A MONTREAL INSTITUTION
Monkland Tavern review
There is a wonderful feeling familiar to us Montrealers that comes with that first meal of the year enjoyed on a terrasse. After being cooped up for close to eight months, Montrealers welcome terrasse season with about as much enthusiasm as hockey season. We’re talking excitement. Often, though, we get out a bit too early, sit there shivering while sipping a glass of rosé and saying, between chattering teeth, “Isn’t it great to be eating outside again?” After supper, we dash home for a hot shower, an even hotter toddy and a snooze alongside a hot water bottle.
My first alfresco meal for 2017, though, was enjoyed on an especially balmy Monday at one of the most sought-after terrasses in town: that of N.D.G.’s beloved Monkland Tavern. When the hostess offered me a table either in the snazzy indoor space or on the pretty terrasse, I opted for the latter, and because I arrived at about 6:30 p.m., there were still such options. Diners beware: this restaurant is not only popular, it also does not take reservations. So if you want a great seat, either show up early, especially late, or get ready to wait.
The Monkland Tavern has long been my idea of the ideal neighbourhood restaurant. There’s a great mix of friendly staff, a give-the-people-what-they-want menu and quality libations, from the cocktails to the superb and well priced wine list, resulting in the most soothing of dining experiences. The restaurant was renovated last year and now features French blue walls, a black and white tile floor, and antique light fixtures next to the cool bar and surrounding 50 seats (there are 20 more outside).
I spot a woman eating dinner with two girls in school uniforms. When they leave, a group of four arrives and one — a regular, no doubt — describes every menu item in great detail. The crowd definitely leans anglo, as does the cuisine, with dishes such as salmon (both filet and tartare), steaks and pastas, including that king of all comfort foods, mac ’n’ cheese. I’m a fan of all the above dishes and am happy to be back; my last review was in 2009.
My initial impressions are that my waiter is exceptionally smiley and the menu is surprisingly short. We spend a few minutes perusing the list of appetizers, pastas and main courses and, after putting in our drink requests, order the food. Our waiter smiles some more, makes some recommendations concerning wine and leaves us all smiling. The food quickly arrives, and we plow into our plates of Caesar salad, beet salad and Thai shrimp.
The Caesar is pretty classic and is sure to please those who favour a heavy-on-anchovy rather than heavy-on-garlic dressing. Some of the romaine leaves are past their prime, but the crunch is there, the croutons are there, and so are the Parmesan flakes. Can’t say it’s the best Caesar I’ve ever tasted, but it doesn’t disappoint.
The beet salad, though, is a downer. The artfully arranged red and yellow beets are placed over cold wild rice and topped with apple slices and baby Swiss chard leaves. A sprinkling of quinoa and curls of Comté cheese play supporting roles. Gussied up with a cider reduction, the cubes of cooked beets are quite nice, but the rest falls flat: the rice is undercooked, and the garnishes are played too minimally to make much of an impression. And all that, like the Caesar salad, comes in at a pretty steep $16. Hmm.
Happily, the Thai shrimp is a winner. Large, pudgy and cooked to the ideal tender-meets-resilient texture, the shrimp are coated in a light, tempura-like batter and served in a Thai sauce to which we add a spritz of lime. Simple yet well done.
Main courses arrive soon after and we enjoy them all, with a special mention for the terrific 5555 hamburger. Stacked high on a poppyseed and onion bun with extras including tomato, caramelized onions, pickles and shredded iceberg lettuce soaked in Tavern sauce, this USDA choice Black Angus burger is moist, meaty and pretty terrific. I would come back to the Tavern for that sublime hunk of deliciousness alone. But next time, here’s hoping the accompanying french fries won’t be so pallid and will live up to that magnificent burger. For now, I’d recommend opting for the side salad.
Our other mains include rigatoni with meatballs and a Milanese-style breaded pork chop with cacio e pepe spaghetti. Not too dense nor falling-apart light, the meatballs have the right texture and a welcome tingle of spice. Love them. I like the rigatoni as well, though the entire dish comes out a bit dry. A shot of pasta water, a lug of olive oil and some cheese (none was offered) would make a world of difference.
As for the pork, I slice through the thick chop, enjoying the golden crisp shell and the juicy meat within. The spaghetti is a bit oily, but tasty nonetheless. This dish comes with pasta or rapini, but I can’t help thinking how much better it would be with a bit of both, if only to alleviate the guilt of eating such calorie-rich fare without any greens.
While polishing off our mains, I overhear our waiter describing several daily specials to diners at the table next to us. What the ...? Daily specials? Listed on a blackboard not visible to us terrasse dwellers, the specials include dishes such as Arctic char, porchetta, more pastas and fresh oysters. I call over the waiter and ask him about it, and he says we ordered so quickly that he figured we were regulars who knew what we wanted. Hmm. Considering how many specials are on offer, neglecting to mention
them, even to regulars, is quite a misstep — a shame, as the fellow had been doing a bang-up job thus far.
Desserts don’t help end the meal on a high note. The first, a pineapple cake flavoured with the bitter liqueur Fernet-Branca, is undercooked and excessively salty, no doubt enhanced by the bitterness of the booze. The second is a pecan and chocolate chip cookie that I’m sure is a big hit with the regulars but really, when you get down to it, is an undercooked cookie topped with ice cream and sold for $11. I’m told a new dessert menu is in the works. Good, because I’m sure they could do better.
No doubt every seat will be filled tonight at the Monkland Tavern, and rightly so. This restaurant has ambience in spades and so much to offer. But when exiting, I felt the whole thing could have been sharper, with more focused cooking and a notch more professional service. This Montreal institution is wildly popular, but it wouldn’t take that much work to make it that much better.