albatruffles's Profile
What should I order at...
RM Seafood
Rick's Tasting Game
Bouchon
Profiteroles
Steak Bouchon
Michael Mina
Tasting Menu
Chef's Dessert Tasting
Sage
foie gras custard 'brulee'
roasted sweetbreads
beef belly or hanger steak
braised veal cheaks
canelles de Bordeaux
absinthe
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
APDC is very unique. If I had a craving like that in LA, I would head to Animal for their poutine and the foie gras maple biscuit. The French heritage clearly puts Montreal's bakeries on another level. Much better than LA, much better. As far as high end, we only tried 400 Coups. I think it's comparable to LA. I enjoyed the dishes at 400 Coups, but I didn't crave them. To assess the high end dining scene in Montreal would be very difficult with 5 or so dishes at one restaurant. In LA, I would recommend would casual food, I think it would lend to a more memorable trip. If anything, the city reminded us more of NYC and it's a place I would recommend people visit for food and will eventually be back in town to eat some more.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
The bakery on 263 Rue Saint Viateur. We usually try to go to the original location or the ones with the most reviews. I went to the cafe years ago and enjoyed it. I think bagels are always better with smoked salmon.
Good to know on the yogurt, I'll check for them at the Whole Foods in Los Angeles.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
See my reply on the overall trip below. But definitely a must. Just reserve early as it's always packed.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
Reporting back from Montreal. This is how we ranked the restaurants we tried if it helps anybody on a future trip:
1. Au Pied De Cochon Sugar Shack
We email and called, finally got through the day before and they allowed us to sit at the bar. Very cool experience and a must try if you can get in. The food was great, Martin Picard was there and signed our cookbook and we walk around the shack after lunch.
2 Au Pied De Cochon
A must visit for any tourist. Our favorite dishes were the Champlain, Duck In A Can, Foie Gras Poutine, Sugar Pie For 2 and the Beef Tartare Hand Rolls. Also stop by Les Chocolats de Chloé next door before dinner for for a to-go bag. Chocolates and other items there are great.
3. Au Kouign-Amann
One of the best pastries we have ever had. Another must visit. You can ever get a whole one to take home.
4. Le Comptior
We wanted a charcuterie plate and this hit the spot. That's all we order and got the addictive cumin mustard to go for $5.
5. Les 400 Coups
Very good, but I expected a little more if this is suppose to be the best restaurant in Montreal. I never felt like this was a special occasion place.
6. Joe Beef
We felt a bit disappointing. The food is very heavy. Similar to APDC, but not as balanced and I don't crave many of the dishes today. The foie gras double down was just pure fat, I got about 4 tablespoons of oil on my first bite. We liked the lobster spaghetti, eel nuggets, the passion fruit soft serve and foie gras parfait. It does have a lively atmosphere, similar to APDC.
7. Pâtisserie Rhubarbe
Pastries are good. Would get any savory dishes.
8. Fous Desserts
My girlfriend loved the almond croissant.
9. Ma-Am-M Bolduc
Better than Banquise. Got the traditional and the Bourguignonne.
10. Fairmount Bagel
Much better than St. Viateur. Try to get what's hot out of the oven.
11. Mamie Clafoutis
Pics looked a lot better than they tasted. Tried about 5 pastries, maybe liked one.
12. La Croissanterie Figaro
Just went for one croissant and it was decent.
13. Schwartz's
A little drier than my first visit years ago. We did a medium fat sandwich, I would go with a fat next time.
14. Resto La Banquise
The turkey on the Galvaude was so dry and the peas were frozen. The T-Rex was better partially because the fries were freshly fried as opposed to our first dish. Too many people there to produce a good product. The pepper sauce was bad.
15. St-Viateur Bagel
Not as good as Fairmont. I would just do one on a visit and it would be Fairmont.
Saveur did a small piece on the Liberte Coconut full-fat yogurt. I would also stop at any grocery store and snack on one of those. Better than any yogurt you have had.
I put all my pics on Yelp if anybody uses that.
Visiting Quebec City Mid-April - Must visits please
Reporting back from Quebec City. This is how we ranked the restaurants we tried if it helps anybody on a future trip:
1. L'Affaire Est Ketchup
Easily the best restaurant we visited in Quebec City. I've attached photos.
2. Le Moine echanson
Very good food and a couple dishes we still crave, foie gras creme brulee and the boudin noir salad. Didn't care for the wines too much.
