DECCA 77

[jamiemaw]

I've heard that the food is quite good: from Darren Bergeron, one of yours but ex-Lumière and Feenie's, Vancouver; and the cocktails, from Chris Stearns, also ex-Lumière, aussi. Any early reports? I understand that they're in the 1000-block Drummond--any reviews appreciated.

Jamie

Edited May 11, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Lesley C]

They just had their opening cocktail party on Monday night so reports may be a bit premature. Saw the menu, looks very nice. There's a three-course $25 lunch menu that looks delicious and talk about a deal.

I'm extremely excited about the cocktail menu, which was my favourite thing about Lumiere. I'll have to head over there and sample them all!

[carswell]

Is the name actually all caps or is jamiemaw just yelling at us?

And what's the story behind the name, anyway? Sounds like a new steroid or an old record label.

[wattacetti]

Is the name actually all caps or is jamiemaw just yelling at us?

←

I think it is all-caps (passed by a couple of days ago); it occupies the space formerly known as Tsirco. No clue as to the origins of the name.

[carswell]

Hmm. montrealinfo.com has it as initial cap only. No listing yet on Canada411.

What about the food? Market-driven French fusion? (Plus ça change...)

edit: Since the address is 1077 Drummond and the phone number 934-1077, what do you bet that the decca stands for ten? Only problem is that it should be spelled deca (as in decalitre, decade, decagon, decalogue, decahedron, etc.). Decca is a long-range navigation system.

edit: It appears there's no space between the decca and the 77 — Decca77 or DECCA77, as the case may be — which lends credence to my hypothesis. Damn. I was hoping it was named after a steroid.

Edited May 11, 2005 by carswell (log)

[ademello]

Lesley - did you get a chance to look at the wine list? We need more places with Club Chasse-esque interesting wine lists!

[jamiemaw]

They just had their opening cocktail party on Monday night so reports may be a bit premature. Saw the menu, looks very nice. There's a three-course $25 lunch menu that looks delicious and talk about a deal.

I'm extremely excited about the cocktail menu, which was my favourite thing about Lumiere. I'll have to head over there and sample them all! 

←

Thanks for the update, Lesley--we'll look forward to a progress report. We're definite fans of Darren's: he developed a good deal of the Feenie's (Lumiere's downstream brasserie) menu and is a very talented chef. He acquited himself particularly well during the Relais convocation in France--under hefty pressure. And Chris Stearns is an extrordinary maker of cocktails. Last night at the enRoute reception at Chambar, his DC-8 cocktail (gin, white rum, white vermouth, and Regan's orange bitters) was featured. Jet fuel indeed.

As to the name, carswell was absolutely right in surmising it's a play on 10, as in their address, and it is ALL CAPS, at least on their business card. Of course Decca Records' vinyl jazz 78's were famously 10" too, but now I'm truly dating myself.

Jamie

Edited May 11, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[Lesley C]

I think Decca 77 refers to the address, which is 1077 Drummond (the owner -- Tom Nacos -- is Greek). The web site will be www.decca77.com.

Haven't seen the wine list but i have the menu right in front of me. Just to give you an idea of the style of cuisine...

A la carte:

Starters -

Roasted beets with goat's cheese, salted pecans and orange oil $12

Venison tataki with radish salad and marinated shiitake $15

Skate and oven-dried tomato terrine $13

Foie gras au torchon, banyuls vinegar and pickled white turnip $20

Mains -

Grilled beef strip pont-neuf potatoes herb salad and beef jus $35

roasted guinea hen with mixed cereals roasted carrots, swiss chard, honey and pecan froth $32

tagliatelle with roasted fennel sausage, arugula and parmesan $24

Cheese tasting plates $15-$18 and six desserts at $10

Actually, the $25 prix fixe looks more interesting

[jamiemaw]

[snip]

Mains -

Grilled beef strip pont-neuf potatoes herb salad and beef jus $35

roasted guinea hen with mixed cereals roasted carrots, swiss chard, honey and pecan froth $32

tagliatelle with roasted fennel sausage, arugula and parmesan $24   

Cheese tasting plates $15-$18 and six desserts at $10     

Actually, the $25 prix fixe looks more interesting

←

And rather better value, especially for those of us born with fish hooks in their pockets. The prices auggest that this is a rather fancy spot--true?

[Lesley C]

Mucho fancy

[Overlordofpastry]

I've heard that the food is quite good: from Darren Bergeron, one of yours but ex-Lumière and Feenie's, Vancouver; and the cocktails, from Chris Stearns, also ex-Lumière, aussi. Any early reports?

That's weird hearing that since 3-4 years ago another employee from Lumiere was executive chef when the restaurant was called Tsirco. He lasted one month so hopefully things work out much better for Darren.

