SubscribeDINNER August 15, 2008
The first time I ate at Bistro Bienville, I was impressed. Expertly prepared seasonal cuisine paired with fantastic service showed that this little 25-seater could compete with the best that Montreal has to offer. Fast forward a couple years and I’m a little surprised that, notwithstanding being named one of the top new restaurants in Canada by semi-clueless EnRoute, Bistro Bienville has not generated the kind of buzz that my last meal there seemed to telegraph.
I’ve been meaning to come back for a while to have another anonymous run through the menu but as soon as the JJ and I pony up to the bar we are accosted by a co-worker who seems to be on a first name basis with the entire staff. Outed for the first time I still can’t help but relax as our waiter runs through the menu and, after some wine chit chat, pours me a nice Domaine de L’Anglore rosé from Tavel.
The space is still cute as a button with an open kitchen fronting a long stone bar behind which there are tables with room for twenty or so more souls. Rough wood floors contrast with austere white walls, black chairs and a stainless steel kitchen all of which is nicely offset by a shock of red wall and an inviting looking wine cellar at the back of the room.
On the corner of de Mentana and Bienville
The menu seems to have evolved since my last visit on which I ordered three bigger-than-appetizers-smaller-than-mains plates. Now a nice selection of appetizers are paired with big mains perfect for sharing, like a grilled fish, or a filet de boeuf topped with béarnaise and served with root vegetables.
I start with a tomato truffle and lardons tart: a crisp pastry disk topped with a lukewarm mix of sautéed onions, truffle and lardons and slices of neatly arranged sliced tomatoes. The tomatoes have been refrigerated for a while and are mealy. While the flavours of the tart complement each other well, it generally doesn’t stand up well. By contrast, the JJ’s scallop carpaccio with a bite of bitter greens is textbook clean, simple and fresh. Perfect.
Tomato, Truffle and Lardon Tart
Redemption comes in the form of a roast Cornish hen topped with a gaggle of sautéed pleurottes and spigaielli, an obscure rapini like vegetable of Italian origin. They say that a roast chicken, like an omelette, is a true test of a cook’s skill and, if it is, then the kitchen at Bistro Bienville is well skilled indeed. A perfectly juicy bird with crispy skin and bursting with flavour, my only complaint is that I would have liked a little starch on the plate to soak up those fantastic drippings. The recommended Bourgogne Cuvee Gravel 2006 from Catherine et Claude Marechal hits the spot nicely as well.
The Cornish Game Hen: Home Run
For dessert, the panna cotta has a nice tinge of crème fraiche but strays towards the gelatinous. The stewed strawberries on top seem a little out of place in midsummer, but this panna cotta is still nothing to sneer at. The cremeux au chocolat fares even better with a great consistency, big chocolate taste and a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness.
Not as good as I remembered, but those were lofty standards indeed. Bistro Bienville still produces food that would put many a better known Montreal bistro to shame, the setting is precious and the staff more than helpful. The emphasis on shared mains make it an interactive and (dare I say it, even romantic) choice. I will be back, hopefully before another two years have elapsed
Cost: Approximately $150 for the aforementioned and a bottle of Badoit and a couple of espressos, the whole with tax and tip.
Bistro Bienville
4650 de Mentana
514.509.1269
www.bistrobienville.com
