DINNER December 19, 2009

I only knew two things about Resident: it had been named one of the top five spots for comfort food in the city by Elle Québec and they served a mini-Thanksgiving dinner plate  for one. The first point didn’t seem like much of an endorsement, but the second did. While I would like to claim that it was an insatiable lust for the taste of Thanksgiving that led our group of 20 to Resident on this blustery December evening, the truth is that we couldn’t get into Le Local.  Rather than opting for the humdrum bistro offerings of the group menu at Holder, our little band chose the road less travelled, making our way to the outskirts of civilization (the eastern periphery of Old Montreal) and into the warm embrace of Resident.

And warm it is, with soft lighting, lofty ceilings of copper painted tiles, dark wood and a muted yet trendy soundtrack: the fake  yak  head above the bar is the only uncomfortable note in surroundings an otherwise ideal antidote to the weather outside. Having worked a fair bit in the trade, I always feel bad for waiters who have to deal with big groups. We trickled in slowly, we convened an improptu cocktail near the bar and we sat down to eat around an hour too late, but the waitstaff took it all with a stiff upper lip, if not necessarily too many smiles. In our defence, we were not the worst offenders, as they permitted an aging half-stoned strumpet to traipse around the room disturbing the other patrons for the better part of an hour before finally expelling her. Too much velvet glove, not enough iron fist. In running a restaurant one must always remember not to let the riff raff disturb the patrons–because they inevitably blame the restaurant for it–as I am doing now.

The name of the game at Resident is modern comfort food: simple dishes given a bit of an upscale twist. The burger is made with bison, the grilled cheese contains lobster, shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb and the hot dog is served with truffle and parmesan fries–you get the picture.  Tempura onion rings with home made ketchup and crab cakes with sriracha mayo lead us off. The only thing “tempura” about the onion rings is the description on the menu, as the stack of bulky fried onions have more in common with carnival food than their Japanese namesake. The onions are encased in a gob of thick beer batter and have an off putting doughy softness instead of a nice crunch. The bigger ones are more like onion doughnuts than rings. I am an afficionado of homemade ketchup and really like the one Resident serves with the rings: not too sweet, with a deep  tomato flavour. After reading nothing but raves about the crab cakes I was expecting something pretty spectacular on the plate. While the two fist-sized cakes are impressive to look at, they are composed mostly of potatoes, with stringy bits of crab that can hardly be tasted. The sriracha mayo is a must as the cakes are pretty tasteless without it and since you don’t have to worry about overwhelming the taste of the crab, it’s a no-brainer. The  cakes are nicely cooked with a nice crunchy exterior and are very reasonably priced ($7) considering how big they are. Then again, potatoes aren’t exactly expensive.

In a cruel twist of fate, the mini-Thanksgiving dinner was not available on this evening. Thankfully, the special was roasted quail with mashed potatoes and a cranberry orange reduction, which was a close enough facsimile for me. The quail had been marinated and had a great depth of flavour which was accented by the perfect cooking, resulting in a succulent flavorful bird. The rest of the plate was not on the same level though, with mashed potatoes that were tasty but a little dry (some might say rustic) for my taste, the reduction  a little too sweet and the appearance of asparagus on a plate in December a bit of a turn-off.  The much anticipated lamb’s shepherd’s pie also failed to impress as much as expected. While pains had been taken with the presentation, the modernish round mold of pie topped with the selfsame veg was too bold a presentation for this unassuming dish. The combination of mash, corn and lamb were  tasty, but nothing more than you would expect from, say, your aunt’s cooking.

There are have been a few theories bounced around about the re-emergence of comfort food in these recessionary times, with some seeing the trend as stemming from a desire of patrons to seek out security in the foods they enjoyed as children. Personally, I think the re-emergence is largely due to the fact that most people don’t know how to cook anymore. People have always gone to restaurants to eat the kind of meals they couldn’t or weren’t likely to make at home and these days that doesn’t just mean Beef Wellington it extends even to the simple dishes on which most of us were raised. I like that more and more restaurants are serving comfort food but I expect it to be at least as good as what I make at home. The food at Resident wasn’t bad (especially considering the prices) but it wasn’t great either and, apart from the quail, I wouldn’t have been too excited to serve any of  it at Casa Thelonious. So, I guess what I’m saying is that if you are a terrible cook, Resident is likely to be a lot more impressive than it is to someone who knows their brunoise from their mirepoix. I don’t think I’ll be back myself but can’t begrudge those who like it.

Did you have a different experience at Resident? Do you have a favorite restaurant for comfort food (either on or under the radar)?  Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think.

Resident
400 Notre-Dame E.
514.844.1466
http://www.residentrestaurant.com/

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