ALATI CASERTA PATISSERIE BEST CANNOLIS IN TOWN

I will have to disagree with the "best in town" title, even though Alati-Caserta's ricotta cannolis are very good... A few years ago, we held a contest (bought fresh cannolis from both places), and Roma's (6776 St-Laurent) cannolis were definite winners. We still go to Alati for their deliciously moist almond cake (they even sell it by the slice).

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Hockey friendly restaurant for a Habs fans family

In the heat of the NHL series, we will be visiting NYC over the Easter weekend. Any recommendation as for a restaurant that would present the Habs vs Bruins game on Saturday? We are looking for a restaurant rather than a bar, since we'll be travelling with our 2 year old Habs fan. Good food, to top the opportunity, would be a blast...

Thanks!

plumeria in Manhattan

Quebec City choose between Le Lapin Saute or Cafe du Clocher Penche or Le Moine Echanson

We've been to Le clocher penché with great expectations 2 or 3 years ago and still have harsh feelings about it. Some of the ordered appetizers were replaced without notification (they had ran out of some of the choices). Food was lukewarm, service was very slow, unprofessional and inattentive... Unacceptable. A real deception. Was it just a bad night? Our experience was one we wouldn't want to risk repeating.

Le moine échanson, visited a couple of times in the past 3 years, on the other hand, is a real gem. Innovative menu, fresh ingredients (such as "oursins"), private wine importations... Very nice owner. A small restaurant with a lot of cachet. I actually was having dinner at the restaurant when they filmed the "L'epicerie" video about the place: http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/lepicerie/niveau2_21212.shtml#

This restaurant is now THE one we recommend to friends and colleagues visiting Quebec city.

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

searching for family friendly in NYC

Hi Gemma,

We too are headind to NYC with a 11 month old. Based on your experience, we are curious to find out what your best finds were.

Thanks!

plumeria in Manhattan

Waikiki - "Easy Going" New Year's Eve

Our family (4 adults and a 6 month old) will be celebrating in Waikiki this year. Any recommendations on where to eat/enjoy the evening? Will most of the restaurants be operating? We are looking for a family friendly place, we are open to any type of food. No precise budget in mind, but do not necessarily want to splurge for that specific night, rather have a nice easy going yet delicious experience.

Thanks for your suggestions :)

plumeria in Hawaii

ISO Montreal's best milkshake

Strawberry milkshake from Le Patio on Mont-Royal (made with the topping fruits) is quite good.

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Restaurant Openings - 2009

Noticed for the first time, L'Art à Tatouille, a French (Niçois?) restaurant on St-Hubert, south of Bellechasse...

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Cabane a sucre Au Pied de Cochon

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to find out more about this. The resto's website doesn't mention anything about this project...

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Restaurant Openings - 2009

Apollo Bistro, coming up in Spring 2009, on St-Laurent, just a little north of the actual restaurant, on the other side of the street. Saw the signs posted on the windows of the new place.

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

San Francisco Style Burritos in Montreal

Tortilleria Maya (JTM) do serve burritos. However, I cannot get over the idea that they reheat them in foam plates in the microwave...

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Two New York City foodies in Montreal looking for suggestions

Great! We are two Montreal foodies who are radically in love with NYC (for the city, the vibe, the people, but mainly for the endless offerings of great food). We just can't get enough, and chowhound has been quite useful in our choices for our last visit in July, so it's a pleasure to give back to fellow foodies.

Bagels: you might want to try both Fairmount and St-Viateur (as you will see, there is quite a debate about which of the two is the best), but if you are ready for a battle between NYC and MTL, I'd vote for Fairmount. Amazing. The best we've tried (including NYC's) :)

SE Asian: You seem to love Thai food (we do too and we'll make sure to try a couple of places you wrote about on your blog on our next NYC visit this October!). Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of Thai restaurants in Montreal and those we tried (Chao Phraya, Thai Grill, Thailande, Bangkok, Cuisine Bangkok at The Faubourg) really can't compare with Sripraphai in Queens.

Banh Mi: Cafe Saigon has GREAT Banh Mi. Probably a little smaller but "jucier" than the ones we had at Saigon Bakery on Mott St in Manhattan's Chinatown. Different but equally delicious! You can see a couple of our other favorite dishes in the post you mentioned.

