Au Feu Bistro Allumé — Part 2 (10:25); (MP3 11MB / FLAC 55MB / Ogg Vorbis 7.41MB / Stream)
Au Feu is was a small restaurant on the corner of Mont-Royal E. and St. Dominique. It's a friendly and unpretentious neighbourhood joint that serves up decent "corner bistro"-slash-"Plateau pub" fare. It's been around for some time, and before it was Au Feu it was called "Anubis," which didn't really look any different, giving the impression that this is a bit of a grand-dad place for well entrenched (read: aging) hipsters.
They only have a few burgers on the menu. Chris and Ed visited on a quiet Wednesday night, where they were met with friendly, indeed neighbourly service. The shadowy corner where they set up, and the fact that they were about the only people in the place, didn't bode well. The personal touch can be a lovely thing in a good restaurant, but Ed said he felt a bit like he'd walked into someone's house where the room mate was doing the cooking.
Alas, such prejudices where misguided. Both Chris and Ed were very happy with their burgers; they were fresh, tasty, cooked just right, and were not drowned in exotic sounding sauces and frilly things. There was cold Boreal beer on tap, and the fries, while not brilliant, were serviceable. By the time they paid up and left, a crowd had appeared and the restaurant was buzzing with activity.
Ed's Verdict
Au Feu's burger was a real treat. The meat and bun were well proportioned, the preparation was perfect, and it didn't dissolve into a sloppy mess the way so many so-called "gourmet" burgers tend to do. This was a burger for people who really like burgers. I will definitely go back if I'm in the neighbourhood and I'm craving a burger.
Chris's Verdict
Au Feu was a wonderful burger ably abetted by extremely low expectations. When we walked in the restaurant was pretty much empty, and no matter how hard I try, if a restaurant is empty I can't help but think "maybe nobody else likes their food." At Au Feu, after being served and taking a bite, I didn't care if anyone else likes their burgers.
Again, it was a fairly generic burger, but done just about perfectly (or as Ed said "perfectly executed"). I can't say the same thing about the fries, but we weren't going for the fires. The service was good, friendly and efficient. And they weren't intimidated by our microphones.
Despite what I said during the podcast, I actually have been craving an Au Feu burger recently and might actually cross town in order to get one.
Address:
Phone:
Web site: none.
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(The Montreal Burger Report: Au Feu, Part 1.
