Montreal Notebook

Marie-Claude Lortie of La Presse headlines her mostly positive review of Venti Osteria "Simple and Good."

I've blogged before about chef Michele Forgione and his success at KOKO. Venti Osteria opened a couple months ago in the space formerly occupied by BBQ Montreal, which lasted less than two years, and before that, the nicely contrived buy poorly named Stew Stop.

Lortie writes that innovation isn't the hallmark of this restaurant, but if you're looking for simple, delicious Italian food, you've found it. She describes tasty charcuterie plates, and melt-in-your-mouth ricotta gnocchi, although notes it was accompanied by a tomato sauce that was perhaps a bit too simple.

Her review is short, so I recommend you read it, but in summary, it looks like that there's a new dining option in the more fashionable western end of the Old City, and another choice for Italian besides Graziella on McGill, which is quite excellent.

Venti Osteria: 372 St-Paul O. You can book through OpenTable.

There are also more Michelin one star-like restaurants in the 6.5 million Bay Area than in the 3.5 million Montreal area, and SF has more money and wealth to spend on fine restaurants. Having said all that, for foodies Montreal is a more interesting place than SF, in my opinion.

It comes from someone who identifies as a part-time resident of both cities. (Oh to be her or him!) Here's the key takeaway from the post:

... The key to Montreal isn't the Michelin angle, but rather the literally dozens of outstanding bistros and upscale/re-invented comfort food establishments, most of them relatively informal, yet often delivering presentations that would compete favorably with a lot of the SF Michelin restaurants. Overall, Montreal's dining scene is both more exciting AND more innovative than the SF scene.

This is something that we really took to heart on our latest trip to Montreal in December '10. We pursued a couple of the "high-end" dining experiences like Toqué, which is really quite wonderful. But we made an extra effort to seek out even more of the bistro restaurants than before, and we were amply rewarded with unforgettable experiences at Le Chien Fumant, Liverpool House, and even Laloux, which didn't strike us as quite the brilliant restaurant it had been in 2008 and 2009.

I'll have more to say about those meals, but I wanted to throw this your way, if you're planning your meals in Montreal. And be sure to consider the recommendations in the post I've linked: Les 400 Coups (we LOVED it), La Porte, Cafe Ferreira.

I'm intrigued to hear that Michele Forgione (most recently of KOKO in the Opus Hotel up on Sherbrooke) is chef-partner in a new venture opening in Old Montreal in mid-April: Venti Osteria Italiana.

He had changed the Asian-fusion menu at KOKO (we tried it in the pre-Forgione era back in 2007, and found it, to sound like an annoying Yelp reviewer... forgettable) to more homey Italian fare, and with good result. Now he's taking this approach to the new venture. This is worth watching.

Especially since his bolognese recipe wins the Gazette's "Chef Smackdown" contest - which pitted him against Angelo Baggio, chef-owner of Salute. Lesley Chesterman, who has the task of judging, said this of Forgione's bolognese:

Served atop homemade tagliatelle, Forgione’s bolognese was less meaty than Baggio’s but the flavour was more complex, with layers of beefy, porky and slightly smoky tastes running through each bite. The sauce was rich, yet not in the least bit cloying. And the thin fresh pasta ribbons provided the ideal foil for the porridge-textured sauce. This sauce also felt like one cohesive mass, whereas the other, with bits of tomato and basil and meat, lacked this one’s sophisticated, multi-dimensional flavour.

Not sure of the location for the new restaurant, but I'll pass it along as soon as I have details. If you know, let me know!

UPDATE: I meant to add this awhile back - Venti Osteria Italiana is in the old BBQ Montreal location, which is also the old Stew Stop location, for those who remember the very nice (although quite unfortunately named) organic light meal/wine bar that lasted less than a year, if memory serves me. (372 St-Paul Ouest)

Forgione's twitter feed

Many restaurants close on Christmas Eve, and most are closed on Christmas Day. The options? There's always Chinese. We enjoyed a fun dim sum lunch at Ruby Rouge in Montréal's Chinatown on Christmas 2008. As for dinners, we've found our best bet to be hotel restaurants, most of which stay open for their guests, however small the number of guests might be. Our go-to's for the past 6 years? Bonaparte, which creates a rather beautiful and delicious French/Quebecois meal on Christmas Eve and Christmas night; and Otto at the W Hotel, which offers Italian-inspired food, also quite good.

