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Le Pois Penché

The French are notorious for their adulterous yet highly skilled male lovers. “Say hello to my little friend,” he said as he twirled his moustache and made her knees weak. Le Pois Penché is a decidedly French restaurant down to the heartwarming cuisine. The menu has it all, from a seafood platter at two prices ($68.00 or $128.00) including all the oysters, muscles and shellfish one can fathom. The juicy, buttery porterhouse steak for two ($58.00) is highly recommended. The steak is from Queue De Cheval and presented like it’s a competition. Tartars include beef ($22.00), lamb ($24.00) and tuna ($26.00) or the Trilogie de Tartares LPP ($26.00). I’m convinced that they’ve got some kind of “amore Francais” secret ingredient that melts the heartstrings and excites the soul.




Pullman

With its romantic glow, mirrored ceilings, and semi-hidden location, Pullman glows with Parisian authenticity. Even the epic menu is legit, albeit, tapas-sized. The space takes its inspiration from the opulent sleeper cars that were produced by namesake George Pullman in the mid-1800s (his noble portrait adorns one wall). A hipster-aristocratic dining room of old-school opulence - Limoges china, warm hand towels and more than 120 varietals by the glass (from robust reds to crisp Rieslings) - mixes with fixed tray tables and rail car arrangements, all adding solidly to this very opulence. Ideal for those pursuing a Wild West railroad tycoon fantasy this Valentine’s. Toot toot!
3424 Park Avenue, 514-288-7779




Restaurant XO

Executive Chef Éric Gonzalez puts a new twist on French cuisine at XO. The menu mixes traditional French fare with contemporary touches from around the rest of the world. Take the tempura grouper fillet or the wild sea bass with paella-style risotto for example. XO is nestled into the private luxury that is the St. James hotel, which, like Gonzalez’s food, is a mixture of historical and modern architecture and design. Feel free to plant a few x’s and/or o’s onto your eager Valentine. How convenient that XO is in a hotel. You won’t have to go far.
355 St-Jacques Street, Montreal, QC. 514-841-5000




Time

Supper Clubs are the new Hotel Bars. If you plan on taking a trip to Time, you had better be able to differentiate between dessert, salad, and dinner folks! Taking a hint from Miami and NYC nosh and nod clubs, Time is a smartly designed bundle of art deco, offset by an overpowering burnt-orange glow. The ceiling is high, the lighting is orange, the décor is white and the DJ-delivered beats are on full steam. All this pulls together to feel a little like an exclusive party that somebody forgot to invite you to. If you’re watching your waistline, Time gives the fabulous crowd a chance to get up from their tables and work off the calories to rock, house, and hip-hop, pounding until last call. If you’ve run out of time to find a V-Day date, you can hook up with a hottie here, but only if you’re equally as beautiful.
997 Saint Jacques West, 514-392-9292