Mesquite

[onionbreath]

Passed by the old digs of passe partout (decarie) and noticed a new sign up , looks like its turning into a southern bbq joint. With any like we'll get a good dry rub. Wonder if they'll be putting in a real smoker? Anybody know more details?

[carswell]

The chef is Michael Minorgan, whom a possible spam post on Chowhound refers to as "the city's Cajun specialist."

[eat2much]

Michel was an early chef at La Louisianne before moving to digs on Dummond St (Van Gogh?) and eventually ending up at Benedicks on Monkland which just closed.

[SteveW]

They opened their doors for the first time last night(been following their progress the last few weeks). Didn't go but I'll check them out very soon. Their meats(pork, brisket, ribs(pork) & chicken) are slow cooked(up to about 8 hours) in their big smoker. This is Southern slow cook BBQ. Only the second restaurant in Montreal, of this type.

-Steve

[cook-em-all]

Does anybody have a phone number for reservations?

[SteveW]

Does anybody have a phone number for reservations?

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(514) 487-5066

[mcmillan]

no liqour license as of yet,tavern steve went for lunch today said very good....deep fried pickles?it should be a month before they get their licence but they are open for food...they have 90 seats in that place.....amazing.should be fun

[cook-em-all]

I'm goin' on Sunday, I love bbq-a bit disappointed I can't have any beer, but I'm looking forward to it never the less. My daughter loves ribs.

[Kenk]

I think you just have to imagine your eating in a dry county down south for now.

Keep us posted. I would love to get some good BBQ in MTL. I like my BBQ moist and juicy. I have a brisket in my fridge geting ready for the smoker real soon for my own backyard BBQ.

[eat2much]

Their meats(pork, brisket, ribs(pork) & chicken) are slow cooked(up to about 8 hours) in their big smoker. This is Southern slow cook BBQ. Only the second restaurant in Montreal, of this type.

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Where is the other one???/

[SteveW]

The other one is Karl le Gros in Pointe-Claire on Donegani. However, I was just made aware tonight, that Karl le Gros is now apparently closed(shut down sometime earlier this year). I ate there about 2-3 years ago.

-Steve

[SteveW]

They opened their doors for the first time last night(been following their progress the last few weeks). Didn't go but I'll check them out very soon. Their meats(pork, brisket, ribs(pork) & chicken) are slow cooked(up to about 8 hours) in their big smoker. This is Southern slow cook BBQ. Only the second restaurant in Montreal, of this type.

-Steve

←

Their briskets I've been told now, are smoked for up to 12 hours. The deep fried pickles that mcmillan mentioned, are not available just yet.

-Steve

[blork]

So?

Does anyone have a follow-up to Mesquite?

One of my friends went a few weeks ago and loved it, but I've seen it slagged a few times too (I don't remember where -- chowhounds maybe, or someone's blog?) Anyway, I like this kind of fare and I'm thinking of going soon.

Any encouragement to offer? Anything to steer clear of?

[epicurious]

I went there last night for the first time and had a combo plate with ribs and pulled pork. Both were delicious: the ribs were full of flavour with just the right amount of fat; the melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork was smothered in a great bbq sauce which was sweet and smoky. The combo plate came with a choice of two sides. I picked the creamy coleslaw, which was just that (creamy, not "mayonaisy") and a green salad which could have been boring but was not, thanks to a very original chili vinaigrette. All that for a very reasonable price... can't wait to go again to try more of the stuff, like their black bean burger with avocado relish!

[anachemia]

Glad to hear their meat quality may have improved. My husband (a former Texan) and I ate there several months ago and were pretty disappointed. We ordered the brisket and a pulled pork sandwich. The brisket was stringy and tough, and the pork did not have the correct texture for a shoulder cut -- the meat was dried out and chewy, hard to pull off (no pun intended) when you're starting with one of the fattiest chunks of the pig.

The worst part is, that "pulled" pork sandwich was filled with several large slabs, not even shredded at all! We spoke to the chef and gently suggested the meat was not quite what we'd expected, and he got all defensive and insisted it was totally authentic and cooked perfectly. Didn't exactly inspire us to return.

Maybe they've gotten better though. Was the pulled pork shredded up properly, as nature intended? How do their ribs compare to other places in town?

[epicurious]

Well, the pork was indeed "pulled"... small shreds (small enough that we had a messy time eating it with our bare hands - don't ask!) with a few bigger chunks, very tender.

The ribs tasted like they really had been slowly barbequed (instead of just over-boiled then grilled with tons of sauce like some other places). They were actually a bit charred on the outside, which I love (nothing better that crispy pork fat!)