Mile-End is one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the city (some even say the world) and you don’t get that reputation without showing us a little proof. From one end of the neighbourhood to the other you will find the coolest shops, the best cafes, the greatest bagels in North America and of course some of our best restaurants. Un Autre Restaurant is one of those unassuming Mile-End restaurants that hook you in with their great food and exceptional service.
It was a rainy Thursday night when I joined one of the evil Montreal Food Divas, a fabulous editor from montreall.com and the restaurant’s PR guy, Fred Avertick for an abbreviated tasting of the restaurant’s menu. Without any of the bells and whistles that larger flash-in-the-pan restaurants need to stand out, Un Autre Restaurant has maintained a solid clientele based on their excellent food. An Italian restaurant at heart, they serve up fresh baked pizzas (in a rotating oven that was imported from Italy), excellent salads and overwhelmingly good desserts (image below).
There were several stand-out items that we tried over the course of the night. From their appetizers menu we tried a delicious strawberry Calabrese salad made with strawberries, cherry tomatoes, balsamic reduction, olive oil, Buffalo mozzarella, basil and fresh mint. It was refreshing take on the classic salad. We also tried the fennel and orange salad. This one burst with flavours of fennel, oranges, arugula and a zesty citrus vinaigrette.
From the main courses we obviously couldn’t get away without trying a slice or two of pizza. Each pizza that they serve comes on a soft crust and is topped with the freshest basil, tomatoes, buffalo cheese, meats and more. The Fairmont (fior de latte, basil), the St. Laurent (mozzarella, oregano, black olives, spicy salami, hot oil) and the Mile-End (tomato sauce, mozzarella, grilled eggplants,grilled zucchinis, red onions, red peppers) are pretty tough to beat.
Beyond all this great food there was one dish that stood out and surprised the heck out of me. For the first time in my life I was served rotisserie chicken in an Italian restaurant. As obtuse as that may sound, it was by far one of the best roast chicken I have ever tasted. Thinking about the smokey flavour, the juicy meat and the rosemary fries makes me want to walk away from my computer, put on my coat and head to Mile-End right away. It was so good that I can’t wait to go back again. There’s also a pretty great fish and chips (made from Atlantic cod) that I should mention because it was also splendid.
Un Autre Restaurant is a delightful threat that’s woven into the tapestry of what makes Mile-End such a great Montreal neighbourhood. Any chance you get to visit this restaurant, you should definitely do it. You can order whatever you want buy I strongly suggest the chicken.
For more on Un Autre Restaurant, visit their website here.
Image credit: Un Autre Restaurant
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