Jean-Talon Market: A must! We couldn't live without it! The hazelnut ice cream at Havre aux Glaces is pretty good. We also love the kefta sandwiches from Boucherie Al Nasr on the south side of the market. Incredible selection of cheeses at Hamel, great bread from Premiere Moisson, pretty good fried seafood from the little stand at the fishmonger on the northeastern corner, cones of belgian fries with mayo at Frites Alors!...We could go on and on! Just make sure you get there hungry!

There are a lot of other great (and pretty inexpensive) spots near the market you could investigate. For incredible Syrian/Armenian food, try Le Petit Alep (191 Jean-Talon E). They're open for lunch and dinner and have a nice little front terrace. For great cold pizza and the best cannoli in town, go to Roma (6776 St-Laurent) in Little Italy (closed on Sunday). A nice 5 minute walk from the market. Kitchen Galerie (60 Jean-talon E), local produce oriented restaurant, has been getting quite a buzz lately, but we haven't tried it yet...

A couple of suggestions:

An "Only in Montreal" favorite: Smoked Meat from Schwartz's (a true classic, don't miss it!)
http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/

Great value BYOW Afghan restaurant on the Plateau Mont-Royal: http://66.49.138.201/

Leméac: a beautiful and classic French bistrot with terrific food and nice terrace (great 22$ after 10 PM deal)
http://www.restaurantlemeac.com/en-CA/Accueil.aspx?CatID=32

Au Pied de Cochon, for the crispy PDC salad and the confit lamb shank with Dupuy lentils,
http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca/index_eng.html#

Dim Sum (we haven't tried dim sum in NYC yet): we love the selection and freshness of those offered in the carts at Maison Kam Fung
1111 St-Urbain (2nd story)

Hope you enjoy your stay in Montreal!

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Best pizza in MTL

I can't resist Patisserie Roma's pizzas... Their vegeterian pizzas are great, but their ham and cheese one (which always sells quickly) is out of this world. Pair it with a cannolo and you're in heaven!

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Portuguese Festival

Passed by last weekend, saw the tents, smelled the smoke and looked at the enormous beef skewers...

My husband and I really wanted to try it, as we had read this thread, but we couldn't help feeling that this was a religious, somewhat private event (more than a festival). There were absolutely no posts, signs, or invitation, and the small crowd seemed 100% Portuguese. Not that we had a problem with it, au contraire, we would have loved to partake in this gourmet celebration, but we didn't want to be intrusive. We just didn't know how welcome we were to this event...

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Italian pastries

I just had a side by side cannoli taste test between Alati-Caserta (on Dante) and Roma (on St-Laurent), and I find Roma's to be creamier, tastier, crispier. I just love them!

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

The Great Montreal Bakery Hunt 2007

Roma has the best cannoli. I tested cannoli from Alati (277 Dante) and Roma, side by side, and I find the ones from Roma to be crispier, creamier and tastier... Yummy!

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

crabmeat in Montréal?

I get frozen crabmeat at Marché Oriental (eastside on St-Denis, south of Jean-Talon). Nice quality, can't beat the price! Look in the freezers on the left wall...

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Pre-made pizza dough in Montreal?

I second Milano. They have a choice of whole wheat or white pizza dough.

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

lobster rolls

Homemade really seems like the best option to me, considering cost and choice/freshness of ingredients.

For a great variation (and for a special occasion), I tried a Lobster BLT recipe inspired by Food & Wine magazine: simply amazing! You can find the recipe on F&W website at: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lobster-blts

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

NY Hound Not Fooling Around

JohnnyMTL, you and I share the same faves! Cafe Saigon is a hidden treasure. I crave their tomato and basil soup (with chicken). As for their banh mi, I have yet to find better ones in Montreal!

As for Quebec city, I totally second Le Moine Echanson. You can actually watch a video about (and filmed at) this restaurant on L'Epicerie website (a food TV show): http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/lepicerie/niveau2_21212.shtml (Enquetes et reportages, Carnet gourmand, juin 2008).

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)

Lemeac favorites?

I have tried the after 10pm menu several times, and I really enjoyed the beef short ribs (with barley risotto) and the steak frites. As for appetizers, both the minestrone (with chorizo) and the croustillant de chevre chaud were great. My loved one craves their tartare de boeuf and always has a hard time not ordering it. I received "Richard Bastien, la cuisine du bistrot Leméac" (Les éditions de l'homme) as a birthday present and most of the restaurant's dishes are included; a great book, full of ideas, so many ways to impress guesses or just treat yourself...

plumeria in Quebec (including Montreal)