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Joe Beef

Lesley C

By Lesley C
in Eastern Canada: Dining

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Lesley C

Lesley C

Posted
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Posted

Yes, I think you can access the Gazette reviews now through www.canada.com. and then click on the Montreal Gazette and then the link to the Weekend Life section.

They changed the format of the site and I think the reviews are now viewable free of charge. (is viewable a word?)

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  • 1 month later...
Oyster Guy

Oyster Guy

Posted
Posted

 

Does shucking oysters define a chef’s cooking abilities?

In my books it does, John Bil (the oyster shucker) has been to the World's Championships 3 times.

You should try shucking for a busy place known for it's oysters on a smoking busy night sometime and see how you would fare.

I doubt very much the oysters were "average" as well as I know where they are getting them from.

Keep on shucking

Oyster Guy

"Why then, the world is mine oyster, which I with sword, shall open."

William Shakespeare-The Merry Wives of Windsor

"An oyster is a French Kiss that goes all the way." Rodney Clark

"Oyster shuckers are the rock stars of the shellfish industry." Jason Woodside

"Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster."

Eleanor Clark

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  • 4 weeks later...
moose1111

moose1111

Posted
Posted

I finally took it upon myself to go there for diner on Friday.. and I was very pleased with the experience..

we had 4 tatsy rasphberry point oysters, the potato veloute w/ ribs, and the beets & pralined bacon salad as appetizers.. and all 3 were terrific

for entrees, we had the divine lobster spaghetti and the delicious pintade..

we skipped dessert..

all in all, a wonderful culinary exprience.. every thing was perfectly seasonned.. we found the prices to be high versus comparable priced, but more complex meals we had elseweher.. but it is definitly an address that we will go back to

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Bon Appetit Cookbooks

Bon Appetit Cookbooks

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Posted

Went there for the first time the other week. Let me tell you, it was more than I expected.

We started with some fried clams that were crispy, salty, delicious. Served with a homemade "tartar" sauce. Went great with the locally brewed beer which name I can not recall.

Next, Oysters! 3-4 different kinds. Oysters spanning from the West to East coast. All different in flavour, all tasted wonderful. Served with the traditional homemade condiments of mignonette and cocktail sauce. I have just in the last 6 months got in to oysters and learning to really appriciate them. You can't really have a great oyster experience unless you can taste different ones at once. And Joe Beef delivers on the variety and freshness!

Next, Roasted Marrow Bones with sauteed mixed mushrooms and ?roasted red peppers?. Melt in your mouth, fatty, and great with a little bread.

The main coarse was a whole side of trout with a thin slice of some smoked ham. The skin was perfectly crisp, the ham beautifully salty and complimented the trout like peas and carrots. It was served with good old fashioned southern grits with a little bacon. Everything tastes better with a little pork product in it huh? The sauce was a honey chipotle. A great sweet/spicy combination that worked well with the fish. The whole dish was balanced wonderfully.

We were sitting at the bar which is where all the action is. Fred and Dave is there to "entertain" you and makes sure your glass is never empty. The free pours make it a lot more fun.

The one major flaw I find in most restaurants is the lack of seasoning (salt and pepper). This can really, in my opinion, ruin a potentially great meal. But I can confidently say that every dish I ate at Joe Beef was seasoned perfectly and each dish tasted like it should. It's very rare I find that....even in really good restaurants.

All in all, Joe Beef was a flawless experience. It was one of the better meals I have had in the city. The atmosphere is exactly how it should be. Casual, relaxed, unpretentious, and most importantly, fun. It's very refreshing to not see the Hooches trying to get the greasy lawyers to buy them drinks and dinner. People are just there to enjoy a great meal, a good time, and that's it.

I honestly can't wait to go back.

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iharrison

iharrison

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Posted

Agree with Bon Appetit on all fronts.

Was there last Friday with a friend at the bar. Split six wonderfully plump oysters, a delicious salmon tartare beautifully presented with a stack of thick homemade potato chips, a mega rack of lamb, rare to perfection with fat crisp asparagus spears, incredible frites with tangy mayo and a savoury mint sauce. Chocolate creme brulee was sinful and a wonderful finish. Good beer, great wine, great scene as always.

