There's a surfeit of new speakeasy cocktail bars in Montreal of late, and the first one I checked out was Nhâu Bar, which is the subterranean lair of Hà, the Vietnamese place on McGill St. in the Old Port. There, bartender Tao Zrafi has created an Asian-inspired drinks menu … [Read more...] about The Banana Miso Cocktail by Tao Zrafi at Nhâu Bar in Montreal
Toasted Cinnamon Sticks from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich (and the interview transcription)
One of the highlights of my food journalism career thus far is my 2015 interview with Alice Medrich, the Queen of Chocolate and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and baking instructor. What's stuck with my from that interview the most – more than the idea of hydrating … [Read more...] about Toasted Cinnamon Sticks from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich (and the interview transcription)
Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
"Rice, say the Italians, is born in water and dies in wine," writes author Margaret Visser in her book Much Depends on Dinner. Would that we could all be so lucky? Hmm...that makes me sound a bit like an alcoholic, when I really just meant that I like swimming... Point … [Read more...] about Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
Shrimp and Cod Chowder (Dairy-Free)
Facts: My dad loves seafood chowder and I wanted to make it for him. Problem: It contains gluten and dairy. Goal: Create a gluten free, dairy free seafood chowder recipe that's as good as the original. Challenge: I didn't want to use coconut milk because it makes … [Read more...] about Shrimp and Cod Chowder (Dairy-Free)
Côte-Nord at Montreal en Lumières: Scallops, Deer and Boreal Flavours at Ikanos
I attended the Montreal en Lumières dinner at Ikanos last night, which featured Chef Glenn Forbes from Tadoussac and Ikanos' chef Constant Mentzas preparing a five-course dinner of seafood, game meats, wild mushrooms and berries. They're repeating the dinner tonight … [Read more...] about Côte-Nord at Montreal en Lumières: Scallops, Deer and Boreal Flavours at Ikanos
Tender Pressure Cooker Calamari with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce (aka a Messy Sunset and How to Clean Squid)
I'm standing at my kitchen counter. Late afternoon light is streaming in through the windows as I take my uncleaned squid tubes and tentacles from the fridge. It was $1 less a pound to buy them uncleaned, with the inky skin, entrails and plastic-like clean quills (it's actually … [Read more...] about Tender Pressure Cooker Calamari with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce (aka a Messy Sunset and How to Clean Squid)
Côte-Nord at Montréal en Lumière: Cloudberry Butter, Crowberry Syrup, Balsam Fir Jelly, Rosehip Jam, St-Pancrace Beer and Haskap Berry Juice
This morning I got Tina Tenneriello of Breakfast Television to try jams, jellies, syrups and juices from Quebec's Côte-Nord. Heard of crowberries? Parallèle/51 makes them into a blackcurrant-like syrup. Cloudberries? Mixed with butter for a lightly sweet toast-friendly treat. And … [Read more...] about Côte-Nord at Montréal en Lumière: Cloudberry Butter, Crowberry Syrup, Balsam Fir Jelly, Rosehip Jam, St-Pancrace Beer and Haskap Berry Juice
Cinnamon Spice Bundt Cake (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
There are moments when you need something sweet. "A little sweet tooth tonight?" I was asked yesterday evening as I plunged a spoon into my red currant sorbet. No, a sweet tooth in life, actually, not just last night. It doesn't really go away. Besides, why would I want it to? … [Read more...] about Cinnamon Spice Bundt Cake (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
How Did We Create the “Safe Breakup Venues” Category?
There's a restaurant category on the Feed Me app called "Safe Breakup Venues." People see it and they chuckle, but they don't always know what it means. What makes it onto our Safe Breakup Venues list? Here's how we curate it.Since Feed Me works with the Yelp API, we need to pull … [Read more...] about How Did We Create the “Safe Breakup Venues” Category?
Buffalo Turnip Wings (Vegan)
These sound weird, I know. And I should have posted these before the Super Bowl, I know. But really, I've just saved that handful of football-watching vegans the annoyance of explaining to stereotypical meatitarians how these are better than chicken wings. You're … [Read more...] about Buffalo Turnip Wings (Vegan)