The Bottom Line
Pros
- The Basque, mini tapas theme is interesting.
- The ingredients are fresh.
- Knockout service.
- Lax dress code: from suit to hoodie.
Cons
- The price.
- The duck.
- Dining rooms lack intimacy.
Description
- Location: 256 Roy East, west of St. Denis
- Get There: Sherbrooke Metro
- Phone: (514) 844-0222
- Pintxo Website
Guide Review - Review of Pintxo, A Montreal Spanish Basque Restaurants Review
I ordered the duck. That's my problem. I should have stuck with an assortment of their famed Basque pintxos. But no, I wanted to save on the $200 a head one can expect to pay (with wine) for an evening of mini-appetizers. So I put my chic-on-a-budget trust in Pintxo's tasting menu or menu dégustation for $30. It includes four chef chosen pintxos and one main dish of your choice.First came a strawberry and sweet bell pepper gazpacho in a shot glass. Quite nice but, uhm, $4 à la carte? For an ounce of soup? The flavor, mind you, matched well with the delectable foie gras with onion confit.
Then came the dreamy melt-in-your-mouth salmon tartare with a pint-sized serving of grilled vegetables soaked in balsamic vinegar. It was perfect. My dining companion is anti-fish so he got duck tartare topped with an orchid. The taste, almost foreshadowing the main dishes, was bland and the flesh was tough compared to the salmon. But points go to the petal.
I should have gotten the beef cheek. But I was sold on the saffron and raspberry coulis served with the sliced rare duck. And the bed of risotto was wonderfully cheesy, offering color coordinated delight with the blueberry garnish. But the chewy, lumpy swallow and metallic taste of each raw poultry bite just didn't cut it and much less melted in my mouth. Now I've never indulged in rare duck before. So consider that I still can't figure out if my palette lacks a certain princess-and-the-pea elegance or if the duck, however exquisitely presented, was off. Way off. What can I say? Let your own taste buds be the judge on this one. The other main dish, lamb shank with couscous was okay. Not outstanding, but okay.
Moral of the story? If you can afford Pintxo's price tag without feeling the pinch and faithfully stick to the tiny tapas menu, then chances are you'll enjoy your fine dining mini meals.
