|
Time travel >>
L’Auberge du Dragon
Rouge welcomes the I’d been avoiding a trip to L’Auberge du Dragon Rouge for some time, fearing that this medieval-themed restaurant would be full of chubby bearded folk who came of age in a Dungeons and Dragons fantasy, forcing me to partake in an impromptu jousting session or predicting my future with runes. But on a recent Monday night, I found myself driving waaaay up St-Denis, just past the Met, and turning onto a residential side street, where the sounds of carousing emanated from an old house. Inside, much rabble was being roused, with foot-stomping sing-alongs and crude and rude theatrics being lapped up by a capacity crowd. Decorated with rough-hewn wood and stone, the interior really does evoke a 12th-century inn. The terrasse is a little quieter, outfitted with lanterns and fake castle towers. Our serving wench in period costume shouted a sloppy welcome, and made a point of rolling her words to sound more like Olde French. No self-respecting inn from the Middle Ages would be caught dead without some form of alcohol, and we were all too eager to play the part of thirsty pilgrims. In addition to a selection of beers from local craft breweries, some of them fairly unusual, we tried one of four hydromels, rather odd honey wines supposedly used by the Druids during fertility rites. To recreate meals from almost a thousand years ago, recipes were culled from old texts like Le Ménagier de Paris and Le Viandier de Taillevant. I debated between the chicken with sauce saupiquet ($14.95), which dates back to 1197 AD, or the boar cooked with chestnuts and cider ($18.95) from 1395 AD. I opted for the chicken, which came in a large shallow bowl, with a browned pastry crust on top. Beneath the flaky dough were pieces of chicken simmered in a distinctive combination of nutmeg, coriander, saffron, ginger and smoked lard, the most heightened taste. Served with mushroom-rice and beets on the side, it was all surprisingly delicious. L’Auberge is known for is its hamburgers, which are considerably cheaper than the other entries. Burgers may seem like an anachronism, but apparently they were invented in 971 in Hamburg. Options range from beef, ostrich and chicken patties, to combos like boar and brie, beef and merguez, or venison and goat cheese. The Ogre ($9 for a medium size), which I chose for my crabby companion, contained a generous amount of ground beef adorned with mozzarella, bacon, mushrooms, peppers and onions. It came with two kinds of fries: the spicy, rough-cut Saxonnes and thin chips called petites pétaques. To upgrade to the table d’hôte, add $3.50 to your bill for an appetizer and coffee or tea. My starting salad of greens, strawberries and cantaloupe was excellent. So was the à la carte salad entrée ($4.50), sprinkled with a particularly exquisite dressing. The menu admits that medieval times weren’t exactly big on veggies, but it bends the rules a little so that its clients don’t succumb to scurvy. There’s also a meal-size salad called Potée à Prunella that sounds great, with grilled almonds in white wine and whole oranges. Similarly, I’m not sure how historically correct the desserts ($4) are, but the nougat noire, a sort of tartufo with whipped cream and raspberry coulis, and the banana death cake drizzled in chocolate, were both good. For some people, a one-time outing to L’Auberge
will be enough time travel to last them into the next century. For repeat
visitors, which I just might be, it’s a welcome respite from the
modern world. : |