The Bar Towel

Has anyone been to La Palette in Kensington? I hear it is quite a nice French bistro, supposedly with McAuslan Pale Ale & Blanche de Chamly on tap as well.

I've eaten there twice since it opened. In a word...fantastic! Great French bistro food at very fair prices and a fabulous selection of bottled Belgian beers including a number you can't buy at the LCBO. Also carry the only French beer available in Ontario from a great little micro named La Choulette (strong, amber biere de garde...also not available at the LCBO).

Thanks a lot, I'm definitely gonna have to check it out.

I'll second that thumbs up for La Choulette. Damn fine Biere de Garde, that is. If you're stateside, try to track down La Bavaisanne, as that is even better.

Ok, I checked out La Palette, and it is good stuff. They have pretty much every Belgian, French and Quebecois beer you can get in this province. I had a Sans Nom, which worked quite well with the crepe frite.

Those on a budget will be happy to note that there are some items on both the food and beer menus are quite respectably priced.

And an interesting note, their "mainstream" beer is Niagara Falls Millstone, which shows a bit of creativity I think.

Sounds like a cool place. I've never been there, and it's moved to the top of the list for the next evening out.

Quick question: is it "pub-like", in other words, it is a nice place for drinks alone?

No, it's a bistro. They have a small bar with about four stools and that's about it. Not suitable for more than one drink by yourself, and better suited to food and beer than just beer alone.

Well, I went to La Palette today for brunch. I was most impressed. It is a fantastic little bistro, with a relaxed atmosphere, friendly staff and a cool decor. I had a crepe filled with apricots covered in a maple glaze - yummy. And to complement this, a delicious draught Blanche de Chambly.

The beer selection is very good. They have BDC and St. Ambroise Pale Ale on tap - and unlike the Esplande Bier Markt, the Blanche is served in 20oz. glasses. And as Josh mentioned, virtually all Quebec, Belgian and French bottled beer to come out recently is available.

It would be wise to make a reservation for dinner on a weekend night - during brunch I overheard the place was fully booked for the evening. I'll definitely be going back soon.

La Palette, 256 Augusta Ave., 416-929-4900


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cass on 2001-08-05 01:35 ]</font>

Anyone been here recently?

I was there mid last week. Nice little spot but pricey. $12 for a bottle of Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier!

La Choulette isn't the only micro French beer available in Ontario ...

On 2004-03-10 10:38, Rubaiyat wrote:
La Choulette isn't the only micro French beer available in Ontario ...

The post from rabbit that you are referring to was made two and a half years ago. Perhaps it was the only French micro available at that time?

Rubaiyat seems to come out of his coma every several months and respond to postings that everyone has forgotten about...welcome to earth Rubaiyat and we look forward to your return in several months time.

On 2004-03-10 16:31, rabbit wrote:
Rubaiyat seems to come out of his coma every several months and respond to postings that everyone has forgotten about...welcome to earth Rubaiyat and we look forward to your return in several months time.

He wasn't the one who exhumed this thread. But he has me wondering...and maybe it's just a brain cramp...what other French micros are around these days? Is he referring to the remnants of the biere de garde order Joe took in last fall? Or is he referring to that delightful Boris? What am I missing?

On the topic of Quebec micro's (yea I know, complete topic turn), is there a new micro in Quebec called,'Huit' or '8' or 'eight' or something like that? I just heard of a sizeable equipment purchase that would mean a fairly big start-up coming soon. Could be something new and interesting on the horizon.