One of the most delicious, classy and unpretentious restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. This place really is a performance that just keeps playing.
1
I assume the Harry Merkles will expect to have their meals at the restaurant each day and for their tabs to be paid by Canadians!
@J L. S. Huh?
I would like to volunteer to go to this restaurant. There are so many repeat customers, below, I think we need an unbiased person to eat there, like me. I can pack up in no time.
7
I worked at L'Express from 1999 to 2003, and I can affirm that I would not be the same person if I did not...
I am filled with comfort and excitement at the thought that it is still there for everyone to enjoy, well taken care of by the owners, who made some very smart moves after Ms. Brossoit's passing.
I visit whenever I can, and catch up with some former co-workers who are still on the job after all the years. I actually read this article on premise when it appeared on my NYT feed on the 23rd!!!
Nothing screams MONTREAL louder than a visit to L'Express.
6
This is a terrific profile of a great restaurant. I would add the pleasure of eating there at the bar when one is alone, the tremendous double-crust baguettes, the beautiful light in the rear of the room in the afternoon and the great consistency of the cooking, although I noticed the temporary dip around 2012. One still sees the occasional star there— I recall watching Paul Giamatti heading to the bathroom giving a perfect impression of someone entirely devoid of charisma. I just hope it doesn’t become swamped by tourist like Schwartz’s Delicatessen.
4
Love L'Express. A must-do whenever in Montreal!!
1
How serendipitous an article. Flying today to Montreal!
1
My all-time favourite Montreal restaurant -- bistro or otherwise: So delighted to know it's still thriving -- & about to celebrate its 40th anniversary ...
Within walking distance -- in fine weather, at any rate -- of my Parc Laurier digs, I enjoyed countless meals there alone, with friends, and colleagues during my Montreal years, circa 1982 - 1996:
One of the most memorable occasions being 1986, dining with the great French film-maker, author, and Holocaust historian Claude Lanzmann -- and my then boss, Montreal film-maker and SBC* E.D. Harry Gulkin … Following the Canadian premiere of "SHOAH", M. Lanzmann's internationally acclaimed documentary -- presented at Place des Arts by & as a fundraising event for the *Saidye Bronfman Centre of the Arts.
& I've always made a point of dining at L'Express whenever I've been back visiting la belle ville … Alas, not since Thanksgiving 1999 -- but ever hopeful will be possible again ...
Suffice it to say, this in-depth NYT homage to L'Express makes me very nostalgic, indeed … Looks exactly as it was when I last dined there … & glad to see one of my favourite dishes still on the menu, featured here (céleri rémoulade) … ;0)
Bon appétit!
2
L'Express, I first ate there shortly after it opened and have eaten there at least 150 times since then. I think my first meal was Toulouse sausage with frites. It cost less than $10. My favorite meal is a plate of oysters with a glass of Sancerre, pot-au-feu with a half bottle of Bordeaux, some cheese to finish the Bordeaux, a chocolate trouffe, a coffee, perhaps a poire Williams. With good company, it is hard to think of a better way to spend two hours.
Others recall L'Express late on a cold night, my favorite time is a sunny, early afternoon in winter or early spring. But really any time is a good time to eat at L'Express. Unfortunately the pot-au-feu is off the menu at the moment, but plenty of stand-bys remain: the quail, the kidneys, the liver.
The most interesting news in the article was that L'Express was founded by theater people. I have always found that theatricality was a large part of the experience-the street front, the room, the waiters' uniforms, the customers, all part of the performance. It is hard to believe that this can be found in Paris today, or really could ever be found outside the memoirs of A.J. Leibling. Paul-Bert has seemed to be closest. One can spend a lot of money to have very bad food in Paris.
I think of L'Express as representing the Platonic ideal of a Parisian bistro-perfection of food, setting and service. The role of the customer is to have a good time and enjoy it all. And seemingly they do. Again and again.
13
This story is lovely for so many reasons. One of the wonderful lessons for all restauranteurs: treating people well and paying them a living wage can have marvelous impact on the success of your endeavor. How wonderful that so many of the staff have been there for decades. The founders were visionaries who created a work family. I'm ready to book a flight!
18
Oh my! Thank you Mr. Anderson for this piece. Living in Vermont for sixteen years, we have Montreal as a "second home" Some places are gone like James MacGuire's Le Passe-Partout, Le Latini etc, but others have risen in their place.
