NickMontreal's Profile
Tasty apple cider
Many of the apple stands at Jean-Talon market sell gallon bottles of pressed cider. Personally for making apple butter I would go with straight up cider but if you opt for hard stuff, a good place for that might be the Marche des Saveurs, also at Jean Talon... Hard cider is available at the SAQ and also in a few depanneurs and convenience stores (see thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/730465)
Candy-making supplies in Montreal?
I also recommend Ares. The store in Pointe Claire is great for pastry and sugar work supplies (Ares Kitchen and Baking Supplies - 2355-A Trans-Canada Highway).
Report on O'Thym
I remember from a while ago that there were a few people on here interested in knowing more about the BYO scene in Montreal. I have to admit, most dining experiences in Montreal's BYO's have left me cold, and I often find them to be a little kitschy for my liking. Dinner at O'Thym a few days ago was an exception.
My partner and I were in a bit of rush to get in and out pretty quickly, with tickets to the an opera performance beginning at eight - but the waiter was more than happy to fit us in and ensure our food came out as fast as possible. Sadly the wine that I brought along was corked- so that was a bit of a downer on the evening, but obviously was no fault of the restaurant.
We began with an on-the-house soup of carrot, red pepper and tarragon which at first glance looked like some kind of squash soup. An unlikely combo certainly. Have to admit this definitely wasn't a highlight - heavily overseasoned with pepper and the tarragon was almost indectable...
Things got better soon afterwards, we shared a fig and foie gras tarte tatin with caramelized shallots.. Absolutely wonderfully presented and delicious flavours. The foie gras was cooked excellently, slightly caramelized around the edges and meltingly tender on the inside. My only complaint about this dish was that the ingredients had not been left to temper properly - the caramelized shallots, obviously prepped in advance and removed straight from the fridge during service, were still cold when they got to our table, whereas the figs, pastry and foie gras were warm. Definitely not enough to stop me from scarfing it down though.
My partner had a bison steak with a raspberry jus for his main, me a magret of duck with a fleur du sel and thyme crust. Both were presented in the same manner, on an assortment of seasonal produce, (all things I had aseen in their prime at Jean Talon market a few days before) such as multicoloured cauliflower, red cabbage, fingerling potatoes... My partners steak was excellent, incredibly juicy and flavourful, losing points only for lack of tenderness. MY magret I think was a perfect ten - the salt crust made for a delicious crispy exterior, and the interior was a gorgeous medium rare pink and so so tender. Fantastic.
At this point we were running a little late - so asked the waiter what dessert we could squeeze into our remaining ten minutes. A mere minute or so later, he brought out a maple creme brulee, which was absolutely wonderful - the custard just barely set, creamy and nuanced with a subtle maple flavour. The caramel must have been made with some kind of maple casssonade. Delicious.
With a billl just shy of a ninety dollars, I thought this was incredibly good value - this really as a great dining experience and not very expensive at all. Sure its not the most innovative of menus, but when food is so beatifully cooked and plated, and uses local seasonal ingredients, how can you complain. O'Thym is also a lovely space - at once spartan and inviting. Service is friendly and efficient. Definitely a don't miss on Montreal's BYO scene...
Organic Rabbit
I definitely second Fermes Saint Vincent... its an amazing butcher. You can actually buy from them online too I think?
If the price is an issue, perhaps try Fernando's on Roy - not strictly an organic butcher i don't think - but probably locally sourced at the very least....
In search of HONEY CRISP APPLES in downtown Montreal (including Atwater Market)
Ate the most incredible Honey Crisp at Jean Talon today - bought from a fruit and veg stand opposite Fromagerie Hamel I think? Can't be more specific than that though, sorry!
Places to buy hard cider in Montreal
Bigras Supermarket on de Bordeaux and Gauthier sells Mystique I believe... also the depanneur on Berri and Duluth...
Places to buy hard cider in Montreal
Hi Danaan...
I too am a fan of hard cider like Strongbow (which by the way is not available in Quebec, but I believe it is in Ontario)....
While Quebec prides itself on its cider, it seems that most of the stuff from around these parts is from small artisanal producers, and normally it comes in a small sparkling wine type bottles... don't get me wrong - it's great stuff, just not the kind of thing I'd choose for everyday drinking.
I have found one brand called Mystique which is quite widely available in depanneurs and supermarkets. It's not quite as dry as I would like to be honest, but it's pretty good...
If you find anything else keep us posted!
RIP Bistro Christophe Truffert
Oh no! That’s really sad... Truffert was a lovely little neighbourhood bistro. You could see though that they were having a tough time pulling in the riff-raff.
