Restaurant review | Chez Simon urban canteen: when you have the taste of a good burger …

Restaurant criticism takes a new turn at Press. As always, our critics tell you about their experience, highlighting the good and, sometimes, the bad ones. But we now explain the choice of one restaurant or another. We also present the team in the dining room and in the kitchen. This week: Chez Simon urban canteen

Iris Gagnon-Paradis
Press

Why talk about it?

Because catering is not just about gourmet tables and bistros, we wanted to break our habits for our review this week. Because sometimes – especially when it’s dark early and the motivation to cook or go out isn’t at its peak – all you want to do is bite your teeth into a burger. juicy and to eat a very fatty poutine, without a hint of guilt. And because Chez Simon urban cantine, a snack bar in the Tétreaultville district that invites the flavors of the American Southwest to its table, saw its Burger Bacon + Bacon + Bacon win the public vote in Montreal – and even ranked second in Canada – in the last edition of Burger Week.

Who are they ?

The man for the job here gives the establishment his name. Simon Jodoin-Bouchard launched Chez Simon urban cantine with his partner Alexandre Clément last spring. Passionate about barbecue and particularly Southwestern cuisine, he is also the head of SJB BBQ, specializing in sauces and rub spices (rubs) BBQ, co-authored the book BBQ for dummies and participated in a number of competitions with our neighbors to the South – at the restaurant, a piece of furniture where medals and trophies are proudly enthroned testifies to this. He is accompanied by a small team, which he seeks to expand, but, like everyone else, the shortage of manpower makes it difficult for him. Among her, her friend, Léa Allard, who supports her in this adventure.

Our experience

It’s Friday, it’s cold, it’s dark, the week has been long and busy, and our stomach is growling! Not a second to lose, we jump in the car, heading east of the city. Our little family of three sits on the stools that run along the long bar offering a view of the open kitchen in this narrow room with 24 seats: in addition to the bar, a large table at the front, and a few small high tables for two. , along the wall.

In this establishment in the Tétreaultville district, we welcome you simply and in a friendly way. After consulting the menu – and the slate on the wall, featuring the four kinds of poutine from the house -, you order directly at the cash desk. Moments later, our generous plates land in front of us as rock, punk or metal music plays – not too loud, but enough for son to find it extremely entertaining, in equal parts with the big screen in front of him, where Léa kindly offered to put on a program of his choice, without sound this time, thank you.

The chef has chosen to combine the spirit of the Quebec canteen, and the essentials of his menu – burger, hot dog, poutine, fries… -, and the typical flavors of Southwestern cuisine. This Quebec and Tex-Mex fusion works perfectly well and brings its unique touch to this place. For example, La Vega is a mix of fries topped with guacamole, frijoles, chipotle crema and jalapeños. Hot God, meanwhile, features a homemade smoked jalapeño and cheddar sausage, served with queso and a jalapeño and cayenne sauce.

Once again, our tendency to order way too much food is confirmed – one day this will have to be addressed! In the meantime, we contemplate, forbidden, the Chili Cheese Fries, the Smash Burger, the Patty Melt Extra Cheesy, the huge All Dress poutine, not to mention the generous portion of crispy fries and the grilled cheese ordered for the child … wondering in what state we’re going to get out of there. Full to the ears, that’s for sure.

A sort of Mexican-style Italian poutine, Chili Cheese Fries is a staple of the menu, with its fries topped with homemade chili (cooked with dried aquario peppers and pasilla de oaxaca, which give it a nice depth), sour cream, cheese tex-mex and cilantro – a success that may dethrone poutine in your heart.

The burger is therefore in “smash” form, this way of doing things, very widespread in the United States, where the meatball is “squashed” on the grill. Result: crispy on the outside, but still juicy on the inside. The one specially designed for Burger Week isn’t on the menu, but the Smash Burger is everything a burger needs to be: bursting with flavors, playing with textures, juicy as you want. We already know, biting into it, that we will want to come back to it when we feel like having a good burger.

The secret lies in the details that make the difference: the meat, always chopped fresh daily by the neighbors 3A Boucherie Gourmet; the super soft Martin’s brandy potato bread, famous across the border; a sauce of which no secrets have been stolen, but which notably contains a homemade BBQ sauce; small sweet pickles and caramelized onions; and finally, a capicollo to replace the traditional bacon. Really, hard to beat.

Patty Melt Extra Cheesy (a grilled cheese with a meatball inside) combines American cheddar, provolone, and house sauce, and comes in a thicker sliced ​​white “Texas Toast” bread that accompanies many Texas dishes. According to darling, it was delicious; as he swallowed it up without even thinking of giving us a taste, we’ll take his word for it!

What about poutine now? The All Dress is absolutely decadent, with an appreciated original touch. The sauce, creamy and slightly spicy, is a mixture of poutine sauce and Sud-Ouest sauce. Add to that chopped capicollo, caramelized onions, the house sausage and a double portion of cheese and you have a rather memorable result… of which we will have saved the leftovers for the next day. And yes, she was still just as satisfying!

In our glass

On the alcohol side, there is a fine selection of beers from Quebec microbreweries here, some more famous, others that will delight connoisseurs: Dieu du Ciel !, Brasserie Mille-Îles, Brasserie Alpha, Toltèk Brasseur Artisan, Brasserie du Bas-Canada, Messorem Bracitorium… In addition, there are soft drinks and some juices.

How much ?

From $ 6 to $ 11 for what comes between two slices of bread; from $ 7 to $ 15 for fries and their variations. For about six people, we offer the “Have It All”, which brings together pretty much the entire menu, for $ 80.

Good to know

The dining room is small, but you can also stop by Chez Simon, an urban canteen for a take-out order. No delivery service or the possibility of ordering in advance, however: you have to travel to take advantage of it!

Information

Chez Simon urban canteen is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m.

8517, rue Hochelaga, Montreal