There was a flavorless gazpacho, but the reviewer went all frothy over the mains. The French language reviews have been positive, overall, too… based on my bad French language skills.

We’ve developed a bias against hotel restaurants, but we enjoyed the space, food and experience at Cube, so we might give its successor a try.

Vauvert
In the Hotel St-Paul, 355 McGill
514-876-2823

Cube was open for private parties and events a few months after closing, while its former chef, Eric Gonzalez, left for XO, the concept at the St James Hotel, a few blocks away.

Now, a new restaurant is on the way – Vauvert. My information about Vauvert, so far, is limited to the French language page posted at the old Cube web site. One learns little from the description beyond the desire to offer Montreal diners something different, something that respects the tradition of Cube, a menu that is accessible, etc.

Chef Pascal LeBlond is a Cube veteran. To quote the web site:

Il a reinvente des classiques de la cuisine Francaise Meridionale en leur donnant une tournure resolument Quebecoise.

We’ll keep an eye on it, and check it out in September if it’s up and running by then. In the meantime, we’ll watch the Vauvert web site; at present, it’s closed to public access.

We set aside about 90 minutes and walked through The Museum of Contemporary Art. The space isn’t very large, and there were two special exhibitions, so we didn’t see much of the permanent collection, but we enjoyed the experience, nonetheless. Admission is C$8 for adults and C$4 for students. It’s located on St. Catherine in the Place des Arts, and you can reach it easily on the Metro or the Underground City.

We also spent a few hours roaming Rue St. Catherine, doing some low-level shopping (I’m trying to hold off until the sales of Boxing Day) and general hanging out. Tonight on the news, there were conflicting reports about whether this was the biggest shopping day of the year or whether Friday was. Both days, it seemed like a madhouse on St. Catherine by late afternoon. For shopping or people-watching, it was a good time.

After a little recovery back at the auberge, we walked to Cube in the Hotel St. Paul. Cube has been on our list for a visit twice before and we dropped it both times. This time, we thought we should give it a try and we weren’t disappointed. It was an excellent meal. I would describe it in greater detail, but to do so is somewhat pointless because Cube is closing. We couldn’t find room for dessert, and we asked our server if Cube would be open over the holidays. Our server told us they’re closing tonight and will reopen as a new “concept” in a few months. The website says Cube will book private events until March 15, 2007 and “the dining room will be closed for renovations.” I know that Cube has caused mixed reaction among Montreal foodies over the past 6 years, but our one experience there surpassed our expectations. We hope the next iteration will be as good as, or better than, Cube. But Cube is no more.