Ladies Love Tartare, Declares Montreal Restaurant Critic

The critic for Le Journal de Montréal reviews Lustucru this week, a somewhat underappreciated restaurant that, fortuitously, just celebrated its fifth anniversary with a dinner well-attended by the city's food bloggers. The Mile End kitchen's emphasis is on tartares, which Thierry Daraize professes to love. Women must love tartare too, Daraize observes, after a cursory scan of the room. Translated: "It's true that there were many women the evening of my visit. As I said above, when I ask about culinary tastes, I find that many women love tartares, so, this surely explains it."

Okay then. On to the food. Daraize bigs up starters like trout gravlax, and a duck tartare. Served with roasted hazelnuts, corinth grape mustard, and apple remoulade, the duck is "un des meilleurs tartares mangés depuis des années." Then, two duds: a mismatched pear risotto with arugula and brie, and an overcooked seafood chowder. Stick to the cru side of Lustucru, counsels the critic.

Luckily, however, a trio of delicious desserts, professional service, and a reasonably-priced wine list propel the restaurant to three and a half stars on five. "Un des meilleurs restaurants de la métropole pour déguster des tartares et autres plats crus faits avec passion," concludes Daraize. Hear that, ladies?