Like most of us living on a monthly budget the doling out of our hard earned dollars always comes under heavy scrutiny. Yet, despite these restrictions, every now and then we yearn to let loose, throw caution to the wind and perhaps for a day or maybe just a couple of hours, and live the oft used Julia Child axiom..”Everything in moderation…including moderation”.
I must admit that this urge came over me a few says ago as I was trying to decide where to eat on a Saturday night. I finally summoned up my courage, gave my credit card a cursory blessing and headed out to a restaurant that would do the most tempoary damage to my card, Estiatorio Milos.
Milos, now located in Montreal, Las Vegas, New York City. London and Athens, is renowned for the simplicity and quality of their dishes, Something I most heartily subscribe to and was soon to witness first hand.
Milos, here in Montreal, has just recently been renovated. The results are gorgeous! The ambiance can be best described as ‘glamorous rustic’ with its large open kitchen is shielded by a massive display of gleaming fresh seafood which I am told is shipped in every day from Greece and the Fulton Market in New York City. Displayed under spotlights I don’t think I ever seen seafood that looked so bountiful and fresh . There is also a large majestic granite topped sit up bar as you enter and another more secluded dining area on a lower level.
The menu at Milos is a mix of grilled, fried, sashimi and tartare preparations. The variety of fish and seafood is second to none. Keeping in mind that this was an evening to ‘break the bank’ I eschewed any looks at the prices and went with my heart and taste buds! When dining here keep in mind that quality always, of necessity, results in higher prices. The quality at Milos is beyond reproach and the portion sizes are also more than adequate, so you won’t be disappointed.
From their appetizer selections we chose three dishes: Sashimi of Sea Bass, Greek Ceviche ($32) and Octopus ($28).
The sea bass consisted of several thin slices of opaquely fresh sea bass lightly drizzled with chili oil and sprinkled with fresh sea salt and garnished with a medley of micro greens. True sashimi simplicity with each mouthful of sea bass melting in the mouth. The Greek ceviche, a large portion of marinated sea bass complimented by an enticing selection of wild micro greens and herbs joined with tender and perfectly cooked gigantes beans all garnished with crumbles of fresh and salty Greek feta. The Mediterranean octopus, served sashimi style and charcoal broiled, was some of the very best I have sampled. Octopus is one of the trickiest seafoods to prepare properly, sometimes the flesh is under cooked and a bit tough or reversely it can be slightly overcooked resulting in an unappealing slightly mushy texture. This dish was in one word, perfect. It was tender, but with just a little ‘chew’ at the end and the hint of smoky char flavor from the broiler and the accompanying drizzle of fruity Greek olive oil, capers and fresh lemon juice were all perfect!
We made our main dish selections by personally visiting the huge display of seafood with our waiter and choosing a sparkling clear eyed and shiny two pound Greek sea bass ($45/lb), to share. Given a choice of the fish baked in salt crust or grilled, we chose the later. The fish arrived perfectly cooked and moist, expertly deboned and drizzled simply with Greek olive oil, lemon, fresh oregano leaves and capers. Sublime!
We accompanied our meal with a light and fruity slightly chilled Californian Pinot Noir, Block Nine ($75)
The dessert menu includes a wide variety of homemade Greek specialties and some cheesecakes that are shipped in from New York City. We chose two of the homemade selections: Loukomades ($12) and Emek Kataifi ($10.50)
The Loukomades, those wonderful deep fried Greek donuts, were crisp on the outside and moist and slightly chewy on the inside. They were all basted and sitting in a pool of rich scented honey and garnished with a sprinkling of chopped pistachios. The Emek Kataifi is a mouth orgy of a dessert constructed from shredded phyllo pastry soaked in honey and topped with a large rich and fluffy layer of whipped cream and sprinkled with powdered cacao powder and crumbled pistachios. Both completely decadent!
Service throughout matched the perfection of the food. All the waiters are dressed in chef’s jackets and aprons, the owner implying that the waiters are not just servers, but are actually ‘chefs’ personally connected to the food and their preparations.
This is definitely a ‘treat night’ for most of us. So leave your fear and reservations at home and sit back and enjoy most assuredly the best seafood to be found in Montreal. Let Julia Child reign supreme, if only for one night!
Our meal including cocktails, wine and taxes came to $343.00
Estiatorio Milos
53257 Ave du parc
Tel: 514 272-3522
Lunch
Mon – Fri 12pm – 2.45pm
Dinner
Sun – Wed 5.30pm – 10.45pm
Thurs – Sat 5.30pm – 11.45pm
Late Night Menu
Thurs -Sat 10pm -12 am
