White out

A redecorated Le Vaudeville puts its best face forward

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

Last Thursday evening, while my lady-friend and I were blissfully enjoying our weekly ritual of chasing the garbage truck with our trash, we realized that this time we had forgotten our keys inside. We were locked out. I was wearing jeans and flip-flops. I was stylin'.

We were out of breath, underdressed (no coats either) and famished, with at least two hours to kill before our key-bearing neighbours would be home. That's when it occurred to me that we hadn't yet eaten at Le Vaudeville since their facelift. They'd spent a few weeks redecorating and had recently reopened for business. I still can't believe they let us in.

The new digs are luxuriously white. The walls, floors, ceiling, ceiling fans, napkins, chairs and even the slip-covers on the chairs are white. My flip-flops were navy; my socks were white. We sat down and ordered a litre of house wine ($22)--white, of course. Our waiter brought us a basket of fresh baguette, warm onion rolls and some sublime spiced, herbed breadsticks that were baked on the premises.

I ordered the steak-frites ($12), not only because I had been dying for a steak but I really wouldn't have felt comfortable eating "filet de saumon avec compote d'oignons" in my flip-flops--or maybe I would have been too comfortable. My girlfriend ordered the salmon ($13)--a melt-in-your-mouth filet marinated in olive oil, rosemary and garlic, lightly grilled and topped with a sweet compote of onion.

The steak was a good one. I can't say it was great because I generally reserve a word like "great" for a steak that costs more than 12 bucks. I guess I'd have to say it was a great $12 steak. It was grilled as I had ordered it, medium rare, and was sitting atop a mound of some of the best fries Montreal has to offer.

My lady-friend's salmon was divine, except that we both thought it could have been a little bigger. In fact, I'm almost sure that I saw a much larger piece of salmon go to another table; I guess you've got to know somebody around here to get a big piece of fish. If we had another complaint, it would be regarding the salmon's accompaniments: the onion compote was red like candy and just as sweet--a slight mismatch for the delicate fish resting below it.

A choice of sides is offered with each meal, one of them being a special Vaudeville Stuffed Potato. They bake the potato, scoop out the insides, blend it with some sour cream, chives, bacon and who knows what else, and then they put it back inside the potato skin. It's the ultimate decadence in side-dishes, like somebody flavoured your potato, chewed it for you and then spit it back into your mouth, but much more hygienic. The potato would have been brilliant with a steak or some pasta, but it overpowered the salmon and I would expect a good waiter to recommend against that sort of a combination.

I returned for lunch later in the week (dressed more appropriately of course) and sampled a club sandwich and the pasta of the day, both reasonably priced at $9. The club was worth the extra bucks, as it was constructed with the utmost care and employed a freshly grilled marinated breast of chicken, rather than machine-sliced deli fowl. The pasta of the day, penne in salmon cream sauce, was absolutely delicious. Although I hope I never lock myself out again, I know that if I do, I know I'll eat well--in Vaudeville.

Le Vaudeville

Address: 361 Bernard W.

Phone: 495-4931

Hours: Mon-Fri 10-12am (lunch, dinner) Sat-Sun 9-12am (brunch, lunch, dinner)

Alcohol: yes

Best features: some of the best fries in town, gorgeous decor, good bistro fare at reasonable prices

Vegetarian friendly: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Price: $7-25 before drinks, taxes or tip

Rating: HHH out of HHHH