Yves L.
Yelp
Fairly tasty food, though prices are a bit high and service can be slow.
Had a lovely dinner here. Strangely, a bit of a wait to be seated, despite having a reservation and there being plenty of open tables. We had requested a booth seat in the notes, and while the hostess initially showed us to a standard 2-top, they then moved us without further prompting.
We got started with some cocktails: the strawberry fields, a rum-based drink, and the moonbeam, an Earl Grey & gin concoction. The strawberry fields tasted quite strong, with more rum flavour than the colour and presentation might have you expect. The moonbeam, meanwhile, was pleasantly light and sweet, with lots of Earl Grey coming through.
A decently long wait later, we got our appetizers: fish tacos, beef tartare, and herbed frites with Dijon aioli (not pictured... oops). The beef tartare was the standout star, and the fries were also fantastic. The fish tacos were... fine? I would skip them next time, but I'm also spoiled by the quality of Mexican cuisine in California. The waiter mentioned specifically that today's tacos were halibut, and asked if that was okay--so perhaps the fish changes by day.
Eventually we got our mains: the braised Beverly Creek lamb shank, and the Québec wild boar chop. The lamb shank was supremely tender, practically flaking off with the touch of a fork. It was nicely seasoned, and the accoutrements were tasty as well, but frankly it was rather one-note. I liked the walnut pesto, but it was difficult to distribute across the meat.
The wild boar chop was creative. We had asked about doneness, and were told it only came well done, but that didn't detract. It certainly took more effort than the lamb to slice off pieces to eat, but the flavours were excellent, and the strawberries provided a nice brightness to the dish. The garlic was also great; relatively mild, and so soft as to nearly melt when placed on the tongue. Our preferred dish of the evening, though I wish we had gotten the same crispy exterior that some other reviews rave about.
Finally, we had the cheesecake. This tasted great, though I personally would have preferred a graham crust to the oatmeal one presented. The cheesecake itself is bare, requiring that you smear spoonfuls into the sauce yourself, but it was delicious.
Overall, a great spot, but don't go ravenous -- you'll need to be prepared to wait a bit. Oh, and mind that the water is bottled, so expect to pay accordingly; next time, I'll just ask for tap instead of still.
