Avril 2008

Naked Lunch classé dans le Top 12 de "The Gazette"
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The top 12: our critic's favourites
Meals come from traditional shops (Anjou-Québec), caterers (Denise Cornellier) and a rising number of big-name chefs

LESLEY CHESTERMAN, Freelance
Published: Saturday, April 26

Ready-made is on the rise, and with dozens of outlets to choose from, Montrealers are turning on to the charms of gourmet take-out. Here is my list of favourite prêts-à-manger destinations:

Gastronomie Le Naked Lunch, 4816 Wellington St., Verdun, 514-849-7418. Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., www.lenakedlunch.com. This pint-sized bistro does a brisk take-away business. Just choose from the menu, take a seat and watch chef-owner Dominic Lamontagne spoon your supper into take-out cartons. You'll also find a good selection of canned food, ideal for your next camping or boating adventure. Don't miss: the duck "smoked meat" sandwich and the coconut milk soup.

Le Naked Lunch in Verdun also features a selection of fairly priced ($20 to $60) privately imported bottles for takeout customers. "We choose these bottles ourselves," says chef-owner Dominic Lamontagne. "We often meet the producers who might not produce enough to be eligible for sale at the SAQ. So we carry them here and know the story behind every bottle. And since we know them so well, we can help customers choose the right one to pair with their meal."

For the last four years, Dominic Lamontagne has been working the takeout angle at Le Bistro Naked Lunch in Verdun. The tiny eatery on Wellington St. sells some of the best fresh takeout food I've tasted including canned goods and vacuum-packed dishes.

For 45$, I picked up single servings of coq-au-vin (16$), a can of Thaï coconut soup ($3.75, sold with cellophane noodles and jumbo shrimps on the side), a fantastic duck-breast sandwich served on a bed of salad with goat's cheese and walnuts ($12), and a delicate salmon filet ($12, including fresh vegetables and celery root purée). The salmon was sold vacuum-packed and I had only to immerse the marinated filet in hot water for eight minutes while I reheated the vegetables. Easy.

Twelve of Lamontagne's top-selling dishes are sold canned, and the chef plans on marketing this line to the camping and boating crowd, as well as select supermarkets.