MECHANT BOEUF (MONTREAL's RESTAURANT), by TICKLEBEAR

i revisited the restaurant in old montreal,
"LE MECHANT BOEUF".
why do i keep going back yearly
during the NHL finals is beyond me...
it makes the place even noisier than usual,
but my friends and i were fortunately still able
to carry on the conversation
and enjoy some casual dining in an elegant setting.
we were attended by two,
a waiter and a waitress.
as usual,
the waiter was quite cute...
sure, the girl was fine,
but you know my preference.
:D~
service was efficient
and my every requests were met to my satisfaction.
as my friends opted for beer (le cheval blanc)
and some spanish cabernet sauvigon,
i chose to start with a portotini
which delighted my palate
and prepared me for the meal ahead.
i also chose a cabernet sauvignon i'm already familiar with
and which i thought would be better suited
for the dishes i was ordering:
LE BONHEUR,
an african wine.

while the others selected either the mechant burger or the vegan one...
which they shared,
and one of my friends concluded
she preferered the vegan version.

i personally had an hot entree of oysters,
the ROCK-a-FELLA,
which is well suited for those who don't like oysters
as they are smothered in a mixture of
leeks, spinach, fine herbs and a tad too much parmesan...
i should have had a cold plate instead
as i love oysters.
it wasn't terrible nor excellent.
just not the experience my tastebuds were expecting.
if they would ligthen up a bit on the mixture
and sprinkled just one dash of parmesan,
it might be better.

here i made a daring choice for me
as i'm not a fan of fish.
i love shellfish and mollusques,
but fish i just can't swallow,
for some odd reason.
so i picked the CAJUN TUNA,
served with a most delicious remoulade of crispy vegetables,
baby spinach, sesame dressing and fresh coriander.
not quite my idea of cajun cuisine,
as to me,
cajun is spicy and that's what i've tasted in the past,
in other venues.
but nonetheless,
the tuna proved to be a dream,
medium cooked and just melting in my mouth.
so,
for me to like fish,
it must have some merits.
:)~

i followed this with a NELLIGAN coffee...

...and chocolate cake.
an indulgence as i was already full,
but since i don't eat much dessert at home,
why not!?!...
:)~

all in all,
it costed me about $139,
including taxes but not tip.
i was happy to be seeing my friends again
and to share a meal with them.
we made fun of the noise
and weren't sorry to see our hometeam lose to PITTSBURG.
no cars honking their horn late at night.
good for me!!
downtown life is noisy enough as it is.
i may have made the best choice as far as dinner goes,
but that is my lot in life:
i always get the better plate!!!
funny though
that a fish plate should prove better
in a place called MECHANT BURGER...
:)~
HUGZ