No. 25: Liverpool House
2501 NOTRE DAME STREET WEST, MONTREAL, QUEBEC
JOEBEEF.CA
514-313-6049
LIVERPOOL HOUSE IS THE MIDDLE CHILD IN THE DAVID MCMILLAN, FRÉDÉRIC MORIN AND ALLISON CUNNINGHAM FAMILY.
And, like many others in this category, it has fantastic qualities that are too often overlooked, as everyone keeps trying to go to the luxurious Joe Beef or the hipster vegetable-forward and natural wine-centered Le Vin Papillon. The great thing about Liverpool House is not only the delicious food, making it an excellent plan B when the others are full, but also the no-nonsense friendliness of the place. Reservations are easier to book than at Joe Beef. Prices are more palatable.
A classic way to enjoy the place is to sit at the bar and watch the scene, or to sit back in one of the banquette spaces as friends arrive and chairs are added. It is in the middle of Montreal, in Little Burgundy, squeezed between its two famous siblings, but there is definitely a countryside quality to its wood decor, vintage decorative objects and Peter Hoffer paintings. Liverpool is known among seafood lovers for the quality of its oyster platters, too often copied and still the best in the city. But more and more foodies now rave about the quality of the French market-style cuisine prepared by chef Ariel Schor. Think Arctic char with mussels and Pernod, hanger steak and Béarnaise, foie gras, of course, or whole duck “au poivre,” all to be accompanied by mostly Old World wines from small producers chosen by sommelier James Graham-Simpkins.
HOURS
Tuesday to Saturday
5:00 PM until late
IMAGES COURTESY OF NORA GRAY
