rev:text
| - During a week in Montréal filled with exceptional meals at places like Joe Beef, Au Pied de Cochon, Brasserie T, L'Express ...and on... Nora Gray was our best night out. We sat at the bar, and sampled several specials first; perfectly fresh, sweet snow crab, and lobster "salad" with fiddleheads, avocado and ramp leaves. Next, the veal cheek & guitar string pasta, which was probably the most delicious, deeply savory pasta I've ever had, and the snow crab tagilatelle, which was amazing as well. Our mains were branzino and guinea hen, and both great examples of how these proteins should be treated. Knowing in advance that the owners were longtime Joe Beef front- and back-of-the-house veterans, we'd expected a somewhat similar feel and cuisine. Instead we got something completely its own, from the decor (which harkens back to Wallpaper magazine in it's 2000-era heyday, in the best sense) to the food -- expertly subtle and complex yet light, and brimming with perfect flavor combinations. At one point early in our meal, my husband turned to me and said "Joe Beef was so amazing and unique, but I don't get the sense that they're trying to KILL me with their food here!" Lol. Add this the fact that we spend hours talking to partners Ryan, Emma and Lisa, sharing NYC and Montreal food stories and generally engaging in whatever that je-ne-sais-crois is that gets people hooked into this crazy business in the first place...well... It was beyond awesome. Go.
|