Brunoise

[chopper]

Brunoise will open Wednesday, May 28 at 5:30pm.

Please visit our website for info. The site is 99% complete. It will be worked on continuously-so keep checking.

Our wine list will be posted very soon.

Since the menu will change often, the posted menu might not be exactlly the same.

Please feel free to ask any questions about the restaurant

Zach & Michel

brunoise

[Lesley C]

Wow boys, great menu! And your wine list is lovely. Cotes du Rhone Villages Janasse -- cool, very cool.

I'm very very excited. Congratulations. I can't wait to see all this in action.

[guru]

Great site! good luck and see you soon .

[David Russell]

The menu looks good to me, too. Maybe I can squeeze in a dinner during Grand Prix weekend.

Lesley, I would also love to drink some of Christophe Sabon's wine (Domaine de la Janasse), but alas, I don't see it on the list. Am I blind? Has the list undergone further revision since you last took a look at it?

David Russell

Santa Barbara, CA

USA

[Lesley C]

Wait a minute...I swear I saw it on the list last night. Am I having Janasse hallucinations? Chopper please tell me I'm not losing my marbles.

There are plenty of other wines on there I enjoy (equally cool, Domaine de la Terre Rouge's Enigma,). Chopper did you guys work with Rezin?

David, welcome to the Montreal board . If you need dining advice for Grand Prix weekend you've come to the right place. But maybe you've already made your reservations -- hope so, they can be pretty tough to garner at the last minute.

[chopper]

You are not losing your marbles; the Janasse was on our working list, wich was posted a touch early.

Some products were taken off and replaced, all part of the set-up process.

Working on getting another Janasse product, hopefully we can get our hands on it.

[riboflavinjoe]

break a leg for opening day, boys. all the best.

[jersey13]

How did it go?

[chopper]

Thank you all for your good wishes and interest.

The official opening had to be put off for 24hrs (electrical problems) but we opened finally on the 29th of may. Things have gone well so far and the response is good.

Thanks again for the interest and, small note, the web site now features some food and ensemble photography, and an updated wine list.

Zach & Michel

[ABG]

Looks great - what is your average tab before tax, tip and booze?

[cook-em-all]

At Brunoise we serve a sort of prix fixe. Main dishes are between 24 and 34 dollars, that includes a choice of entree and choice of dessert.

[Lesley C]

Wow, that sounds almost too reasonable. What about the wine prices?

[cook-em-all]

we have almost 30 bottles under 60 $.

with more choices up to 100$, the bulk of the list in the under 60$ range.

We also serve wine by the third of a bottle-250 ml format.

There are are always four choices(2 red & 2 white) minimum in this format.

250 ml is enough for two people to have 3/4 of a glass each or one person to have a glass and a half.

We feel this format gives the customer more flexability in their dining experience.

Wine in the 250ml format is always something from our wine list.

[quanneur]

My family just came in from out-of-town (we're from Vancouver) and we needed to place to eat. Saw this thread, I live very nearby and next thing you know we were at Brunoise! I've seen many of you post about your meals so I thought I'd take a shot at doing the same.. though a warning is in order because I am most definately a rookie at this and food in general so if it ever seems like i'm mixed up or have something wrong, I probably do! And if I seem unsure about something, let there be no doubt that I am.. It just looks like so much fun discussing meals that I had to try it.. so here is my take on Brunoise..

It's a small little place tucked into a short building on st andre, corner of Roy. There is beautiful view from inside up Roy street.. my parents found it picturesque and very "Montreal".. Definately representative of the Plateau. We were eating fairly early and so there were never too many others there.. quite a few young couples, it seemed. Our pretty, young waitress was very friendly and seemed knowledgable of the menu. Apparently she also goes to McGill, my soon-to-be alumni.

Dinner started with an amuse.. a small cup of vichyssoise with two prawns sitting in it. The prawns were tasty, and the vichyssoise was delicious.. rich and creamy (you coud see droplets of oil) with tiny potato chunks.. smooth, hearty texture.

