It's been over a year since my last visit to Montreal, and my visit to Vallier. My husband and I were staying in the area again and decided to try it again. This time, we decided to avoid the burgers. I had the duck confit shepherd's pie, which was quite good -- served in a little cast iron skillet, it comes fresh out of the oven. The duck was a little bit dry, but on the whole the dish was really good. My husband's strip loin was also quite good: well-marinated in lime and smoky spices. The restaurant was also happy to sub the potatoes for extra salad since he's keeping on the Paleo diet these days; the salad was nice and lightly dressed.
Service was pretty good. I still find the prices to be quite high for the quality of food -- there are other restaurants in the area that are better in the price range -- but for casual comfort food, Vallier does the trick pretty well.