Je Veux Tout

My last blog post was about a getaway F and I had at the beginning of a one-week break of his. Since then, things have been pretty busy, because of the break and because of the following work week. I will be attempting to catch up on blog posts about things I have done during those weeks.

During the break week, A, F, a friend of A's and I went to Chez L'Autre, a restaurant that was opened a while ago in expectation of a new theater that was supposed to open nearby. The theater is no longer set in stone, however, and Chez L'Autre might be closing at the end of the month. That is why we all decided to have dinner there. A and I had drinks there before a show a few months back, and we had enjoyed our strong drinks. I had also previously dined there with F, but that was a few years ago. As for Le St-Laurent, I had some good memories from my previous visits, but this time, things did not turn out so good.

We started off with some drinks, which were as strong as I remembered. My second drink later that evening was also strong, but it also gave me the impression that I was drinking lemonade. It was a good thing taste-wise, but I am not so sure that it is a good thing for alcohol intake.

My companions and I all agreed on the same thing: our apetizers were far from stellar. A's friend and F had foie gras, and both of them did not like their dish, which is rare for a foie gras order. A and I had sweetbreads that were drowned in a sauce that tasted too much of wine. I guess they have a thing with alcohol at Chez L'Autre.

The main courses, however, were better. I had lamb chops that were fine, but not that exciting. A had seafood pasta that was generally good, put perhaps a bit too al dente. A's friend and F had standard bistro dishes: tartare and duck confit.

Dessert seemed like it would be a good course at first, but then also managed to disappoint. The first bite from my tarte tatin was delicious, but I realized later that I liked that first bite mainly because it was warm. My other bites came off as too sweet.

We all had an okay night, nevertheless. We enjoyed the restaurant's decoration, although black-and-white is not my favorite style. There was also a jazz singer that night. She was very talented, but I tend to get distracted when I have difficulty hearing the conversation at my table. The servce, however, wasn't very professional: things like pepper of parmesan always came a bit too late.

I think we would have regretted not going to Chez L'Autre before its closing, but now, having had a recent night there, I don't think we will be missing it that much. It is, perhaps, a place better suited for drinks than for dinner.