YOUNG TALENT IN FINE BALANCE AT PIGOR
It’s all about teamwork, from outstanding cocktails to elaborate bistro de luxe menu
Restaurant critics receive dining recommendations from all sides — everyone from my mom to my dentist, to my kids’ friends, to the FedEx guy, to you dear readers. A few weeks ago, my friend Renaud told me he had a recommendation for me. Rather excited, he described the restaurant and handed me its card, which I immediately dropped into the depths of my handbag along with all the other recommended restaurant cards, saying, “Yeah, OK, thanks.” He smiled, I smiled back, I turned on my heel and so goes life.
But Renaud is one persistent fellow, and when I saw him a week later, his first question was: “So, how did you like the restaurant?” Sheepishly, I admitted I had not yet been, and when I saw the disappointment on his face I told him I’d get there that week. I fished the bright blue card out of my bag, saw the name Pigor and booked a table. The name was new to me, but Renaud was so enthusiastic that I was intrigued.
Pigor is located in Verdun, in the heart of the action on Wellington St. Formerly a café, the space was taken over by three partners: Sidney Gordon and sisters Julie Anna and Laurence Pilote. Julie Anna works as sommelier and Laurence as waitress. Gordon is the chef, and met Julie Anna working at Europea, and his sous-chef Gauthier Mauries while working at Casino de Montréal’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. No doubt, there’s a lot of talent and experience in this team.
The restaurant is divided into two rooms, and the one in which we were seated includes a small open kitchen. The decor is rather bare-bones, but the menu is elaborate. Prices are fair, considering luxury ingredients abound — think scallops, duck, sweetbreads, foie gras, halibut.
Before delving into the food, I’d recommend beginning with a cocktail. The list is one of the best I’ve seen, featuring 16 original cocktails as well as a halfdozen non-alcoholic options. Nice! The wine list is equally impressive, filled with all sorts of privately imported bottles, many of which are the love-’em-orleave-’em “vins nature.” I love a good natural wine when it’s well chosen, and Pilote has done just that. Prices are also fair here, but my one complaint is that there aren’t any bottles under $55 (that’s close to $70 with tax and tip), which leaves few options for the budget diner. Dommage — I’m sure a sommelier this talented could drum up a few low-cost winners.
Pigor’s name is a melding of the surnames of the Pilote sisters
and Gordon. It fits, because this establishment is all about teamwork. Laurence welcomes you and takes your order, Julie Anna swoops in for the drinks, and Gordon is in charge of the food. His style is definitely cheffy, but hardly as intricate as the plates assembled at Europea or L’Atelier. I’d categorize his menu more as bistro de luxe, with an emphasis on reinvented French favourites.
The plates are divided into cold and warm to begin, and hot to follow, but we were told you can order any way you please. We settled on three plates from each section, beginning with a brussels sprouts salad, steak tartare and braised carrots.
As with the wine list, I have one complaint with the menu: the lack of seasonal ingredients. We’re in the height of late-summer produce, so why feature so many autumnal vegetables? And why do neither of the desserts on offer count even one berry or a slice of stone fruit when those are so luscious at this time of year? Food for thought.
Right off the bat I’d give Gordon and Mauries a thumbs-up for strong technique and seasoning talent. Most everything I tasted was delicious. Served warm, the brussels sprouts salad was prepared Caesar-style, with bacon, croutons and Parmesan. I loved the perfect al-dente texture of the sprouts, and the flavour combination was great, but the croutons tasted as though they had come off a second-rate salad bar. And there were lots of them, so that needs a rethink.
Served in two fat quenelles, the steak tartare was a gentler take on this bistro fave. The usual spicy hit was exchanged for a nutty hit, with large hazelnuts in the mix as well as a welcome dose of mustard, the whole topped with a lacy tuile made of Comté cheese. The crisp, golden fries served alongside were icing on the cake, as was the homemade mayonnaise dipping sauce. Yum!
The carrots were also excellent, cooked using a low-temperature technique (giving them a uniform melting texture) and served with fresh cheese overtop, garnished with fresh herbs and sprouts. Tarragon oil provided the finishing touch of flavour, along with a smear of a sauce described as carrot pesto (that’s a first). Impressive.
The hot plates carried on the high level of quality, beginning with a lovely halibut filet paired with a large roasted beet flavoured with a vinaigrette made with gin (Canopée gin from Quebec, no less) and juniper berries. At first I feared the beet would overpower the fish, but the delicate halibut worked well with the sweet beet, and the juniper was underplayed. The duck breast was equally successful, paired with roasted turnips and quite a bit of bitter orange purée. Unless it’s overwhelmingly sweet, I enjoy a good duck and fruit combo, and happily this was well balanced, as the bitter orange was swirled with the duck pan juices.
Finally there was the best dish of the night, a spinach risotto mixed with shrimp, aioli and Parmesan. Emerald green in colour, the rice counted a generous portion of crustaceans and was beautifully garnished with a layer of fresh herbs and greens. Risotto has been sort of a dead restaurant dish lately, but this version rejuvenated the Italian classic.
For desserts, there were two options: a deconstructed lemon meringue pie and a chocolate cream layered with sesame tuiles and caramelized bananas. Both were good, if a little dull. And as stated above, the lack of seasonal produce seemed like a missed opportunity — I’m sure most people would rather eat a bowl of figs or peaches than caramelized bananas at this time of year.
But otherwise, I’d say “magnifique” for not only the quality of cooking, but the solicitous service from the wonderfully warm Pilote sisters and the two chefs, who introduced themselves after supper. Kudos to these young restaurateurs for providing such a strong dining experience.
Oh, and as for Renaud: when we met again, I said, “Hey, I got to your restaurant. It was great!” He smiled and looked pleased, and while thanking him for the recommendation, I couldn’t help thinking maybe it’s time I fished more of those cards out from the bottom of my bag. You can hear Lesley Chesterman on ICI Radio-Canada Première’s Médium Large (95.1 FM) Tuesdays at 10 a.m., and on CHOM (97.7 FM) Wednesdays at 7:10 a.m. criticsnotebook@gmail.com twitter.com/LesleyChestrman