[zapata]

I've heard that the food is quite good: from Darren Bergeron, one of yours but ex-Lumière and Feenie's, Vancouver; and the cocktails, from Chris Stearns, also ex-Lumière, aussi. Any early reports?

That's weird hearing that since 3-4 years ago another employee from Lumiere was executive chef when the restaurant was called Tsirco. He lasted one month so hopefully things work out much better for Darren.

←

it was more then a month....for the crazy hours he was doing Camel...did from 2 mounths 4..dont forget he was working from 6 am to 2 am

[seanw]

I think Kamel would prefer to be remembered for his Chapel & Robochon experience than Lumiere, he is a real pro. I heard he was doing great things for Anise, any report on current status?

[zapata]

I think Kamel would prefer to be remembered for his Chapel & Robochon experience than Lumiere, he is a real pro. I heard he was doing great things for Anise, any report on current status?

←

Yes ...i agree ..he prefer to be remenber for his Chapel and Robochon experience.

He is in Japan working....he is married..

[zapata]

Yes, I have been there today for lunch 25 $ food was ok...desserts very good.

Yes ..decor .mucho fancy.....its the type of menu that you see in more than one restaurants in Montreal.

I think Decca 77 refers to the address, which is 1077 Drummond (the owner -- Tom Nacos -- is Greek). The web site will be www.decca77.com.

Haven't seen the wine list but i have the menu right in front of me. Just to give you an idea of the style of cuisine...

A la carte:

Starters -

Roasted beets with goat's cheese, salted pecans and orange oil $12

Venison tataki with radish salad and marinated shiitake $15

Skate and oven-dried tomato terrine $13

Foie gras au torchon, banyuls vinegar and pickled white turnip $20

Mains -

Grilled beef strip pont-neuf potatoes herb salad and beef jus $35

roasted guinea hen with mixed cereals roasted carrots, swiss chard, honey and pecan froth $32

tagliatelle with roasted fennel sausage, arugula and parmesan $24

Cheese tasting plates $15-$18 and six desserts at $10

Actually, the $25 prix fixe looks more interesting

←

[hellokitty70]

Yes, I have been there today for lunch 25 $ food was ok...desserts very good.

Yes ..decor .mucho fancy.....its the type of menu that you see in more than one restaurants in Montreal.

I think Decca 77 refers to the address, which is 1077 Drummond (the owner -- Tom Nacos -- is Greek). The web site will be www.decca77.com.

Haven't seen the wine list but i have the menu right in front of me. Just to give you an idea of the style of cuisine...

A la carte:

Starters -

Roasted beets with goat's cheese, salted pecans and orange oil $12

Venison tataki with radish salad and marinated shiitake $15

Skate and oven-dried tomato terrine $13

Foie gras au torchon, banyuls vinegar and pickled white turnip $20

Mains -

Grilled beef strip pont-neuf potatoes herb salad and beef jus $35

roasted guinea hen with mixed cereals roasted carrots, swiss chard, honey and pecan froth $32

tagliatelle with roasted fennel sausage, arugula and parmesan $24

Cheese tasting plates $15-$18 and six desserts at $10

Actually, the $25 prix fixe looks more interesting

←

←

[lambretta76]

Rumor has it that the food here has drastically improved in the past few months? (Seems odd, since it doesn't seem that there has been a regime change in the kitchen, but I could be wrong...) Any truth to this?

[lambretta76]

I just received the lunch menu from DECCA 77:

E N T R É E S

tomato salad with goat cheese & eggplant terrine,

dried olive vinaigrette 13

crispy veal feet, gribiche of baby leeks

with an egg croquette 15

braised rabbit ‘en gelée’, artichokes, preserved lemon,

marinated pearl onions and purple mustard 14

pressed foie gras with figs, fennel chip

and a toasted kalonji brioche 20

P L A T S

grilled beef strip loin, french fries potatoes,

herb salad and beef jus 35

grilled duck magret, Swiss chard, fingerling potatoes,

porcini mushrooms and corn froth 34

bucatini & calamari in a chorizo and celery jus 28

P R I X F I X E

E N T R É E S

oysters on half shells in a progression of flavors

chilled celery milk, with confied tomato oil

piglet terrine, with sweet onions and pancetta

PLATS

chicken breast, fingerling potatoes, turnips with garlic flower

pan seared salmon with spinach and green beans salad

linguini, cherry tomatoes, proscuitto and arugula

D E S S E R T S

melon soup with a lime sorbet

strawberry tart with vanilla ice cream

chocolate risotto

25 $

F R O M A G E S

portion de 60 g (2 choix) 15

portion de 90 g (3 choix) 18

D E S S E R T S 10

basque cake, goat cheese, roasted figs and banyuls

lemon savarin,

apricot compote and tonka ice cream

nectarine tart,

vanilla ice cream, bergamot syrup

a variation on cherries

jelly, mousse, compote, with a chocolate macaroon

strawberries on flaky pastry and crumble,

with szechuan caramel and strawberry milk shake

Edited September 14, 2005 by lambretta76 (log)

[riboflavinjoe]

the dessert menu changed recently. the lunch prix fixe menu also changes fairly frequently.

