Liverpool House * * * *

Several weeks prior, visiting Bombshell at the venue she slings her cocktails, was a local cooking show on one of the large screens. On the show, was Fréderic Morin (one of the chef/owners of Joe Beef and McKiernan Luncheonette Bar à vins) and Bombshell turned to me and said, 'That's where I want to go for my birthday, and I want you to invite Julie and her 'chum'. I don't want one of your big shindigs just Julie & Victor.' I could never refuse My Muse's wishes. It took some finessing, due to scheduling conflict, but it finally came to pass.

Friday night, October 22nd, to celebrate Bombshell’s birthday, we ventured to a place on Notre Dame St. West whose façade had that same weathered look and I thought of what that French novelist said a century ago, and for me it was the Quincaillerie Tillemont.

'We come together in unity to play a grand symphony of cosmic consciousness in the divine
meditation of our souls' manifestation as being one.' ~ ©Frank Borsellino

In fall of 2007, the dynamic trio behind Joe Beef restaurant (David McMillan, Fréderic Morin and Allison Cunningham) opened another restaurant a few doors down. Located next to the Atwater market and numerous antiquarians on Notre Dame St. Liverpool House is a triumph. As we entered, the hostess, a Moroccan princess, who is probably the most stunning woman to ever come across my periphery, greeted me by name. I thought it was customary, being the one who made the reservations, but lo and behold she also looked familiar. When I voiced my thinking she replied, 'I served you at Otto @ W Hotel a while back. You came in for a family dinner'. The minute she said Otto I said, 'Samia! My love, I have been on a quest to reconnect for some time.'

The other guests / friends were already there, which I had kept it a secret from Bombshell. Victor is family and his wife Julie, are a very eclectic couple. We love to spend time with them. Bombshell feels a connection with Julie I say it's because of a similar family name. No matter where or what we do . . . it is always fabulously cool. It was nice to see them again. We have not seen each other for some time. But I digress!

Liverpool House is split into a barroom, which is totally decked out in Canadiana, and a laid-back dining room, deer antlers and rowboat oars, and great artwork on the walls. The woodwork and cream-coloured wainscoting are painted a warm white. The rest is decorated with flowered wallpaper, brass chandeliers, leather banquettes, antique hutches and squash displays beside the door. There is an eclectic mix of paintings — over-sized modern canvases and tiny impressionistic works — and odd, pig-themed tchotchkes like the porcelain porcine head, affixed to the wall at eye level like an extra diner at my table. Listen carefully and you can hear Bob Seger's 'Against the Wind'. We sat facing the dinner menu, which is a large blackboard suspended over a row of tables. Throughout the evening people had to come stand near the patrons to take a look at the 'menu du jour'. This could be a great way to meet new people or irritating. Depending on which side of the bed you woke up on!

We started with a Marange Camil Giroux, a superb Bourgogne. Then we set off for the northern region of Italy for a splendid Barolo Alessandria. I am not a big fan of Italian wines but this one was a delightfully robust. Liverpool House has a rotating menu, so many reviews have mentioned specific dishes that were nowhere on the menu that night, so at first I was a little thrown but Samia came to our rescue, in spades. It offers seasonal entrees inspired by ingredients found in the market. We started with several to have a smorgasbord of delicacies. A plate of succulent 'huitres' (oysters), an antipasto of Bufala milk cheese (mozzarella's creamy cousin). The Beet Salad was delicious. We had the Gnocchi w/basil, leeks and bacon. It was creamy and soft, obviously made within the day. 'Artic-char 'Gravlax', a cured fish, was awe-inspiring and tasty. This had to be the biggest piece of char I have ever seen, and the smallest plate. For our main courses we enjoyed a veal cheek w/cauliflower mushrooms and homemade squash ravioli. Wild Striped Bass on top of a saffron risotto was unbelievable. The Lapine (aka rabbit) Putanesca could have served two, but I managed to finish it off! I have never had rabbit at a restaurant because it's a Sicilian specialty and homemade as always been exceptional. Their originality and taste shined brighter than the rainbow. The meal set the precedence for the fabulous dessert of almond cake with a slight vanilla tinge.

Service was great, of course, Samia explaining all the wacky dishes and preparations, and she wasn't bad on the eyes either... even the ladies couldn't concentrate on what she said if they stared at her. There's a lot to like about Liverpool House, but the question is, 'How does it differ from Joe Beef?' I read somewhere that compared the two in this fashion, 'If Joe Beef is macho Liverpool House is more feminine.' You sit among a gallery’s worth of fine art and soak up the buzzing candlelit atmosphere.


* Liverpool House ****
2501, Notre Dame St. W. @ Charlevoix
Montreal (Little Burgundy) H8S 1A1
(514) 313-6049 Samia Hannouni

www.liverpoolhouse.ca