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| - I have to admit I didn't see it at first. It was pointed out to me as I made my first stroll around downtown "Old town" Quebec. But when it was pointed out, I said, "I think I've found my home here." I wasn't wrong. The relatively new (June 2012) Hambar is in a space adjoining the St. Paul Hotel. The lure? A gorgeous piece of art that's also at the center of the restaurant's reason for being: A beautiful window case display of prosciutti, serrano hams and other charcuterie. This, I though, was reason to go on in for a recon mission.
The hostess was very friendly and spoke English and French (as do most Quebecois) and had none of the too-often maligned "French-ness" that puts off those who don't speak it. We explained that we had just finished lunch, but she was more than willing to talk about their menu, wines and best times to come. As it turned out, we'd return only six hours later to do a full frontal assault on it.
Hambar has a cocktail like lighting and feel, and the groups inside ranged from mid-20s through seniors. Everyone felt comfy, though, and again the waitress was quick to spend time to explain the daily specials, and then pointed out which wines they had by the glass in addition to those in their voluminous full-bottle wine list.
When she returned with cocktails, she asked if we had questions, which we did. Her advice? We had too much on our minds and that their portions were pretty generous. If we wanted more it wouldn't be a problem. Now when's the last time that happened to you? Me, neither. Never! Her recommendation was the small platter, which was more than generous. We also tried the prosciutto croquettes (bits of ham in cheese, then panko breaded and friend.... awesome). The platter had both prosciutto, serrano ham, black serrano, and a variety of other charcuterie.
Every bite was a a treat. Each new item was a delicious surprise. Each minute in the place conveyed happiness and a great exploration. My first thought was wondering how someone in Chicago could open a place like this and keep it close enough to where I lived that I'd be able to go at least once a week.
I've been very stingy in giving five stars to any restaurant, but if I'm ever going to give one, this place rates it. While I have a whole lot of new places and cities I want to visit for food, this place would be enough to get me to return to Montreal. There's more in this great food city, but I'd do both dinner and breakfast at Hambar.
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