OMG! Wound up here after last night's debacle at Au Pied De Cochon and all I can say is thank you PDC for screwing up, because if you hadn't, I never would have gone here and missed one of the great meals of my life. PDC can't come close to what Lemeac can do, it is simply amazing. My wife and I are already planning to come back to Montreal all the way from St. Louis, MO to get a chance to eat here again - it's that good.
Excellent from start to finish, with a wonderful waitress who explained everything with the best of humor in somewhat broken but charming English, so non-French speakers should not be afraid of this place. Started with an excellent version of a Tom Collins with a cucumber addition, my wife had a perfect Perfect Manhattan, complete with house marinated cherry, and daughter had their great version of a Cosmo, which she thoroughly enjoyed under Quebec drinking laws that allow 18 year-olds to drink. Appetizers were escargot, quail, the famous frites, and a house salad, all shared around the table.
Then we get to the entrees - son had the duck, which was excellent, daughter had the smoked salmon dinner salad, which may be the prettiest salad presentation I have ever seen, and was outstanding, and my wife and I both had the special of the night, which we both agreed may be the best single entrée we have ever had, the veal sweetbreads. Only tasting menus at some of the best restaurants in the world like Alinea, Meadowood, and Blackbird can top it. Perfectly prepared, creamy, topped with a fois gras sauce, chanterelle mushrooms, cipolline onions and a carrot puree to die for, plus roasted purple carrots. Words fail to describe how good this was - and I'm not a big sweetbread fan until this. Just wow. Plus, we had them select an excellent wine to match by the glass and it was perfect, if unconventional. Didn't catch the name, but when a French bistro is willing to go to an Italian wine with a dish like this, they have my vote.
Totally full by this point, still had to do dessert, which was just as good. Absolutely perfect crème brule, plus a sticky toffee pudding and a chocolate and banana cake, I think. Too food drunk to remember.
Excellent value as well, considering the world class food. I've paid more for two than we paid for four and got far more quality. It's a bistro, so it's not quiet and intimate, but it's certainly quiet enough and highly recommended for your next trip to Montreal.