While summers in Montreal are glorious, the best experience, for us, was going into L'Express on a frosty, snowy winter's night. The warmth, the staff, the food and the clientele will always bring smiles to our faces and a growling to our stomachs. Merci, mes amis. L'Express est magnifique. Only in Montreal.
27
"So Much Began"? So much of what?
People who live in the real world don't know or care what goes on in fancy restaurants. They eat at home with their families, and only eat in restaurants when necessary because they are away from home. Like toilets, restaurants are necessities, but not places of great interest, so long as they are minimally clean.
1
@Jonathan Katz
My husband, one of 6 kids, grew up in Montreal in a working poor family. His family is like tens of thousands of Montreal. They are all “real”. He ate at L’Express as a university student and took me there on one of my early visits to Montreal. It remains a frequent destination of our Montreal family and friends. To Montrealers L’Express is not considered fancy and eating out is done for pleasure not necessity.
65
When one lives in St-Louis, one is likely oblivious to fancy eateries because one cannot find it in St-Louis. Perhaps a little vacation abroad would edicate one?
40
@Jonathan Katz
Dear Jonathan Katz:
What a terribly drab and sad life life you must lead.
I do live in the real world and this restaurant has made my life better and happier every time I have visited.
Start with a Snickers bar.
45
How very apt that Mordecai Richler's The Main (St Laurence Blvd/Boul. St.-Laurent, f. 1672) is described as the border between Montreal's Anglo and French sections. Because it was (and still is to an extent) Jewish Montreal's main street. Jews moved easily between the two majority-groups because many, like my Zada, were francophone - he came to Quebec from Romania via Paris specifically for that reason. L'Affaire Dreyfus drove him from the "City of Light" - the anti-Semitisme was vicious! But he saved his (and his descendants') lives by doing so - his sisters would not leave Paris because they loved it too well, so they were rounded up, senior citizens, Parisiennes for 40 years, but still 'etrangers', deported by the French and murdered by the Nazis for being Jews. Almost 100 years after Zada left Paris (his brother worked for Monsieur Renault, building brass radiators for Renault's auto-mobiles, and later owning and operating a motorcar dealership in Montreal) - he took the name Lenoir after shedding "Schwartz" - knew which side bread is buttered on. I went to Paris c. 2002 to march with 50,000 other people in a March against anti-Semitisme. I took my Canadian flag and waved it as we marched. When the 50,000 of us started to sing 'La Marseillaise', I started to weep. thinking about all this as I tried to sing through my tears "...Aux armes, citoyens!"
14
My Share on 3,issues from the Article, A.- An Splendid Review, From the Outstanding Human Staff among them all
Makes Possible To Obtain ,Paying for it ; what Seems Simple, Good Friendly Service.
B.- Excellent Restaurant View Points, It’s Description it’s the likes of Listening a Good Friend
Telling us, Well if we’re you next time Go There...
C.- Making a Key Point of the Golden Rule ; Simplicity It’s Beauty, -
By Making Customers Happy to be there,without Robbing their Patronage,With Overpricing
Their items to Ridicule Height,The Likes of those NoMa Chicken Little. And Silly Followers,/Owners.
The Wine Pricing sample It’s just So Right,
Anyhow ,Nothing like going out for Dinner Knowing that, I ,Yes Im Going to be happy ,
Among other,cause I’m Gladly Picking the Check. And Yes ,Thank you ! Welcome Restaurant Food Service Ambiance Writer. With my best to you all. Hasta La Vista.
1
Best fiddleheads and cup of coffee of my life. Remembered that meal, in mid ‘90s, like it was yesterday. How the heck did I afford it? Oh right, no kids yet.
7
Thanks Brett for bringing your expertise to NYTimes readers as you did such a great job in New Orleans. Bravo!
