Thursday's is Blowing Away Montreal's Critics

Fresh off an almost over-the-top rave from Thierry Daraize in Le Journal de Montréal, Lesley Chesterman (behind the paywall) confers three stars on the new Thursday's. This puts the Crescent street mainstay in the same company as Manitoba, Le Shinji, and Salmigondis - three restaurants many consider to be the best of 2014 so far.

The Gazette critic commends the savvy reboot from restaurateur Torrance Rageneau and chef Jean-François Vachon, despite some initial apprehension: "I cannot deny that I entered Thursdays more than a little skeptical about its makeover. But how terrific that this team did things right. Funny how Thursdays was primarily known as a pick-up and party hot spot in its heyday. In 2014, it deserves to be celebrated for its food." [Gazette]

Over in the Plateau Est, Sarah Musgrave (behind the paywall) calls Le Sieur d'Iberville a "fair to good bet." A bit of a surprise, since The Gazette's casual dining critic seems to have nothing but praise for chef/restaurateur Stephen Leslie's menu: "The kitchen is really working the wood-fried rotisserie, and a case can be made for some of the standards here. The chicken platter is St-Hubert plus plus: I found the first couple of bites of breast meat heavenly, if a bit chewier than expected. Halfway through, I realized that it demands some commitment, those woodsmoke tastes are concentrated, verging on cloying, and the seriously rich dipping sauce almost over delivered. The crunchy-soft slaw, and the skinny, salty, deep brown fries were great. Intense stuff." [Gazette]

Le Filet comes up aces for Jean-Philippe Tastet, who files a rave laden with tennis references: "La deuxième manche fut pliée en peu de temps et le chef Yasu Okazaki croulait sous les applaudissements. Premier jeu : pieuvre grillée, couscous israélien, touche de citron Meyer. Deuxième jeu : spaghetti, homard, petits pois frais. Troisième et dernier jeu : flétan, chorizo, paillette de pois chiches. Un jeu subtil de textures, de saveurs et de couleurs qui témoigne du talent en cuisine." [Le Devoir]

Over in Verdun, Thierry Daraize (behind the paywall) wants to keep Balconville, the first non-BYOB from Marc-André Paradis and Frédéric Leblond, all to himself: "Il y a des endroits comme ça que l’on voudrait garder juste pour soi. Je sais, c’est mon travail de vous les présenter et de les partager, alors voilà, je vous présente un petit coup de coeur." [Le Journal de Montréal]

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