There are a lot of good restaurants on the West Island of Montreal. But since it first opened in 2002, 40 Westt Steakhouse & Bar has “carved” a solid reputation for fine dining and an ambiance that cannot be beaten.
Conveniently located right off Highway 40 in the Méga Centre Pointe Claire, owners Stefano Hinoropos, John Leonis and their staff aim to please. This very attractive venue features large ceilings, good lighting, nice artwork, interior brick walls and pleasant music playing in the background. You cannot miss the spacious open kitchen. The restaurant can accommodate 110 people in the main room, 90 at the bar, 100 in a private room and 66 in the wine room. For a cocktail cocktail denature, the number swells to over 1,000.
There is ample free parking in a large lot and a valet option. While I do not live on the West Island, on the evening my family and I went to dine there I ran into several people I know. Sure, there are many regulars from the neighbourhood, but this is destination restaurant known for its impeccable service, hands on ownership and a menu to die for.
The restaurant is open for dinner every night but Sunday and for lunch weekdays. Private bookings are not only accepted on Sundays, they are quite common be it for celebrations or corporate events.
We were greeted at our table by Leonis himself, wearing a dapper tanned suit. He became a co-owner on April 13, 2015 and clearly has the magic touch when it comes to dealing with staff and customers. His major preoccupation these days is upgrading the restaurant’s wine cellar to reflect a new refrigerated system that will keep all wines at the exact same temperature for aging.
After a nice bread basket was delivered to the table, we met our server Shak. The menu has so many tantalizing hot and cold appetizers, main beef and seafood dishes, sides and desserts
It was always a treat to go to a restaurant with a raw bar. We happily began with a small Ocean Shellfish sampler, consisting of two U-6 shrimps, two snow crab claws, two lobster claws, two half lobster tails and a half dozen oysters. This came with a number of sauces. It was a good choice to share among the three of us, with every bite more delicious than the next.
There are a wide array of salads and appetizers on the menu. We started off with the Ahi tuna tartar with sesame seed oil and tomato chutney and a cup of lobster bisque. The former came with two crispy pieces of bread, allowing us to spread the tuna and enjoy it via several bites. There was also a side order of extremely thin cut and crispy French Fries.
The restaurant serves the finest corn-fed Ontario beef under its 40 Westt Belevedere brand label. They date and dry-age their products for four or more weeks in their meat lockers which are on display for all guests to see. This is their way of monitoring the dry-age beef every step of the way.
This is a place best known for its steak. We previously tried the 32 ounce Tomahawk-cut and decided to order it again. This is an on-the bone Rib Steak, cut from the Fore-rib with the entire rib bone left. The long bone is French-trimmed, leaving an amazing presentation, and dinner table discussion point. Shak brought it to us pre-sliced. It was more than enough for the three of us. For our side, we opted for the roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
If fish is your preference the red snapper, ahi tuna, striped bass, black tiger shrimp, lobster, Chilean sea bass, Icelandic cod and scampi, Atlantic salmon and others on the menu looked great.
The restaurant has a vast wine list. We each enjoyed a glass with our meal.
Finally, it came time for one of their sinful desserts. Shak came to the table with some mouth-watering choices, all of them made on site from scratch. The apple crumble, served with vanilla ice cream, caught our eye. There is a 15 minute for this to be ready, but well worth it!
On some nights, 40 Westt presents live jazz performances in its bar area.
40 Westt Steakhouse & Barr is located at 2305, Transcanadienne in Pointe-Claire Quebec. For reservations or to book a private function call 514-428-9378 and ask for event planner and sales director Nia Angeles. Lunch hours are Monday to Friday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Supper hours are Monday to Wednesday, 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm and Thursday to Saturday, 5:30 pm to 11:30 pm. Log on to www.40westt.com to see the complete menu.