Super restaurant avec ambiance décontractée & cuisine italienne remarquable. Nous étions sur la terrasse extérieure j'ai mangé une escalope de veau parmigiana elle était excellente & une bonne portion. Brie fondant en entrée & excellent vin car on apporte notre vin. Dommage qu'il soit à deux heures de chez moi car j'irais souvent.
Souper sur nouvelle terrasse ! C'était très bien. Nous Avons eu Pauline comme serveuse, nous ne l'avons pas trouvé très souriante! À part après l'avoir payé nous avons eu droit à un sourire, mais dans l'ensemble, nous avons été satisfaites de notre soirée!
Oh, I'm Sorry, Was Your $400 Dinner of Dehydrated Truffle Foam Not Snobby Enough?
Let's address the self-proclaimed culinary elite of the internet. You know the type: the geniuses who think a 5-star rating is a sacred honor reserved exclusively for establishments where the waiter sneers at your shoes, the portions require a magnifying glass, & the bill for two people equals a monthly car payment.
I am deeply, deeply sorry to shatter your fragile world, but Restaurant italien Paolo Gattuso in Laprairie gets a flawless five stars.
Why? Because they advertise themselves as a mid-range restaurant, & they absolutely nail it. My bill-including tax & tip-came to a whopping $129.
& brace yourselves, Michelin snobs: it is Bring Your Own Wine (BYOW). I know, the absolute horror of not paying a 400% markup on a mediocre Pinot Grigio just to feel alive.
The Appetizers: A Severe Shortage of'Portion Control'
We ordered three appetizers, fully expecting the trendy, minimalistic disappointment we've all grown accustomed to elsewhere. Instead, we got real food.
The Bocconcini ('Bocaccine') Cheese: Apparently, the kitchen staff completely forgot how to be stingy. They served a massive, unapologetic heap of cheese. Truly a tragedy for anyone who prefers their food to look like a sparse art installation.
The Melanzane ('Millazanta') Parmesan: Again, absolutely drowned in cheese. If you enjoy dry, sad, roasted eggplant that tastes like cardboard, you will hate this. It was incredibly rich & unbothered by anyone's summer diet.
The Caesar Salad: Prepare yourself for a massive shock. The kitchen actually had the absolute audacity to serve homemade dressing. It didn't come squeezed out of a room-temperature plastic jug of chemical sludge. It tasted fresh. How dare they?
The Mains: An Assault on Our Arteries
For the main course, we decided to abandon all dietary rescue plans.
The Three-Meat Lasagna: If you want a delicate, light pasta dish that leaves you craving a cheeseburger an hour later, look elsewhere. This thing is packed with pepperoni, sausage, & bacon. It is a glorious, heavy, meat-lover's dream. It tasted like love, if love was high in sodium & incredibly satisfying.
The Chicken Parmesan: Because we clearly hadn't met our dairy quota for the evening, my friend got the Chicken Parm. Once again, it was smothered in a ridiculous amount of melted cheese, served alongside a side Caesar. No notes. Just pure, unpretentious comfort food.
🚨 The Bread Miracle
Let's talk about the bread. Normally at mid-range spots, you are served a par-baked roll that was thrown into a microwave for 30 seconds, making it nuclear-hot on the outside, a frozen brick in the center, & structurally identical to rubber.
Not here. The bread was fresh & actually good. &-get this-they didn't charge us a $12'bread tax' for the privilege. They just nicely handed over a saucer of olive oil & balsamic vinegar for dipping like civilized human beings.
The Verdict
I am utterly devastated to report that I was pleasantly surprised, thoroughly stuffed, & didn't have to sell a kidney to pay the bill.
If you are looking to spend $400 to leave a restaurant hungry & angry, avoid this place at all costs. As for me? I am absolutely, definitely going back.