3. Le Billig
Great crepes and a solid bet for a tourist. Recommend the La Béarn, La Pontivienne and La Salidou. Also right across the street from JA Moisan
4. Bistro B
Bistro B and L'Echaude were both good and would recommend to visitors. Menu changes daily. I think Bistro B was a little more forward moving cuisine. Extremely packed during lunch.
5. L'Echaude
6. Aux Anciens Canadians
I wanted to do the touristy thing and paid for it. Out of all of our trips, this is by far the worst food we have ever had. Absolute trash. Frozen food reheated and bland meats. Avoid at all costs. Should have known better.
I put all my pics on Yelp if anybody uses that.
Visiting Quebec City Mid-April - Must visits please
Why drop L'Initiale?
Why drop Bistro B and add Pananche when Francois Blais left Panche for Bistro B?
Visiting Quebec City Mid-April - Must visits please
Dinner
L'Affaire est Ketchup
Le Patriarche
L’Initiale
Moine echanson
(in that order and I need to take one out)
Lunch
L'Echaudé
Bistro B
Le Pain Beni
Bistrot Le Clocher Penche
(in that order and I need to take one out)
Snack
Aux Anciens Canadiens (I'd like to see one touristy place)
Le Billig or Casse-Crêpe Breton for crepes?
Chez Ashton
Bakery
Le Paingruel
Le Croquembouche Boulangerie & Patisserie
Paillard
Are there must visits that I missed? Specialty dishes? Places you would take off the agenda?
Also, where do I get maple soft serve?
Thanks in advance for your help
PEI and Hopewell Rocks/Alma Restaurants in mid-April??
Any help out there? Even if you reply with McDonald's...
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
SAQ? Is that the technical term for a wine merchant in Montreal?
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
Yes, we pegged Comptoir for Sunday Brunch. The charcuterie plate looked amazing and it looks like they have it on the menu at this time along with a couple other cool dishes.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
My girlfriend vetoed Wilensky's last night. She's not going to Montreal for bologna. I tried to sell it to her as charcuterie. It didn't work.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
It looks like a cool place, but my girlfriend will probably laugh after looking at the bologna sandwich.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
I like places with some historical presence like Wilensky's. Good rec.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
We will not be dining at L'Express. The pics looks like an ordinary bistro that's passed its prime. I'd like something more memorable than that. I look into the other choices that are open for lunch mid-April.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
We're staying near Victoria Square and Old Montreal. We're willing to travel far if the food is good. Good tip on freezing the bagels.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
Thanks for the sugar shack in-town recommendation. It may be touristy, but I am intrigued by the sugar shack options.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
Two votes for Les Coups. I'll take another look at Olive et Gourmando . The pics on yelp didn't really sell me.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
Los Angeles. My girlfriend and I love great food, regardless. We do seem to like Italian and Sushi, but I don't want any of that on this trip. I would prefer great bistro food and local specialties.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
I love the strong opinions, that's what I need to help decide. You've addressed my concerns with L'express and Les Coups for lunch. I won't drop APDC, so Les Coups will be Saturday night. I'll look more at Le Club Chasse et Peche for lunch. Oh yeah, I looked at their website, says no lunch until June 4th
I'll take note of your poutine comments. Thanks for the bakery input.
Visiting Montreal Mid-April - Must visits please
Dinner
APDC
Joe Beef
Lunch
Les 400 Coups (Is it worth it for lunch or should it be my second dinner)
Scharwtz's
L'express (Is this a must visit, is it dated? I'd like a great bistro with some great charcuterie on par with Oyama in Vancouver)
Snack
Fairmont and St-Viateur Bagels
Banquise
Are there must visits that I missed? Specialty dishes? Places you would take off the agenda?
Would like to go to one bakery/pâtisserie. Is there one that stand out amongst the rest?
Is a sugar shack meal a must?
Also, Yelp reviews in Canada are limited, what are better resources to see food pics/reviews of these places?
Thanks in advance for your help
PEI and Hopewell Rocks/Alma Restaurants in mid-April??
I need help!!! My girlfriend and I are visiting the Bay of Fundy in mid-April. Seems like all the restaurants are closed. We have room for 1 lunch and 2 dinners in PEI and one lunch by Hopewell Rocks. So far we were thinking Lot 30 and Claddagh Oyster House for dinner. Then Selkirk and Harbour View Market (Alma) for lunch. And some ice cream at Cow's. I'd like to have fresh seafood, particularly lobster, even if it's from Nova Scotia in April. Any recommendations as to where are the best places to eat??? Thanks!!
