Bread is Pain

I’m not sure why La Montee de Lait keeps relocating, I don’t ask questions, I’m just there for the food, but it’s safe to say the food is not the reason for the relocations. Good food like theirs is certainly a welcome addition to any neighborhood. You’ll just have to keep an eye out for that M and milk carton logo as it pops around town, for whatever reason they deem necessary.

A chalkboard sandwich sign enticed me in today with an offering of entree and main for $14 and up, so I popped in to the new location for a late lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps surprised is a poor choice of word, as if I expected something less and was otherwise amazed, for I’d heard about, and therefore expected, excellence and was not disappointed.

Since I’d arrived at the tail end of the lunch hour, the menu offerings were limited, but I was fortunate enough to be able to order the minestrone and bavette de boeuf. I can think of only one restaurant I’ve eaten at where you can say you were fortunate to order the minestrone. Unlike the standard fare of a tomato-infused broth, mushy canellini beans and overcooked pasta, this minestrone deserves praise. A savory vegetable broth and its tender mirepoix is dotted with a few drops of oil that might have been rendered from a tomato confit. Small navy beans and thin slices of baby courgettes give the soup body. What really sets this apart are the succulent mussels and the infusion of arugula pistou that sits atop a few canapes like a rouille in a bouillabaisse. It is a somewhat uncommon flavor pairing that deserves as much hallmark as tomato and basil, the slightly bitter and lemon zing a perfect compliment to the briny musk of the sea.

As my entree is cleared I sip an espresso and peer into the kitchen at the cooks preparing my order while I wait. I had never stepped foot inside La Bouchonne, the former inhabitant of this location whose name is still stamped on my receipt, but I don’t believe much has changed between owners. The simple concept plan of warm woods, bar and kitchen doesn’t leave much open for redesign, though there is little reason to do so as it’s a comfortable aesthetic. The space being as small as it is though, I can imagine a dinner service being quite hectic and loud, tables nearly adjacent and with little room for maneuverability.

If I were not previously a fan of flank steak, I would have been after this meal. A simple presentation of beef upon mash upon reduced demi-glace is topped with shoestring potatoes and chives. It’s a simple bistro dish, but it is done well, and I was left wiping up the remaining bits of the slightly sweet and sticky reduction of beef essence with the crusty bread supplied for what may as well be the purpose of table bread’s existence.

My meal, including espresso and taxes, came to just over the perfectly reasonable bargain of $20. I would not hesitate to go back and try their tasting menu for dinner, which I hear is extraordinary.