In another thread, Phoenikia mentioned that she’d like to try Candide & linked to their website. That was pretty helpful, as the guy who runs our local wine store in Brooklyn had told us about having a great memorable meal at some place that was in back of a church, hidden away from the main street. He then e-mailed us to say that he had found the name, Candide, but not a location. So, we went on the website and booked dinner last week.
Its a fixed price meal, with wine pairings optional (we opted in) and you can ask for seats at a bar-like area at the kitchen pass instead of a table. We did. Bottom line: a great meal in all ways. The room is rustic and cozy, the kitchen pass is wide open to all the goings on & the staff both in the kitchen and taking care of your order and wines are all conversational, knowledgable, informative and friendly. Each course was described, each wine explained — not, as in many places, in a perfunctory way or assuming no consumer knowledge, but as a explanation/conversation enhancer. And, best of all, everything (really) was worth eating and drinking. As the menu changes monthly, its not worth documenting each dish, but all the ingredients were top notch, much was local & the kitchen skill was laudable. If the menu changes before we leave (doubtful), we’re definitely returning. The 4 course dinner was CA$68/person & wine pairings (good ones) were an additional CA$50/person. Not inexpensive but, as you can tell, I think it’s well worth it.
As an aside, they give out a two sided sheet of “Candide Staff Picks” of restaurants in Montreal and, on the other side, around the world. Since we live in NYC and have spent considerable time in several of the cities listed, we found the lists to be interesting. Some places listed are those not generally found, except by locals or those present on food boards, & I wonder who managed to get to some of them. Others are out of date or overly trendy and arent consistent with the above finds. Curious. But hardly relevant.