Going back tonight in fact :-)

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iharrison

iharrison

Posted
Posted (edited)
Agree with Bon Appetit on all fronts.

Was there last Friday with a friend at the bar. Split six wonderfully plump oysters, a delicious salmon tartare beautifully presented with a stack of  thick homemade potato chips, a mega rack of lamb, rare to perfection with fat crisp asparagus spears, incredible frites with tangy mayo and a savoury mint sauce. Chocolate creme brulee was sinful and a wonderful finish. Good beer, great wine, great scene as always.

Going back tonight in fact :-)

Tonight was off the hook at Joe Bizzle:

A dozen oysters, roasted beet salad with caramelized bacon, deep fried smelts with tartar sauce, cold asparagus crab salad, foie gras with jam and toast, roasted veal marrow ... those were the starters. Which would have sufficed nicely for our party of four. The bacon and beets were insane, the smelts were "as good as in Greece" according to my Greek foodie friend, the crab fresh fresh fresh and the marrow meltingly ridiculous.

Mains were a double rack of spareribs with sticky bbq sauce, side of coleslaw, their famous lobster spaghetti twice over and razor clams with pasta. Sides of fries with mayo and haricot verts with that.

Pot de chocolat and pancakes with maple syrup "tire" ice cream and caramelized apples for dessert. With beers, wine, a Poire William cognac digestif and espressos, I'm about ready to explode. I'm seriously full.

Best meal in ages.

Edited by iharrison (log)
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Bon Appetit Cookbooks

Bon Appetit Cookbooks

Posted
Posted
Agree with Bon Appetit on all fronts.

Was there last Friday with a friend at the bar. Split six wonderfully plump oysters, a delicious salmon tartare beautifully presented with a stack of  thick homemade potato chips, a mega rack of lamb, rare to perfection with fat crisp asparagus spears, incredible frites with tangy mayo and a savoury mint sauce. Chocolate creme brulee was sinful and a wonderful finish. Good beer, great wine, great scene as always.

Going back tonight in fact :-)

Tonight was off the hook at Joe Bizzle:

A dozen oysters, roasted beet salad with caramelized bacon, deep fried smelts with tartar sauce, cold asparagus crab salad, foie gras with jam and toast, roasted veal marrow ... those were the starters. Which would have sufficed nicely for our party of four. The bacon and beets were insane, the smelts were "as good as in Greece" according to my Greek foodie friend, the crab fresh fresh fresh and the marrow meltingly ridiculous.

Mains were a double rack of spareribs with sticky bbq sauce, side of coleslaw, their famous lobster spaghetti twice over and razor clams with pasta. Sides of fries with mayo and haricot verts with that.

Pot de chocolat and pancakes with maple syrup "tire" ice cream and caramelized apples for dessert. With beers, wine, a Poire William cognac digestif and espressos, I'm about ready to explode. I'm seriously full.

Best meal in ages.

Man!

I gotta go and eat with you! When are you going next?

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iharrison

iharrison

Posted
Posted
Agree with Bon Appetit on all fronts.

Was there last Friday with a friend at the bar. Split six wonderfully plump oysters, a delicious salmon tartare beautifully presented with a stack of  thick homemade potato chips, a mega rack of lamb, rare to perfection with fat crisp asparagus spears, incredible frites with tangy mayo and a savoury mint sauce. Chocolate creme brulee was sinful and a wonderful finish. Good beer, great wine, great scene as always.

Going back tonight in fact :-)

Tonight was off the hook at Joe Bizzle:

A dozen oysters, roasted beet salad with caramelized bacon, deep fried smelts with tartar sauce, cold asparagus crab salad, foie gras with jam and toast, roasted veal marrow ... those were the starters. Which would have sufficed nicely for our party of four. The bacon and beets were insane, the smelts were "as good as in Greece" according to my Greek foodie friend, the crab fresh fresh fresh and the marrow meltingly ridiculous.

Mains were a double rack of spareribs with sticky bbq sauce, side of coleslaw, their famous lobster spaghetti twice over and razor clams with pasta. Sides of fries with mayo and haricot verts with that.

Pot de chocolat and pancakes with maple syrup "tire" ice cream and caramelized apples for dessert. With beers, wine, a Poire William cognac digestif and espressos, I'm about ready to explode. I'm seriously full.

