On Montreal Restaurant Garde Manger Chef Deck says,

Ego overcame Chef Deck for his number one review (restaurant Garde Manger) was written by Dubbers (I love you but I Chef Deck am both fat in body and in head). So here we go….Garde and I have a long history. It started when they first opened and I would go every Thursday for dinner and debauchery. Chef Chuck Hughes had created a gem (see Hughes on his new show “Chucks Day Off”) and the Canadian actor/teen girl stocky Tim Rozon (co-owner) brought the draw. The prices were dirt cheap, the food was phenomenal, and the times were out of Hot Dog The Movie. It then in my opinion got over priced, over crowded, underage, and a little to cool for school. The other night I went back to Old Montreal to visit Garde Manger and was pleasantly surprised. The food was just amazing and the prices are back down (slightly). We started with a personal favorite of blood sausage with a soft boiled egg, unbelievable jerk snow crab (spicy like crazy), a so so tomato buffalo mozzarella salad, and succulent seared scallops with pancetta. For the mains I was blown away by the lobster risotto, and melt in your mouth short ribs on a bed of arugula. I’m so happy to tell the world that restaurant Garde Manger is back in Arnold Schwarzenegger Commando shape, and I Chef Deck be back in love!

Tastiness: 9.1223152361 / 10
Rekindled appreciation: about the same as the 30 year old woman who stopped eating red meat when she was 16 because it “didn’t agree with her stomach” tasting a piece of rib steak / 10
Price: apps $10-$20 mains $25-$35- $$$$ seafood troff / 10

Chef Deck signing out!

Garde-Manger Montreal Information

408 St-François-Xavier, Old Montreal
Phone: 514-678-5044
Hours: Tue – Sun 6 pm – 3 am
Payment: Cash, Credit Cards
Cuisine: Seafood, Mediterranean

Chef Deck is the founder and head reviewer of Eat Well Montreal

On Montreal Restaurant Greasy Spoon Chef Deck says,

Market fresh is the new word in Montreal and it’s catching on fire like Charlie Sheen’s underwear. Montreal is kickin it back to the basics and many Montreal restos (Kitchen Gallerie, Joe Beef) are seeing the value in an ever changing menu according to the day’s best ingredients. Greasy Spoon restaurant is a fine example of this trend and I Chef Deck welcome it with open arms. It’s hard for me to judge the food because we opted for a tuna melt to start which was delicious, and were then tantalized by the seafood platter. Let me rephrase, this was not a platter but a three tiered oceanic smorgasbord of greatness (though a bit pricey for the portion). It had a selection of oysters, crisp shrimp, snow crab, and the coveted stone crab (yes those free lovin creatures that are protected by only having one claw snapped off at a time so they can roam like Ash until it grows back and can be snapped again!). One another note the atmosphere, music, and bar is great, though I feel that they can go harder on the beverages (and I’m sure the terrace will be kick ass in the summer).

Food: I pray with all my heart that it is amazing though the well-cooked seafood is a good sign / 10
Atmosphere: Irish pub, meets Alberta steak house, meets Garde Manger, meets the Cat Room/ 10
Price: $10-$15 apps and $20-$30 mains/ 10

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Greasy Spoon Restaurant Information

160 Laurier O, corner St-Urbain, Mile-End, Plateau-Mont-Royal
Montreal, QC
Métro: Laurier
Telephone: 514-495-7666
Hours: Tues – Sat: 5:00 pm – 12:00 am (midnight), Sun 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm, Closed Monday

Payment: Cash, Interac, Visa, MC

On Joe Beef Restaurant, Montreal Chef Deck says:

Joe Beef reminds me of a fat man by the name Frank Portly whose eating addiction made his bed his toilet, his toilet his bed, and he only believed in wet naps not showers. Ya I know you’re all thinking that this does not sound very appetizing, but au contraire mon frere, what could be more appetizing then food that’s so good, it fully negates your brain functions related to being full. Oh yes this is our great Joe Beef! The original restaurant opened by Allison Cunningham, Frédéric Morin and David McMillan that spawned a Montreal, Notre Dame street empire (Restaurant Liverpool House, Restaurant McKiernan Luncheonette and Wine Bar). This particular time we started with about 30 oysters (some wankers ordered to many so we got the spoils of their over zealous eyes), then had the most amazing Fois Gras parfait served with fried toast and cinnamon sugar apples, and for the last app a charcutarie plate with a variety of yummy animals (pâté de Campagne, sausage, roast pork, jambon de bayon). For the main we all shared a mixed grill with duck breast, seared fois gras, two types of sausage, and hanger steak all accompanied by decent fries and the fattest asparagus you’ve ever seen. For dessert we had a peach polenta ice cream covered thing, that was the perfect end to an almost perfect meal. So you all know that game about what would you do for a million dollars? Well I’m switching it to what would you do for a meal at Joe Beef?…and I would do Frank Portly!