Otherwise, be prepared for everything to be closed, from shops in the Underground City to the Couche-tard down the street. Particularly in the Old City, it's not a good day to be in need of a quick snack, a toothbrush or a box of tissues, so think ahead on 12/23 or Christmas Eve so you're not caught.

In other words, it's really not that different from a Christmas Day back home, but back home you're not restricted to what's in your suitcase. If you're staying at a hotel or auberge that offers a breakfast, there's an extra guaranteed meal that you won't have to think about.

Chowhounders are discussing what restaurants will be open in Montréal this holiday season - check out the conversation and join in, if you have any suggestions. If you're staying in the city over the holidays, your concierge can help you, and you can consult OpenTable to see which of its participating restaurants.

What's our plan for this year? Bonaparte on Christmas Eve... and on Christmas night, most likely Otto, unless something more intriguing grabs our attention.

(photo: Laloux on 12/20/09)

The restaurant plan: thus far, reservations are in place for Toque!, DNA, Les 400 Coups, and Bonaparte. I expect more reservations for Laloux (11/28 now made) and Au Pied de Cochon this weekend, with some "gap-filling" over the next couple weeks.

• 12/17 Toque!
• 12/18 DNA
• 12/20 Laloux
• 12/21 Les 400 Coups
• 12/24 Bonaparte

Another note, while I'm here: Marie-Claude Lortie has an interesting review of DNA in La Presse. Push it through Google Translate if you need to, it's worth reading.

I'll leave late morning on 12/17 and should arrive mid-afternoon in Montréal. My friends, my now perennial holiday revelers in the city, arriving late Thursday.

Eric Gonzalez has been in the kitchen at The Saint-Gabriel for about 10 months now, so it's time for the critics to descend. Robert Beauchemin has... and his review in La Presse is laudatory.

A word about Gonzalez. His resumé includes Lutetia, Cube (where I first encountered him, on Cube's final night in 2006), XO, and Laloux (my second encounter with him, in 2009). The reviews of all the restaurants under his care have been generally quite positive, and I loved the Cube and Laloux dinners.

photo: gravlax with celeriac puree and granny smith apple, served with the Gerard Boulay 2008 Sancerre (Laloux 12/19/2009)

Beauchemin writes that, after Cube, Gonzalez had a sojourn through the wilderness, in the rococo St James Hotel (XO) and at the small bistro in the Plateau (Laloux). Well, whatever the case, Gonzalez is back in the old city and according to Beauchemin, is winning converts with his cooking - it looks simple and rustic, but in your mouth, what you taste is subtlety and skill.

Read the review... throw it up against Google Translate if your French is rusty. We're planning to eat there in December and I'll report back with details and pics.

With 92 days remaining before the annual Christmas trip to Montréal, here's the dinner plan:

2010 Working Restaurant List

• Fri 12/17 - Toque! 
• Sat 12/18 - DNA 
• Sun 12/19 - Au Pied de Cochon 
• Mon 12/20 - Graziella 
• Tue 12/21 - les 400 coups 
• Wed 12/22 - Laloux 
• Thu 12/23 - Le Chien Fumant 
• Fri 12/24 - Bonaparte (Reserved 7pm)
• Sat 12/25 - Otto 
• Sun 12/26 - TBD

There are a number of other restaurant possibilities waiting in the wings, among them Mas, 3 Petit Bouchons, Brasserie t!, La Fabrique, le Saint-Gabriel.

The usual holiday placeholders are present: Otto and Bonaparte... both of which are perfectly good choices for dining on Christmas eve and Christmas night. Making a first time appearance: Le Chien Fumant and les 400 coups, the new restaurant opened by Marc-André Jetté and Patrice Demers.

This list will change over the coming three months, and as we navigate restaurant holiday schedules. But this is where we start.

It's official: Marc-André Jetté and Patrice Demers will open les 400 coups at 400 Notre-Dame Est in Old Montréal. This is the old space for Le Resident, which lasted only about a year.

Look for les 400 coups in October! (or thereabouts) And join the new 400 coups group on Facebook.

(photo is the space in the age of Le Resident)