Chefs David McMillan and Frederic Morin - Montreal

David McMillan, Frederic Morin, Joe Beef, Liverpool House, McKiernan Luncheonette, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, French, Wine List, Where to eat in Montreal, chef’s recommendations, smoker, Little Burgundy, H3J 1N6,

Chefs David McMillan & Frédéric Morin

Q & A with Chefs David McMillan & Frédéric Morin

Q. Please tell us about your restaurants:

A. Joe Beef, Liverpool House and McKiernans are our 3 little restaurants, Joe Beef has 30 seats, McKiernan 15 and Liverpool 55.

Joe Beef is the flagship (ha ha) as its our first and that’s where the gardens are, as well as the smoker and terrasse.

Liverpool is more the every day kind of place with more of a bistro flare.

McKiernan is a little chowder room where one chef cooks a daily menu for 15 persons and where we do private groups and parties.

The whole idea of our restaurants is a touch of cottage, classic food and wine in a neighborhood appropriate setting, the old ‘Bocusian’ cuisine du marché.

Q. You have a reputation for finding small / interesting wine producers for your wine list. What’s your approach?

A. The wine program focuses on small family run wineries, as we are a small family run restaurant, it just seems right. The classics are the rule of the day: Muscadet, Chablis, Sancerre, Bourgogne, really the best examples of each French appellation, always though, and preferably with winemaking families we can get on the phone or visit!

We also work with wineries in Prince Edward County Ontario (Norman Hardie) and of course, always tasting and educating ourselves about new things, from loving Campania, Collio, Veneto in Italy, as well as keeping a close eye on Hungary, Slovenia.

Q. Is there a particular point of view that you want to communicate?

A. We want to communicate Old World finesse, lighter wines with little or no oak and low alcohol, digestibility really, wine as a healthful beverage.

Q. What's your ideal or preferred meal and pairing at your restaurants?

A. My ideal dinner at Joe Beef for 2 is:

- a small plate of cold cooked ham with a shared Creemore beer.

- a shared dozen medium Colville Bay oysters from Prince Edward island with 2 glasses of Pepiere Muscadet, any vintage.

- a mustard braised rabbit for 2 with a side of spatzle and brussels sprout with a magnum of Etienne de Montille Volnay 1er Caillerets, any vintage.

- Epoisse cheese, in lieu of dessert.

Q. Is there a local ingredient that you love to work with?

A. Quebec has many raw milk cheeses, I have become a fan of reviving the cheese board or the wine and cheese party. 10 or 15 Quebec cheeses with rusk, and crusty bread and lots of wine is fun. My favorites are Riopelle, Pied De Vent, Fritz Kaiser, Au Gres des Champs and Perron 6 year old cheddar.

[See details.]

Q. You’ve been credited with helping to revive the restaurant scene along the Notre-Dame / Charlevoix strip. What is it that you love about the area?

A. The neighborhood we’re in is Little Burgundy, it’s a charming little neighborhood near the famous historical Atwater Market. We love the antique shops, the canal, the market and the old hockey culture. This is a working class neighborhood still.

[See details.]

Q. You have three very successful restaurants, what’s next for you and partners Allison Cunningham and Frédéric Morin?

A. What's next for us is unknown at this time, we are launching a book with Ten Speed Press (Random House) about Joe Beef and Montreal. [The Art Of Living According To Joe Beef -- buy it here.]

[See our discussion with David and Frédéric about their book.]

Perhaps after we will open something with East European flavor, a goulash place with lots of cheap draft wine, but it’s just an idea now.

Advice / Tips

Oysters | 5 Things To Know About

Oysters at Joe Beef

Photographs courtesy of Joe Beef

1. Prince Edward Island Malpeque oysters are the finest eating oysters in the word.

2. A medium small oyster has 5 grams of protein, awesome.

3. Oysters with greenish tinged outer shells are prized by people in the know!

4. You must read A Geography of the Oyster by Rowan Jacobsen [buy it here] and check out oysterguide.com.

5. I've been told by many women that there is nothing more sexy than a man who eats two dozen as a first course.

In The Kitchen | Surprising Tools

We bought a Taylor Soft Serve machine and Fred uses a refractometer to figure out the sugar content of the ‘mix’ so we can create additives to make different flavors at the correct sweetness!

