Pleased to meet you, Lili Co.
THE CO-OWNERS SAID they were ready to be ‘judged,’ and they were entirely correct
Lili Co. ¬¬½ $$-$$$ 4650 Mentana St. (at Bienville St.) Phone: 514-507-7278 Open: Monday to Saturday
6 p.m. to midnight Wheelchair access: No Reservations: Recommended Parking: On the street Vegetarian friendly: Not especially Licensed: Yes Cards: Major cards Price range: Small plates: $3-$18; desserts $6-$7
There is an unwritten rule with restaurant critics that you must keep your distance with chefs. So much so that I recall a rather heated critics’ roundtable I took part in where some critics said that you should only ever talk to chefs on the phone and, God forbid, never friend them on Facebook. So I figure if you run into a chef, your choices are:
Hide behind the nearest potted plant.
Make like you don’t see him/her.
Pretend like you don’t know who s/he is.
It’s strange, this distance we keep. The level of discomfort is palpable when I meet chefs. I can see them looking antsy, and my palms start to sweat. It’s all just so awkward. This makes me sad, though, because I love chefs. I like to debate with them, learn from them, and I want them to know that I’m rooting for them (well, the majority, at least. There are a few for whom my rooting intentions are limited).
A decade back, I’d occasionally receive a handwritten letter from a chef, but lately I’m happy to get emails, which, save for the odd offensive rant, tend to be positive. One stood out lately for being so bold as to specifically request a review. The co-owners, Catherine Draws and David Pellizzari, wrote that their spanking new resto, Lili Co, was ready to be, as they put it, “judged.” They had been open for more than a month in the spot that last housed the excellent Bistro Le Bienville. Located in the heart of the Plateau, this 30-seat space is now under the chef rule of Pellizzari, who has worked at Réservoir, Buvette chez Simone and a restaurant called The Whip in B.C. Draws has worked at Buvette chez Simone as well, and a certain Jack Jacob has compiled their wine and cocktail lists. It was all sounding so promising!
Their letter went on to say they are proud of their res- taurant and believe it would make an ideal candidate for the fine-dining column. You might think this happens often, but, honestly, in the past 15 years, this kind of candid invitation was a first. How cool. I called and booked a table under one of my fake names, and made my way to the Plateau with two eager gourmets.
Upon arrival, I noted a few changes. As before, the kitchen is still open for all to see, and there is seating at the bar and regular tables. But now there’s a new high table with stools near the window, and the walls are black with a mural on the back wall consisting of a flower-shaped design made up of ladies, forks, knives and feathers. Love it. This restaurant has style!
I saw Pellizzari behind the bar and I assumed Draws was the elegant blond serving us. I was tempted to say hello to my new pen pals, but kept my distance, preferring instead to quietly peruse their offalladen menu. The letter described the cuisine as “small plates for sharing created with market produce and inspired by the chef ’s love of ‘abats,’ ” a.k.a., innards, offal, organ meats or odd bits. The wine list is a winner. Made up of a dozen reds and as many whites (some SAQ listings and some private imports), the list is fairly priced (half the bottles under $55) and even offers a Champagne for $88. Sweet.
The food is served in smallplate portions, and sharing is encouraged. Prices are under $20 per plate, which means you can eat well here for a fair price.
We began with fried dumplings stuffed with a spinach and herb filling served with a simple crème fraîche sauce. Shatteringly crisp, piping hot and well seasoned, these babies were a treat. And then the plates just kept on coming while Pellizzari cooked right there beside us (if I had my way, every kitchen in Montreal would be open plan). Next up came a single braised leek, served scattered with chopped black olive, coffeeinfused oil and a spoonful of homemade ricotta. I loved the bold presentation as well as the interesting flavour combo with the elegant leek gussied up with the olive.
The offal offerings were good, especially the dish of the night, rabbit hearts “bourguignons.” Bold in presentation, the dish consisted of a mix of braised rabbit hearts, button mushrooms, parsley, lardons (bacon) in a luscious wine sauce, the whole scatted with tiny Jerusalem artichoke chips. The squeamish at the table hesitated over the hearts, but sliced as they were, they were unidentifiable and just so tasty and tender. No doubt this heart dish is one of my “coups de coeur” of 2013.
The blood pudding was another winner. Served with a creamy squash purée tinged with curry, the dish was topped with yogurt and pea tendrils. Though the amount of purée was a bit excessive, the blood pudding swimming in it all was bang-on, with the requisite rich-but-not metallic flavour and texture of the best devil’s food cake.
For the next dish, I asked Pellizzari (since I was seated next to the kitchen counter) whether I should opt for his tail or tongue (big laughs all around), as both veal tongue and tail are on the menu. He chose the tail, which was placed on a creamy white polenta with creole seasonings and some nice chunks of chorizo sausage. I loved the unctuousness of the polenta/spicy sauce combo, yet I wished there was a bit more meat on the slices of tail, which were as bony as you’d imagine. Next time, I will definitely try the tongue. And our last savoury dish, grilled calamari, also left me wanting. I liked the Asian play of flavours, especially the edamame beans and sesame, and the grilled banana pepper was just delicious. But the squid itself was too tough, I kept thinking, as I sawed my way through every slice.
Only two desserts were on offer and they were good enough to make me wish there were more. The first, pieces of scone with strawberry preserves, raspberries, vanilla ice cream and crumble, was nice. But the second, fried beignets with dulce de leche, bananas, a spicy cream and walnuts, was just amazing. We ordered two beignets for the three of us, and had we not been so polite, I’m sure we would have come to blows over the last bite.
Over the last sips of our organic Rioja (Ijalba Reserva 2008), we lingered, chatting and soaking up the warm ambience. To complain a little bit, I can’t avoid mentioning the occasional racket coming out of the kitchen and the fact that we often poured our own wine. But I liked Lili Co. a lot, and I see much potential here. The food is very good, the wines are great and the prices are fair. My only regret is that I didn’t introduce myself on the way out. But, I guess, in a way, I get to do that here. So, thanks, guys, and hi. Oh, and by the way, nice restaurant! You can hear Lesley Chesterman on ICI Radio-Canada Première’s Médium Large (95.1 FM) every Tuesday at 10 a.m., and on CHOM (97.7 FM) every Wednesday at 7:10 a.m.