This is my last Montreal restaurant entry, at least for the time being. We had a great time in Montreal, and met our new good friend Guy Brisson. I hope we get to return soon and enjoy more of Montreal's eateries.
Lou found Verses restaurant the last night we were there. It was in Old Montreal. Since it has been a while since we were there, I thought I would visit the Verses website to refresh my memory about the atmosphere etc... I either have a very bad memory, or the website paints a very different picture than how I remember the real experience. I actually had to go back and check the address on my receipt to ensure it was the same restaurant.
Verses describes it's own menu as Contemporary French cuisine. I am not very schooled in French Cuisine, but I thought their menu was a little more typical of a steak house or pub food. The silouhette on the back wall of the restaurant was of a steer. (see the pic) It isn't that there were no French dishes on the menu, but when Lou researched the restaurant the burger was mentioned as a restaurant specialty. There were also things on the menu like beer can chicken. That is when you BBQ a chicken with a beer can inside it. I am not writing these things to say our experience wasn't good. It is just to say the website paints a picture of a different type of restaurant. As I wrote this, Lou walked in the room, so I asked him to look at the website. He said he noticed the difference between the actual place and the website as well. Our guess? Verses revamped it's image and never changed their website, so here's our story...
When we first walked into Verses I thought it was beautiful. The walls were exposed stone and brick. In the dining room there was a huge skylight overhead and a water feature on the back wall. The tables and chairs were contemporary and comfortable. The staff was extremely friendly. What is interesting about the restaurant is the music they play. It is all older rock and pop. I felt musically I was tranported back in time to about a 5 year span 1989 to 1994. It made for a fun atmosphere, and more casual than I initially thought when I first walked in the door.
I was definitely on the no drink with dinner kick when I was in Montreal, and just had water with dinner once again. I guess I can never be a sommelier, I even just had to ask Lou how to spell sommelier! Sorry wine lovers! Although I forewent the drink, I did order an appetizer at Verses. When I looked at the menu I noticed French Onion soup, and I thought I HAVE to order it. My reasoning was this. New England Clam Chowder is on menu's all around the US, but it is NEVER as good as in New England. I figured the same would be true with French Onion Soup, since I was in a primarily French cultured city, Ifigured the soup would be amazing. It did not disappoint. The soup came and it was the best French Onion Soup I have ever had. I have no idea what kind of cheese was melted on top, but the blend was outstanding. I can't remember if I even let Lou have a bite. I imagine I probably went Joey from Friends on him and didn't share my soup. No Soup for LOU! I guess that makes me the Montreal soup nazi.
For dinner Lou and I both opted for fish dishes. If you read my review of El Oriental de Cuba, you may come to the conclusion that it took us a while to learn our lesson. Lou had a Tuna steak and I had Tilapia. Neither dish was horrible but they weren't extremely memorable either, just average. I did take note of a lot of the dishes coming out around us, however, which looked outstanding. The burger we had been told about was a healthy portion. The beer can chicken was presented standing up on it's can, perfectly browned. I think between Verses and El Oriental de Cuba, I have learned my lesson to order what is probably the restaurant's specialty.
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