Joe Beef - Montreal

I'm very happy to be writing about a world recognized restaurant found in my very own home town of Montreal. I've previously written about Tickets Bar in Barcelona, the most playful Michelin Star restaurant I've been to. Joe Beef hits another category, the most rustic World's Best Restaurants ranked establishment I've had the pleasure of dinning at. Named after Charles "Joe Beef" McKiernan, a soldier and innkeeper in Montreal circa 1839-1885, Joe Beef was ranked number 81 in the world in 2015. As you walk in to the restaurant and see the chalkboard menu, the team styled in Rock 'n' Roll t-shirts, and barn yard instruments used for decor, you can tell you're in for a good time. The great people at Joe Beef aren't worried about rankings or staff uniform. Rather, they place their focus and energy on using fresh, high quality ingredients from local farms to deliver delicious dishes and I promise you that they do an excellent job at that. If you follow Chef David McMillan on instagram it's clear that he's very much about French Canadian "terroir" cuisine, which means cooking and being inspired from one's land. Follow him on Twitter and you will see that he doesn't let his fame tame him, rather he uses it to be outspoken and lets his political opinions be known. Let my Dined There snaps be proof of how well Joe Beef does refined rustic cuisine. Enjoy!

Updated Post - November 2018

 Pork Stuffed Quail

Horse Fillet with Ham & Green Pepper Sauce topped with Sunny Side Up Egg

Horse Fillet with Ham & Green Pepper Sauce - Fillet Revealed

Mille Feuilles aux Pommes

The result of asking your waitress to take a photo of the constantly changing chalk board menu: selfies with one of the Chef's on your phone.

Original Post - June 2016

Chalk board menu for appetizers, mains, sides, desserts, wines, etc. 

Updated weekly, if not daily, as dishes are prepared based on ingredients available.

For my non bilingual friends, the menu is in French only, so make sure to bring along your translator.. ..me!

Appetizer - "Petits ravioli à la Francese" Crab stuffed ravioli with grilled octopus and green peas

Mains - Spaghetti Lobster (Quebec lobster)

"Saucise de homard sagamité" - Lobster and pork sausage with muscles, clams and green peas

"Marjolaine Joe Beef" - Layer cake of pistachio, chocolate and hazelnut 

Dinner at Joe Beef was a great reminder that excellent dinning doesn't have to come with white tables cloths in a formal environment. It was great people watching as well from people in suits to flip flops, all coming to the same place to enjoy excellent food. If ever you visit Montreal be sure to check it out, and if you live in Montreal you should treat yourself at least once. For more information please check out www.JoeBeef.ca . Be sure to register and get notified about my next post which keeps us in "La Belle Province", but steers us to one of those more formal spots mentioned above.

See my post on another Montreal restaurant, Toqué !, here