It's once again Montreal Restaurant Day, the day when anyone can open a restaurant and sell whatever the heck they want. It takes around the world (no, we didn't invent it) but our safe city makes for a great day of wandering from stranger's house to stranger's house in search of … [Read more...] about Top 3 Picks for Restaurant Day Montreal
Wines to Try and the Beginning of the Cold-Weather Drinking Season
Craving a glass (or so) of Sangiovese, Syrah or Xynomavro around the end of November doesn't mean you're an alcoholic – it just means you're Canadian. There's a hibernating effect of the cold weather that makes a lot of us want to spend the early onset evenings sipping something … [Read more...] about Wines to Try and the Beginning of the Cold-Weather Drinking Season
Blueberry Wine Chicken with Arugula
I love things bittersweet. The same way The English Patient pulls your heartstrings is how I feel about Aperol, or dark chocolate, or this recipe for sweet blueberry wine and bitter herbs. I think of it as balance. Because without the bitterness, how would you know what was … [Read more...] about Blueberry Wine Chicken with Arugula
Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots and White Wine
This is one of those "looks fancy, but isn't" recipes. You roast a bunch of fennel and carrots with some white wine and then throw some marinated chicken breasts on top, letting their juices soak into the vegetables. If you feel ambitious, you add some beans and peas. Yup, … [Read more...] about Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots and White Wine
Invitation V at MTL à Table
My first stop this year for Mtl à Table, the magical restaurant week of prix fixe menus, was Invitation V, a vegan gastronomic bistro on rue Bernard in the Mile End. "Wait, wait, wait..." you say, as the oxymoron rings in your ears. "Gastronomic bistro" and "vegan" in … [Read more...] about Invitation V at MTL à Table
Montreal Vegan Fest
The second weekend of Mtl à Table -- the time of year when foie gras can be found on $41 prix fixe menus citywide -- might not seem like the best time to hold the annual Montreal Vegan Festival. But when you've OD-ed on pork belly and tapped out on crème caramel, maybe it's the … [Read more...] about Montreal Vegan Fest
Loïc Wine Bar and Two Wine Events in Montreal
First there was Ludger. Now there's Loïc. Here's what you need to know about the second wine bar in Montreal's St-Henri neighbourhood: Decor. It's in an old bank, so the ceilings are high, the feel is hipster but with a grungy looking seating area in front of the bar and a … [Read more...] about Loïc Wine Bar and Two Wine Events in Montreal
MTL a Table and the Best Restaurants for Dinner, Lunch and Brunch
It's Montreal restaurant week time again – that magical part of the year when a week is defined as 11 days (Oct. 29 to Nov. 8, 2015).* All the better for us, since that means four more days of prix fixe menus at some of Montreal's top restaurants. Most restaurants give two … [Read more...] about MTL a Table and the Best Restaurants for Dinner, Lunch and Brunch
The St-Henri Taco War, Tacos Victor, and the Hunt for Tomatillo Salsa
I'd been craving tomatillo salsa ever since hearing about three new taco places in St-Henri: 1. A hipster-looking Tequila bar where the tacos were reviewed as pretty alright. 2. A dirt cheap Mexican Tacqueria type of place where pork and al pastor reigns supreme. But quality was … [Read more...] about The St-Henri Taco War, Tacos Victor, and the Hunt for Tomatillo Salsa
Three Slow-Cooker Recipes and Throwing Off Winter with Lamb Tajine, Tequila Chicken Tacos and the Ultimate Tomato Sauce
Was that snow falling outside my window the other day? I refuse to believe that those big pillows of fluff weren't hallucinations. There's no way we're subzero and it's not even November yet. My general rule is that if it's not worse in Newfoundland than here in Montreal at any … [Read more...] about Three Slow-Cooker Recipes and Throwing Off Winter with Lamb Tajine, Tequila Chicken Tacos and the Ultimate Tomato Sauce