dinette triple crown

la version picnic est vraiment cool.

4/5 for dinette triple crown. the most important thing to be aware of right off the bat is that dinette triple crown is not a bbq restaurant. yes, they do serve southern american cuisine, but there is more to this type of cooking than just bbq. this place's focus falls on the parts of southern cooking that don't necessarily have anything to do with bbq. so don't feel disappointed when you encounter a lack of pit masters at this joint. you'll find the tiny restaurant in little italy, adjacent to parc de la petite-italie, which will become an important tidbit of information later on. i first heard about dinette triple crown when it was voted as montreal's #1 best new restaurant 2013 in cult mtl's annual poll, and it was also featured in the day of gluttony: 24 montreal restaurants in 24 hours video.

did i mention that this place is very tiny? when you walk inside you will be met with a small space that almost entirely consists of counter space. stools dot the circumference of the counters, and even though the space is very small, the vibe still maintains a specific identity. it feels almost like a rustic barn, with canned and jarred preserves on the shelves around the room (you can buy these). some of the walls are covered in wooden slats and others are wallpapered in burlap. and don't forget the extensive amount of bourbon bottles on display. patrons can see straight into the open kitchen and feast their eyes upon the proceedings. it sounds as if they also have a separate dining room next door, but since we were seated in the main room at the counter, we did not ever end up seeing it. the friendly server explained the various parts of the menu to us, however she failed to mention what the specials were. we ended up hearing about them by eavesdropping on nearby customers. i do give the service credit though, as the room was packed full and busy the entire time and we were consistently taken care of in a timely manner and with a pleasant demeanour.

first up was drinks! as i previously eluded, bourbon is heavily featured. it's almost like a wine list! they also make a bunch of fun-sounding cocktails (including hot buttered rum, one of my favourites! although not a very good summertime beverage...), and also some really interesting non-alcoholic drinks. these include housemade ginger beer, bitters and soda, iced tea, lemonade, and floats. i opted for the soda chili & mûre ($4.00). this was a soda made up of spicy chili and blackberry. it was so different and interesting! i loved the way that the spiciness played with the tart and sweet blackberry, and although it might sound strange, it works in a similar way to how cayenne pepper is great in orange juice. expect something very tart and super zingy with this one! my husband had the ginger beer, and it was very mild and delicious and tasted like christmas.

the menu features several different types of items, but everyone talks about the fried chicken. many say that it's the best in town. while it's possible to dine in, it is very popular for people to call in to place their orders and then pick up their meals to-go. remember how i mentioned the nearby park earlier? dinette triple crown will also pack you an entire picnic basket, complete with checkered table cloth and all of the fixins that you'll need to be able to enjoy your meal in the park. adorable! (you need to return the basket afterwards.)
a popular combo that they offer is called meat & threes where you can pick a meat and three sides to accompany your meal. this seemed like the ideal way to sample a lot of different things, so we ordered two of these. the smoked brisket ($20.00) with hushpuppies and small mac & cheese (counts as two sides) and the 3 piece fried chicken ($17.00) with pinto beans & bacon, biscuit, and fried sweet potatoes. the food arrived after a reasonable amount of time and looked every bit the southern part. we excitedly dug into all of it! first the smoked brisket. this is another good moment to remind you that this is not a bbq restaurant and that you won't find an epic bbq bark on this brisket. instead, the meat was a little bit on the dry side, however the flavour was very nice and it was seasoned well. it was pretty easy to yearn for something a lot more bbq-style in this case though. the hushpuppies on the other hand were one of the biggest highlights of the meal! fried to golden perfection, they were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. the sauce that they were coated in was heavenly!! it reminded me a little bit of a tzatziki in a way, very garlicy and bold. the mac & cheese was covered in a beautiful sharp and creamy sauce. i loved that the flavour of the sharp cheddar came through so strongly and also marvelled at the chunks of cheese curd nestled within the pasta (a wink at quebec is never lost). however the pasta itself was under cooked and far too al dente.
the fried chicken is certainly their strong suit, and i would probably lean my efforts towards the chicken going forward. it is quite excellent, with a perfectly crispy and flavourful outside coating, shielding the tender and juicy chicken within. i think that i really would agree that this very well could be the best fried chicken in town. the beans & bacon weren't anything especially special, and they were a lot wetter than i had expected. the biscuit however, was fabulous!! one of the best i'd ever had! i loved the saltiness to it, and you could tell that frozen butter had been used in the preparation. just amazing. the fried sweet potatoes were incredibly good as well, deliciously caramelized and drenched in a yummy sauce.
if we had gotten the chicken with hushpuppies, a biscuit and sweet potatoes it would have been the perfect, most amazing meal. now we know.
they also provide you with an array of sauces to experiment with; memphis bbq, south carolina mustard, and east carolina vinegar. these were all tasty and ranged from very spicy, to bold, to sweet. it was fun trying each of them out.

