Restaurant Review - 'Le Margaux' ***‏

On an especially gloomy night, my dinner guests and
I ventured into a gastronomic feast, full of delicacies
and delights, at a new Park Avenue restaurant. Back in
2002, 'Le Margaux' was a 28-seat bistro set on a quiet
corner in the Plateau, whose chef and owner, Jerome
Chatenet, cooked up lovingly prepared and presented
French food served by his wife and co-owner, Corinne
Cauhapé. After the birth of their daughter, the couple
decided to have a go at country life in Magog, and Le
Margaux's tiny Villeneuve St. locale was taken over
by a different team.
Now, two years later, the duo is back with this quaint
42-seat space as well as an enticing menu sure to lure
locals, young diners and frugal gourmets. 'Le Margaux'
is a low-budget affair. It's decor consists of a few
prints, a bar, a rust-red banquette across one side of
the restaurant and several white linen-topped tables.
For those of us used to seeing eyebrow-raising restaurant
bills, Le Margaux's prices are a steal. But that doesn't
mean cheap ingredients.
There was asparagus, lamb, beef and duck and more duck.
Chatenet hails from Bordeaux, which not only explains
a love of our feathered friends, but a fine taste in wines.
Proof that fine wine wine doesn't always equal expensive
wine, 'Le Margaux' offers a short but well-chosen selection
of bottles, the priciest being a fabulous $52 Lalande de
Pomerol.
Included with the menu is a first course of either soup
or salad. The delicious thick tomato potage swirled with
aromas, and the salad was also quite nice, a little more
seasoning than you might be use to, but just right. Of the
starters sampled, the goat cheese salad is a great choice.
The escargots inside a puffy pastry was delicious, not mushy.
The main event was a duck sampler (variations sur le canard)
that included a duck 'tapenade' (shreds of confit-style meat
mixed with olives), tender bits of preserved gizzard, slices
of smoked magret, and a foie-gras crème brûlée served in
a porcelain spoon. The same crème brûlée spoon was served
with most of the main courses, which included lamb, trout
with a layer of foie gras and duck. Tender and tasty.
Desserts were a great finish. The espressos was, for once,
at par with Italian bars. There was a rich chocolate triangle
in a delicious 'jus de framboise', finger-licking.
'Le Margaux' is a simple restaurant with no pretensions.
A place to have a great meal with an old friend, a no-fuss
lunch or a downright lovely dinner. Chapeau mes amis!


* Le Margaux cuisine française
5058 Park Avenue (Laurier)
Montréal, H2V 4G1
(514) 448-1598