Cocktail lovers, good news. The Midway and Taverne Marion team is bringing a third bar, one of a kind. Mocking its nickname, the address opened last summer offers a Louisiana menu, from glass to plate.
“Because we consider ourselves first and foremost a bar,” immediately states François Chamberland, co-owner, who has taken over here with his usual partners (Jean-Philippe Bouchard, Charles Landry and Alexandre Théberge) the former Agrikol, rue Atateken, and especially its magnificent rear terrace (open late in the season, note to those interested, it is intimate and heated!), to infuse it with a touch of the South as unique as it is welcome.
Pastel colors, multiple lampshades, mezzanine, wrought iron stairwell, not forgetting this long bar and all these varied bottles give the place the air of New Orleans (NOLA for short). There are even slushy machines, like so many found on the famous street that never sleeps: Bourbon Street.
This is because the art of the cocktail was born precisely there, our hosts explain to us, who also offer several classics on the menu. Think: Sazerac, Vieux Carré, Absinthe Frappe and our favorite, Ramos Gin Fizz, whose recipe is directly inspired by that of the Sazerac Bar, at the Roosevelt Hotel, a New Orleans institution (at $22, this n It’s not cheap, of course, but the juice is generous).
The drinking menu also offers several interesting creations (signed Louis Roberge, chef at the bar), including a solid Dirty Trinity Martini, a selection of privately imported natural wines, local beers with or without alcohol.
To digest it all, in the kitchen (open until 1 a.m.), we offer an original menu combining Louisiana and Quebec, with dishes that are both exotic and comforting. Let yourself be tempted by the gratinated oysters as a starter (with panko, finger-licking), we dare the arancini with gumbo to share, and for good appetites, we treat ourselves to a po’boy, a classic sandwich Louisiana, served like a banh mi. The one with pulled pork and wafu sauce should definitely satisfy the hungriest. Perfect for a big late night (and at $16, we’d be crazy to pass up).
As for desserts, don’t miss the donuts. Chef Maxime Flibotte has indeed tried to reproduce this legendary preparation from Café du Monde, by replacing the bread dough with crepe dough, and frankly, it’s astonishing. Take between two sips of iced Irish coffee (a recipe that comes straight from Erin Rose, yet another NOLA institution), and savor, as if you were there (or almost).
A final piece of gossip: we learned that the owners have just acquired the neighboring premises, formerly Ti-Agrikol, to open a fourth address there, sometime next year. To be continued !
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 4 p.m.
