| rev:text
| - As a USian transplant to Montreal, I often find that my palate craves a bit of Tex-Mex, Fonda, or indeed any variety of south-of-the-even-souther-border flavor. Montreal's stable of restos that dependably serve up bold Latino flavor is growing, but it's still not that long. Fortune, which might be most accurately called a taco bar, fills a major gap in our fair city's food pantheon.
Flat out, Fortune's offerings boast some of the very highest dollar-for-flavor ratios in the whole city (Au Pied de cochon and Toqué! notwithstanding). If it's generally true that great flavor may be delicate, but not timid, it's particularly true of the basic Tex-Mex flavor profile. Lime, cilantro, and chili require a supremely self-confident hand to harmonize their strengths. The chefs at Fortune have this confidence in spades--as well as the talent to wear it well. Seriously, Fortune's tacos actually achieve that highly-coveted and almost-mythical state of so-delicious-it's-hard-to-slow-down-long-enough-to-really-taste-it. They offer pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, cauliflower, and hominy tacos, and they're _all_ top notch. If unicorns existed, unicorn steak tacos would taste only _marginally_ better than these.
Speaking of unicorns, perhaps my fanciful analogy explains the huge red-neon horseshoe that hangs over the dining tables at Fortune. Then again, perhaps not. (Unicorns have cloven hoofs, don't they?) The horseshoe is the resto's logo, and yes, of course I get that horseshoes hung on the wall bring good "fortune." I see the connection, just not the obvious leap to a slightly lurid glowing red horseshoe, though I'm willing to be persuaded that it symbolizes both Fortune's torrid love affair with big flavor and the good fortune that we the eaters of Montreal enjoy as a result.
In addition to the city's most flavorful tacos, Fortune also serves excellent salads, all of which make fine sideshows to the main event. The menu even manages to remind you, rather waggishly, that you're still in Quebec by including a section of guédilles--hotdog buns stuffed with with anything but hotdog. I haven't tasted any of these yet, but they read, smell, and look pretty damn appetizing. Even with all this, though, the food menu is a mere half-page--a model of focus and clarity.
As for libations, Fortune also offers cocktails, a few of which are originals. Their interpretations of classics--like the Margarita--are entirely competent. (That's actually saying a lot, given the swill that most Montreal bars serve under that name.) Fortune's original cocktails, while not quite as scrumptious as their tacos, are just as ambitious flavor-wise. My wife and I have tried a few, and they've been not only well-balanced and loaded with flavor, but--and this is the sign a superior potion--pleasing from first sip to last.
Fortune's storefront is a little hard to find (on the west side of St-Laurent just north of Beaubien), as their sign and overall decor are understated almost to the level of being spartan. The ambiance is therefore a bit idiosyncratic. The energy of the two-lady crew that staffs the place has been, when I've been there, thoroughly professional and polished. The furniture and table settings, however, are bare bones, while the art on the walls (think large photos/renderings of arrays of gorgeous wigs and a glowing red horseshoe) is... quixotic. I actually like the ambiance, but it's challenging to imagine how it might come across to someone else. I suppose the only thing for it is for you head over there, scarf one or two of Montreal's tastiest tacos, sip a pleasingly piquant cocktail, and decide for yourself.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)