Bistro Jezz - Food Review

[2016.5.10 EDITED Unfortunately, Bisto JEZZ has closed down...few bad decisions when economy is low has had it with it...]

Okay, Whatever will be following in this post will be totally biaised, because I just love the place... However, I will try to be as good as I can in just relating facts. So here we go~~

I will first refer you guys - those who speak French, or at least, can read it - to Michel Julien's blog on his 'coups de coeurs', he made a small article on Bistro Jezz. Also there is a restaurant review on Internet - again, in French - with nice comments on the place and the food, so I don't feel too bad in praising the place.

Last may 28th, Jézabel Pilote, the owner and chief of Bistro Jezz was invited for the second time to cook at Des Kiwis et des Hommes to talk about regional food. You can find her in the second and fourth part of the video, plus a link to the recipe she and her friend from Témiscamingue made. Sorry for the lot of commercials between the parts...

Bistro Jezz opened last year around mid-may, I was still in Montreal at the time so I missed the opening. While there are actually quite a lot of interesting places in Rouyn-Noranda, my hometown, whenever a new place opens it is still quite exciting, not like in a big town where you just end up walking by and realize it opened. In a smaller-scale town, you often know the people who opens the place, and you hear about the opening from many random places before it actually does. In this case, Bistro Jezz was opened by a former high school classmate of my older brother, the one I went to Japan with last winter. 

The food in bistro Jezz in Fusion Cuisine, so basically a modern adaptation of French cuisine. My boss highly values regional products so she buys regional stuff the most she can, is highly imaginative in her recipe and really knows her stuff: she learnt cooking on her own and did, among other things, work in farm and in the forest to actually learn the basis of food, how it is made. She is someone that I respect greatly and she respects every single step in the making of food: the people who cultivate it, the people who make it, but also the waiters serving it, the guy washing dishes for cooking to be possible. While I think she often takes a bit too much on her own shoulders and it seems hard on her at times, she can be proud of what she achieved, while doing her best to take care of her two kids. 

Below I will show you some of the stuff she made for the restaurant, and for her caterer service (I looked up for "traiteur" on Internet and "caterer" is what came up so I hope the translation is not inadequate). I will keep the names in French because I find it quite hard to translate food terms, but feel free to help me out translating...

Carpaccio de Kangourou, mayonaise épicée, servi avec parmesan râpé,
pousses de tournesol et radis. Décoration avec huile d'olive et épinards

Je ne suis plus certaine de la sorte de viande... je crois que c'est du boeuf,
avec sauceau poivre et vin rouge, purée de panais et épinards frits.

Foie Gras confit aux canneberges avec pousses de Dat Soy

Araignée de boeuf Vitalipré sauce tomatée sucrée, fromage de chèvre et salade de roquette

Croustillant de cerf servi avec confit d'oignons, raisins rouge et caramel à la Guiness

Confit de dinde avec chips et purée de patates douces,
servi avec légumes et pacanes caramélisées

Torchon de Foie Gras, servi avec figues fraîches, confit d'oignon, réduit de vinaigre balsamique et croûtons

Let us fall in the Dessert part, because desserts rule my life, and Bistro Jezz makes awesomeness possible....

This plate was the dessert plate offered at the first anniversary party of Bistro Jezz
A mini Tiramisu, a chocolate and a home-made dessert Club-sandwich and salad (so
basically white vanilla cake for bread, chocolate mousse for bacon, white chocolate
mousse for mayonnaise, basil leaves for lettuce, strawberries for tomatoes, and a honey
dew melon mint salad for the coleslaw) beat that you f**kers...oh no, swearing is bad

cheesecakes with raspberry mousse and sauce

Tiramisu cakes

Crème Caramel à l'orange

Chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, maple cream sauce and strawberries

 Bistro Jezz has the good point that it opens until late (10 pm) but as many small scale restaurants, it closes between lunchtime and dinnertime. Regular working hours are Monday to Friday from 11-2 and Monday to Saturday from 5-10. From Monday to Wednesday the place usually is not full so reservations beforehand are not really a necessity, but we have two services from Thursday to Saturday nights: the first one starts at 5-6 and ends at 8:15, and the second starts at 8:30 and ends when we close, around 10.

Most of what was shown previously is part of the evening menu, that basically changes every day/weeks, depending on the quantity the owner buys for the restaurant. Below is the regular menu, that is available at all times in the restaurant with an idea of the price of the items.