With restaurants in New York, Florida, Beijing and Singapore – Chef Daniel Boulud really gets around! Luckily for us, he decided to open his latest food-child at the newly renovated Ritz-Carlton here in Montreal. Last week marked the official opening of Maison Boulud and I had the pleasure of lunching there with a girlfriend. My first experience at this casually elegant restaurant was a real treat – the service was pro, attentive and friendly, and the food prepared by Boulud and his Executive Chef, Riccardo Bertolino was excellent. After our meal, Daniel himself came to our table in his apron to see what we thought.
I chose the table d’hôte menu (three plates for $40) that started with the Rabbit porchetta à la Provençale served on a plate with an artful array of pickled spring vegetables resembling a mini garden. The rabbit was stuffed with bits of chorizo, olives and carrot, making it a very tasty appetizer. For my main, I decided on the Arctic char from Gaspésie – the succulent fish was cooked perfectly and served on a bed of zucchini cut as thin as spaghetti in a pesto sauce with a cube of crispy polenta on the side.
My friend couldn’t resist ordering the DBGB Burger ($19) – one of Boulud’s signature gourmet burgers that are so popular in New York. I had a few bites and now I’m convinced that Maison Boulud is where I’ll be heading next time a burger craving hits. For my chocolate addiction, there’s the incredible Chocolate Coulant which we had for dessert: basically a chocolate lava cake filled with liquid fleur de sel caramel and a dollop of caramelized ice cream. That dessert may just turn out to be every Montreal woman’s new best friend. You can thank the talented pastry chef, Suyin Wong for that one!
After dinner, we chatted with Chef Boulud on the terrace of the Japanese-inspired garden. I was happy to learn that he plans on returning to Montreal on a regular basis (especially since it’s the closest restaurant he has outside of New York!) and that he’s already very attached to our city. He includes many of our top chefs amongst his friends including: Carlos Ferreira, Normand Laprise, and Martin Picard. He also mentioned that he’s already greatful for his faithful Montreal clients who frequent his restaurants in New York and that he hopes Montrealers will become regulars at the new Maison Boulud.
He definitely has a new fan right here!
Restaurant Maison Boulud
1228 Sherbrooke Street West
514-842-4224
Opening hours:
Breakfast
Mon – Fri, 7h – 10h30
Saturday and Sunday, 7h – 11h
Brunch
Sunday, 11h30 – 14h30
Lunch
Mon – Saturday, 12h – 14h30
Dinner
Sun – Thurs, 17h30 – 22h
Friday and Saturday, 17h30 – 22h30
Follow Daniel Boulud here:
Site internet | Facebook | Twitter
Follow the Ritz-Carlton here:
Site internet | Facebook | Twitter
