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
Restaurant Reviews
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)
“I Love Montreal, But…” (Adventures in Three Toronto’s Food Destinations: Markets, Sushi and Gluten Free Baked Goods)
…there are great reasons to leave the city I call home, from the cold winters to the eternal construction – but most importantly, the food. Not that the food is bad here, but there's literally a world of flavours out there to discover and by which to be inspired. This fall, I … [Read more...] about “I Love Montreal, But…” (Adventures in Three Toronto’s Food Destinations: Markets, Sushi and Gluten Free Baked Goods)
My Best Meals of 2018 (and Restaurants to Try in 2019)
My year in Montreal restaurants started with a short list: Mon Lapin and Pastel. But as the year went on, it turned into a lengthy one, and I'm afraid I haven't quite caught up yet. Which is fine, because that's what 2019 is for. Why try to overstuff restaurants into 12 … [Read more...] about My Best Meals of 2018 (and Restaurants to Try in 2019)
Ten Dishes and Four Hours of Fine Dining at Pastel
Dinner at Pastel, the fairly new fine dining restaurant in Old Montreal, starts with a heads-up that the meal's going to take awhile. This is a destination kind of restaurant where you come for the evening, explains our server/sommelier. Post-dinner drinks with friends at a … [Read more...] about Ten Dishes and Four Hours of Fine Dining at Pastel
“Waiter, There’s a Vegan at my Table”: Montreal’s Top Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants and Meals
If you're American, you might be feeling that bit of rising panic, that comes up your throat like one too many Tequila sours. It's almost the holidays and you know a vegan. Whether it's for American Thanksgiving or you're a keener planning a Christmas party or dinner, vegans … [Read more...] about “Waiter, There’s a Vegan at my Table”: Montreal’s Top Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants and Meals
New York Restaurants: From a Speakeasy Sake Bar to Smorgasburg to Superior Seafood to Vegan Sushi
My entire recent trip to New York felt like wandering down the rabbit, which we did when we went to Sakagura, a speakeasy-style sake bar (no cell reception, so no texting friends if they're late) in a residential building where you need to sign in with facial recognition. So … [Read more...] about New York Restaurants: From a Speakeasy Sake Bar to Smorgasburg to Superior Seafood to Vegan Sushi