I'm a bit obsessed with herb grass jelly. Actually, I get a bit obsessed with everything that seems to have no flavour, because I'm usually convinced that it has flavour (otherwise who would buy it, who made it popular, why are there so many brands producing it?). In Montreal, … [Read more...] about The Great Herb Grass Jelly Hunt: Meet Fresh, Mango Mango, G&D Supermarket
Restaurant Reviews
Le Bowhead: Montreal’s Only 100% Vegan Pub
Chicken wings? Nope. Chkn wings? Yes. That's what the new all-vegan pub on St-Laurent Blvd says. Curry vegan mayo and vegan ranch with the same crudités of your average non-vegan pub also help. You probably wouldn't even know this place was vegan unless you'd done your homework. … [Read more...] about Le Bowhead: Montreal’s Only 100% Vegan Pub
Alma: A Casual Neighbourhood Spanish Wine Bar in Outremont for People with Oodles of Money
I really wanted to love this restaurant on Lajoie St. in Outremont. Sommelier Lindsay Brennan has some incredible natural Spanish wines on her menu and the knowledge and skill to sell them well. And if Alma were a bar, that would be enough. But since it’s a restaurant, the food … [Read more...] about Alma: A Casual Neighbourhood Spanish Wine Bar in Outremont for People with Oodles of Money
The Caribbean in Summer: My New Favourite Restaurants in Aruba and Barbados
A week before I headed back to the Caribbean for a magazine assignment, I was interviewed on a podcast called Our Food Adventures by two Americans who called me from where they were staying in Hanoi, Vietnam to talk about what I love about Aruba. That's a lot of continents for a … [Read more...] about The Caribbean in Summer: My New Favourite Restaurants in Aruba and Barbados
Provisions Restaurant: An Outremont Restaurant Actually Worth the Price
The problem with living in an up-and-coming neighbourhood is that, eventually, it will up-and-come. Might as well move into one of the most expensive up-and-came ones at the get-go. That's probably what the four owners of Provisions Restaurant thought when they moved into their … [Read more...] about Provisions Restaurant: An Outremont Restaurant Actually Worth the Price
Rum and Sun: Resto Palme Sparkles with Caribbean Fusion in The Village
Resto Palme is a bit like I’d want heaven to be: a palm-filled, airy space a few steps off a dirty street/Earth...with a good supply of agricole rum. Even better, the new Caribbean fusion restaurant on Ste-Catherine East between Beaudry and Papineau has soft linens to dab at … [Read more...] about Rum and Sun: Resto Palme Sparkles with Caribbean Fusion in The Village
Monarque: The Old Port Bistro, Restaurant and Bar with a Touch of Léméac
When you're a French restaurant, you don't call your tom yum soup a "tom yum soup." You say "black cod in tom yum broth." That's much better marketing when you're charging $21 for perfectly tender fish, sustainable shrimp, earthy mushrooms, al dente carrots and blanched spinach … [Read more...] about Monarque: The Old Port Bistro, Restaurant and Bar with a Touch of Léméac
The Best of Tucson Drinking and Dining: Tito & Pep, Villa Peru, Downtown Kitchen & Cocktail and Mezcal at Reforma
Tucson is humble. In my story for FineDiningLovers.com last year I called out its culinary highlights, from the genius of its indigenous peoples who were (and are) able to grow foods in the desert to the burgeoning fine dining scene that doesn't know how good it is. It … [Read more...] about The Best of Tucson Drinking and Dining: Tito & Pep, Villa Peru, Downtown Kitchen & Cocktail and Mezcal at Reforma
Hot and Spicy Montreal: Restaurants to Warm you up
Last week, I did a TV segment about hot and spicy restaurants. It's the time of year when we need all the heat we can get, I figure. And while Montrealers are notoriously hot pepper-averse, I'm not. So I found a local, high quality hot sauce maker and then hunted down … [Read more...] about Hot and Spicy Montreal: Restaurants to Warm you up
Where to Drink Sake in Montreal (and why right now’s the best time to do it)
This morning on Breakfast Television in Montreal I actually made it through a taste test (well, almost) of six stellar sakes now available in Montreal! Did I even breathe? (See above.) I also talked about why the Montreal sake scene has recently boomed (shout-out to Viet … [Read more...] about Where to Drink Sake in Montreal (and why right now’s the best time to do it)