The themed cuisine of Bethlehem XXX

Cult MTL checks up on culinary gad-about-town Beaver Sheppard’s latest venture, Little Italy’s Bethlehem XXX.


Kushari from Bethlehem XXX.

Beaver Sheppard is a multi-talented guy. Known for his music, his visual art and his active presence on the social circuit, he also makes an impression with his day job as a chef. After pioneering the menu at the Dépanneur le Pick-Up (where, full disclosure, we were briefly co-workers) and rebooting neo-Southern cuisine at Dinette Triple Crown, he’s rambled on to his own place, Bethlehem XXX.

When we used to chat in the Pick-Up dish pit, Beaver would talk about his dream of opening a restaurant where he would cook whatever he wanted. Bethlehem XXX is close to that, its menu changing every week with only a general cultural or national cuisine as a guideline. This weekend (the restaurant is currently open Wednesday through Monday, for dinner only), the theme is Egyptian food.

Located on the Little Italy strip of St-Laurent below St-Zotique that also houses Vices & Versa and Bar Populaire, and seemingly unassuming out front, the restaurant is garishly decorated inside. Translucent mannequin torsos hang on the walls and carnival plush toys loom menacingly over the bar. The louche décor and left-field musical atmosphere (while we were there, a chopped and screwed version of Guns n’ Roses’ “November Rain” sat comfortably amongst some lo-fi indie pop) are not for all tastes — you probably wouldn’t take your parents there, for instance. The hand-written and photocopied menu, covered in Beaver’s drawings, confirms beyond a doubt that this is a bizarre and visionary joint.

The lone vegetarian in our party was treated to Beaver’s version of kushari, Egypt’s national dish. The mixture of lentils, rice, macaroni and tomato sauce seemed like one of Beaver’s typically idiosyncratic blends of whatever he has lying around, but in fact research reveals the mix to be authentic. While not the most flavourful item on the menu, it does offer a relative safe zone to offset some of the more extreme tastes of other dishes.

Perhaps the kingpin among these was the “pharaoh’s soup,” a beef bone in lobster broth. With the fat dripping off the bone, the soup was extraordinarily rich, hella tasty but not for the faint of heart.

Other notable dishes included the kebbe (a more flavourful version of the ground beef balls found at cheap Middle Eastern eateries everywhere), a spicy sausage dish with fried onions and a side of fried plantain, which was served with a spicy citrus dip. Our party was unanimous that the dessert, a smoky and sugary baklava with ice cream on the side, was a highlight.

Much like his music, Beaver’s food expresses an over-the-top personality with a lot of heart and originality behind it. With its constantly changing menu, Bethlehem XXX is sort of like an underground equivalent of the SAT Foodlab: the cavernous workshop of a mad food scientist offering his experiments to the most adventurous palates. ■

Bethlehem XXX
6568 St-Laurent
Vegetarian-friendly: Somewhat
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
For updates to the menu, follow Bethlehem XXX on Facebook or Twitter

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