On Montreal Restaurant Le Cartet Chef Deck says,

If you’re hip, emo, wear vintage sunglasses, have a faux hawk, bleach our skin, or use a vice grip to enter your jeans, Montreal Restaurant Le Cartet is the place for you! This place is almost as hip as Cary Tobin, and serves mimosa with breakfast. I’ve been going here since day one, and have witnessed its great social climb. The food is very tasty (though the portions are small for a fat man), and the food market up front is quality. They now have sit down breakfast (very tasty), lunch, and dinner along with a great take out selection. For lunch on this day we ate a tasty duck confit salad, and a well presented fish of the day, all served with choice of soup (minestrone, gazpacho, or cream of corn). Personally I would rather go to Beniamino & Co.or Café Titanic for lunch when I’m in the area, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. All and all Le Cartet is still a quality Montreal Restaurant, and I’ll never pass up a chance to go, because it is amongst the best people watching places in our great city!

Tastiness: 8.13434235/10
Ambiance: Fellini movie/10
Price: $15-$25 person/10

Chef Deck signing out!

Le Cartet Montreal Information

106, rue McGill, Montreal, QC
Metro: Square Victoria
Phone: 514-871-8887
Hours: Mon – Fri: 7:00 am – 8:00 pm, Sat- Sun: 9:00 am -5:00 pm
Payment: Interac, MasterCard, American Express, Visa

If any Muchentuchen joint can compare to Phantom Muchentuchen it would be the great Montreal institution Boustan (I wish to have Tasty Delight attached). Boustan is one of the greats, and has been stuffing my belly as long as I can remember. They make their chicken, shawarma, kaffta, veggie, and fallafel pitas grilled on charcoal to perfection. Chef Deck’s standing order here is an all dressed chicken pita (don’t call it shish taouk!), with omelet, spicy sauce, grilled and well done (gotta mention the fact that they are the only joint that adds coleslaw). They are a Crescent street late night hot spot, and you might even run into some stars (hockey players, Tom Selleck’s mustache, Trailer Park Boys, and once upon a time the late great Mr. Trudeau). So if your budget can’t afford l’Express and you’re not into La Banquise, try Boustan but don’t blame me if you get addicted. Boustan you warm my hart with garlic and love, so XOXO until the next drinking binge!

Tastiness: 8.723123812/10
Ambiance: Drunk frat boys peeing their pants/10
Price: under $10 a person/10

Chef Deck signing out!

Restaurant Boustan Information

On Montreal Greek Restaurant Orama Chef Deck says:

My grandparents love the chicken and the early bird special. It has been difficult to find a deal and quality, but our happy compromise these days is one of my Park-Ex favorites, Orama (some of my others are Tripoli, Halal 786, Marvin’s, and Village Grec). As far as quality, freshness, and price Orama is hard to beat. They make delicious charcoal whole grilled Greek chicken (among top 3 in the city), good Greek salad, bad-ass wedged home cut fries, and an interestingly spiced rice. They are extremely consistent and have yet to disappoint. I gotta tell all of you how nice it is to not always have to go to Deli Boys anymore, because it was truly messing with my libido.

Tastiness: 7.9999559/10
Ambiance: usually a like a ghost town/10
Price: $12, max $20 per person/10

Chef Deck signing out!

Orama Grillades Grecques Montreal Information

7000 avenue du Parc, Montréal, H3N 1X1
Phone: 514-278-3505
Hours: Mon – Fri 6:00 am – 9:00 pm, Sat & Sun 4 pm – 9:30 pm
Payment: Major Credit Card, Interac, Cash

On restaurant Cabane a Sucre Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack Chef Deck says:

I’m in love OINK! I won’t be able to sleep until the next sugaring off season OINK! My Spoon Man is now Marin Picard OINK! I need that sweet maple syrup OINK!
This was one of my top 5 meals ever (and added my favorite 5 pounds to my sweet man belly)! As far as your preconceived notions about sugar shacks, poop scoop them, put them in a paper bag, light it, and leave it on Bobby Flay’s doorstep (because Martin Picard, chef of restaurant Au Pied de Cochon has reinvented the cabane a sucre (sugar shack). The highlights of the mains were:  pea soup with lardon and fois gras, the oreilles de crisse salade with ham, walnuts and mixed greens, buckwheat pancakes, fluffy skillet omelet with cod and scallops, deep fried lobster and beet sushi with maple syrup soya sauce, and a meat dish with magret de canard, rabbit, feve aux lard, and other yummyness. For dessert we ate pancakes cooked in duck fat, a burnt marshmallow maple ice cream baked Alaska, and a banana split with maple syrup cotton candy, candied nuts, burnt marshmallow, and hardened sugar pie filling stuff. The restaurant is now closed for the season, but if you want to partake you should think about reserving now for next year’s maple syrup season. We also have to thank Martin Picard for giving us these great pics for our gay website. So all in all this redone barn rocks harder then Alanis Morissette’s naked video(you know the one)!

Tastiness: 9.567864826/10
Ambiance: the barn from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly/10
Price; $45 fixed menu + drinks and tax /10

Chef Deck signing out!

