Restaurant thread....the best place to eat...Where!!!

[jalimon]

Of all the steakhouses mentioned in recent posts, the place that has the worst ambience by far is Moishes. It makes Gibby’s look like the beer tent at Jazz Festival by comparison.

haha got to agree with you on that one I do not care much for Montreal steak house anymore, especially since my few trips in Alberta. The steak at the economy class hotel I was at in Edmonton last time beats any montreal skeak house I have tried! I would go in the restaurant at 3 pm after my work not having any breakfast or lunch and the girl will bring me 2 beer, a big salad and the best steak cut of the day, 6 days in a row haha

Cheers,

 

[Julia Sky]

haha got to agree with you on that one I do not care much for Montreal steak house anymore, especially since my few trips in Alberta. The steak at the economy class hotel I was at in Edmonton last time beats any montreal skeak house I have tried! I would go in the restaurant at 3 pm after my work not having any breakfast or lunch and the girl will bring me 2 beer, a big salad and the best steak cut of the day, 6 days in a row haha

Cheers,

Pretty much my opinion LOL. Once you went to Alberta, Montreal isnt interesting anymore when it comes to steakhouse or smokehouse.

Theres a place in Calgary called Big T's BBQ. Its a smokehouse and OH MY GOD it's sooooo good. They even have smoked cheesecake with maple syrup how canadian is that !

 

[EagerBeaver]

By the way, regarding the old/young dynamic, if you guys are ever in CT we have two steakhouse chains, one catering to the old (Longhorn Steakhouse) and one catering to the younger crowd (Texas Roadhouse). If you want better food, go to Longhorn. If you want better drinks and bar action and music, go to Texas Roadhouse. Texas Roadhouse also sweetens their butter and puts cinnamon in it and the kids love it. However Longhorn has better bread. These steakhouses are clearly marketing to different population demographics.

 

[hornylouis]

I've been to a few places but I only like 2 places.

Ok well it's not really a steak house but they serve decent steaks at the Grinder restaurant (not euphemism for gay). If you have access to a standard kitchen with either stainless steel skillet/cast iron skillet, go to their butcher one corner away instead. They have really nice 30 day+ dry-aged steaks for a reasonable price so you can impress yourself first and then your SO.

The other place is lucille's oyster. Most of their steaks are good for 2 people. Only downside is they don't take RSVP and they're always full...

Both places are perfect for solo eaters/date night

Or you can go to QDC like a tourist.

And for the love of god, don't order the fucking Tomahawk anywhere...

 

[EagerBeaver]

I ate at Grinder this past summer but only got a salad. I was there for lunch with a friend. I liked the ambience of the place. I definitely will go back for dinner some time.

 

[The Nature Boy]

I lived a 5 min drive from one of the top rated steak houses in the country a while back. It was given top nods by several critics. A colleague of mine who was working with me in same area and would frequent this steak house told me from hobbyin a ton in South America including Buenos Aires that their steaks are the best bar none in the world. He’s Canadian and i don’t think he’s been out to Alberta though I gotta ask him.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Since you mentioned Kobe Beef I am wondering what is the qualitative difference between Japanese Kobe beef and American Wagyu. The reason I ask is that there is a very high end burger joint near where I live and I know the head chef. I noticed that the Kobe Beef burger disappeared from the menu and was replaced by an American Wagyu burger. I asked him why. He then totally shit on his Kobe Beef provider and said it was shit, so he stopped using them and started using some other more local provider who is making a grass fed Wagyu beef cow. What is the difference? Are the Kobe cows fed milk and the Wagyu cows fed special organic grasses? How do they control the diets of these cows so we like or notice their taste? Is it all about less fat and more fat?

