by MATHILDE RABBAT

Somebody recently posted on Chowhound.com’s Montreal message board that “keeping track of Montreal restaurants is like trying to take a census in a rabbit warren.” The comment was made during a discussion involving le Margaux, a French bistro that was located on Villeneuve near St-Denis for a few years, only to be sold and renamed le Montée du Lait (which was reviewed in this space by Mark Slutsky last week [“Milk run,” April 27]). Under its original owners, le Margaux is now trying to make a triumphant return in a new locale on Parc and Laurier, not too far from its old haunt.

It’s one of those somewhat chi-chi deals, where some of the menu is carefully scribbled on a framed blackboard. Basically, what you’ve got is a mix of meat and seafood, with a splash of veggies, incorporated into both entrées and main dishes. All main dinner dishes are accompanied by a potage du jour or a simple salad composed of mixed greens.

My asparagus soup of the day turned out to be more like a thick celery soup, with the latter ingredient strongly overpowering the asparagus, almost to the point of it being undetectable. The whole thing could also have used a little je ne sais quoi, some touch of pizzazz to spruce it up a bit.

Appetizers, ranging from $6–$9, feature interesting dishes like the profitéroles d’escargots ($6) and the poêlée de calamars basquaise ($7). A considerable amount of attention is paid to presentation, where the escargots are sandwiched between a trio of cream puffs also stuffed with spinach and flanked with straw mushrooms resting on a dark sauce spiked with badiane (star anise). I would have liked for the flavour of the anise to shine forth, but all I could detect in the way of spices was tarragon and salt, so the calibration was a bit off on that one I think. The Germans are reputed to say that over-salting a dish is a symptom of being in love. I didn’t dare ask.

Moving on to the calamari: Tiny seafood ringlets are garnished with a strip of bacon and accompanied by marinated red peppers in a typical, tomato-based basque sauce, a combination that seemed to heighten the fishy flavour of the squid.

The mains, priced at no more than $22, were as interesting as the appetizers. In fact, so many elements made up the two dishes I sampled that I’m not quite sure where to begin. How about with the onglets de boeuf grillé ($16): Strips of grilled beef are well seared in this show-stopper, which stars a clean thigh bone, acting both as a centerpiece and a vase for a couple of thick slices of mushroom. That’s not all—the whole thing was perched on a delicious flat potato latke. The dark and sweet d’Artagnan sauce, incorporating cooked grapes, was reminiscent of a sauce that would clothe game meat.

I preferred the duck to the beef, as, despite some stringiness, the sliced canard packed lots of flavour. If this column were 10 pages long, I might be able to get to all of the elements that make up this dish, like the tasty mashed potato blob topped with dried tomato peel, which itself housed a whole slew of ingredients from garlic to bites of chicken, or the thick chanterelle strips displayed over a few yummy asparagus heads drizzled with maple syrup. Both the beef and the duck dishes included a mini ladle filled with a caramelized cheese pâté.

The déssert maison did not disappoint ($6 all). All I have to say is crème brûlée and lavender—just a touch mind you—make great bedfellows. Delicious, thick fresh cream lies buried underneath a perfectly caramelized hard top. Yum yum.

While the ingredients taken on their own are all quite enticing, I get the sense that the combination of too many elements detracts from the quality of main dishes. On the other hand, it’s encouraging to see that a good measure of thought went into the planning and execution of dishes by injecting a little creativity into the mix, which many other restos are just too chicken to do.

Le Margaux
ADDRESS: 5058 Parc (near Laurier)
PHONE: 448-1598
HOURS: Tue–Fri 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.,
Wed–Sat 5:30–10 p.m., closed Sun & Mon
BEST FEATURES: Tasty duck, lovely lavender crème brûlée,
creative cooking and attention to detail in the
presentation of dishes.
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Small step to enter
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Not really
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NON-SMOKING SECTION: All smoke-free
PRICE: $35–$40 per person, before wine
RATING: *** out of ****