4
Unfortunately, our experience at L'Express yesterday left me with disappointment, confusion, and sourness. After reading this article on 12/25/19, I felt that we were so lucky that we were able to get a reservation for even for breakfast on 12/27/19 before we leave Montreal from our family vacation. We are an Asian-American family from the US. As soon as we walked into the restaurant, the waitstaff (White woman, French accent) made me feel a bit uncomfortable. She did not smile the whole time while she was serving us. Even though we said thank you whenever she brought us dishes, she did not acknowledge us by saying, "your welcome." Even though the food quality was top-notch and prepared with care, because of the service, I could not enjoy the taste. Toward the end of the meal, the waitstaff was suddenly changed! (but the changed staff was much more welcoming). When we were leaving from L'Express, the manager did not even say good-bye to us, which made it clear that we were not being welcomed in this restaurant. We have visited many world-class french restaurants in the US and France. Also, we thought we always enjoyed dining in Canada, the country that I love. Sadly, the microaggression and disrespect we experienced at L'Express will remain as a dark stain.
12
I have eaten at l’express many times, and also at many top end restaurants. Your reaction is quite interesting because I have gone to many American restaurants where staff are friendly, smile, but the food is not great and service incompetent. In contrast I have eaten at many French bistros in Paris and Montreal, where the food is good, the service is perfect, no smiles just performance.
It is nice to go to a place where we get what we pay for, without the fake friendliness. If you were regulars and got to know the staff then they would be friendly. This is nice example of differences in perspective. I have had similar experiences at many restaurants in Spain. There you get the friendly service, and smiles only if you know the staff personally. In the end, while having friendly staff is nice, we are going out to be with friends and have good conversation that we do want interupted every few minutes by a person who asks us if our terrible food is good! That has happened to me so often in American, I dread the question.
Rather than view l‘Express negatively, I would say you have enjoyed and new and authentic cultural experience that does not require a flight to Paris. It is truly amazing that they still offer consistent service and food quality.
25
@WB Macleod, You suggest that this family simply failed to appreciate "perfect" service - even though you were not there to assess the service they received; even though the family did mention that they, like you, have enjoyed fantastic restaurants outside of the US (including in Canada and France); and even though, according to this article, the owners of L'Express have tried to prioritize professional but friendly service unlike what you would find in Paris. I love Montreal and consider it home, but xenophobia is a real and widespread problem in Quebec. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that an Asian-American family experienced chillier service than that enjoyed by other patrons.
While I truly hope that this server was just having a bad day, I would not be so quick to discount this family's "difference in perspective" (to use your words)!
18
@MA Thank you MA for validating our experience at L'Express. I truly appreciate that you take time and write comments on behalf of my shared experience.
13
This article brought back so many memories you have no idea. I must have eaten over 300 times at l'Express, and that is a low estimate. The pictures of the famous "os à moelle" was like a time warp, not to mention seeing Mr Masson still at his post after all those years. I always sat at the bar, rarely elsewhere, and loved having breakfast at 7 sharp, when the place was empty from the evening hustle and bustle, it was a moment of calm before the day's activities would take over. Apart from the roasted marrow bones, my favorite was " le foie de veau à l'estragon", and they had quite a wonderful assortment of old Armagnacs and sublime Calvados which always ended the meal perfectly. I could go on for hours about that place, I knew all the staff, and half of the patrons on any given day or night and it was always a pleasure to share a moment with them.
Aurevoir Mr Masson, toujours le bon mot et un sens de l'humour inégalable.
5
I gained 5lbs reading this article. Now I’m hungry and planning a trip.
8
“It’s like a French brasserie where they speak in Canadian.” Excuse me? People in Montréal speak French. Canadian is not a language. I love L'Express but walk 5 minutes down St-Denis for the humbler but equally historic and satisfying local treasure, Café Cherrier.
6
@LouAnn Well said. I've been living in the US for many years, and do you know how often I've encountered Americans who told me that my language wasn't really French? And this from educated people! And if I may quote Jack Kerouac from one of his books Atop an Underwood, that "The language called Canadian French is the strongest in the world... It is too bad that one cannot study it in college, for it is one of the most languagey languages in the world... It grew from the lives of French people come to America. It is a terrific, a huge language."
7
I haven't been to L'Express, but after reading this I clearly feel like I'm missing out on a number of things: classic food, seasoned waitstaff, and a place with soul.
5
There is little on this planet like great French Bistro. L'Express, La Couple (Pais), etc. are as alive as alive gets, and the food, oh my, the FOOD.
They're loud and brash, intimate and yet so public.
Love this article. Thanks Brett. Now to create dinner!
7
I dined at L'Express in 2010 with a friend. We dined on roasted bone marrow and steak frites. Plenty of wine for good measure. One of the best restaurant experiences in my life. A must-dine destination when visiting Montreal.
