onionbreath

Forgot about the "spice du jour'', cumin's making the rounds. And as per vegetables- cauliflower seems to be resurrected.

New trends for 2005: designer meats including Kurobuta pork, Wagyu and Kobe beef, "open meadow" lamb. Fish from New Zealand. Homemade fresh cheeses. What do ya'll think?

Dined at Devi last saturday night. Having been to Amma, I was really surprised by the contrast in atmosphere. Amma is smaller, cozier, a quiet peaceful dining experience. At Devi , the room with its high ruby red ceiling , plushy banquettes, constant music, somehow felt a bit pretentious. We decided to have the tasting menu with the wine pairing. Unfortunately there were no wines on the menu from India( unlike Amma where we enjoyed a surprisingly good wine from Bangalore.) Neither our waiter or maitre d' were very informative about any of the wines they served to us however the service was friendly,attentive and swift. In fact too swift. I felt almost hurried through each course. Perhaps this is more a problem stemming from the kitchen , but the pace was so rushed we barely found time to finish are "modest" amounts of wine before the plates, cutlery and glasses were scooped up and replaced. The food was wonderful, the pickles (eggplant, orange) were outstanding,and most memorable was the melt in your mouth lamb and the perfectly cooked tandoori shrimp. The tasting menu at Devi is really very generous, the only thing missing were the breads,no naan or chapaati were offered. All in all the meal was very good ,we went home content with Suvir 's new cookbook tucked snugly under the arm.

Passed by the old digs of passe partout (decarie) and noticed a new sign up , looks like its turning into a southern bbq joint. With any like we'll get a good dry rub. Wonder if they'll be putting in a real smoker? Anybody know more details?

Appreciate the feedback, will start inquiring.

That's the challenge. It's easy to find plenty of good options in this city for $40+ a head, but not everyone can afford this. There are also those who do not care that much about food in general and don't see the value in spending on food or fine dining.

Having a goodbye party for a colleague at work. It will be in June, about 25 people, probably buffet style. Aprox $25 per person. Any ideas?

Haven't been for a long while but Patisserie Belge for croissants(laurier) and Passe Partout get my vote.

Looking for a good resto to show out-of-towners an interesting area while dining portuguese. Anything around Dundas W. or College st. wothwhile? And while I know Chiado to be very good, its a little too high end /not what I had in mind for the evening. Oh, have also been to Joso's and was hoping to try something new. Any suggestions?

Franchises or "Casual Spin-Offs" .... let's face it, it's all business ventures for the Kings of the World. Isn't that what predominates in Vegas? Mario Batali has a few in NCY (oTTO, iNOTECA),they are instant hits but time will tell. They tend to be slightly less expensive than the original Pappa-bear but still nowhere near what I would consider affordable or outstanding by Montreal standards. And, Kevin, great cooking and great ingredients is something that I am certain can be found by exposing oneself to MANY kitchens and cultures ,great or small.

Exactly what would it add?

I think you miss my point,chazzy. It's not about Zagat's which has already been discussed to death on other posts.

For whatever its worth, let's not forget The Grocery, a small Brooklyn restaurant, was rated ABOVE Ducasse in Zagat's this year. Do we really need another expensive resto in Mtl from an absentee starchef who smells a good investment?

Hope it's not truffles baby food. Do let us know.

Dined out at Les Chevres a few weeks ago. Chose the tasting menu and was not particularly thrilled. My complaint is more with the texture of each dish or rather LACK OF. The first three courses were all moussy/puree variations, including a particularly dull mushroom flan. No outstanding flavors. The somellier was slow, he totally missed one course he was planning to pair with a white burgundy. (This really ticked me off because it was the one wine we were really looking forward to ,'Jean de la Vigne'2001, Domaine Cordier). He did apologize and managed to serve us the burgundy later on. The cheese course that was offered was a spin on a grilled cheese sandwich. Personally, with all those wonderful cheeses on display, I really would have preferred a simple cheese plate to finish. I really want to like this place but its just not working for me. Anyone else feel this way?

Yes, Culatello, was fortunate to experience the pleisures of Enoteca dining in Roma, Firenze and in the Emilia-Romagna region where I discovered the beauty of pairing cheese with perfumed honey spooned from a large slab of honeycomb and, oh what selections of home-made cured meats... Hard to reproduce here. Am looking forward to checking out Bu.

And does this buddy of yours sell his burrata commercially????????? That's a mighty small tongue,veal tongue. Have had it mainly as a part of pot au feu. What did you have in mind for it Culatello?

Here's a link that explains Burrata. Unfortunately I have had no luck finding it in Montreal. It's perishable(about 5 days). It is available in New York City at Murray's or Dean and Deluca's where there's enough demand. http://www.thefoodsection.com/foodsection/...g_list_b_1.html Regarding Cod ,was thinking more Atlantic, pan roasted, on a bed of greens; an uncomplicated dish that is set to replace the redundant and very tired (farm-raised)salmon. Black Cod is incredible but seems to have done the circuit IMHO.

I agree, simple things can really shine, new trend predictions: burrata, slow cooked marrow bone, and cod as the new fish du jour.

Anymore details about this new spot? Does it serve enoteca style food, antipasti?

Tried the pizza#11 at La V.C. recently, its certainly better than average, arrives crisp and light but still tends to get soggy quickly. Toppings included fresh spinach, ricotta and bruschetta . Unfortunately the bruschetta (bad idea) contributes to the sogginess. My partner chose the sausage and hot pepper pizza that had sliced canned olives with rubbery "nothing special" sausage. My advice is to stick to a basic cheese and tomato pizza here. It would be nice to see a sprinkiling of fresh herbs as a finish, a little basil or marjoram goes a long way.

Culatello, Having overlooked la vielle cheminee, will definitely try it . I 'd be more than happy to report back with my tail tucked between my legs admitting that good pizza does exist in our fine city.

There is no good pizza in Montreal but there's a terrific place in Providence, Rhode Island at Al Forno. Next road trip check it out.

Culatello: Mali Cafe on St. Laurent sells machines and some private import coffees. They are knowledgable about blends and quality. Their coffees are milder than most espressos because they prefer lighter roasting methods. I really admire their dedication to coffee but I truly hate the results. What i do like at Cafe d'italia is the real richness of flavour and subtle bitterness. Everyone there pulls a very tight shot. Their big weakness is some of their milk drinks, where they tend to start with a thin allonge. I have had some horrible restaurant coffees here. I rarely have desserts or coffee at home, so it is a real bummer when some restos with very imaginative desserts DESTROY the experience by serving coffee that would have them killed in a civalized society. Two recent examples of this blemish are Lemeac and Brunoise. Sending back $3-4 coffees to people who just don't get it is a very aggravating way to end a nite out. P.S. does anyone sell culatello in Montreal or must I go back to Parma for a fix?

Would recommend La maison Kam Fung@ 1111 St-Urbain, great clams,oysters (when in season), noodles,greens. A touch more pricey but worth the extra few dollars.