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| - This classic French bistro in a bustling, hip Montreal neighborhood is a lot of fun, good for groups and families. It's a long, narrow space with tile floors and small tables placed close together--which makes the dining environment as authentically Parisian as the food. I wouldn't come here for quiet conversation, but my husband and I enjoyed the energetic, sociable vibe. Waitstaff were knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. Excellent cornichons and mustard on each table were nice touches.
L'Express has an extensive menu with most of the greatest hits of bistro fare (pot au feu, steak frites, pate, duck confit, etc., etc.). Starters vary widely in cost, from roughly $5 to $25, something to keep in mind if you're on a budget, because what you choose for that course, if anything, will determine whether you have an expensive meal or a moderately priced one. Mains are mostly in the $20-26 range. That said, some of the starters (quiche and salad, lobster risotto) are substantial enough to be a perfect main course, and others, like the chicken liver mousse, would be good to share. They offer a moderate, mostly French wine list with a good selection of wines by the glass.
My husband ordered a warm goat cheese salad and the hanger steak with fries, and I had a special cold soup, a kind of vichyssoise with artichokes, and then a warm duck confit salad. Both starters were on the bland side--maybe 3 stars--but the main courses were fantastic, solidly five-star, deliciously and precisely prepared. My husband's hanger steak was the best we'd tasted in years; it did not need the accompanying (and delicious, in a lily-gilding way) herb butter. Fries were classic French frites, down to the garlic aioli that came with them. My duck salad was amazing, full of crisp-edged pieces of sauteed duck confit over a spinach, radish and endive base that was dressed with what I strongly suspect was duck fat. Super-rich! After all this goodness neither of us could imagine dessert, which was a shame, because the dessert list looked great. My advice? Skip the starters, or share one with someone else, then have a main course and dessert.
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