there were three different desserts on offer for the evening and we chose the black walnut bourbon pie ($6.00). this pie was unlike any pie that i'd ever had! it was topped with whipped cream and the pie tasted very boozy! it was certainly more than a hint of bourbon used, but i really enjoyed it. this was like taking a classic pecan pie to a whole new (adult) level, and it worked very well.

there were hits and misses at dinette triple crown. now that i've tried a bunch of the items i have a much better idea of what i would do in the future. they also serve some pretty great sounding sandwiches (the big nasty, namely), and i think that it would be a lot of fun to try them while also going for the picnic in the park route.

real comfort food. love this place. i'm a sucker for southern food and this is the closest to the real thing in mtl. the big nasty is a must-try! it's so decadent. the breading on the chicken is delicious, but i wish it were a tad thicker and crunchier. it feels more like the breading you use on a chicken cutlet (italiano style). the meat 'n threes and sides are also great! i highly recommend the sweet potatoes, hushpuppies and creamy slaw. the greens have changed a few times, but they're good as well. i usually go for the brisket, though the last few times, it was tough and fatty. regardless... yum!

great any time of the year!. the guys in this kitchen are serious about taste!
the southern chicken is crispy, moist inside and succulent.
their biscuits are really buttery, light and addictive! and make sure you try the hushpuppies!
if you're going to eat there, make sure you reserve a place, because there are not many tables and the food is good, so you do the math. although it's small, the place has a nice old fashion environment.
if it is summer time advantage of their incredible basket service. you order your food and ask for a basket, they will set it with a table cloth, napkins, sauces, glasses and the park is just across the street!
i had a picnic with my friends like this last week and it was top notch!

will be back!. awesome customer service, awesome decor and delicious food! i'll be back! the dining area was substantially smaller than i expected (probably only enough to sit 20ish people - max). but when i arrived, 75% of the people ordering were getting the food to-go, so obviously they were more of an emporter restaurant than a sit down place.

the brisket was delicious, juicy, topped off with a nice spicy homemade southern style sauce, paired with a farnham 12 hefeweizen. for sides i got the mashed potatoes & gravy, buttermilk biscuit and cornbread. the mashed potatoes were very fine with no chunks of potato, which i like, topped off with a lake of homemade gravy - reminds me of visiting the states, nice and creamy gravy! the buttermilk biscuit was a bit dry, but was overwhelmingly buttery which made up for it. the cornbread.. while i'm not a fan of cornbread usually - was spot on, freshly baked and crispy on the outside, nice, moist and steamy in the middle. next time i'm in montreal, i'll be back! loved the farmhouse/nostalgic vibe to the dining area.

amazing concept / amazing food. tried this little hidden joint in the ''petite italie'' a couple of months ago...
i loved it so much that i went back 3 weeks in a row.
i've tried almost everything on the menu and must say everthing i tried was delicious. the fried chicken is the definition of perfection, the sweet potatoes grilled and then fried and the hush puppies are really really good just to name a few. the drinks are original and really good. the waitress takes the time to describe everything that's on the menu. portions are big and the deco makes its cozy. it's really small so you might want to considere take out, there's no pictures on the menu so dont be shy to ask questions.
amazing southern food
super good and friendly service
cheap price
special drinks

set menu in dining room: poor service, slow food, long night. we went to dinette triple crown for a friend's birthday last night. we sat in the dining room and had a set menu meal. summary: the fried chicken was, as reputation suggests, amazing. everything else was far from it.

