marine robustness and amazing taste. Great mastered cooking technique and work of the taste.Green peas were crunchy, fresh and matched well with the delicious version of their mayo.

Course #4: FOIE GRAS, MORILLES - The pan seared foie gras was tiny, but that is understandable since it's a part of a tasting menu. It was nicely seared, had perfect texture and depth of flavor. Very tasty. Morels were fresh and delicious. Top marks to the delicious meaty sauce.

Wine: Giuseppe Rinaldi Barbera d'Alba 2007 Excellent medium-bodied red wine, with light tannins, mastered acidity, with enjoyable red fruit aromas. It was perfect match to the pan seared foie gras.

Course #5: POITRINE DE PORCELET - Poitrine de porcelet croustillante, Tomate de Mr Legault, Fromage parmesan 30 mois. The fatty tender piglet was savourish, meaty and flavorful. Enjoyable crusty top layer. Tomatoes were fresh and tasty, on top of being superbly marinated. Top marks to the 30 months aged parmesan cheese ravioli: deeply flavorful and cooked well. Very good.

Wine: Green & Red Zinfandel Tip Top, 2005. Loved the oaky aroma of this wine, on top of the enjoyable fruity (blackberry) taste. My type of wine. It paired well with the piglet, to my tastes.

Course #6: CHEESE PLATTER - A nice goat cheese from QC's town of Chateauguay., a Taleggio cheese (a nice washed rind Italian cheese with strong aromas) + a 3rd morsel that I unfortunately do not recall the name (was way too distracted by the Taleggio cheese + the delicious dices of apricot gelés found on that plate).

Wine: 2008 Domaine Saint Antonin Faugères. A nice blend of Grenache/Syrah/Carignan/Mour, with predominant aromas of red and black fruits + spices. Nice gentle tannins and quite well balanced. Ideal to spiced + grilled meats, but it really worked nice with the cheese.

Course #7: CRÈME GLACÉE CARAMEL, FINANCIER AUX AMANDES - Excellent refreshing top quality ice cream. The almond financier, was light, airy, with a perfect spongy consistency. Remarquably tasty and well baked.

La Montée is a safe bet (quality of ingredients is always there, food consistantly cooked well) but I miss the more playful (in complex cookings and tastes) meals I was used to when it was on Bishop Street.

Service was excellent: our waiter, Vincent, is fun, cool, professional and very helpful. Same could be said of the rest of the staff (very welcoming).

[nextguy]

Could you tell me the cost of the tasting menu without wine? I don't see it on their website.

[aromes]

I paid $65 for the 7 course tasting menu (not including the price of wine).

[AlexForbes]

The history of this restaurant is quite confusing. First, it was La Montee de Lait, on the Plateau. Then the name got shortened and they moved Downtown (baaad idea, the place felt too narrow and claustrophobic, and out-of-place somehow... wrong crowd...), now they've changed the name back to the original and moved back uptown.

Anyways, Lesley Chesterman explains it much more clearly and reviews the food in this review, published in the Gazette.

[AlexForbes]

I really need to find out if La Montée still offers a large variety of cheeses as it did in the beginning. I know the focus is not on cheese anymore but... has anyone eaten there recently? Can anyone tell me if they still offer a solid cheese board with at least 5 cheeses? Thanks!