Bottoms up

Buvette Chez Simone is a cozy
wine bar with a surprising selection of eats

by MARK SLUTSKY

It’s like a case study in gentrification. Skala was the most notorious dive bar in Mile-End, and despite being somewhat of a music scene hotspot in the ’80s, you could hardly call it beloved. “Sketchy” might be a better term for the old place, where you were likely to see illicit transactions and the odd fight break out while you sipped your 50. The vibe was perhaps best described by the Mirror’s own Alice and Yanka, who once wrote, “We think Skala might be holding a fundraiser to heat the bathrooms properly in the winter, so send all your donations to Skala Owner, 4869 Parc Avenue, Mtl, QC.”

So how perfect is it, in this new, condofied Mile-End of ours, that Skala, which closed a couple of years ago, has become an elegant wine bar? And am I yuppie scum for not minding and, darn it, even liking the new place? I mean, we still have Idée Fixe just down the block, right?

Buvette Chez Simone is the project of a handful of local resto/bar veterans. It feels like a labour of love. It’s very much in the vein of some of the other food-enhanced wine bars that have been popping up around town in the last few years, like Pullman and BU: nice wine selection, fine assortment of gourmet bites and a youngish crowd.

The nice thing about Buvette Chez Simone is how unpretentious it feels. There are no tablecloths, no scraping and bowing from the servers. Despite a pretty large room (and terrasse) it feels cozy, with wood tables and low lighting. It’s just a nice place to hang out. Elegant, convivial, but not formal.

Wines are available by the bottle, the glass or the half glass. You won’t have to break the bank for a nice bottle either—an Emporda, at $34, was quite drinkable, and so was a very pleasant Guilhem Dardé, from the Languedoc, at $35. On one visit, we tried a glass of 2007 Morgon which was light and airy and a perfect accompaniment to our plate of charcuterie.

Yes, the charcuterie. How I love it so. Give me a platter of cured meats, cheeses, olives and I’m a happy man. Buvette’s are a thing of beauty. In addition to whatever meats and cheeses you order, you’ll find a scattering of pomegranate seeds, or a sweet, sliced peach, or a handful of olives, pistachios and almonds, or any of the above, at least in my experience. They make a beautiful plate.

Most of the charcuterie menu can be ordered in half or whole portions, and word to the wise: the half portions are quite generous, so I’d advise you go for variety and take the opportunity to try more. The menu seems to change weekly. But we were able to try what seemed like a representative sample.

Of the meats, the viande de grison ($4/$7), air-dried beef like bresaola, was rich and satisfying; the rosette de Lyon ($4.50/$8) tasted wonderfully of fresh herbs; the chorizo ($3/$5) was somehow both hearty and light, the rillettes de canard ($4.50/$8) were textured and addictive. In the cheese department, we sampled a Gran Padano (now off the menu, though I hope it’ll be back soon) and a lovely gruyere de Grotte ($4/$7), a nutty Swiss offering. From the salads menu, we also dug the beet and blue cheese salad ($5/$9), which came in a generous portion.

Apart from the charcuteries and salads, there’s only one other thing on the menu, and that, improbably, is… roast chicken. Served on thick wooden boards, the fowl’s roasted in herbs and presented alongside a fine selection of herb-roasted root veggies: creamy potatoes, sugary sweet carrots, aromatic onions ($12 for a quarter, $20 for a half, $36 for a whole). An unexpected thing to offer alongside cured meats and wines, but a delicious thing too, and it’ll certainly make for a cozy winter meal at this great neighbourhood spot.

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