My girlfriend and I have a tradition of celebrating special occasions by exploring Montreal’s culinary scene. For our anniversary this year, we chose Dorsia, a restaurant whose reputation and glowing reviews met our standards for an anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, the experience never quite lived up to the expectations. Before we had even been seated, the evening got off to an awkward start. Upon arrival, we were immediately informed that we would need to leave our table by 9:30 p.m., roughly two hours after our reservation time. While we fully understand that restaurants may have scheduling constraints and multiple seatings throughout the evening, leading with such a statement guests feels unprofessional and somewhat impersonal. There are certainly more tactful ways to communicate timing expectations without making diners feel like they are already on the clock before they have sat down. On a more positive note, our server, JF, was pleasant, attentive, and knowledgeable. He explained each dish thoroughly and carried himself professionally throughout the evening. The service issues that followed were clearly not a reflection of his attitude, but rather of the restaurant’s overall execution. For a restaurant positioning itself at the upper end of Montreal’s dining spectrum, some of the mistakes we encountered were surprisingly amateur. The first came before our meal had even begun. While the tables seated around the same time as us were promptly served bread and butter, our table was completely overlooked. It was only after our entrées had arrived and we started eating it that bread was finally offered. A clear indication that someone had realized the oversight. Even though this seems minor, these details matter in restaurants that claim to be fine dining, where careful attention to detail are part of what guests are paying for. The most disappointing mistake, however, came when our main courses were delivered without any utensils. We sat staring at beautifully plated dishes with no means of eating them until we flagged down staff and requested cutlery ourselves. This is not something we have ever experienced. Not at casual restaurants, not at neighborhood bistros, and certainly not at establishments charging premium prices. For a restaurant of Dorsia’s caliber, it is simply inexcusable. Ironically, despite the emphasis placed on the 9:30 departure time, the pacing of the meal was remarkably slow. Our main courses did not arrive until approximately 8:55 p.m., leaving us only about 35 minutes before the deadline we had been warned about from the moment we arrived. Because of this, what should have been a relaxed anniversary dinner became an experience where we felt increasingly rushed to finish our meal. If a restaurant chooses to impose strict time limits, it should at the very least ensure that the kitchen and service flow allow guests enough time to comfortably enjoy the experience they are paying for. As for the food, visually, every plate was stunning. Presentation is clearly one of the restaurant’s strengths. However, the flavors rarely matched the aesthetics. The scallops lacked depth and seasoning, resulting in a very bland dish. The beef tartare was enjoyable, but offered nothing particularly distinctive or memorable compared to many others available in Montreal. The Doré was perhaps the biggest disappointment of the evening. It was technically well presented, but it was almost entirely devoid of flavor. The steak fared slightly better, but it leaned *heavily* toward the rare side and ultimately failed to leave a lasting impression. One aspect of the evening that we still struggle to understand is whether some of the treatment we received was influenced by our age. As a younger couple, we could not help but wonder if assumptions were made about us from the moment we walked through the door. We sincerely hope that was not the case. Regardless, no guest should leave a restaurant questioning whether they were treated differently than others around them.