9
I wandered into L'Express for the first time in April of 1989 and I immediately knew that I had entered a special place. I can't tell you what I ordered, but I know that the restaurant's atmosphere had won me over. I was able to visit again in 1993. I am happy to read that the restaurant continues on. I am long overdue for a return visit. Merci beaucoup L'Express!
9
I went there it was very good. Like several dozen restaurants I've been to in Europe, so let's cut the hype. Good food comes from fresh ingredients and the rest is a work ethic on the part of the staff. This is greatly diminished when you don't pay them much, or worse still cheat them out of legally entitled benefits and any kind of job security. That's why NY has nothing comparable, American owners are parsimonious and break labor laws routinely. Manhattan would be filled with reliable foodie "shrines" that stuck around — but the industry here insists on replacing staff the moment they make a suggestion or stand up for themselves. The secret in Paris of course is union labor and a public that cares about workers rights. It's a symbiosis like an ecosystem. When the public doesn't give a damn about the workers and the owners are predatory you get bad food and bad service. Montreal has not discovered any great secret of civilization — it just behaves in a civilized way, especially in it's restaurants. That doesn't happen in NY.
87
Does a restaurant only 40 years old really qualify for "beloved" status. The Times uses the word as frequently as kids use "awesome" to describe anything that is more than okay. Both adjectives lose their linguistic effectiveness as a result.
"Highly regarded" is more accurate and sufficiently praiseworthy.
Biblical figures, ancestral homes, are beloved.
2
I have never met any biblical characters and can guarantee you that none of them are beloved by me or my family.
On our first road trip to Montreal, we made reservations at L’express, and have returned on every visit since. Trust me when I tell you that L’Express is beloved by our family.
21
@gary abramson Forty years is a long time in the restaurant biz. And no, the officious term "highly regarded" will not do for such a charming, magical spot as L'Express. This place is indeed beloved.
12
This long time frequenter of L'Express learned much from this review than will only make the next visit only that much more enjoyable. Never noticed any dip in quality over the past decade - then again just to be in that beautiful room for a while so comfortably seated in amongst the most interestingly diverse and sophisticated crowd Montreal has to offer could never be anything less than a perfect treat. Thanks to the Times for recognizing this ageless gem, though it's likely to make last minute reservations even more difficult to score.
15
I'm pretty sure I went to L'express starting a few years before 1980. Did it change ownership in 1980?
1
I grew up in Montreal and graduated high school the year L’Express opened and it became our family’s go-to spot for evenings out and impressing visiting relatives/friends. I always ordered the same thing: Mousse de foies de volaille aux pistaches (aka the chicken liver pate with pistachios) and the steak frites. I left Montreal over 25 years ago but the image of the coziness of the interior on a snowy night is one my most cherished memories of home. Unlike many fond memories, it never fails to live up to the place I hold in my heart when I get the chance to return.
23
Yes it is my favorite restaurant. For the world of me I do not understand why innards: liver, kidney, sweetbread, heart, tripe, etc are so seldom available in North America. They are delicious and many, (like me), them.
9
@Steve That's the most disgusting thing imaginable.I would have thought snails or frog legs bad enough. I still ache for actual food when remembering a couple of duck wings devoid of meat ,confit ,when I asked where the duck meat was they said it's for when we were poor,I then knew poor when the the bill came.Now I simply purchase the whole duck at that price ,not to suffer the empty hunger.
3
“New hires were instructed, as they are today, to use the formal “vous” when addressing customers...”. Very interesting, that. I’ve noticed that Parisian waiters will sometimes address tourists using the rudely familiar “tu,” when they assume they don’t understand French. A subversive way to work out their built up resentments, I suppose. I’ve had it thrown at me (pointedly, I thought) just once, years ago, when I was ordering breakfast at a nondescript corner cafe. I was insulted more by the male-female dynamic of the overfamiliarity (I was older that he) than by the breach of the etiquette of social structure, but the truth is it bothered me more than it should have. After all, if I go to an American eatery I will likely be addresses as one of “You guys.”
4
@Passion for Peaches
It is extremely rare to be addressed by "tu" at a restaurant in France, unless you are a regular customer recognized by the personnel. I can't remember the last time that happened to me.
