wattacetti

An old (and ex-) girlfriend wanted to hold a dinner party for some friends and asked me to cook for her. Okay, fine. At least that's what I kept telling myself even when she hands me her menu which listed seafood crepes with bechamel. At the time I'd never made crepes before so I went and hunted down a recipe, gave her the ingredient list and showed up to find… pancake mix. Also only pots; no pans and certainly no crepe pan. Gave up after making a couple of coasters.

I actually didn't look at the menu as a traditional entrée/plat principal/dessert setup because at first glance, it reads and is priced more like a small plate format (the most expensive item on the menu is the foie gras empanada). La Montée de Lait hovers around a similar price range as well, but does go out of its way to say 4 choices for $40. If we hadn't gone for the tasting menu, I would have picked four items: tiradito, scallop, quail, lamb (like I said, not a big dessert type). I had thought our Friday was going to be pretty quiet too (we had reserved for 6:15), and it was… for about an hour. Then the room started filling (walk-ups?).

Any kind of heirloom tomatoes. They're always appreciated. Or shiso.

I like to eat and I don't like getting poisoned.

So, should you go? Yes! Most certainly. Run, don’t walk. Four of us went for dinner last Friday, a little over five weeks after their opening. Raza itself is an elegant understated 24 seat space, with tables running along each side of the room. Pressed white tablecloths, white linens, white plates, and nice stemware and glassware; we kept playing with the interesting butter knives. There is a bar on the left side, and a comfortable reading area just before the kitchen entry where you can either watch Chef Mario Navarrete Jr. through the French doors to the kitchen, or have some quiet time running through the recipe books that are on hand. The front room is manned by co-owner David Neilsen, who provides service in English, French, Spanish and Italian (he doesn’t speak Latin, so you can’t do that Dan Quayle joke). The music is hip, complements the experience and is supplied in a really cool way. When it came to ordering, we elected to go with the Menú degustación 6 platos (two with wine, and two without) because it really is the easiest way to run through the menu and see what Raza’s all about. Actually, we sprang for an unadvertised option, which adds a seventh course (foie gras, $10 extra). The wines served as part of the tasting menu include Errazuriz’s 2004 Fumé Blanc, Rothschild’s 2002 Escudo Rojo, and Cockburn’s Special Reserve port (more on wine later). There is some serious cooking here, with lots of foams, bright flavors, and plenty of clean visual appeal. Raza’s bread is actually a bun made with sweet potato. It’s soft and moist, with a corn bread-like texture though there’s definitely a yeasty crumb. The danger with these things is that you can sit there and blissfully eat them until the cows come home without realizing that dinner’s about to start. Sopa puree de zapallo, marshmallows de canela, aceite de trufas, emulsión de leche The pumpkin soup came as an amuse-bouche in expresso cups. It’s a nice way to start off the meal; this is a hearty little pumpkin puree enhanced with truffle essence and cinnamon, but my main thought was “wow – he makes his own marshmallows”. Tiradito de striped bass cocido en jugo de limon tropical, rocoto, shooter de leche de tigre con espuma de cilantro My understanding of tiradito is that it’s a style of ceviche where the fish is cut very thinly (or flattened) so that it cooks more quickly in citrus; there are also no onions. The striped bass tiradito at Raza is cooked in key lime juice and served alongside a quenelle of mashed sweet potato that balances the acidity of the fish. Leche de tigre is the citrus that the fish is prepared in, and it’s served shooter-style topped off with a coriander foam. Don’t bother with the wine while eating this: the leche de tigre pretty much blows it away. Pepitas suaves cubiertas con huancaína y ocopa, zanahorias orgánicas salteadas These are a dressed-up version of a Peruvian cold potato dish. Raza’s version has balls of mashed potato topped with huancaína, a ají amarillo chile and cheese sauce, and ocopa, a peanut and cheese sauce. It’s a nice refresher after the tiradito; there is a substance to the dish, and the flavors have an earthier feel to them. The Fumé Blanc does not work with the huancaína, as you get an odd muddy flavor but it does pair very well with the ocopa. Arepas de pescado con mojo