Pintxo

[wattacetti]

Pinxto

256 Roy East

514-844-0222

For those interested, a new Spanish concept has opened in the Plateau.

The room seats about 40-odd and is divided into two sections: the left hand one houses the bar and three tables, while the right-hand one carries the remaining seating and is somewhat more quiet. Straightforward bistro stuff with a lot of brick, lot of wood, gas fireplace and three really big paintings.

The menu consists of 14 pintxos running between $3 (9 selections) to $5 (that for a foie gras pintxo), 4 mains ($15 to $17) and two desserts. Jamón serrano is on the menu as is morcilla de Burgos. There is a tasting menu available for $28, which consists of 5 pintxos (they pick) and a main (whatever one of the four that piques your interest); I didn't pay attention so I don't know if dessert is part of that (I think it is though).

Wines are moderately priced and consist of 19 selections (18 Spanish): 2 sparklers (a cava and a crémant), 5 whites, 11 reds and a stickie (moscatel). 11 of the 19 are available by the glass, and two are available as half bottles. I didn't bother to check what was available at the bar, but I did see someone with a pink martini (cosmo?) and the staff asked if I wanted a glass of fino.

Went for a quick look around Thursday night and picked 5 pintxos to go with my glass of Casa de la Ermita (Jumilla) just to see what they were up to. Of the 5, I liked the polpo a la gallega best: small little chunks of octopus served with confit onions on a slice of potato.

Teething problems? Yes there were but then again, I was there on Pintxo's seventh day of operation/existence (they apparently opened on April 29). Let's see what happens once they have a bit of time to work out the kinks.

[fung jiao bao]

wattacetti,

Have you been back to Pintxo since your first post? I'd like to know more about the pintxo selections. Were they on a piece of baguette like the bars in San Sebastian, Spain? Or are they more like small plates of food, to be eaten with utensils?

Were there more people at the bar, or in the seated area?

I'd like to know how well you thought the concept worked...

[chopper]

The tapas are served on small plates, pieces of tile and slate.

The approach is "modern spanish", as described by the owners who where previously involved with Casa Tapas.

The Bar seats around 8 or 9.

Go try it out...

[wattacetti]

  Have you been back to Pintxo since your first post?  I'd like to know more about the pintxo selections.  Were they on a piece of baguette like the bars in San Sebastian, Spain?  Or are they more like small plates of food, to be eaten with utensils?

  Were there more people at the bar, or in the seated area?

  I'd like to know how well you thought the concept worked...

←

No, I have not returned to Pintxo.

chopper’s description is more or less correct in that it’s “modern” Spanish so nothing really sits on a slice of bread; some things you can pick up with your hands and others you'll definitely want the spork. I found my notes and this is what I had as my selection of 5 pintxos:

Vieras con su TXapela

Lightly seared scallop on a small pool of herbed oil topped with tobiko.

Crocantes de morcilla de burgos

The only pintxo I saw that involved bread; the bread was formed into a small cone and the bits of morcilla were placed into the cone.

Pintxo de pulpo a la gallega

Small pieces of octopus served atop slices of potato drizzled with olive oil. This was actually the best of the 5.

TXampis rellenos como me enseno Arzak

Two white mushroom caps served with a duck confit.

Crujiente de TXipirones a la pelago

Small squid hoods stuffed with rice that had a mildness that didn’t quite do anything for me. This was a replacement choice - I had originally ordered “Mondatido de bacalao con su pil-pil y tocino” but they ran out of cod.

If you want their salad pintxo, it's a big bowl and a steal at $3.

Since I've only been once, it is much too early to comment again on Pintxo but I definitely think that tapas bars where pricing isn’t exorbitant could work in Montreal. Bu Wine Bar is proof that the city can support a place where people can have a glass (or several or bottles) and small plates to go with it. Once they iron out the kinks, Pintxo should be a good addition for the neighborhood.

As for the clientele when I arrived that one time, there were slightly more people at the bar than sitting at tables but there was no one at the bar about 40 minutes into my visit. For that population it was literally one drink, no food and out the door.

[Salomon]

Went to pintxo on friday night... I have to say that I was disapointed. The service was OK, one of the waiter being very nice and helpful, the other being kind of snubbish (I guess it was to recreate the real spanish experience - the menu was in french, we ordered in french and he kept on repeating in spanish what we ordered - it got annoying)... The quality of the food was way up there; the pintxos (or XXS tapas - more on that later) were very good, made with fresh fish and/or vegetables, the taste was subtle yet present; very good food. The main courses were also awesome. The wine list is good and varied

BUT: the quantity -vs- cost ratio is kind of silly. I know it's small tapas, but c'mon! For 5 persons, we ordered 2 bottles of wine(50$ea.) 10-12 pintxos (each pintxos the size of a big maki from say Maiko) and each a main course for after tax and tips 330$. As I said, the quality was there, but all of us we're hungry (and angry) upon leaving. I felt ripped off. One of the main course was jarret d'agneau; it came on semoule. The whole plate seemed more like an entrée; the bone was taken off (a big no-no IMHO); it was good, it looked good but the portion was ridiculous... I had the aiguilette de canard sur risotto; superb, but the portion could have been at least a third bigger for the price. I'm not saying it should be Duluth-size portion, but it shouldn't be "jean-paul gauthier's runway models catering service-size" either... Or maybe I didn't understood the whole concept (come to think of it, if it that was the concept, I didn't like it). Disapointing experience... So many more interesting options in this area (plateau)...A bientôt,

Salomon

[iroc326]

Nice place....but mark-up is too high on wine for a place like that. I recall certain mark-ups at around 2.7 !