As an appetizer I had the spring vegetables with pine nuts, black radishes and herbed ricotta to start.. the veggies were fresh and delicious.. lots of greeny leafy stuff, white asparagus, and the radishes in a light but sweet dressing.. also some items that looked sort of like small cocktail onions, pretty sure they weren't those, though. anyway they were also delicious and I gobbled them right up. I wasn't a huge fan of the ricotta accompaniment.. I would have preferred goat cheese but I love the stuff and will eat it with anything.

My mother had the mushroom tart with eggplant caviar.. oh wow.. If I went back I would definately have this.. thinly sliced mushrooms in a cute little tart configuration topped with greenery and filo layers? i only had a bite and had maybe two minutes to have a look before it was completely devoured!

My Father had the mussels... I'd never tried mussels before. I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised. My Dad is a big sea food fanatic, particularly for shellfish, and he thought it was wonderful.

My main was the rabbit. It came in two pieces, I guess one the thigh and the other a sort of rabbit sausage kind of thing. Quite tasty, but I wish the orange flavour had been a little stronger. Also, the sauce was very salty.. I found myself rubbing the meat against the side of the plate to rid it of the salty liquid at times. The accompanying gnocci were tasty.. potato filling? don't know, couldn't really determine it..

Mom had the house Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and pine nuts (maybe something else, too?).. Quite tasty, I thought. She loved it. The raviolis were quite large and there were several of them. This main was served with vegetables directly on the plate, unsual for a pasta course (?) but quite welcome..

My Father had the veal.. the sauce accompanying this was also very salty.. he complained it was so salty he had trouble eating it. Once the intial saltiness of the sauce was past, though, the food itself was quite good. But each taste began with this salty burst from the sauce, he lamented.

Desserts were awesome. I had the vanilla panicotta. Had it slurped up in about two minutes. Topped with a tasty passion fruit, syruppy kind of clear sauce. Mom had the Lemon tart. This was so good.. the pastry was crisp and the lemon was zingin', topped with meringue that was just slightly burnt on top.. nice. Dad had the pound cake with orange marmelade and something else I can't remember.. This was also very good. served on a long, narrow plate in three different little groupings. the cake was rich and tasty..

service was a bit slow but we didn't mind dwelling in such a cozy place! quite a nice evening.. just wish the salt were spared at times. One thing none of us could believe was the price.. seemed more than reasonable. The 'rents (who paid) were certainly fond of this prix fixe menu.

Edited June 4, 2003 by quanneur (log)

[docsconz]

Nice post! Good, thorough descriptions of the good and bad. Overall, it sounds pretty good, but they are still ironing out out a few kinks.

[Lesley C]

Thanks for that review.

It's funny how so many new restaurants tend to oversalt the food. I wonder if it's nerves? But you can bet after Chopper sees this the salt problem will be no longer . That's one of the great things about eGullet for chefs who post here -- immediate feedback.

[identifiler]

Richard ! Great review, will definitely put brunoise on my next outing. It's a perfect spot to show the plateau atmosphere to out of towners. Congrats on the graduation.

[champignon]

Salt is such a personal thing, but it has hampered, even ruined my enjoyment of many restaurant meals. My experiences at Au Petit Plateau, and lately at Les Infideles were affected by oversalting. Yet that is my opinion; one persons pleasantly tangy repas is another persons salt-lick.

For instance, many smokers can find food bland, and even my dear old Dad pours the salt on his food, and frequently finds my cooking bland. I want to taste the ingredients of the dish, and having a beautiful piece of meat, or fish, or anything, in a pool of too salty sauce is tragic. Some restaurants have no problem providing this. I had a wonderful meal at Toque once, some wonderful fish at Delfino, and about two weeks ago, a suberb meal at Les Chevres. In each case the flavours were full and complex, without any over-saltiness.

I've been looking forward to going to Brunoise; I sincerely hope they investigate their salt levels, particularly with such compelling sounding food, and interesting wines to match.