Food: 9.12133612361212/10
Service: Sexy/10
Décor: flee market chick/10

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2491 Notre Dame Street W, Montreal
Metro: Lionel-Groulx
Phone: 514-935-6504
www.joebeef.ca/
Hours: Tues – Sun, 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Pay: VISA, MC

On Montreal Restaurant Le Vin Levain Chef Deck says:

Luckily Le Vin Levain Restaurant wasn’t open when the nuns owned Nun’s Island, because it would have definitely tested their vow of celibacy with their deliciously sexy food. This Montreal gem is in my opinion the best place to eat on the Island. Le Vin Levain restaurant changes their market fair menu daily and I have yet to have a meal that disappoints. On this occasion I had the Mahi Mahi accompanied by steamed rice and sautéed zucchini which was cooked to perfection and my confrère had a delicious Thai chicken curry. This little gem also has a great wine selection and beautiful pastries baked fresh daily.

Food: 8.52312312/10
Service: a little slow but very French/10
Aromas: like walking into Madame Gervais’s kitchen/10

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Le Vin Levain Restaurant Information

7, Place du Commerce corner l’Île-des-Soeurs
Nun’s Island (Verdun), Montreal, Québec
Tel: 514-767-0966
Website: Levinlevain.com

On Montreal Restaurant Kitchen Gallerie Chef Deck says:

They say that good things come in threes like the three musketeers, the three stooges and the three little pigs. My entire life this was something that I wanted to deny because of the fact that I was a four fan, but after goin to Kitchen Gallery I must say that I’ve found a new found appreciation for this odd number (still hate five, seven and eleven though). Chef’s Mathieu Cloutier and Jean-Philippe St-Denis threw out the riff-raff and the overhead to create a brilliant restaurant cooked, served, and bused all by themselves. The food here was top tier and there wasn’t a dish served that disappointed. We started with an amuse bouche of crème of yellow beets that was both refreshing and tasty. For our appetizers we had the fois gras parfais, fois gras poiler with cranberries, oyster on the half shell, and innovative fois gras peau cooked in the dishwasher. For our main course we opted for a seamlessly cooked cote de boeuf for two with a tarragon sauce (huge like Rita Macneil), and melt in your mouth filet of cerf, both accompanied by roasted potatoes and root vegetables. For dessert we ate mother-in-law’s yummy chocolate cake, berrys with crème, and a caramel dried fruit tart. For the price to quality ratio Kitchen Gallery can’t be beat.

Food: 9.0123132/10
Service: Nothing better then being served by a chef/10
Price: Twenty four to thirty two bucks for the 3 course Table d’hôte a person unless you’re an oyster or fois gras junky/10

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Kitchen Galerie Montreal Restaurant Information

60, Jean-Talon E, corner St-Dominique, Little Italy, Montreal
Phone: 514-315-8994
HOURS: Tues – Sat: 6:00 pm – 11 pm
Payment: Visa, MC, Interac
Cuisine: Bistro, French, Market

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On Restaurant Bazaar Anise Chef Deck Says:

I will trade 22 of one humped camel and 4 of two humped in trade for your delicious food for life. Yes ladies and gents this means that I’m a huge fan of Montreal Restaurant Bazaar Anise’s Mediterranean bistro delights. Here you’re not gonna find the typical Daou Restaurant (that I adore) type meal but rather a burst of creativity incorporated into traditional Middle Eastern Cuisine (all created by renowned chef Racha Bassoul). We started our meal with an array of amazingly delicious appetizers, curry and lentil soup, grilled sardines, sesame encrusted falafel, vegetarian samosas, grilled cheese and perfectly cooked grilled octopus in an orange marinade. For the main course we opted for a seamlessly cooked grilled salmon in a maple marinade, and grilled cornish hen in a yogurt marinade which was the sole dish of the night that I felt lacked a little luster. All and all Bazaar Anise I don’t think that your reincarnation of restaurant Anise is better but you’re definitely a shining star as far as Montreal Bistro restaurants go.

Food: 8.948234436/10
Price: Forty dollarsish a person/10
Service: attentive as a golden retriever/10

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BaZaAR Anise Montreal Restaurant Information

104 rue Laurier Ouest, Outremont, Montreal
Phone: 514-276-6999
Website: http://www.lebazaar.ca/
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm – midnight
Payment: Amex, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa, Interac
Capacity: 45 people

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On Montreal Restaurant Liverpool House Chef Deck says:

