MILE END — Jean-Philippe Tastet dines at the beautiful, German-inspired restaurant-cafe-boutique Le Butterblume and gives it a shining review. Tastet is pleased to find chefs whose work he’s enjoyed in other restaurants: Jens Ruoff, formerly of Bouillon Bilk, and Philip Dascal, formerly of Provisions. He finds the maultasche, a dish of plump German ravioli, to be outstanding, along with the light gazpacho with gravlax. The service is efficient and friendly, and the atmosphere laid-back and pleasant. The price is also most definitely right, with dishes ranging from $3 to $14. A great bet for brunch. Three stars. [Le Devoir]
MILE END — Marie-Claude Lortie continues La Presse’s summer mission to revisit classic Montreal standbys. This week, it’s all happening at Leméac, a French bistro with a loyal following. Lortie recommends the crab cakes over the calamari with zucchini. Her only gripe is that classic restaurants like this one tend not to change with the seasons, so some of the dishes feel a bit heavy for summer. Overall, however, it's a true crowd-pleaser. [La Presse]
WESTMOUNT — Thierry Daraize craves pizza this week and tries out Bacaro Pizzeria Urbaine. He enjoys the generous portions, but finds the food somewhat hit or miss. The Capricciosa pizza (mushrooms, artichokes, mozzarella, olives, and prosciutto) is the "coup de coeur du soiree" and the Bolzano pizza is a win; but the veal cannelloni are disappointing and a little bland. He finds service to be friendly but not particularly streamlined. Despite its faults, Bacaro offers a nice dinner with particularly good pizza. Three stars. [Le Journal de Montreal]
GRIFFINTOWN — Lesley Chesterman is in love with Hvor. "As for the food, well… in a word: wow," she raves. "Chef S’Arto Chartier Otis is a strong technician with an artistic eye and tastebuds fuelled by one wild imagination." She's particularly thrilled with the buckwheat baby cavatelli with swiss chard, buckwheat crumble and miso. There are a few small off notes throughout the meal, but in the end, Chesterman is completely "bowled over." 3.5 stars. [The Gazette]