The Bottom Line
Pros
- Food is outstanding, possibly the best bring-your-own-wine in Montreal.
- Service is stellar: discreet with a touch of charm.
- Remarkably affordable for fine French cuisine.
- Simple decor, nice musical choices and the volume is not too loud.
- No rush, can comfortably linger after eating (only two services per evening).
Cons
- Not for the spontaneous: reservations a must (only two services per evening).
- Small locale, may feel crowded if at a table away from the windows.
- No à la carte menu, only table d'hôte.
Description
- Location: 554 Duluth East, corner of St. Hubert
- Get There: Sherbrooke Metro
- Phone: (514) 849-8844
- Note: Reservations a must. Two services per evening: 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Guide Review - La Colombe - A Montreal Restaurants Review
First off, my dining companion had the foresight of calling La Colombe (French for "The Dove") and reserving a table ahead of time. As we soon found out, the modestly-sized restaurant only offers two services: the 6 p.m. and the 9 p.m. Some may find this inflexible but I see it as more of a customer-driven perk. Guests can experience the rush-free pleasure of dessert and a slow sipped coffee unhindered by the hungered glares of patrons lining the entrance waiting for a seat.The menu offered a choice of two table d'hôte options (à la carte is not an option) at $42 or $55, depending on the main dish. The soup, a cauliflower potage, was sufficiently creamy and not too salty, a plus for patrons concerned with sodium intake.
As for the appetizers, the escargots in blue cheese got mixed reviews. Now I'm crazy about snails but my picky palette tasted too much mold for comfort but my friend loves blue cheese and he was pleased with the result. Playing it safe with the deer and cranberry terrine, it was almost meh until I paired it with -- yes, it's papaya -- chutney on the side, an excellent match.
Onto the main dishes. The tomato and tarragon halibut had promise but I couldn't resist the fillet of lamb in raspberry sauce and my companion opted for the fillet of duck from Marieville in a fig and port sauce. The lamb, medium-rare, was sublime in the ever-so-slightly charred raspberry sauce and the duck, the nonfatty scrumptiously tender duck, mmmm ... I can't say which dish was better -- and okay, I would have liked a bigger portion of celery salted mashed potatoes and string beans -- my mouth is watering just writing about this.
The dessert, a vanilla and passion fruit panna cotta was a delicious creamy sorbet-like affair with a layer of passion fruit. And apart from the veggie deficit, La Colombe exceeded our expectations on all fronts.
