Relief! Yes, relief is what I felt last week when I dined at Laloux. Then came happiness and, finally, newfound excitement. It was no secret that this, one of Montreal’s most beloved restaurants, had been in turmoil since the departure last fall of its long-standing chef, André Besson. Though Besson’s elegant cuisine had evolved little over the years, when dishes like his tourte de gibier, and foie de veau a la vinaigre de framboise were on, a meal at Laloux seemed the epitome of fine French dining. Yet when Besson left and various chefs were brought in to rethink the concept, scathing reviews followed. After a disappointing experience in February, I exited with spirits low. But just as I was about to write up my dismal dinner, word came that the dynamic chef duo of Danny St-Pierre (formerly of Derriere les Fagots) and Patrice Demers (a former partner and pastry chef of Les Chevres) were coming on board. Excellent news, I thought, but was this team of twentysomethings the right choice to rejuvenate this 18-year-old institution?

Oh yes, though Laloux in its most recent incarnation feels quite different than the restaurant I once knew. Not only is it less expensive, it’s less formal. The crowd is more casually dressed, more rambunctious, and the food is French bistro as opposed to French formal. I never thought I’d say this, but Laloux 2007 is verging on branché.
St-Pierre and Demers have decided to take a sort of a “groundbreaking” breather this time around. Following the recent trend towards the casualization of fine dining, their focus is on reworked bistro classics such as coq au vin, braised lamb shoulder, hot foie gras and pot de creme. Yet because these two chefs are so smart and experienced, reworked in this case means dishes honed to an haute-cuisine sheen. Take, for example, the classic beet and goat’s cheese salad. At Laloux, it’s just that - two ingredients with a few walnuts thrown in for good measure. But the presentation is so lovely and the tastes and textures are so utterly perfect that even a restaurant critic in search of even the tiniest faux pas could find no wrong.
St-Pierre’s plate presentations impress without excess, a talent well demonstrated by his delicious blood pudding “tart.” Made up of a rectangle of hot apple jelly (thickened with agar agar, no doubt so that heat would not liquefy the layer) topped with a half dozen slices of velvety sausage and a sliver of puff pastry, it’s a dish that well demonstrates the new Laloux approach. I also admired an appetizer consisting of succulent slices of smoked duck breast paired with a generous round of foie gras “au torchon” and a salad of carrots and clementines. Best of all, it’s sold for a more-than-reasonable $10, whereas that same dish would cost well over $20 at any other high-end restaurant - and probably wouldn’t be as skillfully prepared.

Laloux’s new pricing policy merits a paragraph alone. With starters averaging $8 and most mains under $25, the newfound affordability of a dinner at Laloux is as welcome as the rise of the Canadian dollar. (I applaud the restaurant for opening up the gourmet gates to budget-conscious dinners, but having been led down that path by other restaurants before, I’ll eat my hat a year from now if this pricing policy is still intact).

But back to the food, or more specifically the silky marinated salmon served with a refreshing celery-root “terrine” and enough dill and creme fraiche to keep a Ukrainian grandmother smiling (I know because I have one). With this dish it really struck me how talented St-Pierre is at making such simple combinations sing. When everything is in sync, who could ask for anything more? Yet with nothing like reduced sauces or excess garnish to detract from the main event, the false notes strike that much louder. Case in point: a main course dish of black cod wrapped in prosciutto served with lentils and a concasse of tomatoes. Though priced at only $19 and cooked just so, the fish tasted excessively fishy. After one “off” bite, I passed on a second, and pitied my poor dining companion who had to finish it. I was also less than enthusiastic about my dish: veal loin with sweetbreads. Served with a barley risotto infused with just that-much-too-much lemon zest, the fat rectangle of veal loin was surprisingly tough. After sawing my way through each slice, I took solace in the two rounds of sweetbreads that provided a melting contrast to that unyielding hunk of meat.
The third main course - an unctuous halibut filet served with delicate lobster gnocchi and a tender piece of lobster claw meat - was a knockout. Add a swirl of rich tarragon and lobster sauce strewn with asparagus spears, and this, my friends, is sure to become Laloux’s new must-have dish.

Cheese has always been a must at Laloux and that’s still the case. Laloux was the first Montreal restaurant where I enjoyed a cheese course, and the tradition continues with diners choosing from a half dozen local and imported cheeses. Yet so high was our anticipation for dessert that we barely touched the cheese. Patrice Demers is one of the top pastry chefs in Montreal, where excellent pastry chefs are as rare as excellent pastry shops. Having devoured several of his fabulous sweets at Les Chevres, I expected fireworks. Sadly, nothing wowed. His lemon crepes, layered with ribbons of pineapple, were nice enough, yet a slice of hazelnut cake paired with a mascarpone cream and rehydrated dried apricots infused with tea, was dull. A glass of goat’s cheese cream layered with graham-wafer crumble was topped with a rhubarb sorbet that didn’t taste much like rhubarb. And I had to question why he would pair an acidic sorbet with an acidic cheese? Considering the low price on these desserts ($7 each) I might be coming down a bit hard, but I think St-Pierre’s savoury offerings played the inexpensive card less noticeably than Demers’s desserts. Next time I’ll opt for the dessert and wine-pairing option, which makes sense considering Laloux’s wine list has long been one of the best in the city.

Service remains another of this restaurant’s strengths. Neither formal nor too forward, our waitress did everything right and the in-house sommelier helped us choose a wonderful white Cotes du Rhone for our various meat and fish dishes. As our meal for three came in at less than $250 (before tax and tip), I’d say I’ll be seeing those two sooner rather than later as I plan to return to Laloux for lunch or dinner ASAP.

If I had to choose the thing I enjoyed most about the restaurant, it’s the newfound sense of fun. Every seat was taken, everyone looked happy, and on the Thursday night of my dinner, a jazz trio began to play at Pop! (the next-door wine bar), where several of Laloux’s customers headed post -digestif. I’m told that plans are also underway for Demers to revamp Pop!’s menu to include a dessert menu for night owls and foodies in search of a last bite before bed- time.
So it looks like happy days are at Laloux again. And this time, for a song.”

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