by MARK SLUTSKY

You might expect from the name alone that an establishment called Meat Market would be some sort of singles bar or pick-up spot. But the truth is far more literal, as besides being a restaurant specializing in meats, Meat Market also serves as somewhat of a delicatessen, with its own line of rubs and sauces, as well as a daytime sandwich counter.

But, despite it all, the place doesn’t exactly look like an old-fashioned deli. On a recent visit, a friend commented on the restaurant’s curiously metrosexual vibe—curious for a place with such a carnivorous mission. That’s the interesting contradiction at the heart of the Meat Market. Furthermore, despite nearly being a butcher shop in name and practice, it’s also suprisingly vegetarian-friendly.

The space itself is simple, stylish, low-lit and mostly very comfortable, save for the chairs, which for some reason sent my back into contortions (they looked comfy, though). Service is friendly and solicitous but not overbearing.

Meat Market’s main attraction is its selection of “meat sticks,” or brochettes (one for $3.50, two for $6, five for $12, and all come with fries or salad). Each is marinated in its own special sauce, and comes with a mayonnaise-based dip. The Shanghai Nights was particularly tasty, chunks of chicken drenched in a ginger and sesame marinade and served with Japanese mayonnaise, but they all have their charms.

East Meets West and Mardi Gras are both composed of grilled chicken as well, the former marinated in cinnamon and orange juice and served with harissa mayo, the latter soaked in lime juice, garlic and white wine and served with spicy Cajun mayo. If you don’t roll with poultry, the Stampede is composed of a couple of juicy speared pieces of skirt steak with a pesto dip, and the Cuba Libre is pieces of pork filet marinated in a Cuban adobo with mango/mint ketchup. There wasn’t a dud in the brochette bunch, though, as mentioned, the Shanghai Nights was a standout, and the Stampede stood out as well.

If you’re a fan of those particular meat/marinade combos, they all make appearances in Meat Market’s evening sandwich roster (there’s a separate, less expensive and more basic lunch menu), most of which cost $10.95, save for the club, which is a buck more. All come with tasty sweet potato and regular potato fries and a green salad, which was a little unfortunate when I tasted it, with leathery leaves and a sweet, cinnamon-tasting vinaigrette that reminded me of apple pie.

Also on the sandwich menu is the Quacksandwich, made with confit de canard, sautéed mushrooms, spinach and BBQ sauce. Something about the combination of flavours and textures in this one didn’t quite sit right with me—maybe it was that they seemed to cancel each other out. Not a bad sandwich per se, just not memorable. There’s also a selection of veggie sandwiches, all $7.25, with contents ranging from veggie paté to marinated tofu, or just grilled vegetables.

Meat Market offers four burgers, and we went with the most conventional, the Swiss Miss ($10.95, also with salad and fries), to see how they handled the basics. And the answer was: very satisfactorily. The bacon was perfectly crispy, the burger cooked to a perfect medium, the caramelized onions toothsome. Fancier options like le Grand Bleu ($11.95) boast blue cheese, Grenoble nuts, and slices of green apple.

The waiter strongly recommended the ribs ($18.95), and wanting to try some straight-up meat, we bit, so to speak. These were definitely cooked right, soft and tender and not so much falling off the bone than outright fleeing from it. They were a bit gamey, and a little bit on the pungent side, so if you can’t deal with that, you might want to steer clear.

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Meat Market
ADDRESS: 4415 St-Laurent PHONE: 223-2292
HOURS: Mon 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Tue–Wed 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Thu–Fri 9a.m.–11 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m. (closed Sundays)
BEST FEATURES: The “meat stick” brochettes with their variety of dipping sauces
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes!
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $8–$11 per person at lunch, $12–$20 at dinner, before tax, tip and wine
RATING: ** and a 1/2 out of ****