iharrison

If you like excellent food, stay away from every place in your original post and pore over this forum. That Kids in the Hall line is the equivalent of "The only celebrity I would love to bump into in Australia is Crocodile Dundee, which is unlikely!" Too funny.

I have a fair number of cookbooks old and new but more often than not, I reach for a dog-eared, grease-stained Joy of Cooking or The Cook's Book.

This just in from my friend: Went to Bliss last night here in Gothenberg. (Per the recommendation of your e-gullet friend) AMAZING. I took a consultant from the US there and she was blown away. Tuna Tartar & salmon prosecutor, Smoked Aubergine soup, Saddle of Piglet, and Cherry Creme Brulee. All drizzled with wonderful sauces. Incredible.

A friend of mine needs some help from knowledgeable Quebec residents: I just started a new gig for a food show called Glutton for Punishment with host Bob Blumer. The premise of the show is that he'll be going around the world and entering different extreme food contests. I'm looking for food events/contest in Quebec for the month of July so I'm hoping you guys might know some or might know some people that will know. For example we were thinking it could be a goat milking contest in some Quebec village or something like that. The main thing is there has to be some physical challenge for the host ... Can anyone help here?

You may have to settle for a place like Mythos ... Do try the hotels though, Renoir in Sofitel, XO in St. James ...

The Canton is a gargantuan country breakfast in a cast iron skillet complete with all the classics (pork, eggs, potato, beans) and more ... best hangover cure by far for a fair price. Just make sure to go on the weekend. Go to Club C&P if you can.

Cuisine Gourmet is just around the corner from you on Drummond ... http://www.cuisinegourmet.com/index_e.htm but I buy all my kitchen gadgets at Quincallerie Dante, near J-T market. Hamel and Qui Lait Cru? are the cheese shops. Slovenia on Clark is a great butcher, they should have what you need.

Your itinerary will offer you superb selection of Montreal highlights ... but please ditch Maestro! Really not worth it at all. And Chez L'Epicier is not the ideal place to pick up a picnic lunch. Eat a meal there, but it is not a market, despite the name. Head to Atwater Market instead. You won't regret it. Yikes, I'm editing here because I just saw Eggspectations. Stay away at all costs. Have breakfast at Le Cartet instead, in Old Montreal, on McGill, a block up from de la Commune. The weekend brunch is incredible. If you want breakfast in Old Montreal during the week, head to Olive & Gourmando. Just please, please don't go to Eggspectations. Promise?

A good friend of mine is travelling to Gothenburg on business next week and needs advice on where and what to eat in the city. Anyone here know the town well? Can anyone help? Thanks in advance.

Dallas foodies, I need your help. A good friend of mine will be in your fair city for most of the summer and has no clue where to eat. Where, in your opinion, would she be absolutely crazy, insane, to miss? What are the best restaurants in Dallas, from low-end hideouts to high-end joints? What are your favorites? Help!

I had a great lunch on the terrasse of Leméac today (Monday).

My father is from Guyana and I grew up with curry, roti, pepper pot, black cake and various other typical dishes on our table. I have never been but would love to take my father back to his birth country next year for the ICC World Cup of Cricket. Do we have any Guyanese here or has anyone been recently?

This is great so far. Thank you all. Any particular neighborhoods that stand out as foodie faves? i.e. ideal for pedestrians, easy to walk into places to grab a good, quick bite, coffee, pastry, sandwich, whatever.

Smart move. Chez L'Epicier is dead on Sunday nights.

The best tartare I have had is indeed at Joe Beef. It was ethereal and perfect. It may not however, be on the menu on any given night. Au Pied de Cochon has excellent tartares as well. I have not had steak tartare there but the deer tartare is superb. I had wild salmon tartare there last night with roe and it was wonderful.

It is quite possible. Your post serves as a painful reminder of the inordinate amount of dinner invitations of late from people I consider good friends and usually hold in high esteem, to various all-you-can-gorge sushi establishments downtown and ugh, LaSalle and double ugh, the South Shore.

