Eat the rich

Or eat with them at Mile-End's moneyed Restaurant Bernard

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

Anyone who's experienced the soaring rents in Mile-End knows the yuppification of the area has been well under way for some time. But when St-Laurent club king Bob Di Salvio hung out his shingle on Bernard last month--or more specifically his valet-parking boards emblazoned with the letter "B"--the gentrification trend got a seal of finality.

For weeks, locals have been peering through the windows of Restaurant Bernard, trying to figure out just what this chichi eatery/bar is doing in such a low-key location. Meanwhile, on the other side of the thick Venetian blinds, clients watch SUV after shiny SUV pull up outside while Lubavitch Jews and city slackers walk on by in the snow.

Inside, the resto's décor is appealing and the music is pleasantly non-techno. Dim lighting casts a purple haze over the cushy booths, and a roaring fireplace heats up the smoking section. The walls consist of stacked stone, creating an ambiance reminiscent of some '60s soft porn flick mixed with the residue of '80s cocaina culture. The staff, culled from the same gene pool that serves the lower Main, is comprised of attractive, slow-blinking women and efficient eunuchs, soft-voiced males in tight black turtlenecks.

In addition to a fully stocked bar, the menu features seafood and meats presented with an interesting mélange of ingredients--all at a price. Items on the high-end of the scale, like sirloin steak or yellowfin tuna, will set you back $30 for a main course. Similarly, the wine list starts at $26 and skyrockets into triple digits pretty quickly.

The appetizers we ordered were sumptuous, particularly a soup called Retour des Indes ($7), which contains chicken and shitake mushroom dumplings in a light curried broth. This Asian-style concoction melds multilayered tastes, unfurling hints of cardamom, cloves and anise on the tongue.

I started with a salad of arugula, prosciutto chips, walnuts and a biting vinaigrette that played off the bitterness of the greens ($10). It was topped with two pieces of bread with melted goat cheese, for a pleasant mixture of texture and tanginess.

The main course of red snapper with rapini ($21) proved to be a simple and very successful dish. It was served do-it-yourself, the fish sitting unadorned atop the steamed broccoli-type vegetable, with half a lemon and a wooden juicer to adjust your own citrus content. On the side were warm, melt-in-your-mouth cherry tomatoes on the vine and whole roasted cloves of garlic cooked to pungent sweetness.

On the other hand, the scallops in sake, coconut milk and homemade curry was not as winning a combination ($26). Although the six large scallops were masterfully tender, it was as though the chef was unsure how spicy to make the sauce that would accompany so delicate a seafood. Similarly, the centrepiece of what seemed to be chopped fennel was uninspired and almost crude considering the price of the plate.

Desserts were also a thumbs-up thumbs-down experience. The crème brùlé infused with vanilla and lavender ($7) was fantastic, ice-cold and almost cleansing under its caramelized shell. The baked Alaska of mango and raspberry sorbet with a meringue topping was impressively set afire in flaming sambuka, but the fruity flavours were so strong that the result was garish.

Of course, I have to admit that I am the kind of person who finds that food actually tastes better if I feel I am getting a deal. "B" is for the kind of person who doesn't need to differentiate between a $10 and $20 bill. And increasingly, if you live in Mile-End, that means your friends and neighbours.

Restaurant Bernard

Address: 254 Bernard E.

Phone: 271-5007

Hours: 6pm-2am weekends; noon-2:30pm & 6pm-midnight weekdays

Best features: late-night kitchen, fireplace, some unusual tastes

Vegetarian friendly: so-so

Credit cards: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Alcohol: yes

Price: $40/person without tax, drinks or tip
Rating: "B"