Best meal in ages.

Man!

I gotta go and eat with you! When are you going next?

I owe you a visit at the store ... we'll talk!

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  • 2 weeks later...
alexthecook

alexthecook

Posted
Posted

I thought I’d share my thoughts after going to Joe Beef recently.

Firstly, props to the waitress for her very attentive, quick and cheerful service. She made the experience very pleasurable. I was however somewhat annoyed by the fact that the tables on the banquette side are so close together that you have to actually pull out the table to get into your seat. Not particularly fun when you need a bathroom break. Another point is the chalkboard-only menu. Indeed, from many of the seats it is impossible or near impossible to read the menu, which means you have to listen to it from the waitress and go through the exercise of memorizing every dish to ponder your choice. It is usually one of my great joys to go over the menu and agonize over my choice, weighing every aspect of every dish. Too bad.

Regardless, we were able to order some food which was generally excellent. Crisp asparagus with deep fried egg and grated pecorino, and crab, potato and mayo salad (with a brine pickle on top) for starters. The asparagus was sublime: a rather simple combination of ingredients that is greater than the sum of its parts. The crab salad was generous, the crab tasty and fresh. It lacked however the stroke of genius you would expect when dining out at fine establishments. I felt like I could make something similar at home by just throwing together a few ingredients. It was however viscerally satisfying.

Next we had lobster spaghetti and spaghetti with ribs. The lobster spag was a delight, creamy, just salty enough, with 1 and a half pound of fresh lobster. You just can’t go wrong (to seal the deal, there’s bacon in the sauce). It seems both spags are tossed with the sauce (instead of plopping the sauce over the pasta). I like this, it makes the sauce a little drier and makes it really stick to the pasta.

The spaghetti with ribs as also good, but the ribs again lacked the little oomph I was looking for. I would expect ribs like the ones I had at Bar-b-barn or Baton Rouge, not here. However, the tomato spaghetti that came with it was great. Tomatoey, strangely buttery, it reminded me of my grandmother’s spaghetti (made with Campbell’s), but I just couldn’t get enough of it. It’s just a shame the dish wasn’t hot enough..

All in all, I find Joe Beef’s strength is in combining high quality ingredients, and creating viscerally satisfying tastes. Their take on more traditional fare, however, often lacks the innovation I crave and can find at places like PdC. I’m pretty sure I’ll return, however I’ll be crossing my fingers for tighter execution and will pay closer attention to what I choose.

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iroc326

iroc326

Posted
Posted

I thought I’d share my thoughts after going to Joe Beef recently.

Firstly, props to the waitress for her very attentive, quick and cheerful service. She made the experience very pleasurable. I was however somewhat annoyed by the fact that the tables on the banquette side are so close together that you have

Next we had lobster spaghetti and spaghetti with ribs. The lobster spag was a delight, creamy, just salty enough, with 1 and a half pound of fresh lobster. You just can’t go wrong (to seal the deal, there’s bacon in the sauce). It seems both spags are tossed with the sauce (instead of plopping the sauce over the pasta). I like this, it makes the sauce a little drier and makes it really stick to the pasta.

Alex, slurping sauce on top of pasta is a no-no.....When I see that (at friend's houses), I actually pass and just eat bread. For me that is one of the biggest insults. Immediately after being drained, pasta is very hot and ready to absorb any liquid. That's why you need to dump it into the sauce asap. As it's cooling in the sauce, it is absorbing a lot of the sauce, thus taste. Given that it is absorbing so much sauce, I always keep 1/2 cup of the drained water in case the sauce dries up a bit too much.

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Vinfidel

Vinfidel

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Posted
Alex, slurping sauce on top of pasta is a no-no.....When I see that (at friend's houses), I actually pass and just eat bread. For me that is one of the biggest insults. Immediately after being drained, pasta is very hot and ready to absorb any liquid. That's why you need to dump it into the sauce asap. As it's cooling in the sauce, it is absorbing a lot of the sauce, thus taste. Given that it is absorbing so much sauce, I always keep 1/2 cup of the drained water in case the sauce dries up a bit too much.

?!?!?!?!?!?

What is this to do with JOE BEEF?

somebody please tell me if they increase the price at JOE BEEF

also do we have some dish light for printemps

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