Excellent point about Boris. I live around the corner and the construction in the area over the past year has been a major nuissance.

This flirtation with spring is a tease but we are on the verge of ideal terrasse conditions. I was about to add in the Joe Beef thread that Dave and Fred have built a nice little area out back in which to dine this summer. Other than that, I look forward to a drink at Verses Sky and Les Éclusiers, not to mention a bite at Café Méliès, Leméac, Bice and Aix La Terrace. I also like the terrasse at Boris Bistro on McGill. What Montreal terrasse do you jones for when the weather warms up? N.B. I purposely did not resurrect the terrasse thread from 2003.

I would respectfully nominate Anguilla as a phenomenal spot for superior food.

Not that I've seen so far. But then, you don't have to go Babette's Feast every time you go. It's possible, if not difficult.

Taro - 862 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est - (514) 289-9888 It is pointless to compare sushi scenes. Even if the nori is greener on the other side. (But that still does not change the fact that I'm craving more variety here! Even if I still go out for sushi all the time!)

Rafa's is by now almost as famous as elBulli, perhaps not entirely due to Tony, but Tony's been a big booster. Rafa himself, is an enthusiastic fan of Tony's. So many elBulli diners want to eat at Rafa's as well as elBulli that Rafa may be the harder reservation to get, as there are far fewer tables and if the catch that day isn't up to Rafa's standards, the restaurant doesn't open. ← I don't doubt it for a second! I'm looking forward to making a pilgrimmage to both.

Anguilla has fantastic restaurants but you will pay for it. The island is very expensive. But worth it in my opinion, for the sheer exclusivity and privacy. Do NOT miss (in order of preference): Michel Rostang at Mallihouhana Straw Hat Hibernia Blanchard's Kemia at Cap Juluca George's at Cap Juluca (order a Junior Special at the bar and hit the beach) Pimm's at Cap Juluca Tasty's In St. Martin, do NOT miss Hilda's roadside soul food near-ish the airport (coldest beers on the island), Lal's Indian food (right next to the airport), Spiga in Grand Case, bbq ribs, lobster and coconut ice cream at the open air soul food joint (the name escapes me now) in Grand Case, right on the beach practically (just look for the crowd). In general, all the best places to eat are in Grand Case and definitely on the French side.

No need to apologize Vin. We agree. As I wrote, Taro = good scene and good creativity by a chef who has limited food resources in comparison to counterparts in New York or Japan.

In many conversations over the years with Japanese restaurant owners and chefs about the horrid lack of sashimi variety, the principal retort I have heard is not that they cannot afford bluefin for example but that they fear their customers cannot and moreover would not plunk down the cash even if they could. I disagree. I'm dying for some variety in this city. All the sashimi menus look the same and you can count on two hands the types of fish and seafood we have to choose from. It's gotten excruciatingly boring. I had the best sushi of my life at Yasuda in New York two weeks ago. The sashimi menu was a mile long. The variety and quality was staggering. As was the price. With that being said, I'll move on to my little report on Taro. I've been there three times and yes, if you were a fan of the orginal Shodan when Billy held court behind the bar with Romeo and Flower Power, some of that old sensibility is back, albeit in a much more slick and posh setting. The inventiveness is there, especially with the makis and sauces, which is where you should concentrate your hunger. Order from the chef's specialty menu and stay away from the standard sashimi and sushi. The beef and duck teriyaki, something I usually never order at a Japanese joint, are excellent. Avoid the dumplings and salads. You're much better off with a selection of Billy's specialties. If you like the supperclub scene, make a late reservation on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. After midnight the bottles start flowing and the bar and dancefloor revs up. The restaurant has managed to lure a slew of respectable DJs to spin over the past few months. It's a nice scene. When I was there on a recent Wednesday night, a fashion show broke out in the middle of dinner. It didn't suck to have a hot leggy model in heels parade around my table while I slurped grilled unagi through my chopsticks. If you like that sort of thing, Taro can be a lot of fun.