 

[ssj3]

EB, up until maybe a few years ago Kobe beef wasn’t even legally imported into the States and even now there’s very little of it here. The problem is that Kobe beef is not trademarked so basically anyone can use the name. Kobe beef refers to a certain strain of cattle that are specially bred in the prefecture of Hyōgo. All Kobe beef is wagyu but not all wagyu is Kobe. As of the writing of this article, only 9 restaurants in the entire US serve authentic Kobe. http://www.businessinsider.com/8-restaurants-that-serve-real-kobe-beef-2016-7

 

[hornylouis]

No steak will ever top the Kobe beef I had in the city of Kobe in Japan. That meal ruined steak for me everywhere else in perpetuity:lol:

Same here. No steak will ever come close to Kobe beef. Most expensive meal I've had in my life but worth it. Jiro's sushi is cheap compared to that.

Since you mentioned Kobe Beef I am wondering what is the qualitative difference between Japanese Kobe beef and American Wagyu. The reason I ask is that there is a very high end burger joint near where I live and I know the head chef. I noticed that the Kobe Beef burger disappeared from the menu and was replaced by an American Wagyu burger. I asked him why. He then totally shit on his Kobe Beef provider and said it was shit, so he stopped using them and started using some other more local provider who is making a grass fed Wagyu beef cow. What is the difference? Are the Kobe cows fed milk and the Wagyu cows fed special organic grasses? How do they control the diets of these cows so we like or notice their taste? Is it all about less fat and more fat?

Kobe beef doesn't exist in the US. Kobe is also from the Wagyu family. Most of the US "Kobe" are Wagyu. Some may claim it's Kobe but in general it's Wagyu crossbred with Angus (which is tainted because of how it's fed/cared for). There's no pure Kobe beef anywhere in the world except Japan because it's pretty much raised in one farm (can't remember where). It is possible to get pure Kobe beef exported but I've never heard of it. Had a small history lesson while eating in Japan and learned the process to get them to be your supplier is extremely complicated and can take a while before you're approved. If your head chef shat on his "Kobe" beef supplier, it's because he must've realized he was getting shafted with a cheaper cut of beef.

In terms of qualitative difference, you probably couldn't tell Kobe from Wagyu as both are so close when you look at the raw meat or taste the cooked meat. The diet isn't much different from one beef to another and it's pretty much known now that grass fed beef creates better marbling. It somehow creates the perfect ratio of fat to lean meat. I think it's more of a marketing play at this point. Kobe beef is bred from pure Wagyu and Wagyu has been one of the cattle that has been grass fed the longest. I love Kobe beef but it's too hard to get your hands on if you're not in Japan so I look for the next best thing, grass fed beef.

HTH

 

[ssj3]

Actually, it is possible to get Kobe beef in the 9 restaurants that the article I mentioned above cites.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

Actually, it is possible to get Kobe beef in the 9 restaurants that the article I mentioned above cites.

When I was at Queue de Chevel the waiter came out with 3 steaks on a wooden platter, think the first was a rib eye for $40, second was a filet mignon for $50, the third wrapped in a white cloth was supposed to rival Kobe but from Australia cost was $135. I asked the waiter if the $135 steak was that much better that the $50 filet and he told me to stick with the filet, the lobster which was the size of my foot was $120, never asked price as it said market prices. Queue de Chevel is over rated and have found many places that are better.

 

[Doc Holliday]

My preference for steak is The Keg. The one downtown, not the one in Old Mtl. I've tried various types of steaks and my favorite is the filet mignon. So now when i'm at The Keg it's usually filet mignon with a lobster tail for me. I also love the atmosphere at The Keg.

I've been to Gibby's many times but i still prefer The Keg. Pat98 is spot-on about the atmosphere at Gibby's. It does feel like you're having dinner in an old age home! :lol:

I've been to Moishes a few times but won't be back. I absolutely hate the cold atmosphere at that place!

If i'd go on a date with a lady i'd take her to The Keg and actually have several times.

 

[The Nature Boy]

Lol, wow, I'm really craving a good steak right now!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Actually this thread made me go out and order steak for dinner last night, not in Montreal, but locally near where I live.

