The owner of the building - where the concert space/bistro Le Va-et-Vient, an earlier harbinger of neighbourhood change, used to be - has decided to turn the place over to his sons for Le Bitoque. The basement gallery will feature a different artist's work each month (apply now!). Upstairs is the restaurant, and what a great space it is. Essentially one huge, airy room, it is skilfully arranged and subdivided to make it feel more varied and less boxy. There's seating for about 80, with whitewashed and exposed brick walls, vaguely medieval iron light fixtures, a long banquette on one side, and sliding floor-to-ceiling windows that will be a godsend during the summer months. There's also plenty more art, for sale, lining the walls, set off by tasteful spotlights.
Is the food as inspiring as the room? Short answer: no. Long answer: nooooooooo. In fact, it's terrible. I feel like I'm kicking a puppy for saying it, but there you are. Basic fried calamari, though crisp, was leathery and tasteless - the worst I've eaten in a long while. Garlic shrimp, another classic tapas offering, was doused with so
Grilled steak with an egg on top (known as bitoque, the dish after which the restaurant is named) was as poor as the rest. The fact that the egg was poached and not fried was a nice touch, but the cut of beef was cheap, far rawer than the requested medium rare, and completely lacked salt. The fries underneath were soggy, though some grilled vegetables were nice. A plate of clams had to be sent back, since the kitchen neglected to clean them of a beach's worth of sand.
It's too bad. The owner was pleasantly gregarious, the kitchen comped the clams without complaint, and the place was humming with customers, even though it's brand new. But the food (which really is more Spanish than Portuguese) is desperately in need of improvement. I appreciate that Le Bitoque is trying somewhat to push the boundaries of standard Portuguese fare, but the mastery just isn't there.
Le Bitoque3706 Notre-Dame W.; 514-303-6402Dinner for two, before tax, tip and wine: $40-$60
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