mtlalex's Profile
Eating in Charlevoix region
On a recent trip we ate at "Orange Bistro" in the center of town. A fairly unpretentious place but still featured lots of local fare. One nice touch is "real" raclette - i.e done with a half-wheel of cheese rather than the little toaster thingy - made with local cheese.
Other places are more elaborate, but the quality/price was bang on here.
rijsttafel at Nonya?
I'd say not comparable to a rijstaffel in Holland - but as close as you can get in Montreal. It's really more of a tasting menu. Still good though.
Artisanal Bacon in Montreal
Do you mean simply raw pork belly? I've seen that at lots of butchers. Tranzo usually has it.
Artisanal Bacon in Montreal
They make quality bacon at Bucharest (Decarie & Snowdon) and Chopin (Decarie & Monkland) - in both cases I believe they're smoked in house. Bucharest also sells the "double-smoked).
They are both European-style, which seems to differ in that they use less (or no?) sugar to cure. The taste is different, but you can also see the difference because after frying, you don't end up with all that burned sugar crust stuck to the bottom of the pan - and of course the bacon doesn't get as crispy for the same reason.
I believe even the most "artisanal" Anglo-American style would have sugar added.
Note that Quebec Smoked Meat (Nower) makes superior-quality bacon. I wouldn't call it "artisanal", but certainly much better than what you buy at the supermarket.
Where can I find Golden Cockerel Ginger Beer???
+1 for Grace. By comparison Golden Cockerel is just ginger ale.
Mont Tremblant Ski Area Eats - Walking Distance ONLY
The only place in the ski village that I would go out of my way for is Le Savoie. And it's not cheap.
The brew-pub will at least deliver a filling plate of decent food at a decent price.
Help find decently priced sausage casings MTL
The guys at Tranzo should be able to help you out. As should any place that makes sausages in-house. William doesn't.
Maitre Boucher would be another source.
Restaurant Closings in 2011
Could also be because they closed at 7PM, or something like that. I actually wanted to try it, but never could because they close before dinner-time.
Bad strategy.
Bread in NDG/Westmount
I suspect that Bannette started ad a Qc outpost of the French chain but has basically been cut loose. They are a bit of a conundrum to me - not stellar, but definitely "artisanal" at the same time. So on the whole worth the trip. It's owned by a couple from Marseille, and they bake everything on premises. So in some sense the most "authentic" french bakery in town, for better or worse.
I know this doesn't sound like much of an endorsement - I actually like it more that I'm sounding. Give them a try at least.
As other posters mention, the roquefort sticks are truly outstanding.
E. Dehillerin Copper Cookware
I have 2 copper pans that I bought at the store. (Dehellerin, that is). The more recent one is in fact stamped Mauviel.
ISO Fatback
Pretty much any place that makes sausage will sell you both casings as well as the appropriate cuts to make them.
Tranzo (Somerled & Cavendish, in NDG) sells lots of their excellent homemade sausage. Maitre Boucher on Monkland, or any of th eplaces at the Atwater market would do as well.
fresh pizza dough
Can't remember. A couple of $. One bag is a lot. You can use the leftover to make foccacia the next morning.
fresh pizza dough
Italian bakeries will sell you fresh dough - e.g. Molisana on Somerled, or NDG Bakery on Upper Lachine. You need to call during the day, or they will have used it all by end of day.
Restaurant Closings in 2011
Well that would certainly be the passing of an era. What a shame.
Course the last couple of times I've been there was no sign of Giovanni, and I had the distinct impression that the staff were going through the motions.
Does anybody have any details?
Artisanal ketchup in Montreal
Premier Moisson sells an excellent green tomato ketchup. I've bought good home-made ketchup at Quinn farm, and the Jean-Talon market. Places that specialize in jams and tourtieres usually have some.
Porcini / Boletus / Cepes
I was up north last weekend, and there were several people walking and riding on the Train du Nord bike path carrying wicker or wooden baskets. On closer inspection, the baskets had mushrooms in them.
And later in the day, I was playing hide 'n seek in the woods with my kids. At one point, I looked down and saw two fat boletus mushrooms by my feet.
Brought them home and cooked them with veal and cream. They were truly delicious.
Anybody else have experience with them? Understood that nobody's going to reveal the location of their stash...
Looking for... edible hibiscus flowers (in a jar)
I bought them at Douceurs du Marche.
Where do I buy Ukrainian cured pork fat ('salo') in Montreal area?
Can't guarantee it - but I'm pretty sure the guys running "Montreal Smoked Meat" aka "Nower" on Centre St in the point are Ukrainian - that would be worth a try.
Plastic attached to my Iron Black Skillet
Worst case you can burn it off. It will stink and give off nasty toxic smoke though - do it outside on a camp stove. You'll have to re-season it after.
looing for good quality baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles in Montreal
Out of curiosity - what's wrong with the cheap ones?
High end butcher
Maitre boucher is great - and definitely high-end. You can get what you need, as well as fine lamb, foie gras, bavette's always in stock, ...
If you're looking for specific things to barbecue, you can give Tranzo a try. (On Somerled corner Cavendish). Go mid-week, and if they don't have what you're looking for they'll order it. (i.e. bone-in brisket, whole pork shoulder, etc.)
Nice thing with Tranzo is you're dealing with the owners, who are extremely knowledgable, not just some employee they hired last month.
Real Garlic?
At Maitre Boucher on Monkland the sign on the garlic says it's product of Argentina.
Best and Worst Grocery Store Finds...
At Loblaws - and seemingly only there - the frozen snails packed in garlic butter in real snailshells inported from France.
It's real old-school stuff, but like cheese fondue, there's a reason these were popular dishes before they went so completely out of fashion - in the case of snails by taking shortcuts with the canned ones, not bothering to pack them in shells etc.
So good I even bought a set of the special snail tongs on ebay.fr.
I keep worrying that they are going to stop carrying them, but they've had them for a few years now.
canned anchovies
I always assumed it was to keep them from turning to mush.
BTW - I find the ones packed in glass jars to be superior to the ones in flat cans.
Coffee Grinders
I'm more than happy with my "Isomac". They are sold unbranded around Little Italy - mine came from the Faema store. No idea why the're sold that way. (Unbranded.)
Price is right, and with no doser it takes up very little counter space.
Looking for fresh okra
Saw some at Akhavan on the weekend. It was very fresh-looking. Made me think about making gumbo.
Do not have a source for file powder, however - we bring it back from trips down south. Was just talking about it with the chevf/owner at Kitchenette - he said he has his mother send it.
What's the deal with Pasta Carbonara in Houston?
Agreed. I usually use pancetta. The interesting point being that bacon is not necessarily "unauthentic".
What's the deal with Pasta Carbonara in Houston?
Marcella Hazan has a quote in her book claiming that Spaghetti Carbonara was created by the locals at the request of American servicemen wanting to use bacon and eggs in a pasta sauce - and as such smoked bacon would be more appropriate than pancetta. Unverifiable.
That said, carbonara is so easy to make at home that it's barely worth dealing with the terrible creamy resto versions.
http://www.labellecuisine.com/archives/pasta/Marcella%20Hazan%27s%20Carbonara%20Sauce.htm
Excellent cured ham in MTL
Agreed. But I would argue that buying directly from the producer, the added freshness resulting from minimal and proper handling can outweigh the fact that it's a less "exotic" or "high-end" product. Not a replacement for "jamón ibérico de bellota", but worth a try nonetheless.
