Montreal institutions | Chez Lévêque, merchants of happiness for 50 years

Do established Montreal tables still live up to their reputation? We will be visiting a few throughout the year to reconnect with these restaurants that have stood the test of time. To start, the classic of classics, where you can spend a little, a lot or passionately: Chez Lévêque.

A little history

Before being Chez Lévêque, the institution on Laurier Avenue West was La Lucarne, a steakhouse created by Outremont businessmen in 1967. Pierre Lévêque arrived there in 1972, after having worked in two Montreal establishments. famous at the time: Chez son père and Le Molière. He quickly bought the restaurant and kept the name until 1993.

“My husband arrived in Quebec in 1963 at the age of 18, all alone, in short pants with his small suitcase. He came from Vendée and really wanted to be a chef,” says his wife and partner Patricia, herself born in Madagascar.

During my first visit to the restaurant, a few days before Christmas, Pierre was absent, recovering from an operation. It hasn’t been in the kitchen for a long time. The establishment can count on the consistency of its chef Michel Servières for nearly 40 years and on several other long-time employees. The founding couple is never far away either.

The expressive restaurateur tells me that she would have liked to pursue a career as an actress. It is finally the boards of Lévêque that she will have burned! Then in five decades, she was able to fraternize with many members of the artistic community of Montreal, who became regulars and even friends. Even today, we come across actors and actresses, directors and producers, but also politicians, judges, college principals and other notables.

1030, avenue Laurier Ouest would be the first restaurant in Outremont to have obtained a liquor permit. “Before La Lucarne, there were no restaurants in the area where you could have a drink. It wasn’t done at the time. It wasn’t nice to see people drinking,” laughs Patricia.

Things have changed a lot and the suite is now in the hands of butler Yann Nkanko, who has worked for the Lévêques for a dozen years. “He puts his whole heart here. It’s up to him, ”says Patricia.

The philosophy

“To receive someone at his table is to take care of his happiness for a few hours,” says Ms.^me Lévêque, who considers having had very few difficult clients during all these years. Serving while bearing in mind that one wants first and foremost to make people happy — without it being at any cost, of course — must necessarily be felt.

“People come here looking for comfort. And we know them, for the most part. Sometimes you don’t even have to ask them what they’re going to eat. For some time now, we can say that we have been living the life of families. We do baptisms, weddings, funerals. Our clients’ children become our clients and the wheel keeps turning. »

The experience

During my visit, on a Thursday lunchtime, I am perhaps the only non-regular at the restaurant. Even my guide has been going to Chez Lévêque for 25 years. The room is full and happy. It may be midday, but the couple on my left have had a Bordeaux hot drink and the table on my right is turning to white wine and Bloody Caesars. You can hardly do more typical “French brasserie” than here, where the daytime drink does not raise eyebrows.

Dominique, the one I call “my second mother”, has her preferences. She often orders the salmon tartare, the seasoning of which is tasted at the table before serving. But this time, she opts for royal salmon with saffron sauce and coq au vin, in the “Express lunch menu” formula.

The haddock and northern prawn mousse, wrapped in smoked salmon, is as fine and maritime as coq au vin is earthy, with its rich mash and grounding sauce. It’s very good, very well done, with familiar flavors which, as Patricia Lévêque said, are a source of comfort.

On my side of the table, the holidays having been quite greedy, I content myself with a green salad as a starter, very correct, and haddock miller style, enriched with a cream sauce. Here is a “winter fish” as we like them!

To “cool off” a little and to be able to evaluate the pastry, Chartreuse iced nougat is a great option. Admittedly, we could have chosen the crème brûlée, the floating island or the chocolate cake, but we would have lost in originality and complexity. The nougat, sprinkled just enough with nuts and candied oranges, is served on a raspberry coulis with a generous rosette of whipped cream. We appreciate its lightness, while being aware of its milky richness.

The map is vast, but it feels like everything is under control. Between salads, Frédéric Triquet’s house charcuterie, impeccably cooked offal, stews, fish, grilled meats and even a club sandwich, there is bound to be a dish to suit your taste. There is also a children’s menu for families and takeaway meals.

The good management of the kitchens, the volumes (120 places on two floors, 170 in summer with the terrace), the long-time employees and 50 years of experience allow the establishment to continue this “old-fashioned” operation. whose new addresses do not have the luxury nor necessarily the desire.

Needless to say, Chez Lévêque is an impressive machine that seems to have retained all of its humanity over time.

Chez Lévêque is open every day except Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Thursday, then until 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

1030 Laurier Avenue West, Montreal