Restaurant Review: St. Lawrence

ST. LAWRENCE

269 Powell Street ~ stlawrencerestaurant.com Twitter: @StLawrencevan ~ Instagram: @stlawrencerestaurant Co-Diners: Tim Golem, Carrie Schill & Dustin Nelson

St. Lawrence is new on the dining scene and has been making a major splash ever since its opening last year. Yet another ultra hip addition to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, this restaurant specializes in classic French cuisine with Quebecois inspiration. Food like this is elusive on the west coast; expect haute country cooking, a rustic menu, and re-imagined classics. As an ex-resident of Montreal, I had to eat this food. Now. My excitement has been stoked by all of this: The Georgia Straight called them the #1 Best New Restaurant 2018, they placed at #20 on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2018 list, they have been nominated for enRoute magazine's Canada's Best New Restaurants 2018 list (the only VanCity restaurant to make the cut), and Vancouver Magazine called them Restaurant of the Year 2018 and Best New Restaurant 2018. If that's not enough for you, I don't know what is. This place is on fire. A reservation is a must and I visited with a party of four on a Friday evening. Entering the space, I couldn't help but smile: this is it. They're doing it. They have brought Quebec to vegan-sushi-Vancouver. The decor and feeling of the restaurant is everything that I could have wished for; deep cobalt blue walls, antiques, floral patterns, gold accents - all done with a spot-on, refined, eclectic French sensibility. The space is perfect. As we settled in I soon noted that even the servers have French accents and just the right balance of warm pretension. The specials of the evening were explained and my eyes devoured the perfectly curated menu. The cuisine in la belle province is very different compared to our standard west coast fare. It's extremely heavy and rich, meat and cheese fueled, and utterly decadent. French Canadian food is also very different from classic French cuisine because it's far more rustic. I couldn't help but smile at each offering on the page. We were served sparkling or still water (we chose still) and I selected their special cocktail for the evening, Ananas Brulée ($13.00).

Made with grilled pineapple, this drink was deliciously sweet and just enough grown-up. My husband was also trilled to find beer from our favourite Montreal microbrasserie, Dieu du Ciel!, on the beverage menu. We were delivered a bread plate (which they consider an amuse) that automatically included cretons! It was a sight for sore eyes and I was overjoyed. The bread itself was impossibly fresh and warm, a glorious vehicle for as much cretons as I could pile on top. Also included was butter and a beautifully grainy mustard. Heaven.

I can't say enough about the food menu. Printed predominantly in French (with English translations), so much of what I miss about Montreal leaped off of the page. Each dish contained ingredients and preparations that were so entirely Quebecois. The "Pour Commencer" section demonstrated that the gang was all here; oreilles de crisse, terrine, escargots, tartare... However there was no contest; I would be eating the Paris-Brest à la Mousse de Foie Gras ($22.00).

Duck liver and foie gras mousse with choux pastry.

I've never seen a dish quite like this before, even in Montreal. What I did know is that they were combining two of my favourite things; foie gras and Paris-Brest, my favourite patisserie. It felt like a match made in heaven before I even tasted it. And the reality of the dish delivered big-time. Light and airy choux pastry, velvet-buttery mousse, all sitting in a bath of macerated strawberries. This is it for me. This is everything. When it came time to deciding "Les Plats" I was obviously happy to see venison tourtière and ballotine de canard on the menu, as well as a pig's trotter for the evening's special. All hits! However, I was easily dazzled by their Steak St. Lawrence ($44.00).

Grilled hanger steak, bone marrow, sauce aux poivres & frites.

I mean, I can think of no better steak dish. Hanger is my favourite cut of steak, I love bone marrow, and you certainly can't go wrong with a heaping plate of frites! I was asked if it was alright that my steak be cooked medium-rare and I replied with a resounding "yes." Each dish of the night arrived on a beautiful custom plate, adorned with a gilded fleur-de-lis. The steak itself was cooked to a perfect doneness and was delicately seasoned with rock salt. I could have used a slight bit more of flavour but overall it was very delicious, especially bathed in the perfectly crafted sauce aux poivres. The bone marrow sat atop shallots, dotting the plate. While a welcome addition, I found that this may not have been the most ideal use of marrow. The frites were exceptional!! Fried in duck fat and generously salted, these were some of the best fries that I have ever eaten! Of course they know to serve them with mayonnaise, the only acceptable way for them to be eaten. I adored the concept of this dish but found myself searching for just a little something more. Unwilling to skip out on dessert, it had to be the Tarte au Sucre ($11.00).

Sugar pie & vanilla cream.

Classic. I would most compare a sugar pie to a pecan pie, except without the pecans and with more maple. This version couldn't have been better. Sweet, just the way it's meant to be with a buttery and flaky crust. The vanilla cream was a perfect addition.

Is this review too much of a rave? I think that I’m just excited that this food is being served right here in Vancouver and that they’re doing an excellent job of it. It's heartwarming to see the love and attention to detail that has gone into getting this entire experience just right. Any of the big guys; Laprise, Morin, McMillan, Picard could eat this food, enjoy this atmosphere, and appreciate what has been accomplished here.