4.5 Stars
An extra star for the legendary Iraqi fish dish known as 'Masgoof.' If you are a fan of fish dishes, this is a must as this is a delectable technique used for thousands of years in Iraq. An entire fish is evenly flayed open and nailed to a plank of hickory wood, it is usually sprinkled with a little olive oil and perhaps some tamarind paste, and is then placed in a 45-degree angle by a charcoal fire. Traditionally, large freshwater fish are used, but at chateau, the fish of choice is Tilapia - which is quite good and I suspect the best method to prepare this dish. The result is a charred surface of the fish but all of the juiciness trapped inside - delectable. It is not very often that I get the pleasure of enjoying a nice Masgoof.
In most cases, I find kabob houses to be boring and that isn't because I don't love the almighty Kabob, it's because I have come to expect that Kabob places outside of the Middle East, Detroit, and even Western Europe just can never get it right - every time there is hope, it normally ends in disappointment for me - I should have never made that trip to Iran in 2007 where I was in kabob paradise. However, Chateau Kabob located in the Frankophilic metropolis of Montreal did me rare pleasure of maintaining that hope. Here in Washington, DC we need to cling to places like Shamshiri and Alboorz to get our kabob fix but even that gets repetitive after a while - especially when there isn't a single Kabob house in the region that can even hold a candle to those two places and therefor isn't particularly incumbent of them to reach for the stars. Chateau Kabob does it right and is about as close as you can get to some of the legendary places you can find in Iraq and Iran - the latter of which reigns supreme in the world of Kabobs. At Chateau the spices are right, the juiciness is on par, and the meat is superb - all in all a very excellent Kabob. And perhaps one of the most underappreciate techniques that Chateau also got right is the rice! It is superb here - fluffy, velvety, and aromatic.
The interiors and décor of Chateau are good which kind of surprised me at first as I've come to expect that most other Persian or Arab restaurants (as expected) sport some of the most gaudy and hideous interiors known to man. It appears that these guys were tasteful and enlisted the help of someone to actually DESIGN the space with thoughtful layout and pleasant finishes. Some aspiring Middle Eastern Restauranteurs tend to think that they are the best interior designers on the planet - that is until they actual design their space. I'm glad the guys at Chateau hired a designer - that along with the fish, the delicious kabob, and good company makes Chateau a pleasurable experience worth revisiting if you are ever in Montreal and seriously have a hankering for kabobs.
Hats off to the owner and chef who are always in the restaurant tending to guests - some of the nicest people you'll meet.