$$$$Price: Expensive • Mediterranean • Old Montreal
Just go! We found Restaurant Sauvage because it was one of the few restaurants that still had reservations available for our first evening in Montreal. We almost walked past it because there was hardly anybody inside and we thought it was closed. But once we found our way inside, we were glad we did. The waitress told us the place had previously been a night club and only just recently re-opened as a restaurant, the night club being moved downstairs. Which explained why it was nearly empty, when every other restaurant in the area was full. Normally, empty tables would set off alarm bells for me, but it turns out that we got lucky because Sauvage was fantastic! We were told the chef is new and takes his menu very seriously. It shows, as everything was delicious! The flavors were spot on - compliments to the chef.
We ordered wines by the glass, which were both excellent picks. My wife had a Soave and I had a Spanish Grenache blend - both were very well balanced and outstanding selections. My only slight complaint was that the pours were a little small. A 5 ounce pour is typical, but ours were more like 3 ounces. A little disappointing, but other than that everything was great, so I won't make too much of it.
The staff were very helpful, polite, friendly, and attentive. Our waitress was super nice, checking with the chef to make sure my wife's dairy intolerance was accommodated. She also did a little investigation when my curiosity got the best of me and I inquired about the digital display on the wall which blinked with seemingly random numbers. Turns out it's a decibel meter, from the building's former life as a dance floor!
Seriously, just go to Restaurant Sauvage. At the moment, few people seem to know about it, so you'll have no trouble making reservations. My guess is that, once the word gets out, this place is going to be very popular.
