Nora Gray — Restaurant in Montreal

Nora, Nora, Nora... Wow. This was my first time visiting your restaurant and I was blown away. I'm not from Montreal, and when I asked a friend (A business owner who lives in Montreal) where to go - she said, "You MUST go to Nora Gray". Alright. I love food, I love finer dining. Let's give it a go. Montreal was part of my graduation trip, so Nora sounded like a perfect venue for a small intimate graduation dinner with my mother.

The space is small, sitting maybe around 40 people with the bar space. So when it's busy - it's loud. But with the loud, you get excitement. Everyone was excited about the food.

The first thing that struck me was that every staff member we spoke to were incredibly knowledgeable about the menu. Our server, Paule (I'm not 100% sure how you spell her name) was extremely helpful with the wine list, and recommended a beautiful Sicilian red. Towards the end of the evening she also recommended a beautiful Amaro. Just lovely.

As for the food. One of the specials came highly recommended, the lobster salad. It is few and far between when you actually feel that a menu item is special, rather than just a quick sell, or something the kitchen needs to get rid of. The salad was beautifully done. It was light, flavorful, and had an exorbant amount of lobster. The chili and carb pasta was delicious, the halibut was prepared perfectly, and the scallops were impeccable.

Dessert was a polenta cake with olive oil ice cream, and a strawberry tart. Have you ever seen the film Ratatouille? At the end, the food critic bites into a dish that makes him think of his childhood. The strawberry tart did just that - it made me think of a meal I had seven years ago. It was unreal. On top of that, our server also gave us a serving of their orange sorbet as a 'congratulations' for finishing school. The extra attention and care were noted. Thank you!

However it was something else that really made me appriciate this resteraunt so much more. The owner, I believe her name is Lisa, was working. She was involved; Checking tables, running food, wiping spilt drinks, and helping her team. She was leading - not barking orders. She even wrote us a list of places to check out when we were in Brooklyn (the other half of our trip).

Next time I am in Montreal I will make a note of coming to Nora Gray. You should as well, as you will not be...

Maybe I had too high hopes for Nora Gray, because last night’s birthday dinner with my wife was a bit of a letdown, and I’m blaming the wine. We ordered the “Teresa Cascina Tavijn” red Italian wine, which was far too acidy and lacked a complexity of flavour. Choosing the right wine is so important. It can make or break and evening at an upscale restaurant like Nora Gray. Our waitress was amazing and gave us an in depth explanation of the food and wine, so it’s nobody’s fault but our own for choosing one that wasn’t to our tastes. Nora Gray’s service and atmosphere is truly top notch, in this warm and cosy nook of a restaurant. One of the highlights of the evening was the “Flétan de la Gaspésie, salsa d'oignons brûlés, petit lait, Ciabot del Moreto '20”, which was a powerhouse of flavour and left us both raving. The “Viola Olive Oil” from Cucina Imports that we asked to be poured on a small dish was one of the best olive oils I’ve ever tasted, and well worth the $4 fee. It was perfect for wiping up with the “Focaccia Maison”. Unfortunately, one of the low points of the night was the “Battuta de boeuf, puntarelle, anchois, ail” which was far too chewy for a tartare. Tartare is supposed to be so tender that it melts in your mouth, but this was so gummy that I had to give up on champing and hide bits of half eaten beef in my napkin. Another dish that was less than memorable was the “Farro de Pacina, jus de volaille, poivre”. So, at one point our night out wasn’t looking great, but thankfully it was saved by a mind blowingly spectacular desert called the “Mousse chocolat et ricotta, crème à l'huile d'olive, noisettes”. It was a prefect blend of sweet, salt and more scrumptious olive oil. In the end, I would recommend giving Nora Gray a try and hopefully you’ll have better luck with the wine. I heard that they have an outdoor patio in the summer time, which...

One of the best Italian restaurants in the city, hands down. Just make a reservation early because the restaurant is quite small and it only opens in the evening (5pm onward).

We started with an order of house baked focaccia with pepperoncini & Pacina olive oil. The bread was still warm and the pepperoncini added some nice spicy kick. We also got the sgombro which is a marinated mackerel with butternut squash, radish & rosemary vinegar. This one was also tasty but I don’t think it was worth the price tag because the portion was so small. I could see the amount of thought and effort that went into preparing this dish but I would personally skip this one. Finally we got the roasted brussel sprouts which was fantastic! It was perfectly cooked and tender and the sauce they had with it rounded off the dish perfectly. I could eat 3 bowls of this by myself.

The main course was a bit more tame compared to the appetizer. My partner got the cuttlefish inked linguine with tomato sauce and clam. It was a simple dish that was done very well. The noodles were done perfect al dente, the sauce was not overwhelming, and the clams were not rubbery with no sand grains on the inside.

I got the guinea hen with butter sauce and leek and mushrooms. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the sauce and all the other garnish went fantastically together with the hen. The portions were perfect and I loved every bite!

The dessert was also quite good although I’d say it didn’t quite reach the height of the appetizer and the main course. My partner had the chocolate panna cotta which was just like a chocolate mousse, and I had the sorbet. They were all pretty good but we were both so full at that point that I think we should have probably skipped the dessert.

Overall, the food and the experience of eat here was phenomenal and I would recommend it in...