Le Margaux returns

[UnConundrum]

A few years ago, there was a great little restaurant called Le Petit Margaux off of St. Dennis, on Villeneuve. The owners moved out to the Eastern Townships for a few years, and they've now returned and opened Le Margaux at 5058 Parc, near Laurier. I stopped in last night and gotta say it was really great for the prices. I started off with foie gras served with grapes and apples for $15, followed by a little salad with smoked duck breast, and my main was three cuts of lamb (tenderloin, sweetbreads, and leg confit) for $22. The wine list is rather limited, but the prices are only doubled, not tripled like so many other restaurants.

I highly recommend you stop in if you have a chance

[Lesley C]

Wow, great news! Is their new restaurant as tiny as the last?

[UnConundrum]

No, I'd take a rough guess and say it sits at least twice as many people, and some room for bigger groups.

[grill-it]

Is that the new one on Parc, just below Laurier? There have been a few places at the location over the past couple of years since La Creperie Bretonne closed - none have been able to make a go of it. Granted, they were all of the 'diner' variety. I'm curious to try it now...

[UnConundrum]

Yep, that's the one. Let us know what you think...

[Salomon]

anybody else has comments about this place? I'm planning a birthday dinner and my choice is down to "le bouchon de liège", "le margaux" or "le Jurançon"...

S

[UnConundrum]

Doesn't seem like many eg'ers have visited Le Margaux, but as you can tell, it's one of my favorites. It's run by a young couple, and I'm sure they'll bend over backwards to help you out. I'm currently planning to visit Montreal over Thanksgiving weekend, and am planning a dinner there for 12 of us. If you're in Montreal, stop by and talk to them. I'm sure you'll be happy.

[Salomon]

So we decided to give the new Margaux a try last thursday; we were not disapointed.

It started out on the wrong foot though: it took 45 minutes to get service. But it didn't went unnoticed: the owner (or his wife, I don't remember) brought some Kir to excuse herself (it seems that some reservations arrived late).

I started with ravioli de boudin noir aux pommes à la crème de bollets. It was very good (the pasta was fresh as was the boudin), very "autumn" and tasty. A bit on the rich side due to the sauce but very good. My main was ris de veau à la réduction de porto. The ris were fresh (no funny taste or texture) and well prepared. They were perfectly "saisi" (sorry it's too early in the morning for my english vocabulary), not too dry. They were served on a kind of roesti (potato pancake) with some fresh grapes with the porto. Very well done. In the plate was included a creme brulee de foie gras that was to die for. I would have made a meal out of this side (but would have probably died of liver failure somewhere on Parc)! Mrs Salomon had the tartar the saumon as an entree (very fresh and honest) and the cote de cerf (perfectly excecuted). Eventhough we were full at that point, we still went for the creme brulee a la lavande, which was again, well done (I ain't a big fan of lavander in meals). Someone in our group did take a chocolate cake of some sort and was rolling her eyes with delight for the next 10 minutes...

The wine list is not incredible (but still good) but comes at a very reasonable cost. All in all, after tips, taxes and wine (45$ St-Emilion 2004), It came to 135, which was very good for the quality of meal we had.

In conclusion, I would say that Margaux doesn't reinvent anything, but it's doing an awesome job at preparing classic french food. The service was very good (the room is not very flamboyant), and it's a great bang for your bucks kind of place. Margaux to me is an excellent alternative to to best BYOB (Colombe, Infidèles, Christophe, Petit Plateau, etc.) in town and all in all, in the same price range. I will certainly go back in the next few months. Enjoy,

Sal

[UnConundrum]

My French isn't the best, but this new article seems to repeat my opinion

Article is here.