Is Canlis or Herbfarm dated?
I would completely agree. We got a couple things off the menu and they were the better dishes of the night. It wasn't until we left that we both said we should have done the tasting menus.
Seattle Agenda for late October - Any obvious ommissions?
Just got back from our Pacific Northwest Trip and wanted to provide some feedback and say thanks for all your comments. I'll try to post some pictures in time once I'm rested.
I'll limit it to the Seattle portion of the trip. The food stops included (in order of preference): Willow's Inn (Lummi Island)
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Salumi
Café Besula
Sitka & Spruce
Cascina Spinasse
Top Pot
Elliott's Oyster House
Seatown Seabar
Serious Pie
Quinn's
Paseo
Piroshky Piroshky
Canlis
Pike Place Chowder
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Willow's Inn was a great experience. I don't think the food is on par with any three star restaurants in the US, but he's only 25 and it was just a great getaway for a day. A must for anybody in the area. We got the cheapest room there (Rose Room $129) and there is such a charm to the place.
The seafood dishes at Walrus really delivered and is a must for any foodie.
Salumi's porcheta sandwich and meatballs were near perfect. Only waited in line for 20 minutes. And there was no wait once we finished eating.
And on to Besula. I found the croissants at Tartine (SF) more to my liking. But it was irrelevant, it's a great croissant and the plum tart was probably the best pastry either of us have ever tried. From the glaze, the dough, to the plums, it was just perfect.
Highlights at Sitka were the scone, smoked black cod and the feta cheese
Did a tasting at Spinasse and enjoyed the pastas, the tajarin was worth the wait.
Can't believe you guys put down Top Pot. I loved the dough on the lemon filled.
Elloitt's is a perfect place to sample the areas oysters. We tried 24 on our visit.
Some of my disappointments were Serious Pie (it's just a pizza, over hyped), Paseo (ordered the Cuban and thought it was dry, came with a pound of mayo, that's not a sandwich), Canlis (food was dated and boring and ill prepared). Did the touristy thing with Chowder and Beecher's (there was no meat in the chowders and Beecher's was ok)
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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Piroshky Piroshky
1908 Pike Pl, Seattle, Seattle, WA 98121
Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA
Serious Pie
316 Virginia St, Seattle, WA 98101
Elliott's Oyster House
1201 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101
Pike Place Chowder
600 Pine St Ste 404, Seattle, WA 98101
Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
Cascina Spinasse
1531 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
Is Canlis or Herbfarm dated?
Just got back from our trip and had a great time. However I can now answer the question myself. Canlis is definitely dated. Although, the setting and history are intriguing, I would not recommend it to a foodie.
We ordered the Canlis Salad, Dungeness Crab Cake, Gnudi, Smoke-Cured Salmon, Grilled King Salmon, Gleason Ranch Ribeye, Twice Baked Potato, Pumpkin Pie, and Grand Marnier Soufflé. Of the more modern dishes, the ones we enjoyed we cured salmon and the pumpkin pie. But, the preparation of the rest of the dishes left us both wanting more. I didn't feel sauces were done well and meats were on the dryer side, even the ribeye. The best part of the meal was guessing which Pop songs the pianist was playing.
I would send foodies to Sitka & Spruce, Walrus, or Spinasse instead.
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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Sitka & Spruce
2238 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102
Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA
Seattle Agenda for late October - Any obvious ommissions?
Good idea on Salumi for the drive up to Vancouver. Willow's will be on the way back from Vancouver.
We'll take your advice and do a late snack at Quinn's after W&C. That way we can still fit in Canlis and Spinasse in for dinner on other nights.
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Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Spinasse
Seattle, WA, Seattle, WA
Salumi
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104
Seattle Agenda for late October - Any obvious ommissions?
Not surprised about your Piroshky comment. We'll probably try one to be tourists unless they look that bad in person.
Seattle Agenda for late October - Any obvious ommissions?
Tom,
Just joking about Paris. I read Kaufman's comments about Tartine. I can see that and that's actually what I liked about Tartine's. Fairly crisp on the outside (or overcooked) and so soft on the inside. I loved that contrast. I'll post my two cents after I get back. I'll just post which one I liked better and why. le Figaro's checklist is a bit much for me. Thanks again for all your Seattle insight.
