Relief! Yes, relief is what I felt last week when I dined at Laloux. Then came happiness and, finally, newfound excitement.
It was no secret that this, one of Montreal’s
most beloved restaurants, had been in
turmoil since the departure last fall of its
long-standing chef, André Besson. Though
Besson’s elegant cuisine had evolved little
over the years, when dishes like his tourte
de gibier, and foie de veau a la vinaigre
de framboise were on, a meal at Laloux
seemed the epitome of fine French dining.
Yet when Besson left and various chefs
were brought in to rethink the concept,
scathing reviews followed. After a disappointing
experience in February, I exited
with spirits low. But just as I was about to
write up my dismal dinner, word came that
the dynamic chef duo of Danny St-Pierre
(formerly of Derriere les Fagots) and Patrice
Demers (a former partner and pastry
chef of Les Chevres) were coming on board.
Excellent news, I thought, but was this
team of twentysomethings the right choice
to rejuvenate this 18-year-old institution?
Oh yes, though Laloux in its most recent
incarnation feels quite different than
the restaurant I once knew. Not only is it
less expensive, it’s less formal. The crowd
is more casually dressed, more rambunctious,
and the food is French bistro as opposed
to French formal. I never thought
I’d say this, but Laloux 2007 is verging on
branché.
St-Pierre and Demers have decided to
take a sort of a “groundbreaking” breather
this time around. Following the recent
trend towards the casualization of fine
dining, their focus is on reworked bistro
classics such as coq au vin, braised lamb
shoulder, hot foie gras and pot de creme.
Yet because these two chefs are so smart
and experienced, reworked in this case
means dishes honed to an haute-cuisine
sheen.
Take, for example, the classic beet and
goat’s cheese salad. At Laloux, it’s just
that - two ingredients with a few walnuts
thrown in for good measure. But the presentation
is so lovely and the tastes and
textures are so utterly perfect that even a
restaurant critic in search of even the tiniest
faux pas could find no wrong.
St-Pierre’s plate presentations impress
without excess, a talent well demonstrated
by his delicious blood pudding “tart.” Made
up of a rectangle of hot apple jelly (thickened
with agar agar, no doubt so that heat
would not liquefy the layer) topped with a
half dozen slices of velvety sausage and a
sliver of puff pastry, it’s a dish that well
demonstrates the new Laloux approach.
I also admired an appetizer consisting
of succulent slices of smoked duck breast
paired with a generous round of foie gras
“au torchon” and a salad of carrots and
clementines. Best of all, it’s sold for a
more-than-reasonable $10, whereas that
same dish would cost well over $20 at any
other high-end restaurant - and probably
wouldn’t be as skillfully prepared.
Laloux’s new pricing policy merits a paragraph
alone. With starters averaging $8
and most mains under $25, the newfound
affordability of a dinner at Laloux is as
welcome as the rise of the Canadian dollar.
(I applaud the restaurant for opening up
the gourmet gates to budget-conscious dinners,
but having been led down that path
by other restaurants before, I’ll eat my hat
a year from now if this pricing policy is
still intact).
But back to the food, or more specifically
the silky marinated salmon served
with a refreshing celery-root “terrine” and
enough dill and creme fraiche to keep a
Ukrainian grandmother smiling (I know
because I have one). With this dish it really
struck me how talented St-Pierre is
at making such simple combinations sing.
When everything is in sync, who could ask
for anything more?
Yet with nothing like reduced sauces or
excess garnish to detract from the main
event, the false notes strike that much
louder. Case in point: a main course dish
of black cod wrapped in prosciutto served
with lentils and a concasse of tomatoes.
Though priced at only $19 and cooked just
so, the fish tasted excessively fishy. After
one “off” bite, I passed on a second, and
pitied my poor dining companion who had
to finish it.
I was also less than enthusiastic about
my dish: veal loin with sweetbreads.
Served with a barley risotto infused with
just that-much-too-much lemon zest, the
fat rectangle of veal loin was surprisingly
tough. After sawing my way through each
slice, I took solace in the two rounds of
sweetbreads that provided a melting contrast
to that unyielding hunk of meat.
The third main course - an unctuous halibut
filet served with delicate lobster gnocchi
and a tender piece of lobster claw meat
- was a knockout. Add a swirl of rich tarragon
and lobster sauce strewn with asparagus
spears, and this, my friends, is sure to
become Laloux’s new must-have dish.
Cheese has always been a must at Laloux
and that’s still the case. Laloux was the
first Montreal restaurant where I enjoyed
a cheese course, and the tradition continues
with diners choosing from a half dozen
local and imported cheeses.
Yet so high was our anticipation for dessert
that we barely touched the cheese. Patrice
Demers is one of the top pastry chefs
in Montreal, where excellent pastry chefs
are as rare as excellent pastry shops.
Having devoured several of his fabulous
sweets at Les Chevres, I expected fireworks.
Sadly, nothing wowed. His lemon
crepes, layered with ribbons of pineapple,
were nice enough, yet a slice of hazelnut
cake paired with a mascarpone cream
and rehydrated dried apricots infused
with tea, was dull. A glass of goat’s cheese
cream layered with graham-wafer crumble
was topped with a rhubarb sorbet that
didn’t taste much like rhubarb. And I had
to question why he would pair an acidic
sorbet with an acidic cheese? Considering
the low price on these desserts ($7 each)
I might be coming down a bit hard, but I
think St-Pierre’s savoury offerings played
the inexpensive card less noticeably than
Demers’s desserts. Next time I’ll opt for
the dessert and wine-pairing option, which
makes sense considering Laloux’s wine list
has long been one of the best in the city.
Service remains another of this restaurant’s
strengths. Neither formal nor too
forward, our waitress did everything right
and the in-house sommelier helped us
choose a wonderful white Cotes du Rhone
for our various meat and fish dishes. As
our meal for three came in at less than
$250 (before tax and tip), I’d say I’ll be seeing
those two sooner rather than later as I
plan to return to Laloux for lunch or dinner
ASAP.
If I had to choose the thing I enjoyed
most about the restaurant, it’s the newfound
sense of fun. Every seat was taken,
everyone looked happy, and on the
Thursday night of my dinner, a jazz trio
began to play at Pop! (the next-door wine
bar), where several of Laloux’s customers
headed post -digestif. I’m told that plans
are also underway for Demers to revamp
Pop!’s menu to include a dessert menu for
night owls and foodies in search of a last
bite before bed- time.
So it looks like happy days are at Laloux
again. And this time, for a song.”
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