We had an excellent dinner at La Prunelle, a reasonably small BYOB place with an interesting menu. Although we came fully prepared with both a bottle of white (Sancerre) and a bottle of red (Vacqueras), we only drank the white based on what we ate. My wife started with oysters, which were fresh and clean, while I had their version of beef tartar. This preparation (remember - I said the menu was interesting) came on 3 large oyster shells & had oyster “emulsion” (juice) under the meat. Open minded as I am (I’ll try almost anything), I ate it & was impressed. For mains, my wife had gnuddi made with feta cheese in a thickened tomato “sauce”. This was a big winner. I had the duck special, which was quite good as well. We shared a dessert, which was right up there on the inventive scale with the other dishes. It was a cheesecake that integrated cepes (mushrooms) into the creamy cake. It was excellent, and we loved that it wasnt a very sweet dessert. I believe that they also have a squash or pumpkin cake on the menu, but we didnt have room for 2 desserts. All in, with tip, it came to CA$150 (plus our own wine). In my opinion, well worth it and a place we may return to later in the month.
Really enjoying these reports. It’s been decades since we last visited Montreal and reading about your meals is piquing my interest.
You just hit a major item in Montreal!
Few people know this but we have great BYOB!
Etat Major et Tandem already reserved.
Just to add: Tandem is an odd place for BYOB since the menu is fixed by the chef (5, 7 or 9 courses) and unknown to the diners walking in. Lucky we’re battle ready and have multiple wine carriers to take with us.
In Boston, we basically don’t have the option. There a few neighborhoods where it is permitted, but the majority of restaurants are prohibited. From the Boston.gov website:
Restaurants in the Downtown, North End, South End, Bay Village, Fenway, Chinatown, Seaport, West End, Beacon Hill and Back Bay neighborhoods of Boston are not eligible for a BYOB permit.