11
@rlschles, yes, I know very well how rude it is. That is why it rankled. That is why is mentioned it. That is why I remember it. I have traveled to Paris numerous times through out my life, from my Mademoiselle years to Madame.
BTW, I have never been addressed that way in a full restaurant. Only that grotty cafe. Maybe the waiter had a hangover.
But really, it should be water off a duck’s back, for an American, shouldn’t it? Yet it was not. Funny how one word can stab you in the heart.
You are wrong, though, that it is “rare.” I have heard it used with tables of clueless tourists, many times. Waiters have their ways of taking out aggressions.
This kind of resentment is common in cities that are overrun by tourists. I get it: residents can get grouchy about the invading crowds. Many years ago, my husband and I were ordering coffee at a bar in Italy (Florence) and the woman behind the counter said something quite derogatory about us to her coworkers (in Italian, of course). I speak Italian — and understand more than I speak — so I understood every word. I’m pretended not to, so as to not upset my husband. Do I care what a woman working in a coffee bar thinks of me? No. Yet I remember it, years later.
9
@Passion for Peaches This is Montréal, and you will not be in this city long before someone tutoyers you. It is not passive aggression, it is simply a local habit of speech, like being called "love" by a London cabbie, informal but not intended to insult. It is not disrespectful unless there is an insolent tone of voice. When I am in Paris, the boundary between "vous" and "tu" is much stricter.
The food, the wine, the service! We adore dinner there, but the weekend breakfasts, served 10-11:30 a.m., are so exquisite, so delicious and so amazingly affordable—one leaves on a cloud of happiness. Félicitations à tout l’équipe de L’Express pour 40 ans de bonheur et de joie!
28
@Jenny Schumacher
What? Breakfast!? Why did I not know about this before I planned my last trip? Ha!
2
For me, L'Express is a new restaurant that continues the traditions of Montreal: getting up to delicious mischief in the late hours, and then going out to eat. However, it is by no means the first bistro in the city. There was a famous one on Mountain Street, called appropriately, Le Bistro. Close to the campuses of several universities, fraternity houses, and the student ghetto, it was where you could bump into Leonard Cohen of an evening, and watch the beautiful Quebecoises in their 60s outfits worn with the elan only the French can muster.
14
I stumbled upon this place one night with a large group in town for the film festival. We were welcomed and accommodated like regular customers. The place was cozy and full of life and the food was pitch perfect. It is the first thing I think of when someone mentions Montreal.
20
montreal is a french city in canada; however, quebec city is more so.
i love living in a country with the diversity of canada. i especially love having that french fact.
when americans say to me, 'have you ever been to california (yes) or texas (no)? they're like whole other countries.'
i ask them if they've ever heard of--or been to--quebec.
i've been to both cities many times.
and paris/france more than quebec.
many of the french say they had to speak english in quebec because quebecois francais was too difficult.
3
@brupic
There are over 100,000 French citizens living in Montreal. Imagine 100,000 Brits living in Toronto.
When there are elections in France,they line up for hours to vote. Strangely, they don’t wait in line at the Express.
They do however wait in line for gourmet burgers.
There are more restaurants in Montreal per capita than N-Y or SF.
I know quite a few that started after the 82-83 crash. You walk-in and almost everybody has white hair. Good but not cool.
2
@Skiplusse
i know there's been a big influx of french citizens especially young people.
i've heard a few complaints from older french nationals that there's too much TU and not enough VOUS.
my point was there is--at least i feel--more of a 'french' feel in quebec city.
probably because, being the capital, it's even more protective of the language.
1
The garlic buttered steak bavette and those glossy glossy ceilings! May L'Express live forever. I've been going since '82.
8
I lived right across the street from L'express and it was my go-to place - the best part is there is no signage, it's on the tile floor outside the entrance.
Wonderful food, wonderful people, neighbourhood spot where every once in a while "hey, isn't that so-and-so over there?" and of course it is. We leave them alone, happy we've recognized them and would never intrude on their dinner.
8
I ate here while in Montreal on business in ~2002 and it remains one of my fondest dining memories. Terrific service, lovely space, and simply delicious food. We’re planning to spend a long weekend in Montreal with friends this winter and we’ll surely be stopping by.
5
Veal kidneys in mustard sauce was my first dish at a French restaurant when, in 1978, I was 15. La Cote Basque in Midtown. I’ll never forget it, it changed my life, and I’ve never looked back since!