A long time ago (nineteenth century), in a land not so far away (Old Montreal), there happened “the great battle of the perfect pull” between Joe Beef Tavern and the Liverpool House. Nowadays the battle’s been resumed (much friendlier though…no more battle axes and trebuchets) thanks to the same owners as Joe Beef (Allison Cunningham, Frédéric Morin and David McMillan) and Liverpool house is a triumph! We started with a charcuterie plate with home made head cheese, prosciutto, coppa, mortadella, Jambon de Bayonne, salami and more which was the finest example of its kind in the city. We then had clams casino, home made ravioli and the grilled cheese of all grilled cheeses that were all mind-blowingly delicious. For our main courses we ate a veal scaloppini stuffed with Parma ham and topped with Mozzarella de Bufala, Osso bucco on top of a saffron risotto, and home made shrimp pasta all of whose originality and taste shined brighter then the reading rainbow. The meal set the precedence for fabulous desserts of beignet’s covered in an espresso infused chocolate, and a trifle type diddy. So after that experience I have to say that I’m looking forward to having to 2.3 children and growing old in Montreal at the Liverpool House restaurant.

Tastiness: 9.34345321/10
Ambiance: Barnyard friendly/10
Service: Geisha esc/10

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Liverpool House Montreal Restaurant Information

2501 Notre Dame Street, corner Charlevoix, Little Burgundy, Montreal
Métro Lionel-Groulx
Phone: 514-313-6049
Payment: Interac, MasterCard, Visa, American Express
Hours Tues. – Sat open from 6:00 pm; Closed Sun & Mon
Cuisine: Market, Similar cuisine to Joe Beef with an Italian twist.

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On Restaurant Beniamino & Co. Montreal Chef Deck says:

Bravo Mr. Beniamino for bringing the finest home made panini sandwiches to our great city. For years I craved you but, but I hadn’t met you, and now I love you. Everything you make is perfect (especially your chicken salad sandwich with walnuts, peaches, pistachios, and some other stuff)! Your salads are also top notch (the orzo salad, fennel salad, and all the others which are changed daily). I also have to mention that your hot lunch meals, which also change daily are truly flawless (scaloppini, different fishes, amazing meat loaf, fantastic meatballs, everything). Your big brother take-out / grocery store on McGill street is also just as fine according to my opinion. You guys know what’s up and never disappoint!

Food: 9.78938923/10
Atmosphere: teases you with tasty delights/10
Soul feeding quality’s: you have officially added 3 years to my life that were once taken away from smoking/10

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Beniamino & Co. Take-Out Lunch Restaurant

455 Viger West, Square Victoria, Montreal
Phone: 514-861-7770
Website: beniamino.com
Hours: Mon – Fri: 7:00 am -7 pm, Food served at lunch 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Beniamino Market
32 McGill , Old Montréal , QC
Phone: 514-284-1711
Hours: Mon – Fri: 7:30 am – 11 pm; Weekends: 10 am – 9 pm

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Garde-Manger Montreal Review by Guest Reviewer Dubers

UPDATE: Read Chef Deck’s review of Restaurant Garde Manger (May 2009)

Garde-Manger….so many evenings, so many blurry memories. Whenever someone asks me for the hippest restaurant in Montreal, my answer is always inevitably Garde-Manger. Originally opened as an “anti-scene” joint in Old Montreal, this small resto / lounge has now been adopted by the Montreal foodies, bar flies and hipsters alike. No other place can you enjoy fine dining, a well selected wine list, beautiful cocktails and the opportunity to get naked.

If you are looking for runway waitresses that don’t know how to do wine service, overpriced martinis, Eurotrash and food that sucks, then St-Laurent Blvd. is slightly north/west. Garde-Manger boasts some beautiful staff but all are knowledgeable, quick and friendly (Julie and Jessica, you rock). Owner/Partner Kyle is always around either pouring libations or mixing the tunes, never missing an opportunity to mingle with his loyal clientèle.

With a menu that changes daily on the chalk board, past favorites and must haves are:

Large Seafood platter: Also lovingly referred to as the trough, this is SICK ACTION!!! This baby takes up your whole table and then some. For $125 bones, it’s the biggest and baddest in Montreal. A must for 4-6 people.

BBQ baby back ribs (I love you with your side of succulent potato salad) Is it wrong to suck on your neighbors saucy fingers?

Their fish and seafood is always fresh. Nothing like getting a “Loup de Mer” served on your plate while it’s still starring right at you. Delicious but creepy.

Atmosphere is very loud and not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for a quiet, uneventful evening, try Holder restaurant. It’s real tough to get a table at restaurant Garde-Manger and reservations are a must. Call in advance but drop in anytime for a martini.

Wearing the Troff’s decorative seaweed on your head to look like a Rastafarian 10/10

Tastiness: 9.99999999/10 (Deduction for that imperfect oval-shape olive in my martini, OK…10/10)

Getting a table on a Thursday night unless you call 16 weeks in advance/10

Garde-Manger Restaurant Information

408 St-François-Xavier, Old Montreal
Phone: 514-678-5044
Hours: Tue–Sun 6 pm – 3 am
Payment: Cash, Credit Cards

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