Call for opening times, if you feel lucky. 389-6732
 It was the first annual end-of-summer jaunt. Three of us biked to this restaurant at the north end of Montreal. It was a 90-minute easy ride from the west end of town. Once we got to Gouin Boulevard we took the bike path along the shore. We could have been in farm country. There were parks, an old hydro dam, and hundreds of people in-line skating, playing tennis, enjoying picnic suppers. Across Rivière des Prairies, old Laval—with its churches, stone houses, and convent buildings, appeared like flashes from France along the Loire.
We arrived at the Restaurant with No Name (which does have one, somewhere, but no one knows it) at 7:30 and met the rest of our families. Who had come by car. After several bottles of wine and more than a few grappas, the cars would look much more comforting than bicycles for the return trip to NDG.
The restaurant is run by Luigi (aka Louis) and his father Antonio. It is more of a concept than a restaurant. Primarily it is a grocery store and a wholesale food suppliers’ office. The warehouse of imported Italian food products—the truffle oils, the packages of yard long dried rigatoni, the gallon jars of dried porcini, marinated eggplant, and Sicilian olives—is across the street. Think of the restaurant as a work in progress. This is where Louis does his thinking, aided these days by Sandrene, his majordomo and chef.
From the outside the restaurant is non-descript. Inside there are a few tables and a cramped open kitchen. (See photo Sandrine at the grill)
 We were told to go to the terrace at the back. This is a small yard off the alley, covered with vine leaves and fenced in. There were a half dozen tables. Another couple was finishing their meal with an espresso. We hardly noticed the sound of the garbage trucks moving up and down the street.
At the Restaurant with no Name, there is also no menu (although a waiter might tell you what you are having in advance) and there are no prices (although you can ask). The bill is around $50 a person once wine and tips are included. There are more expensive wines. I Have seen Opus 1 and some excellent bottles from Tuscany marched across the floor, but if you just ask for wine you are likely to get something inexpensive that will match the food of the evening.
Last night we started with grilled bread drizzled with good olive oil, chunks of Asiago cheese, a plate of grilled peppers, slices of dried sausage, and a medly of marinated mushrooms, eggplant, and hot peppers. There is a family-style feel to the portions. Large platters coming out of the kitchen. Eat as much as you want but slowly. Bottles of mineral water compliment the wine.
The main course was rigatoni with veal and pork meatballs. A large bowl of more meat balls was put on the table. This was served with pan fried peppers. Char, sear, sauce—the balance of heat and hearty heating was exquisite. Platters are huge here. I always forget to tell Louis to make one portion good for two people.
Next we split a couple of rib steaks and salad. This sounds simple but the steaks covered a large dinner plate and we found one ample for three people. They had been marinated with lots of garlic and grilled over intense heat and were fork tender.
 For dessert, Louis sent one of his staff to the Dairy Queen across the street. He came back with a bucket of soft vanilla ice cream and a half dozen bananas. Then he started working with the high-proof marinated maraschino cherries that Louis imports and a couple of bottles of liqueurs. This was a five-star banana split.
We finished with coffee (this place is worth stopping in just for an espresso) and grappas.
It is hard to recommend this restaurant. Going here is like entering the mind in the surreal film Being John Malkovich. There is a trap door and you enter and then there is a long fall and you emerge somewhere along the New Jersey Turnpike. You don’t really want to recommend this experience to anyone else because you are not sure how they will react; but you go back again.
The good news is that Sandrene and Louis are opening a new restaurant on Monkland. It will be in the location of the what was previously D’Agostino. It will be called 48 (since it seats 48 people inside) and should be open by October. Look for strong and original Italian cooking, menus, and no garbage trucks.—Reviewed by Barry Lazar
|