Leftovers | What To Do With Turkey

I love to make Vol aux Vents with Christmas leftovers, or a large hot turkey and ham stuffed ‘gougeres.’ Use the hock and turkey bones to make a nice veloute thick sauce.

Recipes

Here is one for Financier. Because of space and the sort of desserts we like to eat, the garde manger cook at Joe Beef also plays the double roll of pastry chef. So our desserts have to be, by definition, simple to make.

[See the Financier recipe and the Oeufs En Pot and Hot Oysters On The Radio recipes from their cookbook.]

Montreal, QC

Eat | Restaurants

Terrine at Le Mas des Oliviers | Insider of Les Cons Servant | The Classic Entrance to L’Express

Photographs courtesy of Le Mas des Oliviers | Les Cons Servant | Find. Eat. Drink. LLC

Iconic Quebec Dishes | Au Pied de Cochon

They have a sugar shack in Mirabel, 30 minutes north of the city, it’s open from March to June. It’s Martin Picard gone mad. It’s a shack with a dining room, a killer kitchen and pigs running amok outdoors, and all the Quebec maple syrup lumberjack favorites with his loving touch.

Locals Only | Le Mas des Oliviers

On Bishop street, it’s a locals only politician haunt, the writer Mordecai Richler held court there often. Bordeaux and Rhone wines, beef tartare, terrine de lapin, liver and kidneys. I love this place, it’s a time machine!

Off The Beaten Track | Les Cons Servent

Chef Stelio Perombelom is classically trained in Montreal and Europe, he cooks very well, great natural wine list, great lofty room, as well fits the locals only tag. Stelio’s food is always an ingredient driven. It’s the kind of 2 to 3 ingredient cooking I like!

Late Night | L’Express

Late night in Montreal is all about L'Express, open till 2am, French cuisine and unreal inexpensive wine list. Ask your waiter for the second wine list. I always eat veal kidneys here, always!

[See details.]

DRINK | Cocktails

Cocktail at Dominion Square Taven | Pullman Wine Bar

Photographs courtesy of Dominion Square Tavern | Pullman Wine Bar

Favorite Spot For A Cocktail / Aperitif | Pullman Wine Bar

Killer wine list -- their sommelier Veronique is probably the best in the city.

End the Night For A Nightcap

Baldwin Barmacie, Whisky Cafe, Dominion Square Tavern, Quartier Latin.

[See details.]

DRINK | Wine

Oreilles de Crisse and red wine from Irouleguy at Au Pied De Cochon

Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.LLC

Interesting Wine Lists

Pullman Wine Bar

I love the wine list at Pullman because of by the glass variety.

L’Express

Because of the price.

Kaizen Sushi

Because of the sake and burgundies.

Au Pied de Cochon

Philippe Poitras has a great wine list, let him choose for you.

[See details.]

Around The World

FIND | Food Purveyors

Inspiring Creativity | Prince Edward Island Seafood

Fred and myself just did the grand tour and the clams, lobster, mussels and fish, cheddar and people really got us going, its an amazing place.

FIND | Markets

Paris | Rungis

I love it -- the fowl area is a dream landscape, the French get chicken and ducks on a whole other magic level.

[See details.]

Eat | Restaurants

Paris | Restaurant Chartier

I crave it constantly and I can see myself growing old in it It’s in the ninth arrondissement and it’s been open since 1896. If you haven’t been there, you must. Very simple food, celery remoulade, radishes and butter, hard boiled eggs mayonnaise. It’s not a gastro place, it’s all ambiance and the real Paris.

[See details.]

Eat | Chef

Who Do You Admire / Look To For Advice

Fred [Frédéric Morin]

My partner, for his thirst of knowledge.

Sam Hayward

From Fore Street in Maine. He's a classic.

[See details.]

Riad Nasr

From Balthazar, in New York, we listen to him for advice. He's a good friend and one of the greats in America, work, work, work....

[See details.]

Recommendations

See more recommendations from David McMillan and Frédéric Morin on where to eat and drink in Montreal, New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Portland (ME) and Paris.

Recipes