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| - upscale-casual atmosphere, perfect portions of delicious French and French-influenced food, an extensive list of wines, and actually fairly affordable...I really think Vertige is a perfect storm of French dining in Montreal.
located on a short but busy side street in an otherwise fairly quiet and residential neighborhood, Vertige was our final dinner in Montreal and really cemented how awesome this city is for dining. candle-lit tables, some chill/jazz music, and an awesomely designed bar (lots of lights/lamps).
we were given a small sample of salmon tartare and bruschetta to start off with, as well as some excellent bread. having not eaten since lunch (it was now around 8:30), this was certainly good padding for the wine and stemmed me from going T. Rex on my dinner.
when I saw multiple menu choices with duck, it was clearly time to go "positively decadent". I wound up getting the roasted duck magret. it was like a steak...but made from duck, with a maple and port wine reduction on top, and a bed of string beans and puree sweet potatoes underneath. un-F.U.C.-ing-believable! so many flavors working together in wonderful unison.
as for booze...their focus is on a huge list of red and white wine from all over the world. I'm not really a wine drinking guy (I'm a terrible Italian-American in this respect; I am more of a beer/whiskey/gin type) but it seemed fitting to class it up with a bottle of vino. ended up picking Les Deux Anges, a terrific French red.
service was excellent. not pushy and hovering, but not forgetful and lazy. perfect.
there's no real single "type" of clientele here, demographics-wise. it's fine for groups or couples, families or friends, young or old. while some were more dressed up than others, no one was in a suit or anything too stuffy like that.
the portions are perfect for the price. you won't waddle out all bloated, but you won't feel ripped off (the latter is my chief complaint with French food in New York).
I would most certainly go back to Vertige again. the fact that they also have a tapas menu on some nights and a full multiple-course tasting menu means the combinations for deliciousness are endless.
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