poutine

Carswell: are you referring to the label LA CHINATA? At Douceurs I have seen both the Sweet Smoked & Hot paprika under the La Chinata packaging. The sweet smoked is awesome but at $7.99 very overpriced. About a month or so I picked some up at Maitre Boucher on Monkland at $4.99!! and when I told the guys at Douceurs what I paid, they said they were going to speak with their supplier.

In the late 70s spent a few weeks in a "hut" on a beach in Dahab along the Red Sea coast (now part of Egypt) and we were awoken by a young Bedouin boy collecting the 1 shekel rent and offering up huge, hot chewy pita that his Uma just baked. It consisted of 2 quasi layers that puffed up in areas, were charred in some spots, but it was basically flat and almost impossible to separate the layers without ripping the pita apart. It was a considerable change from the somewhat thick Israeli pita with a pronounced pocket that I had become accustomed to (and still prefer). Makes me want a falafel!

Dear Chef MacGuire, I am very humbled! Thank you so very much for your response and for providing your recipe for the mousse au chocolat. Your directions are very precise and I know that my efforts will not go unrewarded. The old fashioned chocolate mousse as you described is exactly what I made at home but I was not doing something correctly because I found it tasted somewhat "gritty" and the texture was not very nice. I will try my best to recreate what I remembered from PP. Thank you again for sharing your tips, techniques and recipes with us ... et à bientôt!?!

Dear Chef MacGuire, Having never had an opportunity to dine at Passe Partout, but living not too far away from the restaurant, I was fortunate to have been able to take out on many occasions some of your outstanding croissants, various breads and the best darn chocolate mousse I have ever tasted. And then I drove by the establishment & saw it had closed and boy was I bummed! I can only thank you for so many years of providing Montrealers with exceptional food. Would you please grant me a favour? Can you provide your recipe for mousse au chocolat? I would be forever grateful! Thanks so much for being here!

While definitely not a milkshake in the true sense of the word, and if you are counting those darn calories and/or watching your fat intake, an easy and somewhat healthy treat to prepare would be a Batido. While vacationing in Margarita, Venezuela several years ago I was introduced to the Batido. Take a bunch of fresh ripe fruit, add some milk & ice cubes & blend. You are rewarded with a frothy, fruity, somewhat thick milk-based drink and none of the guilt feelings about the 2 for $5 Ben & Jerry pints that you (ok I) could not resist last week.

Best brownie that I have tasted came from a small restaurant called Olive & Gourmando (351, rue Saint-Paul Ouest, 514-350-1083) in Old Montreal. Their brownies contain copious amounts of Valrhona chocolate & Illy coffee and little (if any) flour. They are small but worth every calorie. If ever visiting Montreal, make this restaurant a must stop!

When I asked the guys at the counter about moving to Crescent, they just laughed (really hard). I wonder how seriously they considered a 2nd.

Dunn's was not deemed worthy enough to merit a visit during March's sm marathon (check out the sm martathon thread, especially the mouthwatering pictures pss took). So what's a little 5 hour drive down the 401! You have friends with very good taste ... never abandon your friends.

I know a few people who, despite having grown up in Montreal, will insist that Snow Del's sm is superior. There's no denying that it's good sm, but I've always leaned towards Schwartz's. Ironically I live within a 5 minute walk of S.D. but I'm always willing to travel for my sm fix. Mind you, for all sorts of other Jewish-style take-out .. hmmm, I'm walking over to S.D. now! I feel a smoked fish craving coming on with some mini-danish.

To dispell the rumours that are circulating here & elsewhere, Schwartz's is a) not moving to Crescent and b) uses a dry "marinade" or rub. (All the reviewed restaurants do but to varying successes). The reason that the e-Gulleters went on the smoked meat marathon was due to Mr. Richlers article whereby he appropriated smoked meat from Montreal and transported it back to Toronto whereby it was judged there. We decided that a true test can only be performed right there & then. This principle would apply to New York tasting as well. I also believe that Fat Guy claimed Schwartz's trumped them all.

I've enjoyed the egg tarts at both Tong Por & Lotte and I'd give the edge to Lotte (both for Dim Sum & tarts). There's a few ok bakeries on the people-only part of La Gauchetiere but again, edge to Lotte.

Oh Carswell! Thanks for reminding me ... I had almost forgotten about those lovely custard tartlets that a former co-worker once brought to a pot luck lunch. He picked them up from that very same Portuguese bakery on Rachel and they were delish! Next time at Alati Caserta will try the lobster tails but honestly, everything looked sooo good.

Based on some suggestions from other e-Gulleters, stopped by yesterday and indulged in what I thought were the best canolli's I've ever tasted. Other cakes & patries looked awfully good as well. The establishment's name escapes me however. I have seen a thread where Lesley C. commented (to paraphrase) that she is not very thrilled with the state of patisseries in Mtl and I wonder how folks feel about some of the smaller operations in the city. Walking along Mont-Royal East from St-Laurent to Papineau one comes across many small bakeries/patisseries that always seem filled with customers. Can people comment who they feel makes the best canolli and is that your favorite patisserie/bakery? If not there, where? If hybrids count (eg. it's a restaurant/bakery/patisserie), I would vote highly for Olive & Gourmando, their bread is out of this world and their brownies are incomparable. And if you can finish one of their chocolate brioches in one sitting without assistance, Bravo!!!

Jaime, great letter to the Calgary Sun - way funny! Reminds me of the Montreal vs. Toronto debacles in the 80s, 90s & still to this day.

