More NKOTB

Tout à coup, things are happening here in Montreal! Or should that read, "Tout à coups..."?

You see, there's yet another exciting new kid on the block, and he goes by the name of Les 400 coups.

Fittingly, the interior calls to mind the streets of Paris.

fig. a: photodynamic Paris

There's even a bit of a noir et blanc theme to the place.

fig. b: sous le plafond, Paris

But that's really as far as the references to Truffaut's 1959 masterpiece go. Les 400 coups isn't a cinémathèque, after all, it's a beautifully appointed and surprisingly intimate new restaurant that happens to be located at 400, rue Notre-Dame est in Old Montreal, and that defines the phrase "faire les 400 coups" as "faire toutes les bêtises possible" (which loosely translates as "raise as much hell as humanly possible"). Now I'm not sure that you'll ever find the level of irreverence that made Au Pied de cochon an international sensation at Les 400 coups, but I do know that its two chefs, Patrice Demers and Marc-André Jetté, are exceedingly talented and have more than a few tricks up their sleeves. We can't wait to give them a chance to perform, and we look forward to sampling all their latest bêtises.

We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek on Monday, but it only served to whet our appetites and confirm that this is a restaurant that's been eagerly anticipated.

Among Les 400 coups' first coups: custom-made, hand-thrown dishes by Pascale Girardin; custom-designed uniforms by Martin Dhust; and, most interestingly of all, a small, tightly organized kitchen that's dedicated to delivering the highest level of quality control possible.

All that plus the kind of menu that offers so many tantalizing choices, you hardly know where to begin.

Actually, I know where to begin--with a reservation.

Stay tuned. Full report to follow...



Les 400 coups, 400 Notre-Dame East, 985-0400 (Old Montreal)

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