we were a large group, and everything took forever. waited at least 15 minutes for our drinks. first course wasn't served for 45 minutes. it was a seafood platter, served "family style" for 5 people, with 1 lobster tail, 4 crab legs, and a bunch of crawfish. i don't know how we were supposed to share 1 piece of lobster between 5 people, and when i asked how to eat the crawfish (which is not straight forward), the waitress couldn't instruct us. the food was pretty good, but nothing special.

next came another 45-minute wait, before we got the main courses: fried chicken (yum!), seared catfish (not impressive), and duck gumbo (also not impressive). again, filets of seared catfish are not great for family-style sharing, and gumbo isn't really great for sharing a plate with catfish and fried chicken, since it was in a watery broth served with just a little bit of rice.

finally, they brought us out a large apple pie with ice cream for dessert. the pie was whole - they gave us a steak knife and pie-server, leaving us to deal with slicing and serving a crusty pie for 10 people. the ice cream was served at the same time as the pie, a whole bunch of scoops in a cast-iron dish. the pie turned into a crumbled mess as we tried to pass it around, and the ice cream was long melted by the time most of us got around to it. nice idea, thoughtless execution.

in the end, after tax and tip, the meal came to $117 for my wife and i, and we were not impressed. that's exactly the same price we pay at vin papillon for better food, better service, and a better evening. next time i want to spend that kind of money, it won't be at triple crown.

overall, i'd go back, grab a fried chicken picnic basket and head to the park. but the set menu experience was extremely disappointing, poorly executed, and not cheap. normally i would have said something at the time, but not at a birthday party. i hope someone from the restaurant reads this and adjusts.t

picnic dinner + southern comfort food = dinette triple crown. 

we came for an early monday dinner. i wasn't expecting the inside to be so small but there's something like 8 seats. turns out that was the takeout area. oops. the main dining area is around the corner. 

the menu is pretty straightforward. meats (fried chicken, pulled pork and smoked brisket), sandwiches, salad and sides. 

their picnic idea is genius! only unfortunate thing is they're not allowed to pack any open alcoholic drinks. but the park across the street is perfect for enjoying the sun and good eats. 

- m jodoin cider ($9.00) - pretty standard cider. not much to write home about. 
- ginger beer ($4.00) - i'm on a ginger beer binge. pretty good but hands down my fav was from agrikol. 
- meat & threes ($19.00) - we picked pulled pork, mac & cheese (which counts as two sides) and hush puppies. pulled pork had a tangy mustard sauce. good but a bit more tender would have been ideal. mac & cheese was a good portion to share and liked how it wasn't too heavy. winners was the hush puppies! you get 6 scrumptious bites of heaven. make sure to dip into the sauce for extra flavour. 

definitely need to come back to try the fried chicken. love the originality of their picnic idea. matches well with the food they're putting out.

ça fait longtemps que je vais au dinette triple crown pour leur poulet frit et pour le meilleur mac and cheese. j'adore le plat de pâtes pour le goût du vin et pour les échalotes. c'est vraiment trop bon. ici, on se sent transporter dans le sud des états-unis où on mange des repas copieux avec des accompagnements typiques comme le hush puppies (pain de maïs frit), les patates sucrée, etc. cependant, évitez les accompagnements braisés, ils sont trop cuir et fades. ça me rappelle la bouffe de cafétéria. par contre, ce que je voulais vraiment essayer, c'est le concept du pique-nique. tu commandes ton panier. le resto te le prépare et tu t'installes juste dans le parc en face. c'est super agréable, il y a plein d'arbres. bref, pour les amateurs de poulet frit, c'est votre place. ce que j'aime aussi: un plat et une boisson non alcoolisé revient à 20$ pour une super expérience.

