Daniel B.
Yelp
REVIEW OF UPSTAIRS STEAKHOUSE- EXCEEDED MY LOW EXPECTATIONS!
Having spent 4 days at Mont Tremblant last week, we figured we would try out the resort's "premium" restaurant. Having read online reviews from Yelp and Google, I was expecting all variety of problems.
The reviews for this restaurant belong to their own special subcategory in which a frustrated manager takes issue with every criticism and responds to EACH REVIEW in an obsequious yet simultaneously argumentative and condescending tone. I have a small tip for restaurant owners and managers: When people are criticizing staff for being rude and providing poor service, it's never a brilliant idea to try to argue your way out from under a bad review. You are essentially giving customers an amuse bouche of your high handed arrogance before they even walk through your door.
As I said, we happened to be in Tremblant village which is usually synonymous with restaurants well practiced in the timeless art of mind numbing mediocrity. Against our better judgment, we gave La Forge a go. I told myself that in the worst case scenario, I'd describe the trainwreck on Yelp and perform a public service.
No such trainwreck ensued however! I don't know if we got lucky or if the other reviews are somehow inaccurate. We were seated at a nice table upstairs and immediately approached by a friendly waitress who took our drink orders. Their menu is standard for a steakhouse. Like many other establishments, the price for a given cut of meat does not include sides or a salad. (There is only one Gibbys.....scratch that, there's a second one in St. Sauveur) I ordered the Ribeye for 50$, accompanied by several sides for the table as well as a tuna tartare to start. With drinks, dinner here will easily run you north of 125$/person including tax and tip. They are competing with generic and tired fare at the neighbouring restaurants in the village and so they better deliver if they are going to charge such a premium.
The steak was actually pretty awesome. It was thick, extremely well marbled, caramelized, and melted in your mouth. (All the adjectives I look for in a boneless ribeye) The tuna tartare and accompanying fried wonton chips were of the standard variety, yet tasted good. My Maker's Mark on the rocks was poured generously. My wife's shrimp cocktail however was one of the most impressive versions I have ever sampled anywhere. The shrimp were enormous. There were only 3 of them served, but at this size, it's like eating 5 shrimp anywhere else. They tasted extremely fresh. The bread rolls were small and warm. It doesn't appear as if they are baked in house. For sides, we ordered the fries, lobster mash, and sautéed mushrooms. While I don't eat mushrooms, The fries were unremarkable and served their purpose for 7$. The 18$ lobster mash is a trap that should be avoided however. The potatoes are overly puréed, mysteriously sweet, and served with microscopic and scarce pieces of lobster that you just know have spent the majority of their summer in a freezer instead of an ocean.
There was a small service hiccup in that once the mains were placed on the table, about 4 minutes passed until the side dishes made their way out of the kitchen. I'm one of those guys who doesn't like to eat either one without the other. At the 4 minute mark, we were just on the precipice of getting annoyed when the sides were served. Coordinating and timing is Chef school 101. I can see how hypothetically extending the wait by a few more minutes could tarnish the dining experience. It's steak AND potatoes, not steak THEN potatoes. I suspect, this is not an isolated incident as the spontaneous apologies from the waitress came off as effusive and rote.
All together, I really enjoyed dinner here and would return the next time we visit Tremblant. This place won't necessarily compete with the great steakhouses in North America, but when you're isolated in a ski hill village, it's nice to know you can still get a decent slab of beef.