by A.J. KINIK

What is it about BU, the bar à vin that sits on St-Laurent in the heart of Mile End? Is it that sleek, minimalist, award-winning interior? Is it its location on a stretch of the Main that has a little more bounce to it than it once did, but can still be eerily quiet on most nights of the week? Is it its primary identity as a wine bar in a city that’s still a bit skeptical of the term? Is it its curt, minimalist name (and its proximity to the similarly ultra-monosyllabic Bô)? Whatever it is, there’s something about BU that has kept it an enigma for some of us who have lived in the area in the three years since it opened.

Set foot inside, though, and your impressions of the place change rapidly. For one thing, the menu unexpectedly features a whole host of Italian specialties, running the gamut from dishes typical of Sicily to antipasti native to Northern Italy. I remember being shocked when I found out that BU’s cuisine was inspired by Italy’s regional cuisines and especially by the mammas who are some of its greatest chefs. The outward appearance had always suggested “foie gras this” and “confit de that” to me.

Since making this discovery, I’ve been to BU a number of times, but always just for a late-night snack and a glass of wine or two. There was still plenty on the menu I was unfamiliar with, so I decided to return with a party of four and together we made quite a night of it.

BU’s menu is divided into three sections: pronto, which amounts to tapas-like snacks and small dishes, freddo, their cold antipasti side, and caldo, their hot main dishes.

We started with three selections from the pronto section and made the first of our wine selections. BU’s caponata ($6), the classic Sicilian spread, was particularly good, with plenty of sweet peppers rounding out the flavours of the eggplant and olives that are its foundation. Their olives ascolane ($6), deep-fried olive croquettes stuffed with minced veal, made for the ultimate bar snack: warm, crispy, a bit briny and absolutely delicious. And, finally, their polipo e patate ($9), delicately marinated octopus with potatoes and lemon, closed out the set on yet another high note.

We then had the two dishes we’d ordered from the freddo section: a subtle but wonderfully seasoned beef carpaccio ($12), served with Parmesan cheese over arugula, and the beautiful and generous selection of antipasti they called their “assiette BU” ($15), which comes complete with everything from grilled eggplant, zucchini and sweet peppers, to a wide selection of cured meats, including prosciutto, speck, salami and an incomparable venison bresaola served with a ribbon of fine olive oil.

We finished off the meal with just two dishes from the caldo section. The first was their pizza del giorno ($12), a dish they offer only after 10 p.m., mysteriously, and for which we’d expressly delayed our dinner. On this occasion the pizza was a caprese, with fresh tomatoes, bufala mozzarella and fresh basil, that showed off the excellence of their crust. BU’s pizza may not be ready for international competition yet, but in a city like Montreal, where pizzas living up to the standards of Naples, Nice or New York are hard to come by, their pizza del giorno ranks in the upper echelon. And last, but not least, we opted for one of their standards, a light and truly exceptional veal scallopine sautéed in Marsala wine and served with saffron tagliatelle ($16).

If all of the above isn’t impressive enough, BU has not one but two more trump cards at its disposal: The service is warm, attentive and, best of all, knowledgeable—able to discuss their impressive (and oftentimes surprisingly affordable) assortment of wines and their weekly by-the-glass specials in terms that are informative, inviting and not the least bit pretentious. We savoured our glasses of excellent Italian and French wines (their specialties) as we ate our meal and wondered why BU was so quiet on that particular night. Anywhere else BU would be much less of an enigma. In fact, it’d be hard to get a table.

BU
ADDRESS: 5245 St-Laurent
PHONE: 276-0249
HOURS: Mon–Sat, 5 p.m.–1 a.m.
BEST FEATURES: Brilliant antipasti, superb wine, great service
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: $15–$30 per person, before taxes and wine
RATING: *** and 3/4 out of ****