For many years I have heard so many wonderful things about 40 Westt Steakhouse & Bar, conveniently located right off Highway 40 in the Méga Centre Pointe Claire. While the restaurant has been open for 15 years, it was only recently that my family and I experienced it for the first time. From the moment you walk inside, you are taken by this beautifully designed dining establishment, featuring large ceilings, attractive lighting, nice artwork, interior brick walls and pleasant music playing in the background. You cannot miss the spacious open kitchen. The restaurant can accommodate 375 people spread across several rooms.
Stefano Hinoropos has been part of this operation since day one as executive chef and part owner. A year and a half ago he and his brother-in-law John Leonis assumed complete ownership when George Grigoropoulos stepped away to run his other dining establishments.
There is ample free parking in a large lot and a valet option. Hinoropos and Leonis are proud of their loyal clientele. While many do come from the West Island, there are regulars from Laval, downtown, the West End and other points. It is open for dinner every night but Sunday, and for lunch on weekdays. Private bookings for corporate and social functions are popular on Sundays. On Friday and Saturday nights, the bar area – which can accommodate up to 90 people – presents live jazz performances.
We were greeted at our table by Joe Bras, one of the managers, who offered to prepare us some drinks. “Just tell me what you don’t like and I will surprise you,” he said, coming back with lychee and apple martinis. After a nice bread basket was delivered to the table, we met our server Fekry. He has a wonderful personality and love for his job. The menu has so many tantalizing hot and cold appetizers, main beef and seafood dishes, sides and desserts that we sought out Fekry’s guidance immediately. He was right on the mark.
It was always a treat to go to a restaurant with a raw bar. We happily began with a small Ocean Shellfish sampler, consisting of two U-6 shrimps, two snow crab claws, two lobster claws, two half lobster tails and a half dozen oysters. This came with a number of sauces, which Fekry described in detail.
Now we are salad eaters. Fekry advised us that sharing a salad for free would be a more prudent choice given the large main course still to come. We ordered an avocado, asparagus and mesclun greens salad. It came on one plate and indeed Fekry was correct. It was just the right amount for the three of us to share.
The restaurant serves the finest corn-fed Ontario beef under their 40 Westt Belvedere brand label. They date and dry-age their products for four or more weeks in their meat lockers, which are on display for all guests to see. This is their way of monitoring the dry-aged beef every step of the way.
For the main course, I looked seriously at the fresh fish and seafood selections: red snapper, ahi tuna, striped bass, black tiger shrimp, lobster, Chilean sea bass, Icelandic cod, scampies, Atlantic salmon and more. But I think all of us had our hearts set on beef. Fekry brought us a sampling of the different cuts to the table and described each one of them for us, right down to the temperature in which they are cooked.
The 32-ounce Tomahawk cut won out. This is an on-the-bone rib steak, cut from the fore-rib with the entire rib bone left. The long bone is French-trimmed, leaving an amazing presentation and dinner table discussion point. Fekry brought it to us pre-sliced and divided it up evenly on our plates. He told us that this cut has quite a large amount of inter-muscular fat, which gives it loads of flavour when cooked. Indeed, he was correct. We also shared a rack of lamb, cooked French style, which cut like butter. For our side, we opted for the roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I also had my eye on the wild rice in butter and the Portobello mushrooms.
The restaurant has a vast wine list. We each enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay with our meal and it was a great choice.
Finally, it came time for one of their sinful desserts. Fekry came to the table with some mouth-watering choices. We agreed to share and opted for the “to die for” Berlin triple chocolate cake and a delicious piece of apple pie with ice cream. All of the desserts are homemade fresh each day.
40 Westt Steakhouse & Bar is located at 2305 Transcanadienne in Pointe-Claire. For reservations or to book a private function call 514-428-9378. Lunch hours are Monday to Friday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Supper hours are Monday to Wednesday, 5:30 to 10:30 pm and Thursday to Saturday, 5:30 to 11:30 pm. To see the complete menu visit www.40westt.com.
Published in The Montrealer, February 2017 • theMontrealerOnline.com
