If it was called Crunchy Thymus would you order it?

Sweetbreads. It's a clever use of marketing to disguise something that would otherwise seldom find itself on a menu. And we should all be greatful for that.

Until last night I had never tried sweetbreads, and I now realize that this has been quite a loss. My opportunity to address this was presented at a small French restaurant in Old Montreal by the name of Le Club Chasse et Peche (The Hunting and Fishing Club), where I had the second amazing meal in as many weeks (keep an eye open for my review of Nobu). The restaurant has been open for just over a year and by all accounts co-owner and Chef Claude Pelletier has attracted a loyal following. It was also recently ranked as #3 in enRoute's best new Canadian restaurants for 2005.

Our reservation, at 8:45, was perfect after enjoying an aperatif in a small Montreal club, Suite 701, in the Place D'armes Hotel. The restaurant is just off the heart of the main tourist drag in Old Montreal - but that should not dissuade you from seeking it out. The decor, not surprisingly, has overtones of a hunting lodge, with a low slung ceiling, rough hewed stone walls, large beams that run across the ceiling, and seating at the tables in leather lounge chairs.

Our evening started with a round of oysters, a dozen and a half, while we contemplated our appetizer - fortunately our fourth has no taste for oysters so three of us shared them . The oysters were split evenly, with half of them served au natuerelle and the other half touched with a dab of creme freche topped with salmon roe. I could easily have ordered another two dozen and stopped there.

For my appetizer I selected the Cold Lobster and Crunchy Sweetbreads. I chose the sweetbreads principally because I have never had them before, and while I'm willing to try almost anything once, I think it's prudent to experiment in establishments where ingredients are not likely to have been sourced from the back of Moe's truck. The Sweetbreads had some terrific competition - a Wild Mushroom Tartlet with Shaved Black Truffle and Goat Cheese; One-sided Seared Scallop ; and Warm Beet Salad with smoked duck and Foie Gras.

The Sweetbreads were remarkable. They were lightly breaded and fried, served on a bed of pureed potatoe with a veal jus, and accompanied by a cold lobster salad with celery rabbe in a cream sauce with fennel fronds. As an introduction to sweetbreads I have been spoiled.

The wine selection for our appetizer, selected by one of my dining companions, was a white wine from Michel Gassier (michelgassier.com) - a 2001 Domaine de Molines.

For my main course I chose the Chasse et Peche. This is actually a staple on their menu, although the preparation varies. Now generally I'm not a fan of Surf & Turf - which, at its most basic, is what this amounts to - but when prepared like this, it is a natural pairing. The selection was a Tiger Shrimp and Kobi Beef, with a lobster bisque reduction. It was served atop a perfect puree of celery root.

Kobi beef is all the rage these days - although typical of food trends, I understand that it is gradually on the wane, being replaced, for some reason, by Kyoto pork. I've always wondered what the attraction was and whether it was just because it was fashionable. But it truly was distinct. Served exceedingly rare and in small slivers, it was mild and actually buttery - I know, I'm open to mocking here, but until you've tried it you're going to have to sit back and bite your tongue - buttery it was.

We shared an "antler of vegetables" to accompany our main course selection ... yes, I had to laugh too - but that's what it was called. This consisted of four vegetable selections; pureed pumpkin, lightly spiced; 3 red carrots; chard and and a melange of fingerling potatoes and cipollini onions.

As the wine selection for our entree we had a 2001 red from Alain Chabanon, Le Merle aux Alouettes. We had one more wine with our cheese course - a medium bodied 2003 red, Le Roc Des Anges (http://www.wineanorak.com/rocdesanges.htm). Since we had just finished a rather full bodied red with our main course the Sommelier was hesitant to push us back up the spectrum to a lighter wine, as one of my dining companions wanted - the Le Roc Des Anges was apparently a compromise - mind you neither she (the sommelier) nor my friend had tried this wine before so it was an experiment all the way around. It ended up as a perfect accompaniment to the raw milk brie and roquettefort on the cheese plate.

A couple of final notes on Chasse et Peche. The washrooms - always a good indicator in a restaurant - were impeccably clean and well laid out. The faucet was actually a shower head which dissipated a perfect large shower of water for washing hands, and instead of the ubiquitous towel dispenser, they had stacked small white terry towlets for a personalized service. These are watched over by a small white porcelain deer which keeps the stack neatly positioned on a glass shelf.

And finally, Montreal is going through a dramatic transition right now as Quebec prepares to join the rest of Canada in a smoking ban. This means that like most restaurants, there is no smoking near diners - so the air throughout the restaurant is clean, and there's no smoke residue on your clothes when you leave.

This was a remarkable dining experience. The service was acutely attentive - the timing of every course was perfect without any of the 3-star Michelin fawning (which I can attest to from my 3-star experience in Provence), and the food and atmosphere were seemingly designed for perfect symmetry. The Price? Well, it wasn't cheap... and you shouldn't expect it to be. On the other hand it didn't bankrupt us either - for two of us it was $260 - and if we subtract the two extra bottles of wine that we shared among the four of us it would have been $100 each - I think that is a fair price to pay for a dining experience that will rank among my favorites.

And I can now add Thymus glands to the ever growing list of "nasty bits" that I've experienced and loved.

Le Club Chasse et Pêche
423 Saint Claude Street,
Montréal, Québec (Canada)
Tel: 514.861.1112