[lambretta76]

Yes - they said that that was yesterday's menu, and that the fixed price menu changes daily.

[riboflavinjoe]

edit: Since the address is 1077 Drummond and the phone number 934-1077, what do you bet that the decca stands for ten? Only problem is that it should be spelled deca (as in decalitre, decade, decagon, decalogue, decahedron, etc.). Decca is a long-range navigation system.

a quick lesson in the rules of phonetics and syllabification and why decca77 should be spelled with two c's.

vowels can be either tense or lax. a tense vowel is one where the tongue is more tense, such as the e in HE (International Phonetic Alphabet Spelling: hi), the O in HO (IPA: ho) and the a in HAY (hej). lax vowels are ones where the tongue is more relaxed, such as the e in LESS (IPA: les, but in this case, the e is the upside down 'e' known as schwa, wil will represent it with 6) and the O in of (^v) (Upsilon-v).

now, we have a word DECCA which has two lax vowels in it. (d3k6). 3= the e in best.

syllables have an onset, a nucleus, and a coda, where the onset is the series of consonants that precede the nucleus (the vowel), and the coda, which is the series of consonants following the nucleus.

the only words in english that permit syllables to have lax nuclei in unisyllabic environments are non-lexical ones (like 'the' and 'a' etc). otherwise, we are faced with a situation where the nucleus is lax, and the syllabic profile is too short. think of these possibilities: have you ever heard of a word in english that has an onset like p or b or t or v or f followed by a lax nucleus such as the E in THE? p6, b6, t6, v6, or f6, they don't work. they sound more like you're getting punched in the gut, or swearing under your breath.

for lexical items, the syllabic profile need to be longer than an onset and a lax nucleus. this means that a coda is necessary for lax nucleus syllables.

to add another point, we are also faced with what is known as the "maximal onset principle" (MOP). this states that syllables really love to have as much onset as is possible. for example, in english, we can have syllables that begin with sp. think of the word spy or spill. in spanish, such an onset is not permitted, so the MOP tells a spanish speaker that they either have to drop the S, and end up with either a simple p as in 'poner' (to put), or add a vowel and end up with something like especial (special). adding a vowel is knows as epenthesis.

so the maximal onset principle dictates that a syllable needs as much onset as possible. now we go back to the word DECCA. remember that we have two lax nuclei in this word, the schwa and the a as in (d3k6). according to the MOP, we need to give the k to the a, since the syllable with teh a permits k to be an onset (think of the word car: kar). but this leaves our poor little schwa with nothign to close the syllable, and remember, a schwa is a lax vowel, so it needs a coda, too. we're faced with quite the situation then: where does the (k) go?

the answer is that it is ambisyllabic, it appears in both syllables to ensure that the first syllable (dek) has a large enough syllabic profile, and the k also appears in the last syllable so that the MOP is observed for the a. ambisyllabic consonants are often represented in our normal written language as a double consonant. think of the words themselves: syllable and written.

to conclude, since we are reprsenting the k sound with a c in this case, we need to include 2 Cs so that it indicates the proper way to pronounce the word.

also, now you know the reason why decaf is spelled with one c. the e is tense enough to hold its own. maybe like the person drinking the decaf, too.

Edited September 16, 2005 by riboflavinjoe (log)

[Vinfidel]

riboflavin needs to get out more

[riboflavinjoe]

riboflavinjoe took phonetics LINGUISTICS 230 at McGill.

[MaeveH]

you go, ribo-joe. I was tickled and edified...

[carswell]

Whoa, Joe. While I see your point (I too was a student of linguistics in a former life), is it really applicable in this context? I mean, we're talking about English spelling: Abandon hope all ye who enter!

As for doubling the c to ensure it is pronounced as k, fine but can you point to any other example using this root (Greek deka) where such doubling occurs? And there are plenty of cases in English when the context would indicate that a c should be pronounced as s but it isn't. Heck, here in our own backyard: Quebecers is at least as common as Quebeckers (which spelling drives me quackers).

Similarly, prefixes like de- are usually slapped onto words without otherwise affecting their orthography (at least I'm having trouble thinking of cases were they do), so it wouldn't be 'deccaf' even if the e wasn't "tense enough to hold its own," would it?

Phonemes at 50 paces!

Edited September 18, 2005 by carswell (log)