Gaspar Brasserie Française — Restaurant in Montreal

I came here with my mother — she specifically wanted a steak frites, found this place, and we went for the steak frites. She was not given a steak frites — she was given a steak with French fries, which is different. A few problems:

Her steak was extremely tough and chewy — it was cooked according to her request (medium-rare) but the cut was clearly a cheap one. Tasted like Costco meat. For the price — should be a better quality meat. My meal — a burger — was tasteless, chewy and dense. It tasted like a McDonald’s burger. I tried to eat as much as I could because I was starving, but I ultimately gave up about 1/3 of the way through because it was so unpleasant. When we asked the waiter if the patty was indeed a frozen patty, he confirmed it was.

If you are going to charge $29 for a burger, it should not be from a frozen patty. That is abhorrent. The way the staff responded to our issues was also a huge red flag for me.

To be clear, the waiter was kind and polite, but he also was defensive. He said something like “Yes, it’s true, the patty was frozen when it came here, but then we cooked it.” Well I should hope so! The point is, charging people $29 for a FROZEN PATTY is just not the norm for the restaurant business. I think he and the manager pegged my mother and I for a pair of middle-class tourists, because the way they spoke to us — while “polite” and accommodating, was quite patronizing. The manager came to our table to speak to us (we did not request this). Here’s how the interaction went down:

He asked my mother about what happened. She began to explain that her meat was chewy, my patty was frozen etc. He interrupted her and spoke over her to explain to her that sometimes meat just comes out like that according to how it is cut, sometimes restaurants order frozen meat in bulk in order to feed everyone, sometimes this just happens etc. I interrupted him to ask — “Have you come over here to explain to us why the meat is the way it is?” He said — “I am trying to answer your mothers’ questions as to why the meat was the way it was” (she didn’t ask a single question; he was interrupting her as she was talking) He offered a free desert, or cocktail, or charcuterie board — again, this was kind, but we did not want to waste any more time. We declined this offer, and the restaurant kindly removed the burger and the steak from our bill.

I don’t pretend to be Gordon Ramsey, but I have worked at 3 different restaurants over the course of 6 years. The first restaurant I worked at was one that pretended to be fancy but was quite disorganized (reminded me a lot of Gaspar); the second restaurant I worked at was a two-Michelin-star spot in NYC (Perry Street restaurant — run by Jean Georges). I have seen how different kitchens operate, and how different chefs think of their customers. Not all places can or should be two-Michelin star spots — but I cannot emphasize this next point enough:

If a place is charging the prices that Gaspar charges, and posits itself to be the kind of restaurant Gaspar posits itself to be, it is inexcusable for the restaurant to be serving its customers frozen patties and then trying to make the argument that this is reasonable and normal. It is neither reasonable nor normal. It shows total and utter disdain for the average customer who goes there. If you go to McDonalds, you expect a frozen patty that has been cooked. If you go to a place that charges $29, you do not expect a frozen patty that has been cooked. I do not appreciate the staff at the restaurant trying to convince me that this is in any way acceptable. It just isn’t.

Also, almost every table was uneven — I watched our poor waiter have to correct several tables with folded paper towel. The manager/chef should have more respect for the customers — buy furniture that works, clean the place, and order meat that corresponds to your prices. Please only go to this restaurant if you wish to be served cheap meat and then be condescended to in regards to the cheap...

We visited Gaspar twice and both times were a perfect combination of warm ambiance and delicious cuisine. The first night we requested dinner service in the quieter room near the fireplace. If you’re looking for a place to have a cozy intimate chat with minimal interruptions, I highly recommend you choose this option. Both the server and support staff kept a watchful eye over our table while being subtle in their presence. A few nights later we returned for a late dinner at the bar. If you’ve ever eaten dinner at a bar top you know that the barkeep is a huge part of the experience. From conversation to intuition about coursing out our food, Vana truly embodied the charismatic stewardship we’d hoped for. The entire staff were cheerful and friendly as they took care of the nightly tasks of keeping the restaurant and bar running smoothly. It’s always a good feeling to witness coworkers enjoying each other’s company—especially because they’re what make a place truly magical.

I could go on for days about the food, but instead I’ll give the highlights. It’s clear the chef and kitchen crew at Gaspar Brasserie Francaise take pride in their work. If you’re a fan of beet salads with a citrus twist, you’ll be happy to know they’ve got you covered. The charcuterie plate will give you a sense that you’ve had everything you’d dreamed of snacking on and more, while leaving room for the next course. There’s a certain finesse to cooking octopus that I’m happy to report they nailed while pairing it with Mediterranean inspired sides—the dried cranberries, grilled Meyer lemon and cumin joining together beautifully in a dance of textures. In addition to being perfectly cooked, the filet mignon and seared striped bass were paired with winter vegetables that made each protein sing. They also had an excellent array of seasonal dishes with farm to table flare to fit a variety of dietary needs. I look forward to coming back in the Spring to discover which veggies will make an appearance...

Tonight was disappointing overall. First, it is important to note:

We knew going into this evening that we might need to go up a few steps. It's Old Montreal. The restaurant is listed as "wheelchair accessible." It is not. Our server Kayla did everything she could to make sure we had a nice evening. She is overworked. The food is amazing.

I included a note on our reservation that we had a wheelchair and that my husband would transfer from his chair to a regular chair.

When we arrived, the only place that was accessible was outdoor seating. I had requested indoor seating. There were 3 to 4 tables just inside the restaurant that were empty with only one step up. The hostess said she would check. After some time and back and forth, she said we'd have to eat in the hotel lobby, which was down the street a bit, but now 4 steep steps up without a full handrail. Meanwhile, the manager is standing 5 ft. from us and does not help at all. So that was the option we took, even though there was a much more accessible option literally right next to us.

Because we weren't in the restaurant, Kayla was running her butt off trying to keep up. She totally missed getting our wine to us until we were almost done with dinner. About halfway through our entrees, the manager stopped by, and we asked him to tell Kayla to cancel the wine. He didn't.

From a liability standpoint, this manager is not looking out for his restaurant. The option with 1 step vs. 4 steep steps. Hmmm, which one presents a larger liability? Not to mention his service failures.

Overall, I'm very disappointed. Kayla deserves a...