Loved your pictures ... you truly captured the essence of Montreal's very small but vibrant Chinatown. And Beijing's squid looks real tasty! One of my favourite aspects of Chinatown is walking into Tong Por, Kam Fung or Lotte during Dim Sum and seeing so many pushcarts brimming with all sorts of little tasty treats being offered up to a packed room filled with large multi-generational families (mostly Asian). You know you're in for decent Chinese food when you're practically the only non-Asians in the restaurant.

Your recipe sounds delicious and so much more interesting than my mom's standard (read: boring) brisket. Hmmm perhaps I should start a new family tradition and cook the brisket for our upcoming Seder! I can't find any fault with your technique and based on other Epicurious reviews, most people were quite satisfied. Would love to know how it comes out and what the guests thought.

Bravo Paul! Your pictures truly captured the essence of the day. I can now relive the experience without all the calories. Outstanding job. Hmmm...for the sake of fairness and consistency, we may want to consider holding this as an annual event; food for thought!

I was hoping to add my comments alongside some mouthwatering jpgs (hint Paul!) but no such luck so here's my ratings/comments on visiting 5 delis on March 20. # 1 Schwartz's (Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen) – 10:30 am first stop, meat was absolutely delicious, extremely tender, well seasoned/spiced brisket, great texture and colour, right balance of fat, highly flavorful. We shared a sandwich (medium-fat good size) along with a large plate (also medium-fat). No leftovers. Starting our day at Schwartz’s was ingenious; we practically had the place to ourselves and our waiter was only too happy to indulge us with, no doubt about it, Montreal’s finest smoked meat. # 2 Snowdon Deli – 1:30 pm third stop, meat was very tasty, good spiciness, colour and texture not as authentic as Schwartz’s. Had no difficulties sharing & finishing 2 sandwiches (maybe smallest sandwiches of all 5 delis). Also worth the stop for their excellent Jewish-style take out counter. # 3 Abies – 5:00 fifth and final stop, meat was marginally superior to # 4, a bit spicier but not as tender as others. We ordered 2 fattier sandwiches (good size) and somehow managed to just about eat the whole thing. # 4 Georges – 3:00 pm fourth stop, meat was just ok; slightly briny taste, a bit too fat for my liking, not as well spiced as others. Shared 2 sandwiches (ample size), 1 sandwich was taken home. # 5 The Main – 11:45 am second stop, basically across the street from Schwartz’s, meat was substandard, bad taste, rubbery sponge-like texture, sorry excuse for smoked meat; we shared 1 sandwich and small plate but had significant leftovers. To sum it up: Schwartz's was pretty much in its own class. If you like smoked meat and you've never been, it's well worth the visit and you won't go away disappointed. Snowdon Del is a totally acceptable alternative, Abies and Georges are almost interchangeable (when in DDO ... when in Chomedy) and if it's too cold to stand outside in line at Schwartz's, certainly go across the street to the Main for a rib steak with all the trimmings.

Just checking to see if there were any survivors.... We were remarkably disciplined and so didn't need the portable defibrillator after all. We hit 5 places in the end... wimped out (and timed out) making it out to Smoked Meat Pete. Have lots of photos and video which I'm working on, and VivreManger took plenty of notes... more to follow! Paul It was quite an impressive day, even the snow could not slow us down! Credit to VM for having to drive back today in lousy weather. I am happy to report that everyone ate very well and a great time was had by all. For those not fortunate enough to have easy access to some of the delis we visited, you will surely appreciate Paul's upcoming jpgs and hopefully video. My ratings and comments to follow shortly!

You can just click on e-mail at the bottom of any VM posting. Or you can go to member profile of VM, & click on e-mail in the Communicate section. -Steve Thanks SteveW for the guidance ... I was in touch with VM and I'm seriously hoping to meet all other smoked meat afficionados next Saturday. But someone please tell me that you're willing to share with me because 6 delis = lots of smoked meat!

VM: What an itinerary - sounds like a smoked meat mega marathon! I'd so love to tell you for sure I'll be there but I'll only know by mid-week. How can I get in touch with you by email?

I have fond memories of The Continental restaurant on de la Montagne ~ especially the welcoming amuse-bouche everyone received, the Georges Salad, their French Onion Soup (among the best in the city, imo) and their chocolate mousse was just heavenly. Ah yes, I do miss the oldies discussed here.

Prior to seeing this thread I bought some beautiful Lac Brome duck breasts from the local market (approx 1 pound each) and followed a very fine (and simple!) recipe my dear friend in Whistler got from her butcher in Granville Market in Vancouver for Duck with Fruity Blueberry sauce. After trimming the excess fat off the breast and then scoring the fat and seasoning with salt & lots of pepper, I placed the breasts in a very very hot dry pan to sear and then I immediately lowered the heat. The rendered fat had to be discarded a few times but after about 15-20 minutes on low heat, 95% of the fat was gone and the breast was a lovely bronzed color. Flipping the breast over and searing the meat side for about 3-5 minutes left the duck a perfect medium rare. Let duck rest for about 5 minutes before cutting in thin slices. At the same time, I made a fruit sauce by combining and carmelizing 1/4 cup sugar with 2 T water until deep amber, adding 2.5 T of balsamic (it will bubble up considerably), 1.5 cups chicken broth - allow sauce to reduce to about 1 cup, remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup mixed dry fruit cut into matchsticks and 1 T minced ginger. Prior to serving, rewarm sauce over low heat, whisk in 2 T chilled butter cut into small pieces, add 3/4 cup blueberries, season with salt and pepper. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

B & M gets my vote because they understand the concept of 'crispy bacon', 'soft scrambled', 'lightly poached' and 'over very easy' ~ so happy they have reopened the larger restaurant too.