5
After 18 years in Alabama and 15 years in Europe, Montréal became my first “feel-at-home” home 14 years ago. Thank you for encapsulating so well my repeated, heavenly experiences at L’Express.
A minor note: the city is more multilingual than bilingual. Sometimes more is better! Namaste.
29
Taking a baby calf away from its mother, slaughtering it in days, and removing its kidneys and eating them is something to do time and again with relish? Just because something has been done for years without people thinking about the suffering and the consequences shouldn't have to blind us to the truth today. Glad to hear they're closing, sad to say, serving that.
24
Respectfully, hard to understand your demarcation between a calf and a cow.
5
@K, the raising of milk fed veal is a monstrously cruel process. I assume the veal kidneys are a byproduct of the veal meat industry. So Dr. Jay S. is correct in bringing up that aspect of that repugnant dish.
The “demarcation between calf and cow” is too obvious to point out. But there is a marked difference between the treatment of a cow raised for beef and that of a veal calf. If you eat veal or veal offal, you should read up on it.
10
The article does not say that the restaurant is closing.
9
Oui! I recall a very classic Parisian meal in this lovely brasserie several years ago, before I started going to Paris regularly. L'Express served up a delicious French Onion Soup, salmon with sorrel sauce and creme brulee. Nice wine by the glass.Convivial atmosphere and servers who went out of their way to look after a single female diner trying out her long lost high school French. A lovely memory and how nice that L'Express does not just live in the realm of memory! Merci beaucoup to the talented staff and creative owners who made and make this place so beloved.
7
Reading this article made me mourn the passing of Cafe Loup in Greenwich Village. It was such a welcoming refuge in an ever-changing city. The service was relaxed but professional, you weren't squeezed in like sardines, the food was delicious and you didn't have to shout to be heard. I miss it every time I walk down West 13th Street. : - (
9
@Peter
Likely a victim of rent hikes. The article didn't discuss L’Express's vulnerability on this point, but either they own the building or they have a gem of a landlord.
1
What do the French do with the good pieces of meat, all I ever see are dishes of innards?
3
@Richard They eat those too, but the innards are delicious also.
10
@Richard The result of a static culture and slaves to tradition.
Very interesting but too fancy for me. Basically to sum up, no bagel, no go.
@don This not a fancy restaurant. And not expensive either. But it is not a bagel joint...
15
I had no idea the place was famous, but I'm glad it is. To me it is the idealization of a Paris bistro--it looks right, the ambiance is right, I even love the plain white china. And I'm alway pleased to be able to count on an excellent, gimmick-free presentation of French classics. My favorite item these days is the bone marrow, with a glass of Chinon. Someday I'm going to make it to Joe Beef, but L'Express is still my first priority.
7
During my undergraduate years at McGill in the 2000s, I would treat myself on very special occasions to a meal at L'Express. The cornichons, the crunchy baguette, the bone marrow and steak tartare are forever seared in my memory - right alongside what it felt like to rush into that restaurant on a bitterly cold winter night and settle into a divine meal. Merci!
31
@louise w. I'm in San Diego and weeping with happiness at this article. On my way there in 2 weeks.. and have a reservation for an early supper. A very special restaurant in a very special city.
My boyfriend and I vacationed in Montreal in September and had the pleasure of eating dinner at L'Express on our first day in the city. Truly a revelation and unforgettable, from start to finish. If I can ever duplicate their wonderful beef tartare, baba au rhum and floating island, I will be very proud of myself and my boyfriend will give me an extra kiss.
16
Happy 40th birthday L’Express! I have been eating here since the restaurant opened. My favourite is the “roti de rosbif froid avec frites” followed by “Isle flottante”. Formidable!
8
My favorite resto de tout le monde! Any time from 8am till 3am, I can walk it in seven minutes knowing good food and familiar, smiling staff will great me!
Quelle ambiance!
19
L’Express is everything you want, and the grilled ham and cheese is pretty much peak food-joy.
6
Delightful to find this article praising one of my favourite restaurants in my own city ! Ilived in San francisco when it opened but anytime I came home I had dinner there.
Love that they kept all popular items on the menu.
Love that they have half-bottles for when I go alone.
When they repainted the place they painted the ceiling a faux color which looks like the heavy smoker's patina of old times.
