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| - Cafe Holt is perhaps one of the greatest unknown treasures of our great city. Situated on the lower level of the glitzy Holt Renfrew department store on Sherbrooke, Cafe Holt serves up lunchtime treats in a fabulously chic environment. This place gets hopping around lunchtime with in-the-know businessmen and women stopping by for one of the deliciously concocted tartines. And make no mistake, the tartines are the star attraction.
The tartines are what can best be described as an open-faced sandwich on Poilâne bread flown in thrice weekly from Paris--glamourous, non? The tartines are absolutely, 100%, delicious. The Grilled chicken breast is perhaps my favourite: chicken, chevre, red peppers, arugula, and a truffle honey that will knock your socks off. The Lamb brochette is another favourite with a distinctly Lebanese quality to it as it is served with hummus and pickled turnip. These delicious treats can be washed down with a glass from the carefully edited list of highly drinkable wines and and made-to-order cocktails. The cocktail list changes with the season--as does most of the menu--and I recently enjoyed 'Sweet Summer Strawberries.' WARNING: serving alcohol in a luxury department store is similar to free cocktails in Vegas. It'll loosen you up and make swiping that credit card far too easy for one's own good! Trust me, I've made that mistake in the past ;).
The service at Cafe Holt is really quite good. The waitstaff are always on hand to answer questions, refill your water glass, or fetch your car from valet. The price points are also not overly outrageous. A glass of wine and a tartine will set you back $30, a reasonable fee considering the environment and the quality of the food selection.
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