criollo, tomates cerezas y mousseline de panais It’s a sort-of fish croquette served with parsnip mousse and a mojo criollo. The fish is moist and delicately flavored, and the whole is enhanced with the mojo. A definite winner with the Fumé Blanc. Vieras selladas, copo de camote, caviar tobiko, mousseline de alverjitas y salsa de mirasol This is a nicely-seared scallop topped with sweet potato flakes and tobiko served with pea mousseline. The mirasol provided a nice bite to the sweetness of the scallop. Empanada de foie gras, cerdo y chutney de manzana, reducción de maíz morado I personally prefer to have my foie gras as a torchon and rarely order any of the seared ones found on local menus. Raza’s foie is served in a flaky empanada with a pork and apple filling and an arugula salad dressed with a purple corn reduction. It’s really good; the apple pairs well with and controls the richness of the foie, and the acidity and bite of the arugula and purple corn reduction tone down the sweetness of the apple. As a $10 addition to the tasting menu, it’s a steal. The Fumé Blanc is somewhat too light for this empanada, but did not detract from it. Codorniz rostizada rellena de pan de maíz envuelta en prochuto, barbecue de guava y quinua salteada This is a prosciutto-wrapped quail breast and leg served atop a guava-based barbecue sauce. The leg looked a little weird sitting on its own, but the breast was moist and had good flavor. Quinoa has been popping up at local restaurants recently (Marc Vezina’s been using it at La Gaudriole) but I haven’t quite made up my mind as to whether I like the stuff. The muscular Escudo Rojo seems like an odd pairing for quail, but it works well with guava in the barbecue sauce. We were served a purple corn sorbet with blood orange segments to get us ready for. It’s got a purple Fruit Loops thing going for it, but the blood oranges keep that under control. A nice palate cleanser, though not necessarily always available. Ravioles de chocolate rellenos de chutney de platano, helado de manjar blanco y almendras en caramelo Really good ice cream! I’m not a big dessert fan, and I personally don’t like cooked bananas all that much, but this was a different experience. The banana chutney is encased in crisp chocolate ravioli and the sweetness comes from the ice cream. I said I’d have a word about the wine list so here it is: it’s short. Three whites, five reds, two sparklers and two dessert wines. However, if you concentrate solely on the numeric count, you’re missing the point – David and Mario are trying to do focus on Latin wines (all the reds and whites come out of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) in support of Raza’s concept. Sort of defeats the purpose by stocking the list with French, Australian and Italian bottles for the sole purpose of increasing the list size, though a nice Albariño could be interesting. Though short, what Raza offers is a selection of approachable bottles that are fairly priced and which generally pair well with the menu. I think it’s a commendable effort and also quite the challenge, especially in light of the slim pickings on quality South American labels offered by the SAQ (even I have more South American selections in my personal cellar than the SAQ does). So that’s the food and that’s the wine: how about service. The evening started out quietly enough, but there was quite a bit of walk-up crowd as the evening progressed. We weren’t crowded; everyone was spaced evenly throughout the room, and there was no sense of being hurried. Plates arrived in a timely manner, and service remained attentive though unobtrusive. I had the opportunity to speak with David and Mario about their thoughts on what they’re offering to the Montreal dining scene: it is “French cuisine with a Nuevo Latino twist”. The kitchen influences are mostly Peruvian (e.g. ingredients, saucing) but Mario also pulls from other countries for inspiration. This is different from what David Ferguson is doing at Le Jolifou, which is to fuse French with Mexican influences. I have been to Le Jolifou and it merits the praise it’s received but for me, Raza’s approach on food is somewhat more harmonious: the South American concepts and ingredients mesh better with French style and there were no jarring flavor pairing, which I did find with the Mexican approach. So, would I go back? Most certainly.

Definitely a good winery. I visited on my last trip to San Francisco and came out carting Reserve Cabs and bottles of Ariadne. Not exactly the easiest find in Canada, but certainly well worth the hunt.

