The salad is the best ever. The steak is well known. But don't forget the scampi is the BEST! Even meat eaters should order this instead. No other restaurant's scampi dish can compare. Of course the service is impeccable.

No less than four locals at our conference recommended Gibbys, so who were we to argue. After a long walk down St. Paul through the old portion, we located Gibbys a couple of blocks south closer to the water. It is located in what looks to be an old row of wharf houses, which only add ambience. We were escorted upstairs to the bar area to wait for our table. It looked like the Magic Lamp in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, a little 70s for my taste, but then again, I wasn't there to eat the decor.

I decided to go bland and get salad with meat. The Gibbys salad was delicious and reminded me of a house salad the way it should be done. It was no processed bag lettuce with a cherry tomato on top: field greens, onion, carrot, etc. It was a perfect lead-in.

For dinner, I had the most memorable cut in years. The sirloin en croute was cooked to perfection. I've described it since to a few dozen friends. The sirloin was perfectly cooked medium; the pink interior was almost square, it was so perfect; and the dijon/peppercorn crust was a delicious addition to a well-prepared steak.

The service was as impeccable as it was friendly. The woman who waited our table reminded me of the frauen at the Hofbrau Haus in Munich, right down to the leder bustier. She was kind, attended to our needs in a proactive fashion, and made sound recommendations.

The apple pie for dessert was a fitting crown to a regal evening.

Gibby's is one of our old restaurant standbys in Montreal. It's in an old, 200 year old stable building on the edge of Old Port. Low ceilings and large dark wood beams give the dining room an old colonial atmosphere. There's an outdoor courtyard that's a pleasant place to sip a drink and wait for your table on a warm evening.

While there's a full menu, Gibby's is best known for its steak. The filet mignon was excellent. It was preceeded by a salad or gaspacho. A small cup of lemon sorbet followed to cleanse the palate before the main course, the filet along with baked potato and vegetable garnish. Unlike many steakhouses, the salad and potato were included in the price of the steak.

Service was excellent. Attire is casual early in the evening, but becomes more formal later in the evening.

For celebrity watchers, we sat next to three members of the Montreal Expos dining with friends following an afternoon game. In the back of the room, Manager Frank Robinson ate with his wife and another couple. A player from the Montreal Alouettes (Canadian Football League) was a few tables over.

Our trips to Montreal always include a stop at Gibby's!