Europea's Bistro - Beaver Hall
I was in Montreal briefly today, and joined another MERBite (Shijak of the Spiffy Shirts) for lunch. Anyone who pays attention to my posts in this thread should know that I have a very high opinion of Europea, so when I read that they had opened a bistro that had among other things (the Montreal guide book said) giant burgers, I figured that it would be a low-cost alternative to Europea, but with bistro fare, and worth a try.
The resto is on Beaver Hall Hill (and called "Beaver Hall"), just North of de la Gauchetiere, on the East side. As you approach the resto you are faced with two doors side by side. You have to take the correct (left) door as the right one leads to a "Danse Contact" establishment.
We did not have a reservation, but got a table okay (the resto seats 165). There were few waitstaff and the service was extremely slow. We were seated for about 15 minutes before the waitress came to take our order, and then she noticed that we did not even have menus. She went to get menus but did not return immediately; I saw her taking someone else's order before getting the menus to us. The she got us the bread but did not get us water for quite a while.
We were in a hurry (Spiffy had to get to an "encounter" of some kind) so we ordered a la carte instead of table d'hote. He ordered short ribs ($17.50) while I ordered scallops with risotto ($20.50) and a glass of Chablis (the recommended wine). Mercifully we did not have long to wait for the food. Spiffy liked his ribs but commented that they needed some spices as he finds French food in general too bland ! He likes rot-your-guts-hot Thai food, which I detest with a passion ! My scallops were nicely done (seared), and the risotto was tasty, but just a touch too lemony; I don't like to pucker up if I am not going to kiss anyone (and no, you pervs, kissing Spiffy was not an option I would relish). I had to ask again for my wine as the waitress had forgotten it - really sloppy ! I did not really like the Chablis - Joseph Drouhin.
I found the scallops over-priced at $20.50; with soup the table d'hote would have been $22.50. They should really have lower prices. Much better value can be had at Europea for lunch at $26.50. Also, I would have preferred to see on the menu typical bistro-type food instead of haute French (e.g. salmon on lobster sauce). The advertised burgers were nowhere to be seen.
A no-repeat due to the prices and the sloppy service (for which there is no excuse as they should have trained their staff well).
I was in Montreal briefly today, and joined another MERBite (Shijak of the Spiffy Shirts) for lunch. Anyone who pays attention to my posts in this thread should know that I have a very high opinion of Europea, so when I read that they had opened a bistro that had among other things (the Montreal guide book said) giant burgers, I figured that it would be a low-cost alternative to Europea, but with bistro fare, and worth a try.
The resto is on Beaver Hall Hill (and called "Beaver Hall"), just North of de la Gauchetiere, on the East side. As you approach the resto you are faced with two doors side by side. You have to take the correct (left) door as the right one leads to a "Danse Contact" establishment.
We did not have a reservation, but got a table okay (the resto seats 165). There were few waitstaff and the service was extremely slow. We were seated for about 15 minutes before the waitress came to take our order, and then she noticed that we did not even have menus. She went to get menus but did not return immediately; I saw her taking someone else's order before getting the menus to us. The she got us the bread but did not get us water for quite a while.
We were in a hurry (Spiffy had to get to an "encounter" of some kind) so we ordered a la carte instead of table d'hote. He ordered short ribs ($17.50) while I ordered scallops with risotto ($20.50) and a glass of Chablis (the recommended wine). Mercifully we did not have long to wait for the food. Spiffy liked his ribs but commented that they needed some spices as he finds French food in general too bland ! He likes rot-your-guts-hot Thai food, which I detest with a passion ! My scallops were nicely done (seared), and the risotto was tasty, but just a touch too lemony; I don't like to pucker up if I am not going to kiss anyone (and no, you pervs, kissing Spiffy was not an option I would relish). I had to ask again for my wine as the waitress had forgotten it - really sloppy ! I did not really like the Chablis - Joseph Drouhin.
I found the scallops over-priced at $20.50; with soup the table d'hote would have been $22.50. They should really have lower prices. Much better value can be had at Europea for lunch at $26.50. Also, I would have preferred to see on the menu typical bistro-type food instead of haute French (e.g. salmon on lobster sauce). The advertised burgers were nowhere to be seen.
A no-repeat due to the prices and the sloppy service (for which there is no excuse as they should have trained their staff well).
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