Cabane à sucre Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack Information

11382 Rang de la Fresnière, St-Benoît de Mirabel
Laurentians, Québec J7N 2R9
Phone: 450-258-1732
Email: reservations@cabaneasucreaupieddecochon.com
Hours: Thurs – Fri 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Sat & Sun 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Payment: Credit Card, Cash, Interac
Web: cabaneasucreaupieddecochon.com

On Montreal Restaurant Bar et Boeuf (Sea Bass & Beef) Chef Deck says:

One of the perks of being a Chef Deck is being invited to try new restaurants in order to do biased reviews. Luckily I’m a man of great honour (like Frank Dux, like put up your dux) and would never review a comped meal. What I do have to say about this reinvented bistro (formerly Wilson) is that the ambiance, menu and prices are fresh, original and decent. They also have a great wine list which is reasonably priced. Another perk is that they got restaurant Le Local`s chef Alexandre Gosselin who is bound to keep things creative, and who introduced a 4 and 7 course taster menu ($49 – $59) with wine pairings ($79 – $109). So eatwellers, I’m gonna leave the reviewing up to you on this one, go with your most discriminating pallets and let me know if you think it’s worth the hoopla!

Food presentation: geometric/10
Price: $8-$22 apps and $17-$30 mains/10
Tastiness: Up to our loyal followers/10

Chef Deck signing out!

Restaurant Bar et Boeuf Montreal Information

500 McGill (corner Notre-Dame), Old-Montreal
Metro: Square-Victoria
Phone: 514-866-3555
Email: info@baretboeuf.com
Hours: Lunch Tues – Fri 11:30 am – 2:00 pm; Dinner Tues – Sat 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Payment: Visa, MC, Amex, Interac
Website: baretboeuf.com

On Old Montreal Restaurant Le Local Chef Deck says:

If I was homeless in the city of Montreal I would chose to sleep under the bridge on University corner of William Street. Why you ask? Well for one, there are lots of rich business people to beg from, two I could eat at Cluny’s Restaurant every day for lunch, three I can cleanse in the river, four I could pursue my dream of being an artist at the Darling Foundry, five I could steel the new biki government bikes on William street for transport, and six I could jack people’s meals on the terrace of Restaurant Le Local for dinner! So yes I am a fan of this fine Old Montreal restaurant designed by architects Lemay Michaud. On this particular night we started with escargot and homemade gnocchi which were great, and a beet salad with crispy bacon, breaded poached egg and truffle oil that I crave every night. For the mains we had decent ravioli with duck confit, and a baby calves liver that was thick like a fillet mignon and delicious. Also a fun little tidbit is that the former chef of Leméac Charles-Emmanuel Pariseau has been hired by chef/owner Louis-François Marcotte, and their old chef Alexandre Gosselin is now at the new Bar et Boeuf. So if your ever robbed while enjoying your meal on the terrasse by a fat man, don’t worry because it is just I Chef Deck trying to fill my belly!

Tastiness: 8.44234349/10
Stars you can stock: we ran into the great Mosé Persico, local G-d/10
Price: $5-$20 apps and $19-$31 mains/10

Le Local Montreal Information

40 William. Old Montréal
Payment: Major Credit Cards, Interac
Metro: Square Victoria
Phone: 514 397 7737
Hours: (kitchen open): Mon – Fri, 11:30 am – midnight, Sat 5:30 pm – midnight, Sun 5:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Cuisine Type: Tapas, French, Bistro
Meal Type: Lunch, Dinner
Website: resto-lelocal.com

On Montreal Restaurant Griffintown Chef Deck says,

You know how when you play broken telephone the phrase “I want to eat a banana” becomes something like “is your sister eating a lama?”? Well Chef Deck has a feeling that somehow the phrase “Café Griffintown is so so” turned into “Café Griffintown is the bomb yo”. After many recommendations I had great expectations for this Montreal resto, and though I was excited by their menu, the food was relatively bland (needless to say it was no Liverpool House). We started with Buffalo Mozzarella and ham cheese sticks which were just wrong. This is not a cheese you deep fry because it releases the water, and the ham they used just overpowered this fine delicacy. We also started with gravlax on toast that was decent but nothing to tell mommy about. For the mains we ate a duck, lamb, and beef Burger which was good, and pasta which supposedly had duck confit in it (I could barely find a piece though) and truffle oil. I think they also forgot to salt the water for the pasta (big no no) because it was bland, and they really went cheap on the truffle oil. So don’t let my message get convoluted, because this Montreal Restaurant is just not worth the hype!

Tastiness: 6.23412847128 / 10
Ambiance: Bleh / 10
Price: mains $15-$25 / 10

Chef Deck signing out!

