Dreamy Joe Beef

Garden terrace at Joe Beef - a little bit of heaven.

This is one post I am very excited about. Dinner at Joe Beef last night may just top the list of my best restaurant experiences in the past year… In fact, it does. By far. The garden terrace alone was enough to have me ranting and raving. I don’t understand how I hadn’t heard about it earlier. It is a thing of beauty. A little patch of heaven tucked away behind busy Notre-Dame Street. From the moment I stepped out onto the wooden deck, I smiled. And I am pleased to report the smile stuck all the way until the end of our meal. Every new dish had us saying “wow”. And I can be a tough client to please…

Like a dream... Easily one of the most beautiful outdoor dining spaces in Montreal.

I can’t believe it took me so long to visit this restaurant. I was convinced it was just a fancy steakhouse. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Their menu is diverse enough to cater to the burliest meat lover as well as the pickiest flexitarian. I don’t know if they’ve always had such great fish and seafood options on their menu, or if it is a result of the new oyster bar in the space that used to be McKiernan’s, but I love it!

Chardonnay from Sonoma Valley. Perfect pairing for our lobster and scallops.

It took me a good twenty minutes to stop gawking at the garden and snapping pictures. When I finally got around to the menu, we decided on oysters and smorgasboard toast as shared entrées. As mains, I had the lobster spaghetti and Mat got the scallops and pulled pork.

Clockwise from bottom: Carr's, Eel Lake and Lucky Lime.

The oysters were as fresh as could be, served super cold on a platter of ice with the usual fixings. We tried a few of each kind on the menu: eel lake, lucky lime and carr’s. They all tasted very similar – juicy, grassy and crisp - with the lucky limes being just a little less salty. A great start to an awesome meal.

Smorgasboard toast - many kinds of "house-smoked" fish on toast.

The smorgasboard was a long piece of toasted bread on which all kinds of smoked fish were placed to make a beautiful buffet table-like entrée for two. It was great to taste so many different kinds of smoked fish, and get a little caviar, a quail egg and extra oyster. Interesting fact: they have their own smoker in which they prepare ribs and smoke their fish. If you ask, the waiter will be glad to show it to you.

Scallops and pulled pork

The scallops and pulled pork sound strange, but work surprisingly well together. The BBQ sauce in the pork mixed nicely with the delicate, salty-sweet scallops. And the presentation was beautiful! Mat would have liked a little side of veggies because every bite was the same, but I’m sure he didn’t mind picking at my plate.

Lobster spaghetti that I won't soon forget.

The lobster spaghetti was a meal to die for. I tend to prefer my lobster plain, with some lemon and maybe just a little garlic butter. I could never imagine it being better with any kind of sauce. This spaghetti has me thinking twice. It was served in a bisque sauce with “lardons”. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the lobster was sublime. The buttery rich sauce only added to the delicate taste. It was a party in my mouth at every bite. In the end, I had to focus on the lobster and leave the spaghetti, much to my dismay, because it was simply too much.

We wished we had room for dessert, but couldn’t quite get there. We would have definitely tried the strawberry rhubarb tart for two. I guess this will give me an excuse to go back and enjoy the cozy garden terrace on another warm summer evening.

Tags: Favourites, Garden, Joe Beef, Lobster, Oysters, Pasta, Pulled pork, Scallops, Smoked fish, Spaghetti, Terrace, Wine