If you haven’t been here before, you may be confused by the entrance. When you walk in, you’ll see a small café. You have to go past that and down the stairs at which point you think you’re going into a theater, but you’re not.
You’ll then see a couple of different rooms, one of which is Brasserie Zédel (the other two are the Crazy Coqs and Bar Americaine).
The dining room at Brasserie Zédel is a fantastic space. It’s huge, open, and quite majestic. Despite being so grand, the acoustics work well and even when it’s crowded, you can still hear your group comfortably.
The service is good and it’s a comfortable environment. They have a main menu in addition to a separate vegetarian menu, though it’s available upon request only.
Pave de Saumon, Sauce Americaine – grilled salmon fillet, wild rice, and lobster sauce. Salmon was cooked well and fresh, the accompaniments were tasty. Good, solid dish.
Boeuf Bourguignon – beef braised in a red wine sauce. It’s a large portion of meat, mildly flavored, but cooked so well. It just fell into pieces and was so tender and soft. It’s served with potato puree, cooked carrots, and onions. The sauce has a delicate flavor, but a good one.
Omelette – nothing spectacular, not very flavorful, but no complaints and a decent portion. The server asked if I wanted ketchup, which no one asks, but I really liked it because I always eat my omelette with ketchup! It’s served with a salad of romaine lettuce and pink peppercorns.
I like that there is complimentary fresh bread (a sliced white baguette) to start.
The servers are attentive and polite. The kitchen is efficient, the ambiance is nice, it’s centrally located, the prices are reasonable, and the food is pretty good quality. I don’t love it, but I like it, and it’s a solid bet.
