"Affable, knowledgable staff takes very pleasant care of you in this one of a kind location. Food is creative, but elegantly simple, and the wine list covers every contingency. The space celebrates both modern Montreal's sophistication and the famous inn's centuries of history which ooze out of the stone walls. Eating as a couple, we shared two starters (chunks of the cauliflower heads that had been roasting above rotisserie game hens) and a salmon tartar taken a subtle wasabi and mango direction. The provided bread board included half of a classic baguette and some delightfully chewy herb bread. We opted to share the for two special prime rib. Couldn't have made a better choice. The cut, intact on the bone, was brought to the table for a quick introduction before it was carved up for serving. The meat had been aged for eight days and was simply oustanding. Neither of us had ever had a prime rib of that quality, and the aging process threaded the needle perfectly aging another hour might have tipped the flavor towards a sour note. Instead, it was complex, tender, and the very definition of medium rare. Paired with a just right Saint Emilion, things couldn't have been better. The accompanying fresh greens in a vinaigrette played a cleansing role, and each of us opened a personal Staub mini cocotte to find a concoction of whipped potatos and gruyere that took care of the savory end of things with a satisfying flourish. Overly fed, we bravely avoided the very tempting dessert menu, but none the less caved and ate the small sweets that stealthily found their way to the table. Be sure to take a moment to wander the restaurant and absorb the contemporary design elements that don't for a moment hide or diminish the ancient beams and stones that are the soul of L'Auberge Saint Gabriel. We will gladly travel a few hundred miles to return to this gem."