[ItalianFoodJunkie]

Went to pintxo on friday night...  I have to say that I was disapointed.  The service was OK, one of the waiter being very nice and helpful, the other being kind of snubbish (I guess it was to recreate the real spanish experience - the menu was in french, we ordered in french and he kept on repeating in spanish what we ordered - it got annoying)...  The quality of the food was way up there; the pintxos (or XXS tapas - more on that later) were very good, made with fresh fish and/or vegetables, the taste was subtle yet present; very good food.  The main courses were also awesome.  The wine list is good and varied

BUT:  the quantity -vs- cost ratio is kind of silly.  I know it's small tapas, but c'mon!  For 5 persons, we ordered 2 bottles of wine(50$ea.) 10-12 pintxos (each pintxos the size of a big maki from say Maiko) and each a main course for after tax and tips 330$.  As I said, the quality was there,  but all of us we're hungry (and angry) upon leaving.  I felt ripped off.  One of the main course was jarret d'agneau; it came on semoule.  The whole plate seemed more like an entrée; the bone was taken off (a big no-no IMHO); it was good, it looked good but the portion was ridiculous...  I had the aiguilette de canard sur risotto; superb, but the portion could have been at least a third bigger for the price.  I'm not saying it should be Duluth-size portion, but it shouldn't be "jean-paul gauthier's runway models catering service-size" either...  Or maybe I didn't understood the whole concept (come to think of it, if it that was the concept, I didn't like it).  Disapointing experience...  So many more interesting options in this area (plateau)...A bientôt,

Salomon

←

Pintxo is one of my favourite restaurants, but I agree with you that price - quantity ratio isn't great and I have found some bills there hard to swallow.

I just wanted to mention to you that the high prices are not because of over price, but reflect the labour intensity of the food. I agree with you that the quality is excellent and I would say much superior to a place like Bu or casa tapas. The reason the food comes out better at Pintxo is because of the labour in the food. Most of te pintxo they serve have to be made to the order. Example; if the tuna is not cut to the order, it will lose it s oil. So the higher intesity of the labour, means they can serve less customers and need a higher ticket price to cover fixrd costs.

So the question I pose to everyone, is would you rather eat great at pinxto but leave a lil hungry and with a hole in your wallet or eat good prepared in advance food at Bu at a great price and a filled tummy. I don't know which I prefer. I guess depends on the mood.

[AlexP]

The service was OK, one of the waiter being very nice and helpful, the other being kind of snubbish (I guess it was to recreate the real spanish experience - the menu was in french, we ordered in french and he kept on repeating in spanish what we ordered - it got annoying)

←

Salomon,

I do not understand the above statement. Do you mean that Spain Tapas bars (located in Spain) have snubbish waiters?

Thanks

Alex

[carswell]

Salomon, your point about the small portions is well taken. When recommending Pintxo, I always mention that it's not a place to go when you're hungry enough to eat a horse. That said, I've had dinner there twice with a total of nine other persons and no one has complained of leaving hungry, angry or feeling ripped off. Of course, all of us ordered the table d'hôte ($28 for four pintxos of their choosing and a main and dessert of your choosing); that strikes me as the way to go, from both a cost and quantity standpoint. Also, is $330 so excessive for a party of five? What does that come to before taxes and tip? $260? $280? Let's split the difference and say $270. Subtracting $100 for your two bottles of wine, we're left with $170 for food. Divided by five, that's $34 a person.

Also, in reply to another post, Pintxo's wine markups are pretty standard. While I haven't done a bottle-by-bottle comparison with the SAQ list price, the five bottles I've ordered were basically twice the SAQ's commercial network price rounded up to the nearest dollar. What's more, the resto has several drinkable wines in the $25 to $40 range. Sure I'd love a 50% markup, but that's the exception, not the rule, in Montreal restaurants.

Edited November 16, 2005 by carswell (log)

[Salomon]

[AlexP]

Thanks for the clarification.

Regarding Value. For the limited Tapas places that I have been outside Spain, I think value is the biggest problem. Sometimes the quality is there, but it is too expensive.

For a Spaniard, this is a difficult concept to grasp because going for tapas, it is supposed to be an inexpensive way to dine compared to a formal sit down dinner. I believe the portions is what grabs my attention. Paying $7 US for 4 croquetas made of milk, flour, and some cheese is an expensive proposition.

Anyway, I am not familiar with Eastern Canada. I hope that Spanish cuisine is well represented regardless of prices.

Alex

[AlexP]

Thanks for the clarification.

Regarding Value. For the limited Tapas places that I have been outside Spain, I think value is the biggest problem. Sometimes the quality is there, but it is too expensive.

For a Spaniard, this is a difficult concept to grasp because going for tapas, it is supposed to be an inexpensive way to dine compared to a formal sit down dinner. I believe the portions is what grabs my attention. Paying $7 US for 4 croquetas made of milk, flour, and some cheese is an expensive proposition.

Anyway, I am not familiar with Eastern Canada. I hope that Spanish cuisine is well represented regardless of prices.

Alex