Greater Montreal area reviews I forgot to write (1 of 2)…read more
A long time ago, I found a fairly priced casual French restaurant in the Laurentians that did a fixed price table d'hote lunch where the portions were good enough for portion control, yet satisfying enough for one's appetite. I reviewed it and later became aware that, sadly, they had closed. I really wanted to go back there. I was looking for something similar, befitting a "yellow, orange, and red" sort of day in the Laurentians. There was no such thing to be found.
I walked around Saint-Sauveur, saw their postcard-like main church, and checked out the shops and eateries. Both my phone and a local or two steered me to Saint-Sau, indicating this might be the closest thing to what I was looking for. Had I kept on rummaging through Laurentian towns, I could have probably found something closer to what I wanted, but it was definitely time for lunch.
I walked into Saint-Sau, which is woodsy, fairly bright, and seems to pull in the sort of crowd who would order things like fondue and such. I picked out a place to sit and was handed a menu.
I don't remember how I went through the culling process, but I ended up at the fish and chips. The prices at Saint-Sau are a little bit above the midpoint for this sort of food, but then this is a touristic area, especially in summer and fall, and the prices reflect that. I told the lady providing the service that I was hungry and asked how many pieces of fish would be included. This predominately Francophone cross between a "Dreamboat Annie" and a younger Sarah Palin told me two large pieces or three more normally sized pieces. I was okay with that, so that's what I ordered. I also ordered a soft drink. She was actually very nice and quick on her feet, attending to various tables, and I remember her having somewhat of a deep voice.
The food arrived and I looked at what was on the plate. I just sat there with my arms folded and didn't dig in. I don't know if this was noticed and it registered, or they simply needed to do more cooking. Initially, I got two pieces of fish and they were not big enough for what I paid and was expecting. Within about 5 minutes, that third piece of fish arrived. At that point, I was a happy camper, dug in, and woofed down this Laurentian lunch.
This town and those frequenting its shops and eateries made for some questions and analysis. With it being peak color, some people were clearly tourists - "leaf peepers." However, some people didn't have the "looking up at skyscrapers" look, meaning they were locals. I also saw some expensive cars with Quebec license plates in the area. Doing the math, these folks could be well paid French-Canadian individuals who own businesses or are in the professions in these Laurentian towns. Or, they could be the same, except that they commute to companies and organizations on the Rive Nord, or even in Laval. Like New York, Los Angeles, or anywhere else in North America, the center of Montreal and its first ring of neighborhoods now look way more international in terms of demographics than they do French-Canadian.
With three small pieces of fish (most likely cod) to eat and something to wash it down, I'm glad I came to Saint-Sau. I'm going with three stars because I feel I shouldn't have been perplexed and had to wait for another piece of fish to arrive. At two pieces of fish, the platter would have been overpriced. Also, while waiting and observing the autumn colors outside, I knew that peoplewatching and armchair sociology would inevitably come into play.
