Brad's Montreal Odyssey -- Day 2

The second of the daily blogs, stressing food and drink, from Montreal!

Slept late after a long day of travel topped by L'Express. That meant, though, that I was at the mercy of what would be near my 2 p.m. classical concert for lunch, in an area of town I had not researched at all.
I wound up at a local chain, Van Houtte, for a completely forgettable jambon-et-brie sandwich - if that was Brie, I am Hillary Clinton - and pretty good espresso.
The concert was terrific, in an old church converted to a concert hall called Bourgie Hall and filled with Tiffany stained glass windows by the Museum of Fine Arts, indeed adjacent to the museum. After a much-neededd haircut, sightseeing downtown and more coffee, I wound up in a provincial-run liquor store to get some wines for my room for nightcaps.
Beer and wine can be sold almost anywhere here - and they are - but the government stores have a monopoly on hard liquor, and have an extensive wine selection too. Lots of labels we don't see in the U.S., from which I selected a Cahors and a Muscadet, will report on them later in these updates. Prices were on the high side of reasonable, as Quebec and federal taxes are killers - they add close to 15 percent to restauarant bills, but you are not expected to tip on them - but smart shoppers could find bargains. And there are BYOB spots, which I will be hitting.
But not tonight. Near the liquor store, on Rue Peel, exists the kind of establishment common to Francophone areas and only such areas as far as I can tell - places that serve steak and nothing else, such as La Relais de Venice near Porte Maillot in Paris, now with branches in New York and London.
One of Montreal's versions of this - there are several - is the L'Entrecote St. Jean downtown, where I wound up. For $28, you get: a large bowl of tomato bisque; a bibb-lettuce salad with a sharp vinaigrette and walnuts; a strip steak, cooked to your order, with a pile of fries; and profiteroles.
A bargain, to be sure. And pretty good. The soup was pleasant, not too thick or rich but enough of both on a chilly night and the salad was quite good, but maybe that is because I love Bibb lettuce.
The main item, the meat, was cooked the way I like it - saignant, 'bloody', in French; very rare - with a good, firm crust on the outside. Tasty meat too.
I noticed some Internet reviews of the place complained of tough steak. Two comments: 1) at $28 for 4 courses, Angus prime beef is unlikely to be on offer; 2) these people probably ordered overcooked beef. A well-done steak would have been tough. Mine was not.
Fries and dessert were fine, without being special. The wine list was mostly French and fairly priced, but not wanting a whole bottle, I had 500 milliliters of the house red, a tangy Spanish red.
Started with a Ricard pastis served perfectly and finished with a Calvados and coffee, the coffee was just OK.
The service was simply outstanding. I was sitting at a table in the window, the farthest spot in the restaurant from the kitchen, but never lacked for bread - crusty, tasty bread - and water refills. The table itself was slightly shaky but the manager insisted on fixing it.
The waitress was warm and friendly, even tolerating my horrible French, but her main skill was pace. She served my aperitif and then let me enjoy it - far too often one gets an aperitif and food is dumped in front of you two minutes later. There was space for recovery and relaxation between courses, and seeing that I was enjoying my wine, she asked if I wanted to wait for dessert. Yes. The pacing was especially impressive because other than the steak, everything was already made and ready. As she said, "prendre le temps".
This was some of the best service I have had in a restaurant in years. Five stars.
I'd recommend the restaurant as long as you understand what you are getting - a good, hearty meal that is not 'gourmet' in any way in a convival atmosphere, and you obviously have to like steak since they have nothing else. They are open late too, though in Montreal everything seems to be.
After dinner took in a fine jazz quartet near my hotel and that turned out to be a superb move; more on that place in the Day 3 blog.
 
L'Entrecote St. Jean, 2022 Peel Street, Montreal,  514-281-6492. Open 1130-2300 weekdays, 1700-2300 weekends.