A better way to shop. [moved from the Quebec board]
Right so I know this hardly makes me a trailblazer but I discovered a great way to shop at Jean Talon this weekend. Along with my usual canvas bags, rucksack, and granny-cart I brought along a whole pile of reusable containers and washed out plastic bags. Instead of buying meats and cheeses pre-packaged, I bought them directly from the counter and had them put straight into tupperware containers. Instead of filling fresh bags with loose items, I used the cleaned out ones I brought along.
I wanted to try this out – expecting to get a whole bunch of eye-rolling from burly farmers having to deal with requests from stupid hippies, but you know what? They were more than happy and at times encouraged and praised us for shopping this way. I mean it makes sense really, because they spend less on packaging... When I asked our egg farmers if they would allow us to bring back the cardboard flats they said “Please! Do!”
I thought this would be a really impractical way to shop – it was anything but. Great thing is when you get home you don’t have to debag anything or deal with a whole pile of cr*p. You just put everything right in the fridge/larder without any muss or fuss. I really do encourage everyone to try this. It’s hardly anything new but aside from the de rigeur canvas bags at Jean Talon don’t see a lot of people shopping this way...
Need Help -- Red Wine not Allowed at our Wedding Site
Sorry to resus a dead thread – but I’m not often on the wine board, and I’m wedding planning right now so this is right up my alley.
To the OP: Sparkling wine gets my vote. I agree that bubbles can handle almost anything. This weekend I had a cava with homemade hamburgers which was un... wait for it... believable.
To wineman3 and Alan Barnes: I love both... Crémants are fantastic and I think its fair to say that some pretty refined palates would mistake a good Crémant for champers. However – if I had a twenty dollar bill... I would totes McGoats go for Cava. Better value at that kind of price point.
Passing of Mila Oh (aka moh)
A very saddening loss. She was a great poster. Her comments were always spirited and insightful. Goodbye Moh.
Churros in MTL
They sell churros at the Librarie Espagnole (3811 Boulevard Saint Laurent)...
Il Mulino
Thanks lagatta... I do hope so too. Even the best restaurants have bad days after all...
Is Île d'Orléans a worthy destination?
Good call on Mona & Filles. Have never had a crème de cassis as good as theirs... Absolutely fantastic stuff. Didn't know they took visitors though - have you been?
Il Mulino
That really is a shame. I love that place – in fact I had one of my most memorable meals that I’ve ever had in Montreal at Il Mulino. (Memorable in a good way that is)
Sounds as though a lot of the problems were waiter-centred. The guy/girl forgot to give you menus, didn’t know what was still available, didn’t provide answers to your questions, probably sent a few wrong orders into the kitchen... But if the food doesn’t even redeem the poor service, then it really isn’t worth it.
By the way lagatta – you mentioned that something about old management. I ate there about three years ago so does that mean I was there under the old or new team? Would be interested to know...
Dog dining
Hi there fellow dog owner,
Dogs not allowed on the premises of any establishment where unpackaged food is served. So any cafe or restaurant really. The fine is pretty hefty, around $3000 dollars the last time I worked in food industry, so most places won’t let it slide...
Good news is – dog owners and companions are still welcome on most terrasses along with other banished individuals such as tobacco smokers. I suppose your best bet is to find a good restaurant or wine bar with a nice outdoor area for you and your furry friend. (Although as C70 points out - places with terrasses won't necessarily be dog friendly.)
A few suggestions:
Club Chasse et Peche - terrassse in the gardens of the Château Ramezay. Might want to call beforehand to check...
Lemeac – if I’m not mistaken they have a pretty extensive outdoor area.
Boris Bistro – IMO nicest terrasse in the city.
New wine bar and restaurant on St-Denis - very funky looking terrasse. Name escapes me, will have a look on my way back from work...
Good luck!
Help! I live in downtown montreal. Where can I find these ingredients?!
Carswell you're totally right - there seems to be no standard size. Isn't it so annoying when a recipe calls for x sheets of gelatin? Agh!
I find its most reliable to go by the manufacturers guidelines printed on the side of the package (e.g. one sheet sets however many cups of liquid...)
Help! I live in downtown montreal. Where can I find these ingredients?!
Rhubarb season starts around now... I bought some from Jean Talon this weekend.
Has anyone heard of...
p.s. for anyone who's interested - here's an New York Times article on the flavour tripping phenomenon...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html
Obviously not a new thing - the article is from 2008... Can't believe I haven't heard about this already!
Has anyone heard of...
flavour tripping?!
There is a small cranberry sized berry known as the miracle fruit, which temporarily deactivates your ability to taste sour or bitter. Take one of these and apparently lemons become absolutely divine to eat on their own, cider vinegar tastes like apple juice, stout like chocolate milk...
A friend of mine was telling me that he’d recently been to a flavor tripping party and that this miracle fruit really did work. Does anyone know where you can get this thing? Apparently you can find it in pill form... I have to try this!
