Bottoms up

Le Quartier Général takes Montrealers’
love of BYOBs to a new level

by JOANNA FOX

Bring-your-own-wine restaurants are experiencing a resurgence. Whether they are taking the torch from a previous BYO, replacing licensed restaurants in the hopes of attracting more clientele or, in the case of le Quartier Général, opening up fresh, renovated and sparkling new, there is no mistaking Montrealers’ ongoing, torrid affair with BYO restaurants.

Tucked into a quaint corner of Gilford and Brebeuf is two-month-old le Quartier Général. This newbie is all about breaking out of the BYO mould: Not all dishes are accompanied by the same menagerie of vegetables and potatoes, the décor is stylish with serious care put into the linens, glassware, a faux (but warm) fireplace, and the menu (blackboard style du jour) is composed with originality and variety.

Mains conveniently come with a soup of the day or salad. The soup, cauliflower, curry and apple, was creamy and subtle in its curry-ness and the apple gave it that extra body and just a hint of sweetness. Perfect for a cold winter night. The salad of mixed lettuce immediately won me over with a new favourite addition of mine: fried capers. When fried, these salty little pods blossom and offer an irresistible crunchy component to any dish, amping up this simple salad.

We had two appetizers (all $9) from those on offer, including onion soup with maple syrup and escargot with Bayonne ham. We chose the snow crab ravioli and the scallops in a curry cream. The ravioli was composed of three reasonably sized squares, two filled with crab and the third, an eggplant puree, swimming in a red pepper sauce. The pasta dough was rolled too thick, losing the delicate, sweet taste of the crab amongst the heavy layers. The eggplant was a nice in-between, I’m just not sure it paired well with the crab. The red pepper sauce was too sweet for this entire mixture and this dish fell flat of our expectations. The scallops were pan-seared to crispy outer perfection while maintaining their translucent pink centre. With its slightly sweet flavour and silky texture, I like to call scallops the sweetbreads of the sea (and if you have never had sweetbreads, I suggest you try). Sitting atop a splay of yellow curry, this dish was a lovely mix, perfect for an appetizer.

For mains, we went with the veal chop ($29), the arctic char ($24) and the Stanstead rabbit loin ($25). The veal chop was nestled into a parsnip puree with scattered shitake mushrooms. Cooked to a perfect rosy red, this expensive cut of meat was a steal, complemented by the crispy mushrooms and the smooth-as-butter puree, which won everyone over. The arctic char, one of my favourite fish and similar to salmon or trout, came with a serving of wild rice alongside root vegetables. The fish was seared skin side down (allowing the heat to partially cook the filet) leaving the taste and texture vibrant while maintaining a crispy skin. The wild black rice, although too al-dente, added a woodsy element to the dish.

The rabbit loin, stuffed with rabbit liver and chorizo sausage, was my favourite. Using local Stanstead bunnies, this dish came with a lovely Jerusalem artichoke mash and asparagus. I know that people often shy away from rabbit because they’re cute, furry and were once a family pet (mine was Bun-Bun), the truth is rabbit meat is similar to chicken: lean, white and delicious. The loin itself was moist and had the added punch of the chorizo mixture inside. Although the asparagus had seen better days, the roughly smashed artichokes were a seamless replacement for potatoes.

For dessert, a rich piece of Khalua cheesecake, a great closer, especially with an espresso to cap off the meal. Walking out of many BYO restaurants in this city, I usually feel pretty satisfied. With a “what-you-get-is-what-you-pay-for” mentality, it’s typically a pleasant night out with a couple bottles of wine. Walking out of le Quartier Général, I was impressed. Despite the small glitches, they delivered beyond my expectations—BYO restaurant or not.