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| - I wish I could rave about Europea. I wish I could say it was an amazing meal. By all rights it SHOULD have been an amazing meal. But my experience at Europea was hit-or-miss, iffy, okay, so-so, par, mediocre, average at best, and the bill was anything but average.
I spent the weekend around New Year's Eve in Montreal, and wanted to end the vacation on a high note with a spectacular French tasting menu. Many of the city's top restaurants were closed for the holidays, but Europea and its tasting menu came recommended from several sources, so we made reservations.
We were greeted by a cold Maitre d' who seated us at a small table in the middle of the BEAUTIFUL restaurant. A spiral staircase ending at a fireplace, bold colors and beautiful artwork everywhere. This is the kind of space where I'd want to hold a private function.
As soon as the cold Maitre d' left, we were handed menus by a silent waiter. He came back five minutes later and we ordered the Menu Degustation Signature" with the accompanying wine pairing (5 glasses of wine). He nodded, snatched away our menus, and was gone again without a word.
That kind of service continued, from him and the other servers at Europea. At any other meal I probably could have overlooked it, but the interaction with the wait staff is (in my opinion) one of the best parts of a tasting menu. Each dish is another interaction; instead of reading the name and maybe a description of a dish off a menu, you have the server there to describe the dish as he presents it to you, and answer any questions you may have. But instead the servers at Europea dumped the plate on the table, mumble the name of the dish, and were off again.
Regardless of the service, here's a run down of the tasting menu and my thoughts:
Lobster cream Cappuccino with truffle shavings Excellent! Started the meal off right.
Champaign, France - Okay, to be expected.
Princess scallops, prepared on their shells with a porcini mushroom foam, sea water emulsion. Amazing presentation, mediocre taste.
Late Harvest Vidal, Ontario - It was nice to see a regional wine on the menu, and I'm a fan of Niagara wines. Very sweet, usually more of a desert wine - I was surprised to see it so early in the meal.
Pan seared foie gras, Bourbon flavoured french toast, fruits chutney and wild berries jus. What's up with the seared foie gras??? It's a new culinary trend I don't understand. Regardless, the foie gras was pretty good and paired very well with the wine, but the French toast ruined the dish - it was sickly sweet and overpowered everything.
White wine (I forget what it was) - Obviously, it was unremarkable. I didn't even finish the glass (I know, I know).
Fillet of mediteranean bass, poached rice letucce, vanilla beurre blanc sauce, Abitibi-Témiscamingue sturgeon Caviar. The bass was good, but nothing to write home about.
Light CO2 foam prepared with César Salad. I think this dish is an example of kitchen creativity gone too far. It was just a green foam covered in grated cheese - there was WAY too much cheese, and it didn't sit well in my stomach.
Bordeaux - This was the best wine of the flight. The nose was incredibly, and instantly transported me back to my last wine tasting trip. Fantastic!
Short ribs of Kobe Beef, crispy galette of roots vegetables, braised chipolini onions and baby carrot. Highlight of the meal, although I'm not sure if it was because the dish was really THAT good, or if it was the only dish that really stood out. Paired excellent with Bordeaux.
Our selection of cheeses. Smorgasbord of cheeses, lots of fun - I just wish the waiter was more engaging when serving them.
A selection of desserts and sweets from our pastry chefs. To be honest with you, at this point in time I was so full, I had trouble enjoying desert.
Overall there was nothing BAD about my experience at Europea. There were some very strong points (the venue, a couple of the dishes, a couple of the wines) and a couple weak points (service, a couple of the dishes, a couple of the wines). Unfortunately, given the menu prices at Europea, a mixed review will not suffice. If I spend $400 on a meal for two, I expect to be blown away, and I wasn't. I honestly can't say that I'll ever go back, so I just can't bring myself to recommend them. Maybe your experiences will differ, but I think for this price range, there are better options in Montreal.
Note: if you ARE going to Europea, keep in mind that there is a "Best Western Europa" with the same color blue sign one block down on Drummond St, literally back to back with Europea. If you find yourself at Europa, take a left into the alley just past the hotel, and when you come out onto Rue de la Montagne, Europea will be immediately on your left.
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