 

[bignasty]

Anybody been to Argentina ? Are the steaks as good as in Alberta ?

While I haven't been to Alberta I can definitely recommend the steakhouses of Argentina, especially in Buenos Aires. During a one week stay, a few years ago, I went to the same steakhouse 3 times. It was located in the Recoletta district of Buenos Aires. I love T-bone steak and not only was it awesome, but for a generous size of beef, I only had to pay $20 US. Side dishes were also incredibly delicious and inexpensive. It seems like there is a different steakhouse on every block in BA. https://theculturetrip.com/south-am...es-10-amazing-steakhouses-and-churrasquer-as/

 

[EagerBeaver]

I had a juicy grilled filet mignon cooked rare.......

 

[EagerBeaver]

I ate the whole steak LOL.......it was very good, purchased at my favorite local place, far away from Montreal. The discussion in this thread overwhelmed me and I started smelling the aromas of grilled steak in my head............that rich and distinctive charcoal smell that hits you when you walk by a steakhouse on a warm summer day. It was too much for me.

 

[transatlantic]

I found Queue de Cheval pretty good. Decor is nice. My steadk was better than Moishe and Keg. Never been to Gibby's but will put that on my TDL.

 

[luvdozer]

I ate at both Cheval and Gibbys during different visits last summer. Food was good at both, but Cheval was much more contemporary in its menu and it's decor. Gibbys felt like a steakhouse from the 70s. I had a really good meal there, but the overall experience felt dated.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Another Montreal Pizza Disappointment- Pizzeria No. 900, 2049 Peel

It is with great sadness that I must report another Montreal pizza disappointment. It seems like I am like 0 for 10 in Montreal on my quest for pizza greatness. I am striking out at a very alarming rate that would make Aaron Judge seem like a contact hitter.

Before I get to the review, I should admit up front that I am a spoiled American pizza brat. A total snob. I was weaned from babyhood on the New Haven style thin crust mozzarella pies, a style I favor over all other pizza styles. In my young adulthood I managed an extremely successful pizzeria for 3 years, which was making a different thicker crust style of mozzarella pie. Now I work at an office that regularly holds pizza parties, usually ordering from a different place each time, but almost always New Haven style.

I had noticed Pizzeria No. 900 while walking on Peel and saw they were doing a good business. I checked out the Yelp reviews, which were good. I was in the mood for pizza so I decided to give them a try. Big mistake. First of all, they are not New Haven style nor are they even making mozzarella based pies. They are making a thicker crust pie, but the one I ordered was doughy and insufficiently cooked to a proper crispness. The pie I ordered was one advertised as "prosciutto pizza", with buffalo mozzarella and arugula. Second problem was that the pie bubbled and had burn spots, while being unevenly undercooked in other spots. The bubbling is due to laziness of the manager in not making sure the dough was taken out of the cooler sufficiently ahead of time to bring it to room temperature. When you see bubbles on a pizza it's due to the dough being too cold when put in the oven. It doesn't happen if the dough is allowed to come to room temperature.

Third problem: the prosciutto isn't on the pizza. They give you 2 small slices with arugula in a small box. You are left to put it on the pizza on your own. I have never seen a prosciutto pizza or flatbread made this way.

Last, as I had ordered takeout, they did not have take out bags for the pizza and salad I had ordered. So I was left to walk to my hotel down Peel juggling two boxes and my utensils on top of the pizza box.

I can't even fathom how it is that they are successful, except that they have a very good location which has a lot of foot traffic, as it is across the street from the Peel Metro and within a block of 3 different hotels with hungry guests wandering the streets. Pizzeria No. 900 is making an absolute bastardization of pizza, such that I would not even call what they are making pizza. I would call it cooked dough with toppings. Their "pizza" sucks donkey balls.

At this point I am just giving up on Montreal pizza. I am going to stick with Crepes, Bagels and Deville Dinerbar, which again came through with great meals for me and has never disappointed me.