When it comes to finding a good spot to watch a game, it is amazing how little people generally care about the quality of the food. As long as the drinks are cheap and the screens are plentiful, we are suddenly okay with mediocre burgers, junky fries and bad fried foods. I, for one, want to enjoy both great food and a great sport watching experience – it really shouldn’t be that hard to find. Recently, I organized a small Yelp event to watch the Habs play at a tavern that I hoped would be what I was looking for – Le Sieur d’Iberville.
Opened by a group headlined by Taverne on the Square’s Chef Stephen Leslie late last year, Le Sieur d’Iberville is a revamp of an old neighbourhood taverne and a beautiful revamp at that. A massive bar at the center of the room is the focus of the space with tables all around. The room is quite large and thankfully isn’t too cramped by the general “flair” that these kind of bars can use to create a vibe. The old visible beer elevator is a nice touch to the space’s old roots. Music was a touch too loud for great conversation – I did find it a bit funny that they had a DJ at the bar for the night – but I did appreciate that they alternated between the live TV sound and music during commercials and intermissions.
A nice touch for Habs game is their free shot game. Each table selects a player for the game using cards. If that player scores, the table gets a free round of shots on the house. I selected Alex Galchenyuk and he actually scored so shots of vodka lime came quickly to the table. Fun way to get everyone involved in the game and create a little “chatter” between tables.
Foodwise, the menu is a nice blend of “staple” bar food with additions befitting a joint whose cousins include Monkland Tavern and Taverne on the Square. Two items present on our table which I didn’t get a chance to try were the pork and beef chili nachos with house chips, corn, grilled tomato salsa, smoked cheddar, jalapeños, avocado puree and marinated onions as well as the Sieur Caesar salad with oven roasted tomatoes, house bacon, sourdough croutons and anchovy vinaigrette. In both cases, I enjoyed how more developed and refined Le Sieur made these dishes but still kept their essence in tact. Given how quickly both were finished, I believe my fellow diners would agree.
On my end, I first started with a dish that intrigued me tremendously when I read it – maple syrup braised bacon sticks. What I got wasn’t exactly what I expected – more like a cubes of fatty ham than bacon but regardless… they were delicious. Fatty goodness with a touch of maple sweetness. A nice little salad on the side helped to make the dish feel a little lighter.
As a main, I went with the Sieur grilled cheese sandwich composed on rotisserie chicken from their house rotisserie, bacon, house cheddar, grain mustard, caramelized onions and a house squash relish. Just a wonderful sandwich – every component listed on the menu was perceptible and enjoyed tremendously together. Gooey, cheesy, sweet but with a hint of tang. The true star was the rotisserie chicken – just wonderfully moist and tender. Everything I had heard about the rotisserie was on-point. It is a guarantee that next time here I will order the chicken. I need to try it on its own now.
As a side dish, my sandwich came with their Lyonnaise poutine comprised of grelot potatoes, onions, smoked cheddar and cheese curds. A intriguing play on a poutine which was best summarized by someone at our table – it’s like a French onion soup in poutine form. The amount of cheese in this dish was absurd but oh so perfect. I really enjoyed the richness of the gravy but its consistency was more like a broth hence the perfect soup analogy. Very very good.
Finally, I couldn’t leave without trying a dessert. The “Ooey Gooey” chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream was a huge cookie baked in a mini skillet and yes it was certainly ooey and gooey. Quite easily shareable amongst friends, this rich and sweet cookie was a great way to finish the meal.
Le Sieur d’Iberville was exactly what I had hoped – a great bar to watch the game, enjoy a drink or two and have great food at the same time. Loved the overall feel of the place and definitely want to come back to try more of the menu. When people recommend a junky sport bar next time you want to watch a game somewhere, please remember Le Sieur d’Iberville – friends don’t let other friends eat bad bar food. You won’t regret it.
Cheers!
Le Sieur d’Iberville
2490 Mont-Royal Est
514 525 4448
Ramblings from the Complex Mind of a 30 Something 