A Homey New Café, Restaurant, and Wine Bar Opens in Griffintown | Eater Montreal

"A homey, morning-to-night neighbourhood hangout that opened on Notre-Dame West last week, Nolan functions as a coffee shop, lunch purveyor, dinner destination and wine-focused bar tailored to the Griffintown crowd. It's helmed by a group of industry folks — Matthew Shefler and chef Vincent Lévesque-Lepage (both from Villeray Italian restaurant Knuckles), plus Julien Betancourt and Abel Goulet-Garcia — and was conceived as a reliable spot for farm-fresh cuisine. I found the 45-seat space luminous and laid-back, designed to feel like a living room, and it's a come-as-you-are, no-reservations place open for walk-ins Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight. Lévesque-Lepage's seasonal menu is slightly more carnivorous than his dishes at vegetarian Knuckles but keeps a similar bright, colourful, sauce-drizzled plating style; dishes currently include clams with rhubarb and lovage; radishes swimming in ranch; asparagus draped in smoked egg yolks and trout roe; spaghetti alla chittara with morels and wild garlic; an éclair filled with cream, speck, and horseradish; and a striploin steak in a dune pepper sauce. Ingredients are sourced from local producers, from Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle micro farm Les Jardins Sauvé-Lafrance to urban mushroom growers Full Pin. One item promised to remain on the menu is the “Nolan Roll,” a deep-fried Emmental cheese stick with smoked meat and sauerkraut served with a bell pepper dipping sauce. The drinks program focuses largely on Italian and French wines and a concise cocktail list that includes a jungle (rum-based) Negroni and a mint-julep twist featuring Amaro Montenegro and almond syrup." - Valerie Silva