While I was in grad school (and when it was plentiful) I used liquid nitrogen a couple of times to make a vodka granite (vodka, simple syrup, cold - not particularly good) and vodka ice cubes. Interesting, but at the time that was about it. The stuff gave quite the kick, especially when people would suck on the ice cubes after they had finished their drinks. You'd want to use the transport dewar and not draw N2 from the tank used to store cell lines.

Um, what did you think skin was made of? The chicken feet will make you the (temporary) talk of the town.

I think this would actually depend on the country/culture as well as the office and particular industry. I remember when my father headed a R&D department, lunches were eaten in the company cafeteria; everyone ate there but where you got to sit (from the table right down to your relative spot at a table) was determined entirely by hierarchy. People had no problems taking food home (the cafeteria was geared that way) but they didn't bring anything since it would look improper to not take up the company's offerings. [aside: the cafeteria was pretty good - 6-8 dishes, 2 soups, and rice or noodles] Where I work, the president of the company eats with the minions at the cafeteria (ergo he suffers the same Sodexho-originated fate as we all do), but there is no issues regarding bringing something. We also have a giant cafeteria so there's no segregation there either. As for food that I'd rather others no see me eat… not much comes to mind since I think about what I can bring that's simple to eat and doesn't cause a mess. I would prefer not to see others eat durian pastries, since that gives the microwave a whole new aroma.

Thanks, I've just blown chunks all over my portable. Pam: There are quite a few good Merlots at several price points which will show off what the grape can do given a good vintner; obviously harder in the sub-$15 category but you'd at least have some fun doing it. The one I've had most recently was a 2000 Château St. Jean (Sonoma, < $50 Cdn): it's well made and definitely not a Twinkie.

Cooking and eating then planning. I always liked to eat and remember from a very early age that that if I wanted to eat well, I better learn how to cook. I don't seriously plan meals unless it's say a dinner party, but I do plan when I travel (visit Oyama and the store on Cambie/39th in Vancouver for charcuterie and BC wines, Calgary for wine, Edmonton for wine, Winnipeg for knives, Toronto to mock the wine coolers).

It's primarily for a chicken dish which is served with blanched bok choy, but it's pretty much the same thing that you're doing with it. I don't braise with it, but I have used it as a condiment for plain noodles.

Normally nothing (not a huge dessert fan), and would stick to cheese or something simple and fruit-based if at a restaurant. However, it'll be a Nestlé fudge Drumstick tonight. I need the freezer space.

Lucky you! I know what this is, and haven't had a good one since the last trip to Taiwan. Wei-chuan's Taiwanese cookbook has a recipe for it, but it's not quite on. I'm going to sit here and eat another nice navel orange to forget that roofing tile at breakfast.

Hmm... interesting that this would be one situation where being diabetic would actually come in handy. I would give the stuff away at the office except that it often comes from office mates. Those aware of the production from Lucretia Borgia-wannabes don't have much solace with the cafeteria since it's a toss up (odd choice of words) between the food gift and the day's production from our friends at Sodexco.

LesleyC wrote in one of her Gazette columns that she'd prefer if someone serves her a meal using the KISS principle rather than attempt to do something they really shouldn't. People should listen, but they don't. I have been in similar "food gift" situations though with the following differences: 1. Most of the people I know can't cook. 2. Some of the people can't cook but believe they can. 3. Others know they can't cook but try and make something for me anyway. There's this children's commercial where kids tap dance, do magic tricks, study bugs etc. while the overdub says that no one is good at everything but everyone is good at something. I try and keep that in mind and desperately hope that I've hit the "good at something" when such offerings are placed in front of me. Sometimes it's not so bad; other times it ranks right up there on the list of atrocities (e.g. canoli but filled with salted ricotta, durian cream and raisins). It was easier when I was in grad school to eliminate some of the candidates since the others in the lab didn't care if they were eating roadkill on styrofoam chips so long as it was free. However, regardless of what I get, I lock in that smile (smiling really does suppress the gag reflex), nod my head and say "thank you". Edited for grammar/missing text: you try typing intelligently after eating what amounts to be a roofing tile for breakfast.

