Foxy Fires Up Food Critic to the Tune of Four Stars

Two weeks ago the food critic for the Gazette declared Foxy a "potentially great new restaurant." Lesley Chesterman's counterpart at Le Journal de Montréal, however, hints this week that the Griffintown restaurant's potential has been realized. Foxy, Thierry Daraize writes, is "formidable, vraiment" and serves food that is "parfaitement exécutée et réalisée avec des produits de qualité."

The relatively new project from Olive et Gourmando's Dyan Solomon and Éric Girard is hot — and not just because of the open kitchen's conspicuous fire pit. "Tout le monde se précipite au Foxy... Des gens des médias, des artistes, des personnalités politiques, des gourmands, des jeunes qui aiment sortir et prendre un verre de vin avec quelques petits plats chaleureux."

A small quibble with the low-lit ambiance aside (a smartphone flashlight might be required to read the menu), Daraize loves the space. The critic, not uncharacteristically, barrels through the menu a little hastily, with only superficial tasting notes, but it's clear he liked what he ate. A lot. Winners include wood-fired flatbread with cheese and herbs; "un pur délice" of a winter's salad; baked tomatoes with almonds and homemade pita; and roasted chicken. To finish, Daraize enjoys two well-made desserts, but fails to describe them. What were these mystery desserts? The critic wants readers to guess, apparently.

The critic is duly won over by Foxy's solicitous service, and singles out the restaurant's cocktails and well-priced wines for praise. Final verdict: "Ambiance chaleureuse et cuisine réconfort." Four stars on five.