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afoodyear's Profile

Farro

They also do a "farotto" (farro risotto) that is quite good.

Oxtail in Montreal

Akhavan (at least the one on Sherbrooke and Grand boulevard or so) regularly has it.

Opening Tomorrow "Lawrence", 5201 Blvd St Laurent

Argh. I can't make out anything that says until "Rice Pudding" :(

Anything new around Cinema Banque Scotia?

Haven't been following CH that closely lately and just did a browse of the openings thread and didn't really find anything...

Has anything opened recently (

Yukon Gold Potatoes

They still did less than a month ago :)

16 Secret Supermarket Ingredients Chefs Love

The Altoids to finish a lamb jus is genius.

First visit Chez Vito

They're aging the steak on their counter?

Beef shank near Plateau

I used to buy beef shanks from Alim Pot on Roy just off St. Laurent all the time when I still lived in that neighborhood, about $3-4 each.

wood for smoker

Around this time of year Canadian Tire marks down all of their chips, so I stock up. They have apple, hickory, alder, mesquite, cherry, maple and those broken down Jack Daniel's barrel type chips. They have those bisquettes if that's what you're looking for as well.

PINXTO Question...

In my experience, and the most recently I visited was last month, the prices are only deceiving in how quickly a bunch of $4-5 dishes can multiply, not in their inconsistency with the website. The duo of scallops dish you mentioned is actually a single scallop with tapanade (a "duo") and I found some of their portions actually smaller than previous visits, so I guess that sort of falls into the same category.

Anyways... Pintxo is a nice restaurant, but it's not really traditional tapas. They also have a fantastic Spanish wine list, though I'm not sure how much a cheap wine is going to cost you. Despite having several courses, the meal can actually go by quite quickly, and their desserts are somewhat lacking IMO, so you might want to do a split-location date and have dessert somewhere nearby on St. Denis or St. Laurent.

You're definitely missing my favorite of the bunch, which is the braised beef cheek. They have a few items not listed on the website as well. If you are going to order a main, your best bet will always be the fish.

I'm also in the "too small to share" camp, unless you think a single shrimp or fig are sharable portions.

ISO Amaranth

...I didn't know callaloo was amaranth greens until just now.
Learn something new every day!

bavette, minute steak, flank steak, garde manger

As should already be evident, the cut you mentioned is a favorite of many, French or otherwise, and is a classic bistro menu item (steak frites). In general, the cheaper cuts are also more flavorful and require more expertise (and in some cases, time) to cook well. The price is reflective of that, like how a perfect demi-glace would not be determined by the cost of humble meat bones. While eating at a place like Garde Manger, you're also paying for location (Old Port is not cheap) and the celebrity status of the chef coupled with the demand that arises because of that.

If you're put off by ordering these cuts, simply order something else off of the menu? L'Express, for example, has a diverse menu - why order the hanger steak if it's not to your liking?

P.S. menus written in French, in a French area, don't have necessarily have that sort of posh, price-uplifting allure that you might get from a restaurant serving Frenchified items out west. It's just simply the language that is spoken here.

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L'Express Restaurant
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2W2M4, CA

Review: Tomato

My experiences with Tomato mimic yours, if it's any consolation.

Looking for paneer!

There are large bags of it frozen at the Akhavan on Sherbrooke.

cheap butcher close to plateau

Fairmount is the place if you're looking for pork... not so great a selection for anything else really. Still can't be beat for what they do though :)

Has anyone heard of...

I bought mine through Amazon without any difficulty... it definitely doesn't affect bitterness though, only sour! Things with a slight hint of sourness tend to be better than outright acidic things like lemons, such as tomatoes, grapes and grapefruits, in my experience.

fruitgenie.com is new, but even though it's based here, you still have to order online. Good luck!

best roti and jerk chicken?

It is entirely gone now.

looking for suggestions - sustainable, terroir restos/cuisine in Montreal

Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but have you checked out DNA?
http://www.dnarestaurant.com/

Live shrimp in Montreal?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but considering the premium you'd be paying for fresh if and when you do find them, you'd probably want to dispatch them yourself than transport freshly dead ones home, otherwise you're just as well buying fresh frozen?

Bouchonee/La Montee

I went there for lunch today, but hadn't previously eaten at Bouchonne or La Montee, so I cannot comment on how it compares to the prior incarnations. I was very happy with my lunch though! Minestrone with tender mussels and an arugula pistou and bavette du boeuf with shoestring potatoes and a rich demi-glace for $18. I'll definitely pop in again when I'm in the neighborhood.

Picasso

There doesn't seem to be any progress being made whatsoever :\

Good Italian, not too expensive, near Jean-Talon market

You will not be disappointed with any of these recommendations.

Hidden gems around Guy/Concordia

Interesting. Less than well done burgers are fairly common for an illegal practice :o Always good to have a scoop from someone working in the kitchen.

Their beer prices are more or less in line with anyone else's IMO though.

Hot Wings in Montreal

Brace yourself. I like a good habanero salsa and put Scotch bonnet pepper sauce on my eggs for breakfast and the ghost pepper sauce is waaayyy too much for me. Ask for a glass of milk.

Hot Wings in Montreal

I haven't done the challenge so I don't know the rules, but I have tried the wings now and I guarantee you will "react" before you have a chance to finish the dozen :)

Wonder Bread batter?

I was watching a relatively recent episode of No Reservations about obsessions and there was maybe a dated 5 second clip that showed loaves being pressed from a tube and a voiceover stating, "Wonder Bread is made from batter, not dough!"

I was just wondering if anyone has a link to information regarding this "batter" method of making Wonder Bread and how the batter and baking process differs from traditional bread making.

Thanks!

Pink Salt aka Saltpeter needed

Thank you for your detailed response. With the confusion you seemed to have encountered, I think I'll just go through an online source!

Pink Salt aka Saltpeter needed

Just bumping this thread because I'm also on the lookout for Prague Powder and was hoping someone that knows a local source would stumble here with advice :)

Kitchen Galerie versus Restaurant Laloux

If you're a fan of tartare, there's a tartare bar just off St. Laurent on Prince Arthur at Marche 27. A decent place to have lunch on a Saturday.

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Marche 27
27 Prince Arthur W, Montreal, QC H2X1S4, CA

2 Cabanes à Sucre (long)

Thanks a lot for your lengthy report, especially the details about "the usual" for those who weren't in the know :)