Anything! Fresh- or salt-water, all fish are good to me, though I'm not in the habit of eating fish in batter (too much Cap'n Highliner at one point). Since it's winter, I've been partial to Patagonian Toothfish (especially good when pan roasted with a port reduction). I've also been on the road a lot in the past couple of weeks, so I'm seeing a lot of the "in" fish - halibut, skate, black cod. Staples such as salmon, sole, trout, tuna, snapper and tilapia(!) have also made appearances on menus I've read.

I once saw someone acquiring some affordable pigeons in the bus terminal in front of the Montreal Children's Hospital (required equipment: a cloth bag and perhaps some shots). The restaurant scene I'm not too worried about though it seems that recently all outings have been small plate affairs for $40-45 (perhaps a different concept). There are other places in other cities that I've liked better but Montreal holds its own there. I have given up on Asian and Mexican fare (don't do Indian) and don't think we're going to see decent wine lists at Asian restaurants because the wine culture hasn't stuck. Not like you're going to see decent wine lists in say Taiwan; they're currently into ice wines and Beaujolais Nouveau. I have found fresh lobster mushrooms at the Atwater Market, but they were of so-so quality so I have to presume they'd been sitting there a while. The SAQ had brought in a nice but small selection of German Rieslings in 2004, and that moratorium should go at some point should the strike ever end. Still too heavy on the French and Italian offerings, but that's what Alberta's decentralized system's for. If you want depressing selections, go to the LCBO's flagship store in Toronto: no Sancerres (at all) but a sea of wine coolers are ready for the passing. As for street food, you can theoretically get a hot dog on McGill University premises during the summer because the stands sit on university territory and not public property. The rest of it has to do with that bylaw that's fearful street vendors being the cause of of rats and epidemics. Toronto street food really is summed up as hot dogs and sausages. I'd like to see some decent Spanish charcuterie: prosciutto and bayonne are similar but not jamón, but we're also missing lomo, morcilla and salchichon among other things. Wouldn't mind getting some pasture-raised beef (for taste, not the other thing) and salt marsh lamb either.

That's a cool idea and beats that heck out of trying to inflate a chicken. What did they use to substitute for the slivers of duck meat? Slivers of chicken I presume…

I doubt there's adequate material there to say, render chicken fat from it, so it's going to be crackling or nothing. Behemoth is however, right: chicken breast with the skin on allows you to do things like keep the chicken breast moist while cooking, having something to slip flavoring agents under and adding another texture and related flavor to the final dish. Unless you're doing something like microwaving the pieces straight, keep the skins on the next chicken you section.

When I've had a moment, I've been reading Andreas Viestad's Kitchen of Light, originally due to his series is being carried on the local PBS affiliate. Interesting; I can see myself taking some of the stuff into my repertoire, though I'd probably not have that many takers for his cheeseburger (pork, venison, grouse, foie gras centre).

I've got a friend who has MAC knives; she swears by them even though her greatest challenge is cutting bell peppers into strips. I tried them and they have as comfortable a hand feel as my Wustofs but I elected not to buy. Why? I saw the eGullet thread about Alton Brown pimping Kershaw Shun and then got a chance to try one of the blades.

Small update to this. I made a "straight" risotto (Arborio, onion, wine, stock, cheese, butter) and actually had half of a pomegranate sitting in the refrigerator so I took a bit aside and finished it with some of the seeds to mimic what Head Chef Richard does at the Glass House. In a word, eww… It looks weird. Apart from the odd acidic taste that simply clashes with the cheese in the risotto, there's an odd mouth feel as one bites into the pomegranate. The image that popped into my head at the first forkful was "this would be the same sensation as biting into a pimple."

Whatever you feel most comfortable using. I currently have only Wustof Classic, but am looking for a local source for Kershaw Shun Pros.

That would now be exactly five jars remaining, not counting the one whose top has already popped off (I told the store staff but I don't know if they've removed it). $2.59 apiece, and I'm happily staring at my 10. Thanks carswell! Now onto the aji amarillo.