[Rex]

I was there the same night has you QUANNEUR (I guess, looking at your post date and time) and the rabbit saucage that you describe was râble wrapped in prosciutto and sage with a jus à l'orange. (correct me chopper if I'm wrong) The prosciutto, once cooked brings a lot of salt to a dish...

I found it really good...

Thanks again to all the team, wonderful place, you'll see me again, for sure !

[identifiler]

Right on ! You got quite a review in Voir this week. Looks like a long life for Brunoise !

[eat2much]

Just got back from a lovely meal at Brunoise. All in all, I'd rate it as one of the best values in town. I'll most certainly be back.

[identifiler]

I aslo went there over the week end. What a charming restaurant ! I love the location. The food is excellent, and everything with it ! Some very nice Daigneault veggies, cooked perfectly. I wonderfully soft and textured magret of cuisse de lapin. I never even saw the dessert in front of my girlfriend, she swallowed it in about 3 seconds (under the insane excuse that we were late for DJ Ram), apparently a 3 chocolate affair simply amazing. My friend had a mushroom galette and I had a small vegetable selection with great ricotta.

A slightly stronger version of the great cheese was added to the ravioli of my friend. It was delicious.

The service was incredible, there is definitely the energy of proper attention. The bill represents one of the most honest serving in Montreal.

[riboflavinjoe]

so with the night off, i decided to go check out brunoise, without a reservation. i had no problem getting a table near the bar, with a view on roy street, quite picturesque, as has already been mentioned above. the interior of brunoise is simple, but chic, and i felt very comfortable there, all by my lonesome...

i was impressed with the short menu, and even more impressed with the prices. geez, i spent 33 on my appetizer, main course, and dessert, and each was great.

since i only tasted one of each item last night, i will have to go back.

the amuse bouche of the night was a cold cauliflower soup, served in a chinese tea cup. refreshing, and tastes as a cold cauliflower soup should taste. no oversalting yet.

i started with the house terrine, of pork, rabbit, and foie gras, wrapped in prosciutto, and served with a little green bean salad with gourganes (fava in english?), and a quenelle of gribiche, with an ultra sexy crouton. the terrine was succulent, each bite was melt in your mouth, and varied, since there were at least three meats in there. it was fun to take a piece of terrine, a little dab of gribiche, and put in on the crouton... the green beans on the side were simply dressed, cooked al dente, and very fresh. still no oversalting. already, i was very very pleased with things.

next, i had the quails, which was a substitute for the haut de surloge roti, with the same garnish, wild mushrooms, PDT fondante, and red wine sauce. the plate arrived with a sizeable portion of mixed mushrooms (oyster, flammulines, and the others escape me) and potato, and sweet peas, topped with three quail suprèmes, and their legs on the side. the skins were crisp and the meat was tender and juicy. the vegetables were exciting and cooked properly. the herbed red wine sauce was very good too, more of a jus than a sauce. i dipped my bread in it, and cleaned my plate.

for the dessert, i was kind of sad, because i only had room for one. i would have enjoyed taking a cheese course, to finish off the californian zinfandel than i had, but i opted to finish the wine and then i took the dessert of the day, a financier with cherries and a sour cream ice cream. each item was very good, and simply and beautifully presented. naturally, not oversalted.

brunoise is, as far as i am concerned, the BEST value in town. i spent 50 + tax and tip. fifty dollars!!! for a wicked good appetizer, main course, dessert, 250ml of wine, and a cappuccino.

with prices like this, and an exciting menu in a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, i will most definitely be back... i have to taste more items off the menu.

[mcmillan]

i was not going to post on this subject because im not a critic, its not my job,all i can say is that i had a lovely evening at brunoise,the food was outstanding ,michel ross is a very solid cuisinier,IL CUISINE,and zack has a wicked dining room personality and a very casual chap,a beautiful clientele,in a beautiful restaurant altogether perfect....a very good restaurant with a great menu and wine list.......lots of love from me .........................

[guru]

What do you mean by IL CUISINE? Not that many restaurants have the money to support a non-cooking chef. Specially when it's your place.