The name of the restaurant only written on the tiles outside the door would be covered in snow several months of the year but it is heated !
Doesn't the guy in the photo look like Macron ?
Cheers everybody !
Mireille
24
Excellent food,friendly but professional service,good wines and fair prices makes this restaurant a treasure.Wish we had something similar in the North Jersey area
13
A charming article, more of such places as l'Express are needed.
If "a locally famous chef has eaten there perhaps 500 times", a reader would expect a fairly detailed description of the menu.
7
The countless late night suppers with M. Laporte @ l'Express were the best memories of Montreal. It was the heart of the city late into the nights and one of many marks M. Laporte left the city. It just hadn't been the same since his and Colette's passing. Maybe the both rest in peace.
5
Photo caption: "Chef Jean-François Vachon spooning mustard sauce over a plate of veal kidneys."
Looks more like a plate of mushrooms and potatoes. If there are "veal kidneys" in the photo, they should be highlighted.
Veal kidneys are not served whole. As they are traditionally served they resemble mushrooms.
23
'At the beginning, we wanted people to think that L’Express had been there since 1950,” said Pierre Villeneuve, who opened the restaurant in December 1980 with Colette Brossoit.'
IOW, the décor is a marketing gimmick. It's nice that M. Villeneuve is so honest about it.
1
@LQS Huh?? *All* restaurant decor is "a marketing gimmick," in the sense that notable restaurants almost always strategically design their spaces for a certain look and feel. Why is that an issue?
16
This is my favorite restaurant of all time. Have been there probably 50 times in the last 25 years, and the food is consistent every single time (except a few years around 2012, but that's passed). I order the same veal kidneys as McMillan every time! Also the fish soup, warm chevre salad, and the best fries on the planet. The floating island is spectacular as well. Anytime we go to Montreal for a long weekend, we usually go here TWICE. We're going in two weeks, and story is making us look forward all the more. Congrats on 40 years, L'Express!
46
My favorite restaurant in one of my favorite cities. Chicago has many fine restaurants but none come close to the charm and warmth of L'Express. Time to research flights for another visit...
19
@ AC Chicago Chicago
Dear co-reader and neighbor to the South,
You wrote, "Chicago has many fine restaurants".
Could you name a few for the benefit of the ignorant, like me?
5
One of my favorites is Income Tax. It’s on Broadway in Edgewater. I also enjoy Vincent in Andersonville. They are popular restaurants, but they are also very adult without being stuffy. I love a bistro.
This is a magical place for dinner at 10pm. Even better on a snowy night. Phenomenal energy and atmosphere. Worth the flight to Montreal.
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@Andre Bronson Or drive, or walk!
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Always my first stop when I arrive in Montreal. The first time I ate there, I was with friends and we arrived very late in the evening after a cross country flight.
Even though the staff were winding down the room, at no point did they rush us out, or limit what we could order. The unfettered graciousness and generosity of service has never left my memory.
Montreal is a very special city - locals are passionate and vocal about politics, art, and business. Yet, over a glorious plate of old fashioned liver and frites - all these differences melt away. A very special establishment.
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Eating at L'Express since the mid-1980's. Just as wonderful now as it was back then. As close to Paris as one can experience in North America.
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L'Express is one of those constants in Montréal life that make it a special place. Frites, tartare de boeuf, magret de canard ... always delicious and dependable. Vive L'Express!
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As the child of two Montrealers -- one English- the other French-speaking -- it's great to read about one of the city's iconic scenes.
Montreal is a perfect amalgam of Europe and (North) America. If I could only pick one favorite 'getaway', it's it and that's that.
In fact as I write this comment I wonder, again for 'nth' time, "Why don't I live there?"
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@Mark Gardiner
At least KC has great BBQ.
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Too cold, is the only reason I can think of. Otherwise it’s perfect. And Canada is a civilized country.
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@Mark Gardiner
I lived in Montreal 25 years ago during my undergraduate days. I still like visiting "ma ville" regularly. Usually early on the trip it's Schwartz's for smoked meat (viande fumée). Now that I am in a different economic category than my student days, I try to end my trip with a visit to a restaurant like Maison Boulud or L'Express.
Food is one of the great things about Montréal. Yet, there is so much more to Montreal than that. It truly is one of the world's great cities. And I've been around.
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