TheLibrarian's Profile
Korean BBQ in Montreal [split from Restaurant Openings 2009]
I love this place! Haven't been to the one on St. Denis, but have been 3x in the last month to the one in the Concordia Ghetto--on Ste. Catherine near the AMC Forum. Highlights: great, HUGE servings of kimchi chigae, delicious bbq and kimchi (though it doesn't come gratis) and excellent seafood pajeon.
Korean BBQ in Montreal [split from Restaurant Openings 2009]
I have to disagree with you about Chez Hwang. I live nearby and have been there more than I'd care to admit for the convenience factor, but haven't been in a long time because they keep underwhelming me with weak kimchi and dishes that are monotone in color and flavor. Their BBQ is good, but I haven't been impressed by anything else I've had there. Their bibimbap is just terrible-- mostly limp, shredded napa and no gochujang. In my eyes, if they don't care enough to use fresh veggies, serve edible kimchi, and put gochujang on their bibimbap, then they don't deserve my business...
Pizzeria Napoletana HELP
I've been to Bottega twice and didn't sense a difference in quality with Napoletana; it seemed the extra paid for decor and attitude, which I frankly don't care for. I took my boyfriend and his parents to Napoletana this weekend and a great meal was had by all. That said, Napoletana is not dirt cheap--it's around $15 per pizza/per person--but it is a BYOW, which Bottega is not.
-----
Bottega
65 Rue Saint-Zotique E, Montreal, QC H2S1K7, CA
Pizzeria Napoletana HELP
I called them a few weeks ago to ask about reservations and was told that they DO take reservations for groups of 8 and more. So I think that as long as you don't call the night before, you can probably get a table.
ISO quality fruit yoghurt
I second that motion. Not as convenient, but better tasting and you control exactly what goes into it.
Quebec Cheesemakers within an hour of MTL
What I should have said is that it's an hour and forty minutes from my house. My time is valuable and I don't want to spend three hours of my Saturday driving!
Quebec Cheesemakers within an hour of MTL
Thanks, carswell, for the links. I've tried using the Route des Fromages site, but I'm a bit turned off by the way their search engine is set up. I'm not from here and don't know the regions of QC well enough to know which are nearby... Guess it's time I did a little reconnaissance!
Chocolatine, thank you for the tip on La Chevriere de Monnoir. Their website is great, I love that they have a petting zoo and that they encourage picnics! We plan to go there next Saturday and I'll report back.
Thanks to everyone who responded, you guys are the best.
Quebec Cheesemakers within an hour of MTL
Fromagerie de lAbbaye sounds great, but it`s almost 2 hours from montreal--too far! Same with Tournevent, a cheesemaker mentioned in the thread you linked to, kpzoo. I started a new thread because I`d like input from people who`ve visisted some of these places and can recommend ones nearby....
Quebec Cheesemakers within an hour of MTL
Last fall, I took a carload of friends to Fritz Kaiser to take advantage of the great prices at the shop in Noyan. Want to do the same thing this year but at a different fromagerie. A ride in the country, an assortment of delicious, affordable local cheeses, and a baguette, that`s the plan. Any suggestions for places no further than an hour outside of the city? Aged or smoked hard cheeses, soft cheeses like camembert, and goat`s milk cheeses are my favorites.
Best Chocolate Croissant in Montreal
Their hours are posted on the door, I'm on the other side of the city or I'd check myself. I think they close at 5 on Sunday only, and the rest of the week it's between 6 and 8pm. Can anyone verify?
They closed for a couple weeks last summer (late July, I think), but the best way to find out if/when they'll be closed is to call them. The owner only speaks French, but the girls at the counter are usually bilingual. If the number hasn't changed, it's 514-845-8813. Let us know what you think!
Best Chocolate Croissant in Montreal
The best chocolatine I've ever had was from Kouign Amann on ave. Mont Royal...
Good news for Montreal chiliheads! Cuisine Szechuan
celfie, I'll bet you're right. They're new and for now the food is bound to have its ups and downs...
emerilcantcook and kpzoo, I didn't specify that I wanted my food spicy, but I will next time! Really I'm more interested in flavour than heat, and I'd hoped that if they left out the heat, they'd compensate with adequate seasoning... But I will go back and give them another chance, and I'll be emphatic with my request for spice!
Good news for Montreal chiliheads! Cuisine Szechuan
After hearing so much about this place, I went with a friend on Friday to try it out. It was 5pm and only 4 other diners were in the place, so when our food took a while to arrive, we hoped it was because the kitchen was preparing each dish with attentive care. Sadly, that didn`t turn out to be the case.
We started with the wonton soup. The wontons were good, but the broth arrived at room-temperature, thwarting the entire purpose of drinking hot soup on a cold day. If they'd bothered to heat the broth, all could easily have been forgiven.
My friend had the broccoli with garlic, which was okay-- the broccoli was plentiful and not overcooked, but neither of us could taste any garlic and the dish was just incredibly bland.
I ordered the Szechuan chicken on crispy spinach, since they were out of my first choice, the eggplant with garlic. The crispy spinach was delicious, if a bit sweet, but I was really disappointed by the chicken. It was tender, yes, but an almost total absence of seasoning and hot pepper made the Szechuan chicken tasteless and instantly forgettable.
Was the kitchen inept, or did it tone down the flavour of our dishes because of our non-Chinese ethnicity? I don`t know. We were hoping to be impressed, so maybe that's why we were so disappointed when nothing about the meal stood out, unless you count its mediocrity.
For me, for now, the fact that this place is close to Concordia and reasonably priced is its only saving grace. I`ll be back and will try other dishes in the hope that our experience was a fluke.