on y va:
-pour impressionner une date avec le pique-nique
-pour le poulet frit
-pour le mac and cheese
-pour les patates douces
-pour le hush puppies
-pour le mixte de thé glacé et limonade

we are sitting at our office christmas party lunch. absolutely amazing food! great flavours, spicy, savoury. friendly staff too. what a great way to spend an afternoon

if you crave for southern american food and bistro atmosphere, you'll surely find it in triple crown dinette, a very compact restaurant hidden among dozens of italian restaurants in little italy. the restaurant seems to mainly cater for take out meals with only a few seats along a bar circling the small reception area and the kitchen wide open to the front. its deco and ambience reflect that of a southern american restaurant with bourbons, bbq sources and condiments sitting in the shelves on the wall for sale, and soulful guitar music played in the background.

the young man serving as the receptionist, waiter and cashier was very friendly who greeted me warmly before my foot hardly crossed its front door, and brought me the menu and some water right away, he then thoroughly walked me through their menu, gave me recommendations of popular choices. so with his help, i quickly settled on one of the "meat & three" plates with the meat being the fried chicken and three sides being "hush puppies", "sweet potatoes" and "biscuit".

after about 10 minutes wait, the plate was brought to me with the food inside all freshly fried looking perfectly brown and still hot. the server then introduced to me all the sources sitting in a plate, the classic bbq source, a mustard source, two hot chili sources and two other said to be even spicier than the chili sources. later it turned out that my favorites are the two chili sources.

once the server left, i dipped my fork and knife into the plate right away and quickly sampled a bite of each food and sources, and my verdict on the food was out very soon, my favorites are actually their sides, especially the hush puppies:small fried cornbread balls and the sweet potatoes, i was slightly disappointed with the fried chicken though given that it claims to be their main draw. what i don't like about it is that it's way too heavily seasoned on the outside with tons of black pepper that complete buried the taste of the skins and the meat inside is somehow dry, wasn't as tender and juicy as i would like. if i 'm to choose, i would prefer the kfc fried chicken over theirs.

but overall it's a good pleasant meal, and the service of the waiter is one of the best i got from a bistro. just when i was about to leave, he again made sure to say good night to me which he already did when i was paying my bill. what a kind and polite guy!

great little resto. the food is unique and tasty. friendly people also. would recommend to others. i had the big nasty with sweet patatoes. yummy

j'adore ce restaurant. l'ambiance est agréable et le personnel accueillant. j'ai essayé 1) les 3 morceaux de poulet frit avec 3 entrées, 2) le brisket avec 3 autres entrées et 3) le sandwich big nasty. le poulet est tendre et la peau est mince et croustillante à souhait! par contre, les morceaux sont petits, la gourmande en moi était un peu déçue, d'autant plus que mon voisin de table avait des plus gros morceaux! pareil pour le brisket, mais il était fumé à la perfection! les entrées étaient suffisantes. les légumes allègent le repas, les fèves étaient bonnes, le pain au babeurre est divin, les hush puppies (petites boulettes de farine de maïs frites) était correctes et la purée de pomme de terre était simple mais bien faite. le big nasty, un sandwich constitué de pain au babeurre et de poulet frit, noyé de sauce, est un must, car il combine ce que j'aime le plus dans ce restaurant. puis, j'adore les sauces sur la table! attention, il y en a de très fortes! j'ai aussi essayé le cocktail briar patch et un thé glacé agrémenté de bourbon. je recommende les 2! pour finir, faite de la place pour le dessert, car ils sont toujours délicieux et maison!

summer season bbq in the park. they supply everything. winter warm and cozy spot in little italy. they make the best pulled pork and bbq fried chicken in montreal!

rib sticking soul food...in canada? yes, you can find delicious southern cooking even up north, thanks to kentucky transplant and owner colin perry.i found out about this place on the eater 38 essential restaurants list for montreal, and although it's not a type of cuisine you'd necessarily think of when considering the many bistros and italian restaurants located in the home of the habs, i am always up for some barbecue - anywhere, anytime."how long do you smoke the pulled pork for?" i asked the waitress. "it depends," she responded. "we go by temperature rather than a certain amount of time. usually we put it in the smoker when we close up and take it out the next day sometime."so well over 8 hours. that's legit for the time-intensive, labor of love that is pulled pork. i'd recently devoured two of the best barbecue porks i can remember eating in my life, one at fiery ron's home team bbq in charleston, south carolina and one at local [chicago] favorite small's smoke shack, and i was excited to see how this canadian shop would stack up with some of the best i've had lately.