It seems to us that, for about twenty years, which coincides with the arrival of Auguste and its star chef Dany St-Pierre, Wellington Street North in Sherbrooke has been synonymous with a gourmet outing, with pride in elsewhere. Since then, several new chefs have stormed the artery and are trying to impress visitors by going off the beaten track. There is one, among others, who has been talking about for many years now: chef Charles-Emmanuel Pariseau of the restaurant O’Chevreuil.

Why did we take so long before visiting Le Chevreuil together? However, the comments have always been good, the chef stood out as soon as he arrived and has been involved in the community ever since. He gives the impression of being someone who lets his talent speak for itself. His menu reveals this pleasure of making us discover new flavors and experiments of all kinds.

One Saturday evening in March, we finally walked through the doors of this pure Sherbrooke restaurant together. With the Webster parking lot closed and limited downtown parking, we were surprised and lucky to see an empty spot almost directly in front of the restaurant.

We arrive a little earlier than planned for our reservation. Carefree. Our table is ready. It must be said that at the start of the evening there is still no crowd at the restaurant – it is barely 6 p.m.

It should be noted that the Habitat du Chevreuil is located in a century-old building in the city center, with its high windows, its brick walls, its open-concept dining room giving a view of the kitchen and the large bar. Typical industrial look. Of course, it's lovely. In summer, a terrace is also placed directly on Wellington Street.

We quickly order cocktails, having a lot of time in front of us: a Moscow Mule for Nicolas and a server's choice of citrus fruits for Julie, both of which turn out to be delicious. The tasting is done gently, while chatting. As the restaurant is not full, the waiter puts no pressure to ask us for our order.

He takes the time to explain the menu and last minute additions to us. For Julie, he will inquire about the vegan dish offered tonight. Unfortunately, no vegan options are available, but there is still a vegetarian dish.

She opts for this choice of the day: a meatloaf made with vegetable proteins, topped with julienne fries and served with grilled vegetables, including broccoli and celeriac. These are exquisite, in his words. The meatloaf, however, lacks a bit of flavor.

For his part, Nicolas stops his choice on the deli beef tartare. As the name suggests, it's beef and smoked meat mixed with fried onions, BBQ sauce mayonnaise, rye crisp, yogurt and yellow mustard sour cream and pickles. Everything is served with crisps and homemade fries.

Foodies take note: this is a good portion. The spicy level is also raised.

At the main meal, we drank two blond beers from the Siboire microbrewery, located a few blocks from Le Chevreuil.

The verdict? Perhaps because of the dishes chosen, but the fact remains that we did not manage to perceive hard work or great research in the kitchen, as we had experienced during our visit to Antidote for example.

However, there is no doubt that the experience in front of the stove can be tasted on our plates.

Moreover, the composition of the menu is less eclectic than expected. The “extraordinary” side is less present than anticipated. However, a few days later, we saw a brand new menu on Le Chevreuil's social networks. A must see for a future visit!

Yes, visiting the Chevreuil remains an interesting and gourmet outing despite everything, but without the little extra or the wow we expected.

The service, it must be said, was excellent and friendly.

In conclusion, having a restaurant located in such an old building obviously has a major drawback in the middle of winter: heating problems. We experienced it that night because we were sitting on the edge of a window. We felt a draft. A simple brick wall separated us from the outside. In addition, bad luck, our benches were made of aluminum and were just as cold! We even had to ask to be moved so that we were no longer next to the window. The bathroom was just freezing!

Rating: 7/10
What impressed us the most about our visit: The experience and the excellence of the service
Do we recommend this restaurant: Yes
The most expensive main meal on the menu: Tab of beef ($35) or the Grill Mix for two ($80)
The cheapest main meal on the menu: Veal cutlet grain ($28)
What time of day did I visit: Dinner
Pros:

  • Gourmet cuisine
  • Unparalleled service

Cons:

  • It was cold!
  • Limited parking downtown