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| - ***CUTE WAITER ALERT***
I was in Montreal for work this past week and had only free night. My colleague and I decided we were going to head down to Old Montreal. We asked concierge for a restaurant recommendation and she suggested a place off Rue Saint-Paul. I can't remember the name of the place but when we arrived at the location, we learned they were closed for a few days. Darn! But there were a good number of restaurants on that street and after walking a few doors down, we came across and settled on L'Autre Version.
The restaurant was fairly quiet on a Wednesday night. Besides the 2 of us, there were only 4 other parties throughout our entire 3 hour meal. Our waiter's name was Jean Claude I believe. I'd describe him as nerdy cute. He was tall, slender, good looking, with nicely-styled hair, black framed glasses and the cutest smile. I could picture him walking a high fashion runway vs. waiting tables. This young 25 year old was somewhat bashful which made him even more adorable. He was definitely nice eye candy for us older, married women. Along with his French accent...super dreamy! Ok, I'm starting to sound like a pervert so I'll move onto the food.
The hostess that seated us told us that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, they offered half-priced bottles on some of their wines. Sweet! We decided on a red wine from France - Julienas Domiane de la Conseillere. It was on the peppery side and very delicious.
They were offering a tasting menu which we decided to share. This included a mise en bouche, 4 entrees, and a pastry surprise. You could add the foie gras dish for an additional charge which we did. We also ordered the Charcuterie Platter and Fall Salad. Prior to bringing out the food, they brought us some bread. Besides the usual olive oil & balsamic vinegar mixture and butter, there was salt and apple cider vinegar. You simply dip your bread in the ACV followed by salt. I suppose it's similar to how one eats fish & chips. I wasn't the biggest fan but my colleague loved it.
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*Fall Salad - served w/pears, pecans and shaved parmesan topped with a maple syrup vinaigrette. The salad was light and refreshing.
*Charcuterie Platter - there were 4 slices each of Genoa, coppa, speck, and a 4th type which unfortunately I wasn't sure how to pronounce let alone spell. This was accompanied with a side of apple chutney which provided a nice sweet/savory balance.
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"The Good Version Tasting Menu":
*The mise en bouche was Lobster Arancini - served with a saffron sauce. I loved the cheesy risotto center and crunchy outer coating.
*Salmon Mi-Cuit - half cooked salmon w/horseradish sauce and topped with coriander panko. This was served with a side of greens, pickled onions and a lemony dressing. The texture of the salmon was smooth and buttery...practically melts in your mouth. And I liked the slight crunch from the panko.
*Scallops - served with cauliflower purée and king eryngii mushroom. The scallops were cooked to perfection and topped with a caper sauce. The purée was silky and the mushrooms offered a nice bite.
*Foie Gras Torchon - served with homemade brioche and a side of greens and golden beets. The piece of foie gras was lightly coated with pistachios. The foie gras was nice and creamy.
*Beef Carpaccio - served with arugula pesto, grainy dijonnaise, some type of sprouts, parmesan and capers. The capers seemed to be deep fried adding a unique texture.
*Braised Beef Short Rib - braised for 11 hours and served over crispy polenta. The meat was so tender and had just the right amount of fat to give it added flavor. There's nothing worse than dry polenta but that wasn't the case here because the polenta was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. This was served with a napa cabbage salad and almonds. I loved the added crunch from the almonds and the acidic dressing on the salad helped neutralize any saltiness. We were so full by the time they brought this out and so bummed we weren't able to finish it all.
*The pastry surprise was a chocolate mousse. It was decadent but not too sweet. I don't typically care for chocolate desserts but really enjoyed this one.
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Each and every dish was beautifully plated with the chef using food to create his masterpieces. We didn't catch his name but the server that brought out the food did a great job explaining each dish. At the end of our meal, JC asked us which dish was our favorite and we both couldn't say because everything tasted so good. Each dish was complex in flavor and texture. It was obvious that the chef put a lot of thought into making sure each ingredient used complemented one another. This was clearly a meal to remember and there was not one item that fell short of our expectations.
**Tip - The restaurant offers free wifi. Just ask for the code. It was tough for us U.S. visitors to be out-and-about without data so this was very much appreciated.
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