Griffintown Restaurant Information

1378, Notre Dame West
Montreal, Québec, H3C1K8
Metro: Lucien-L’Allier
Hours: Tues – Sat: 10 am – 10 pm, Sat – Sun brunch 10 am – 4 pm
Payment: Interac, Visa, MasterCard
Telephone: 514-931-JAZZ (5299)
Email: info@cafegriffintown.com
Web: Cafe Griffintown Website
Features: live music Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

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

Chef Deck had a lesson from the grand master mixologist Merlin Griffiths three nights ago in how to get your friends even drunker at dinner parties. The trick seems to be to use Bombay Gin in everything, and to talk until you lose your voice. Thankfully Louis-François Marcotte, Chef/Owner of Simpléchic and restaurant Le Local was the co-host and gave great easy recipes to accompany the fine Bombay Sapphire cocktails. The event was inspiring in that it stressed the importance of proper drink mixing, fresh ingredients, food pairing, and the fact that a good mixed drink can bring your dinner parties to the next plateau.

Chef Deck signing out!

Le Locale Restaurant Information

740 William, corner Queen St. Old Montreal
Phone: 514-397-7737
Hours: Mon – Fri 11:30 am – 12:00 am; Sat 3:30 pm – 12:00 am.
Payment: Cash, Interac, Visa, MC, AMEX
Le Local Website

Food and Cocktail recipes after the jump

 
Rouleau de prosciutto et tomates
12 tranches de prosciutto très minces
1 boule de mozzarella di Buffala coupée en 12 morceaux égaux
6 tomates séchées
1 L de roquette
Vieux balsamique
Poivre de moulin

Prendre unde trenche de prosciutto, quelques feuilles de roquette, 1 morceau de fromage et 1/2 tomate séchee et faire un rouleau avec le tout, Répéter lòpération, arroser le tout de vieux balsamique et poivrer généreusement.

Sapphire Ginger Mint
Glass: Highball or Collins glass
Ingredients:
1½ oz. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin
3 oz. Ginger ale
6 Fresh mint leaves

Method:
Place the mint leaves in your hand and clap once to open up the flavour.
Add all ingredients to the glass and fill with ice. Stir well to mix the mint flavour through the drink.

Thon saisi, shiitakes marinés
200g de thon qualité sushi
2 c. à soupe de graines de sésame
1 paquet de shiitakes (100g)
2 c. à soupe de vinaigre de riz
4 c. à soupe d`huile d’olive
1 c. à soupe de ciboulette
2 c. à soupe de sauce de soya ou tamari
2 c. à soupe de mayonnaise assaisonée de wasabi

Dans une poêle très chaude, saisir le morceau de thon sur tous les côtes durant 2 minutes et retirer celui-ci du feu, l’enrober de graines de sésame, sel et poivre. Dans le même poêlon, faire sauter les champignons que l’on aura préalablement équeutés et coupés en lamelles. Déglacer les champignons avec le vinaigre de riz et la sauce soya, ajouter de l’huile d’olive, la ciboulette ciselée et poivrer le tout. Dans une cuillère chinoise, mettre une fine tranche de thon et quelques champignons marinés sur le touté. Garnir de graines de sésame et d`un goutte de mayonnaise au wasabi.

Sapphire Ultimate Martini
Glass: Chilled martini glass (medium size)

Ingredients:
1½ oz. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin
Dash Martini® Extra Dry Vermouth
1 Olive pitted and un-stuffed or 1 Large lemon zest

Method:
Fill a mixing glass to the brim with ice. Splash over the vermouth, stir once, strain the excess liquid leaving the ice in the glass. Pour over the Bombay Sapphire, stir carefully but rapidly for 20-30 seconds, until ice-cold. Fine strain into the chilled martini glass. Garnish with either one olive on a pick, or by twisting the lemon zest over the surface of the drink to release the oils, according to taste.

Garnish:
Classic 1 x Olive – pitted and preferably un-stuffed
Twist 1 x Large lemon zest
Gibson 2 x Silver skin onion (cocktail onion)
Franklin 2 x Olives – pitted and preferably un-stuffed
Twelves 3 x Olives – pitted and preferably un-stuffed
Dirty 1tsp of Olive Brine from the jar & 3 x Olives
Dickens No garnish (no olive or twist)

On Montreal Restaurant Momesso’s Chef Deck Says:

Sergio Momesso might not have been the best Montreal hockey player in the world but his legacy lives on through his faultless sub. In my humble opinion Momesso’s Restaurant has by far the greatest Montreal sub I ever tasted. I have only ever experienced their sausage sub, because once you go spicy sausage, you can never go back. The meat is so succulent, the spice is just right, the bread has the ideal crisp, and the coleslaw brings together the medley of perfection. I’m also smitten with their onion rings which add to the overall utopia of flavors. So to finish if you or anyone out there wants a real legacy (not a commercial Wayne Gretzky one) stuff that sausage and that sausage will stuff you!

Food: 9.2323324422/ 10
Atmosphere: The Montreal Forum/ 10
Price: $10-$15 a person/10

Chef Deck signing out!

Momesso’s Restaurant Information

5562 Upper Lachine Road, NDG, Montreal
Phone  514-484-0005 
Hours: 7 am – Midnight (hours can vary), Closed Sunday
Cusine: Italian sandwich, Cafe, Esspresso