Pasta Casareccia

Address: 5849 Sherbrooke W.
Phone: (514) 483-1588
Website: http://www.pastacasa.ca/
This is a well known NDG eatery serving a range of pasta dishes (not much else on the menu). On our visit, we shared an appetizer of marinated salmon served on a bed of salad, which was tasty. For mains, I had fettuccine but made the mistake of ordering a ’sauce’ consisting of Italian sausage, prosciutto and white wine. Reading from the menu, it sounded great. In practice, not so much…tasteless mild sausage, dried out prosciutto and a bit of wine (rather than a wine-based sauce which was more what I was expecting). The vegetarian lasagna across the table was much better choice. I’ll probably give them a second chance someday and order something tomato-based and perhaps my opinion will improve. For now, I’d call it a hit-or-miss place with a nice friendly neighborhood feel. OK if you’re in the area but not worth traveling any great distance.
Price: Reasonable. $45 for two.
Beer: I passed for once, but should have had a Moretti.

La Trattoria

Address: 1551 Notre-Dame W (@Guy)
Phone: (514) 935.5050
Website: http://www.latrattoria.ca/
Review: Old Montrealfood.com review?
We’ve eaten here twice in the last year, both times as celebratory diners for friends. It is in kind of an odd spot, separated from the trendy strip of new restos further west on Notre Dame and way down at the end of the streeet on Guy. It is a standard fare Italian BYOB. The specialize in pizza and pasta. The pasta is pretty straightforward. Nothing to write home about, but not bad either. For some reason, no one has yet tried the pizza in either of our two visits. It looks like it comes out of a wood oven, so perhaps we’ll try it if we go again. Overall, I think its a bit pricey for a simple BYOB ($30-40 for a table d’hote, $18-20 for a pasta dish) and we won’t go out of our way to eat there. But we don’t veto it if others suggest it. A true middle of the road.
Price: Moderate – $60 for two with tip
Beer: Bierre Nouvelle (Saint-Sylvestre) and DHAM

Le Latini

Address: 1130 Jeanne-Mance
Phone: (514) 861-3166
Reviews: MontrtealFood.Com Review, MartiniBoys
I dined here this spring on someone else’s budget, which is a good thing as this is one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. I had heard very so-so reviews of the place (see MontrealFood.com review), so I was a little surprised we were going here – my host usually knows his restos. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the place is filled with people who have been going there for years, and the staff is similar, but they seem to be trying to re-invent themselves a bit. They have a good selection of fresh fish and on the day we were there, soft-shell crab was in season. All four of us had it and it was excellent, done nicely with a simple sauce. My main was fletan, and although it didn’t live up to the crab, it was also quite good. Overall, the place is good. Not my cup of tea as far as the atmosphere, but a lot better than I had been led to believe. But I’ll still only go there on someone else’s bill.
Price: $80-120 per person or more depending on your wine choice.
Beer: Stella Artois