As I raved on my previous post, I fell in love with Montreal. Everything about the city-the people, the parks, the food…. Did I say food? They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach but this woman easily falls into that category as well. My foodie love affair with the city began with the Chez L’Epicier tasting menu for our first dinner of the trip. Chez L’Epicier is a quaint restaurant at Rue Saint Paul in Old Montreal with a splendid view of Marche Bon Secours.
The Scene: The rustic elegance of the restaurant is reflected in its exposed brick walls (I so want this for our house), the large open windows, and the rows of local delicacies such as jams and honey available for purchase. We arrived for an early dinner at 6:30pm and the restaurant was pretty quiet with just a few guests. By our dessert, the place was completely filled and the scene was lively but not too noisy.
The Food: We opted with the tasting menu and choose to be surprised by Chef Laurent Godbout. We started our culinary adventure with an amuse bouche of savory macaroons. These were made of black olive and richly filled with sour cream. I’ve never had a savory macaroon before. I am here to say that the world needs more of those!
We then moved to oysters from Prince Edward Island. These were beautifully presented with a unique mignonette made with yuzu and garnished with tiny edible flowers. The oysters were fresh, not too briny, and slightly sweet. Delicious.
We continued our tasting menu with a delicious pumpkin soup. I love the recent trend of restaurants pouring the soup over the condiments tableside. There’s something uniquely enticing about the pour. The soup was thick and aromatic, decorated with colorful edible flowers.
We then moved on to the heavier dishes. I was intrigued by the squash “pasta” carbonara. Perfectly spiraled zucchini with the rich carbonara sauce felt guilt free. We then moved to a dish of seared duck with plums sitting on a thin layer of a plum and wine jelly. I am not a big fan of gelatinous sauces with meat. The duck was deliciously tender and the ripe plums paired well. However, I would have preferred a different consistency with the sauce.
We had some beautiful wine pairings with our dinner. Most of the wine list is French at Chez L’Epicier, with the Chef traveling to France often and sourcing from smaller producers. Our favorite was the Collioure white wine which was paired with the oysters. Another favorite was the Maple liqueur we had right before dessert. It had a sherry-like flavor with maple notes. Very unique taste.
We concluded our dinner with homemade marshmallows and a tiny hibachi-type grill to toast them to our liking. They were light, fluffy and not to sweet. Just how I like them! They also get an A+ for presentation.
The Verdict: When I am invited to eat at a restaurant, I like to observe the guests around me. It’s important for me to know that they are being treated just the same and most importantly how they value their experience. There is something to be said about being seated next to a large group of chatty businessmen who had intermezzos of silence when their courses arrived. Nothing more endearing-and reassuring than a bunch of middle-aged guys making mmmmhhh sounds at a nice restaurant. If you’re in Montreal, make sure to experience the Chez L’Epicier tasting menu. It’s a delicious window to the flavors of the Province of Quebec.
We dined at Chez L’Epicier at the invitation of Chef Laurent Godbout. As always opinions are my own.
