Dining in Montreal

I was recently in Montreal and when I asked friends on Facebook where I should dine a common response was Toronto, a city known for excellent Asian cooking.  But I was in Montreal not in Toronto  and  I’d been in this charming city several years ago and had eaten well.  We had tried several nouvelle cuisine restaurants whose names I don’t remember but what stuck in our mind was the smoked meat from Schwartz’s. We did not have a chance to try one of the pork  nose to tail menus like that of  the legendary Au Pied du Cochon, famous for its vain clogging potrine, so this time I was determined to try it. The steamer clams were fantastic with a creamy cheesy sauce as was the apple, endive, half-pound-of-Roquefort-or-so- it seemed salad.  There were some  too greasy squash blossoms and a pretty good country-style pate.  Only the pied du cochon was disappointing. Everything was incredibly rich and I enjoyed it but I probably would try instead to get a reservation at Nora Gray next time I visit.

Since I did not get too many recommendations, I looked up places to eat in Montreal online like any plugged in individual would do and found a great article on the 9 best places to eat. Curiously it popped right up while I searched in Montreal however now that I’m back in New York it does not  show up. There are many other articles that you can peruse. The article recommended restaurant Lawrence as their number one choice and lauded co-owner and chef Marc Cohen. I went there by myself and ordered a tasting menu which they don’t really do but graciously accommodated me. Not only that but they served half glasses of wine so I’d have the right one for each dish. You got to love a place like that! The service was incredibly warm and solicitous. I felt good there and dined extremely well.

First course was a plate of their home made charcuterie: smoked ham, two different kind of sausages and luscious pate.

The chef is Marc Cohen, 6 feet 4 inches tall or there about, shy but very talented.  His food is not very photogenic but it explodes with flavor. The heirloom tomato and bread salad was extraordinary with roasted red peppers and anchovies an added twist.

The sea urchin pasta was the best I have ever had and, believe me, I order it any time I see it on a menu and it is always impossible for me to photograph.

Cod followed and it was good but not as exciting as the other dishes I had sampled but then again I seldom think cod is thrilling. Still there was a deliciously silky potato puree on the bottom.

I had ordered two more dishes : beef cheeks and a lamb stew but I could not eat any more. The beef was really good but I wish I’d had the lamb too.  This young man is very talented.