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| - Location: In the heart of St. Sauveur village. Street parking only.
The place: This family-owned business offers up a cottage vibe, with lots of wood accents, low ceilings and a cozy atmosphere. The space is small and can feel a bit cramped but hey - that's part of its charm. Oh, and everything is home-made (but probably not the dessert).
Food: These guys specialize in chicken and ribs - emphasis on ribs. If you're a fan of the baby back, this is the place for you. You can order à la carte or take advantage of their Table d'Hôte. I went with the Table d'Hôte.
To start, Rio offers home-made soup or tomato juice - I skipped this part of the meal. Two at my table had the soup and I snuck a taste - it was delicious and included lots of veggies in addition to the flavourful broth.
Given a choice of appetizers, I went with the escargots gratiné. The snails were plump and to my liking. There was a little too much cheese for me and I had to dig through it to get to the snails. Luckily for my mom, this meant she got to pick at all my leftover fromage. She quite enjoyed this appetizer.
Before the mains were served, our waitress brought over fresh house salad (this is included with all meals regardless of whether you choose à la carte or not). The salad was crisp and fresh, and the dressing, though creamy, was super light and tasty. Great way to prepare my belly for what was coming!
Since I'm not really a meat eater, I ordered the butterfly shrimp with vegetables and rice. The shrimp were perfectly grilled and the accompanying garlic butter added that perfect touch to complete the foodgasm experience. The vegetables were perfectly cooked - from what I could see, these were fresh and not frozen. The rice was good - I would have liked a little more flavor but no complaints. My only comment about the overall dish is that the veggies and rice could have been hotter.
Two members of my party had the ribs and home fries, and all I kept hearing was how finger-licking good the ribs were. I snuck a few fries and they were equally great. Not at all greasy - perfectly crisp on the outside. Another person at my table ordered the rib steak and sung its praises. You can't go wrong with any meat dish!
The only thing that didn't blow us away were the desserts. The selection that came with the Table d'Hôte was pretty ordinary - the cheesecake seemed a bit dry and it lacked flavour (I had the blueberry variety). The cheesecake that my brother ordered looked stale and it was visibly dry. I think the dessert selection could have been refreshed for New Year's Eve.
Price point: Considering portion sizes, what was included with each meal, and food quality, I think Rio's prices are very fair. For about $30, you'll get the soup + appetizer + salad + main + dessert + coffee/tea on the Table d'Hôte. A full rack of ribs with home fries and salad will run you $32 and this includes the $5 surcharge to share the dish.
Final thoughts: Rio is a great place to check out if you love ribs and chicken. Book in advance if you want to go on a weekend because these guys are popular in these parts! Also, a quick shout-out to Rio's owner, Mitchell, who is nothing short of awesome. He wasn't there when we went for dinner, but I had the opportunity to meet him when I was checking out the menu a few weeks ago. All smiles and welcoming attitude. Love it.
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