L'Atelier D'Argentine
Chops & Chimichurri
355 Rue Marguerite d'Youville, Montréal, QC H2Y 2C4
I wanted to take my boyfriend out for his birthday and some criteria had to be met. I wanted 1) a great location, 2) cool menu, and 3) great atmosphere. After thinking about it for some time, I decided on L'Atelier D'Argentine: a resto that neither of us had ever been to, in the Old Port, with a unique Argentinian menu (criteria 1 & 2...CHECK!).
Upon entering the restaurant and seeing firsthand the beautiful décor (very similar to its previous occupant- DNA), I knew that the 3rd criteria had been met :). SUCCESS! The restaurant also had a very nice lounge area- dimly lit with music and a full bar.
The menu had some interesting items with definite Argentinian influence and a wine list filled with options from South America. We went with a salmon sashimi in a passion fruit dressing to start, followed by spinach and tomato gnocchi (not very Argentinian, I know, but I couldn't resist...) and a rib eye steak. The steak was a tadddd overcooked, but the chimichurri and salsa sauces that came with made up for it and were both flavourful.
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| Salmon sashimi |
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| Spinach and tomato gnocchi |
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| Garlic and parsley fries |
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| Rib eye steak |
For dessert we had a crepe filled with dulce de leche (a South American staple) and caramelized bananas served with a square of semifreddo. Yummy and beautifully presented!
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| Banana/Dulce de Leche crepe |
Our meal at L'Atelier D'Argentine wasn't perfecttt, but the night itself was just what I wanted. Good food, great atmosphere, in a sweet location. After my visit, I realized (aside from the classics- Moishe's and Gibby's), Montreal is lacking trendy, modern steakhouses like the ones scattered throughout Miami and New York (STK, BLT, Morton's, etc.).
SOOO...To all you entrepreneurs out there- I've found your gap in the market! GO! Open an EPIC steakhouse in Montreal. K thanks. Oh and p.s. I am totally opened to Mtl steakhouse recommendations (maybe we do have some good ones that I'm not aware of?), so COMMENT!
UPDATE: just thought of Queue de Cheval (soon to re-open), and 40 west (but that is quite far for us city people)- I want more!
Reservations: Recommended.
Date night: Impress your date with some Argentinian flair!
Attire: People were actually dressed pretty casually, but I dressed up for the occasion.
The damage: $$$ (we're in Old Montreal...)
Mind, Taste, Love.
Thank you for the post. One note: Italians have a massive influence on Argentina's culture and its food. It's not abnormal to see dishes thought to be Italian in an Argentinian restaurant.
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