Pullman
Pullman gets the thumbs up from me. I really enjoy their by the glass options, and their trios, which they change on a regular basis, are normally interesting and varied. The food - simple and reasonable priced. Small portions – more like tapas really.
You might also want to take a look at BU, which is just a little bit more relaxed. The staff is friendly and approachable, but extremely knowledgeable and very open to discussing the wine list. I haven’t eaten there, but the menu looks great. The cuisine is Italian, and it looks like you can go for meal-sized portions rather than nibble sized.
Enjoy your stay!
Mother's Day Brunch
LMC does breakfast?! Is there a dining room upstairs or something?
Mother's Day Brunch
Hi there fellow montrealfoodie.
Take a look at the website of Bistro Cocagne (3842 St-Denis), which has slated a special brunch menu Mother's Day. 5 courses for 35$ - not too bad if you ask me!
Somewhere else you might want to consider is le Cartet (106 McGill). The ambiance is a little more chic, but the food remains relatively unfussy and of quite a high standard.
If Mum is up for something a little more bohemian, another possibility is Coo Rouge (1844 Amherst), a warm and homey brunch spot, with a no-frills but yummy brunch menu to match...
Looking for simple screw-top lid jam jars
Yup that's where I buy mine! They come in boxes of twelve.
A Canada/Chile themed dinner!
First of all – thanks for the great suggestions. Honestly – we had a ball yesterday. Some thoughts from an amateur wino for anyone who’s interested:
Pinot Gris, Inniskillin, Niagara Peninsula 2008
This was a lovely match with the salmon. Light to medium bodied, this wine has a juicy profile of soft fruit and flowers, and a crisp minerality which I often pick up on in Niagara wines. Anyway it stood up well to the fresh flavours in the food, and the acidity played well against the oil in the salmon, it was just fab.
Riesling, Cave Spring Cellars, Niagara Peninsula 2007
I decided to go against the warnings of a much respected poster and tried this with the salmon. I politely disagree this isn’t a good match with gravlax. I thought it was just divine. Many of the same elements from the previous wines were present, soft fruit, floral notes, minerality etc etc, but it’s just much fuller in body and probably a better partner for a rich oily fish such as salmon. As with the previous wine high acidity was a great palate cleanser. It also had the added bonus of having a touch of sweetness which echoed the sugar in the candied lemons. We picked this one.
Chardonnay, Carmen, Casablanca Valley 2009
We brought along this wine due to the fact we went over budget on others and wanted to balance out the splurge with a less expensive bottle. This Chardonnay has relatively little contact with oak, so we thought it would be a better wine to serve with our fresh flavoured entree. I have to admit it didn’t really work. The oak is definitely present and it just wasn’t very kind to the fish at all. But we picked it anyway because a) it’s a style of wine that many enjoy b) it’s completely different to the Riesling, and c) the wine will be served throughout the evening, not just with the entrée.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cousino Macul, Maipo 2007
Much as I like this wine, it didn’t work with the lamb. As I expected, it I was just too concentrated and too tannic.
Pétales d’Osoyoos, Osoyoos Larose, Oakanagan Valley 2006
Carswell – thanks for this recommendation. What a wonderful wine. We managed to get just enough bottles for the event before they sold out and will be storing them until the big day. For anyone who hasn’t tried this yet: you must. This is very much in the style of a great Bordeaux wine with powerful cassis aromas and subtle oaky notes. I loved the smoothness in particular (I would go so far as to say creaminess). A very balanced and very sophisticated wine. We enjoyed the rest yesterday evening with some braised lamb shanks, but interestingly, it just didn’t work as well. This is quite a dainty wine, more for grilled or roasted meats than rich and heavily sauced preparations.
Shiraz, Errazuriz, Valle de Rapel 2008
Personally I'm not the biggest fan of New World syrah, but this was, as Carswell put, a nice lean Shiraz that worked very well with the lamb. While being fruit forward and a little jammy, it wasn’t too overpowering and the tannins were soft and subdued. We picked this one because while being a good match for the lamb it’s also an approachable wine made in a style that many people enjoy. Good work Carswell!
-----------------------------
Our final selections:
Riesling, Cave Spring Cellars, Niagara Peninsula 2007
Chardonnay, Carmen, Casablanca Valley 2009
Pétales d’Osoyoos, Osoyoos Larose, Oakanagan Valley 2006
Shiraz, Errazuriz, Valle de Rapel 2008
Two white, two red. Two Chilean, two Canadian. Poifect!
Any sightings of "taylors" ?
My favourite tea for daily chugging! :-) I've seen it sold at that shop in Atwater Market which specializes in imported products from Europe... Sorry I can't be more specific.
