Critic: Don't Sleep on Wine Bar Buvette Chez Simone's Food Menu

Buvette Chez Simone is one of the livelier bars in the city, and a place where the wine list is the focus of much discussion. The restaurant critic for Le Journal de Montréal urges customers to give the food menu at Simone Chevalot's spot a deeper dive, however. Look beyond the snacks, Thierry Daraize counsels this week. Chef Frédéric Bourgault has revamped the kitchen's formula to include more elevated fare, and the results are noteworthy. "Autant les charcuteries sont appropriées pour grignoter et remplir un petit creux, ou même un gros, sans fla-fla, autant les réalisations chaudes sont très sophistiquées, très équilibrées et, surtout, délicieusement réalisées," raves Daraize.

Try, for example, Bourgault's take on monkfish, with leeks, sorrel, and red wine—a plate worthy of Montreal's best tables, muses the critic. Another ambitious dish, grilled duck's hearts, served with smoked beets and red cabbage is "Un plat quatre étoiles!" Roasted pork jowl, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and jus, reminds Daraize of a typical Lyonnaise bouchon. Desserts are less successful, but the service at Buvette is impeccable. The verdict: "Un de mes endroits chouchous à Montréal." And a healthy three and a half stars on five, to boot.