Reviews for Chez Sophie, Biiru, Brasserie Bernard

Lesley Chesterman (behind the paywall) calls new Griffintown restaurant Chez Sophie "a sight for sore eyes" and explains that it "feels very grown up in the best sense of that expression". Giving it two and a half stars she concludes: "Granted you can find edgier food in many Montreal restaurants and Tabet may want to take a few more risks in her cuisine and kick up the seasonal selections. Yet what charmed me most was the civilized/sophisticated ambience. If pulsing background beats, double thick pork chops and too-cool-for-school waiters are not your speed, I'd highly recommend giving Chez Sophie a try." [The Gazette]

On the casual beat, Sarah Musgrave writes that Biiru, a relatively new Japanese beer garden Downtown, drew her in with their outdoor space: "Biiru's wooden deck is a little oasis tucked away on a downtown side street, decorated with red lanterns strung from a huge, leafy tree, a mural of a big sumo wrestler and a built-in bar at the back." Besides a confusing cocktail and a few food missteps, Musgrave ended on a mostly promising note: "I'd call Biiru an isakaya for beginners but seen as a Japanese Beer Garden it has a lot of potential for fun." [The Gazette]

Marie-Claude Lortie continues her "Sur La Route" series, this time in Sherbrooke at Antidote Foodlab, a bistro that experiments with reinventing classic dishes, without the pretention. "Ainsi, la soupe à la tomate devient une soupe B.L.T.F. comme le fameux sandwich bacon, laitue, tomate, fromage. La crème de tomate est ainsi ponctuée d'un peu de mayonnaise à l'ail confit et au bacon et garnie de laitue, pour la fraîcheur, et de croquettes de fromage qui ajoutent un élément gras, croquant." Lortie concludes that the owners have put a lot of effort into this place even though there are some food issues to iron out, especially on the dessert front. She would go back, but only if she was already in Sherbooke. [La Presse]

Thierry Daraize heads to Outremont to check out how Brasserie Bernard is faring after a year of being open. "C'est Beau..." writes the Journal de Montréal critic. "La Brasserie Bernard a vu le jour il y a un an et elle s'est vite fait une belle réputation. Il faut dire que le lieu avait déjà dans le passé une belle histoire avec le restaurant La Moulerie. Puis, quelques changements d'orientation chaotiques avaient laissé, c'est le cas de le dire, les clients sur leur faim." [Journal de Montréal]

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