I first noticed the Patate au Four, or Baked Potato Shop, from the backseat of my friend’s car. We were driving down des Pins Avenue when the shop’s yellow detailing caught my attention.
Everything from the table, chairs and umbrellas, to the building’s trimmings were sporting the bright colour. The outer brick walls housed poster-sized pictures of baked potatoes garnished with a variety of delicious toppings. In a city suffering from poutine overload, it excited me to find a non-fried potato option to satisfy my starch craving.
A few weeks later, I finally left the comforts of my suburban neighbourhood and headed back east with two friends for some baked potatoes. Walking through the front doors, we were warmly greeted by the shop’s owner. Originally from Turkey, he decided to open a restaurant that sold baked potatoes, after noticing that no one in Montreal was selling the popular cuisine from his home country.
The simple menu offers several specials as well as a create-your-own option that can easily satisfy vegetarians and meat lovers alike. A basic potato with just butter and mozzarella cheese will cost you $5, with each topping an additional dollar. The shop has about two dozen toppings ranging from classics like sour cream, chives and corn to less conventional options like olives, jalapenos, tuna, and pickles. All toppings are prepared fresh at the restaurant, including several salads like their homemade Russian salad, a mixture of carrots and peas, and their Mediterranean mix of cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado.
When it was time to order, we decided to go with the specials posted on the menus above our heads. The first dish we tried was the extra-roasted mozzarella potato, which in addition to the base of butter and cheese came with two more toppings for a total of $8.
After adding some pepperoni and artichokes, the potato was topped off with some more cheese and then put back in the oven. After a five-minute bake, it came out looking like a lasagna that, with some of the recommended hot sauce added, became a dish definitely worth repeating.
Next we had the chicken potato topped with chicken, mushrooms, Russian salad, and tzaziki. Though tzaziki is not my favourite condiment, one couldn’t help but appreciate the flavour of this dish. Mixed all together, each bite tasted like a full-course meal.
The final dish was the vegetarian potato that seemed to be topped with a taste of just about everything. There was broccoli, olives, pickles, Mediterranean salad, hot peppers, eggplant, corn and mushrooms. Though I didn’t find the mix of flavours complementary, the homemade roasted eggplant dip and its mild garlic flavour was certainly a highlight.
And if you venture into the Patate au Four wanting something beside a baked potato, you won’t be disappointed. The restaurant offers panninis and salads from $5 to $7, rice puddings and a homemade red lentil soup at $3.50 as well as a variety of drinks, teas and Turkish coffee ranging from $1 to $2.75.
Though the food certainly pleased the palate, it was the owner’s hospitality and his baklava that make Patate au Four’s yellow building a definite eating destination. After bringing us glasses of water and coming to see how we liked our food, he brought us three pieces of pistachio baklava to try. These homemade bite-sized pastries were the stars of the meal. Sitting in a sweet syrup, the flaky pastry tasted like authenticity. At $1.10 a piece or $4 for four, they are impossible to resist.
Another thing worth noting about this quaint restaurant is the portion size, which is way more than generous. With an extra half of potato stuffed into each dish, we all barely made a dent in our plates. To the dismay of the owner, we left more than half the potato and most of the skin, which he proudly promotes as having the most nutrients.
Though indoor seating is limited to a few bar stools and a couple of tables, a terrace is set up in the summer for those who love to people watch.
Prices (tax included)
Drinks: $1-2.75
Mains: $5-9
Desserts: $2.50-4
Vegetarian Friendly
Takeout Available
Open 11:30 a.m. on weekdays (noon on the weekend) until 11 p.m. Closed Mondays.
231 des Pins E. Ave., corner Laval Ave. (between St. Denis and St. Laurent Blvds.)
www.bakedpotatoshop.com
(514) 844-6660
