dutchrusk

here's a list of delightful spatlese rieslings, most of quality, available at the lcbo for $20 and under: HAUTT RUDESHEIMER ROSENGARTEN SPATLESE Germany | WEINGUT EDUARD HAUTT K.G. LCBO 37507 | 750 mL | $ 12.05 SIEGERREBE SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut Werner Anselmann VINTAGES 722041 | 750 mL | $ 14.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2002 Germany | Weingut Louis Guntrum VINTAGES 913848 | 750 mL | $ 14.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut Königswingert VINTAGES 915975 | 750 mL | $ 14.95 SCHEUREBE SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut Meiser VINTAGES 927830 | 750 mL | $ 14.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2002 Germany | Weingut Carl Finkenauer VINTAGES 996249 | 750 mL | $ 14.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Porta Nigra VINTAGES 927749 | 750 mL | $ 15.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 1995 Germany | Weingut Dr. Zenzen VINTAGES 960138 | 750 mL | $ 17.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 1999 Germany | Weingut J. & .H.A. Strub VINTAGES 707117 | 750 mL | $ 18.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 1998 Germany | Weingut Studert-Prüm VINTAGES 912659 | 750 mL | $ 18.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2002 Germany | Weingut J. & H. Selbach VINTAGES 995738 | 750 mL | $ 18.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut Hans Lang VINTAGES 901280 | 750 mL | $ 19.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut Villa Sachsen VINTAGES 905489 | 750 mL | $ 19.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut Karl Lingenfelder VINTAGES 928192 | 750 mL | $ 19.95 RIESLING SPATLESE 2001 Germany | Weingut G.H. von Mumm VINTAGES 980185 | 750 mL | $ 19.95 here's a list of spatlese wines available from the saq under $20: 0

nice little editorial in la presse about saq and its greedy little ways. . . SAQ: maintenant à nous… Marc Londei Ste-Julienne Enfin, peut-être, la lumière au bout du tunnel de ce long conflit à la SAQ, à condition bien sûr que soit ratifiée l'entente par les membres du SEBM. Ce sera certes un fastidieux retour au travail pour tous ces gens qui ont peiné et trimé dur pendant ces trois mois de grève, peiné financièrement, peiné contre le froid, les scabs et les gens nombrilistes et peu scrupuleux qui ont franchi les piquets de grève. Nombreux sont ceux qui ont franchi la frontière ontarienne et fait leurs achats à la LCBO. Comme le mentionnait, à moins de me tromper d'auteur, Vincent Marissal dans un article antérieur, les coûts des vins du côté ontarien sont en moyenne 10% moins élevés qu'à notre chère SAQ (devrions nous maintenant dire «très chère» SAQ). À titre d'exemple, même vin, même code, le Barcelo Penascal-Castilla Y Leon se vend 9,05$ à la LCBO contre 12,75$ à la SAQ. C'est pas mal plus que 10% de différence. Que vaut, aux Québécois, ce bonheur de payer à fort prix leurs produits? Serait-ce du surtaxage? Serait-ce la gourmandise de nos gouvernements? Nos dirigeants de la SAQ vont sûrement s'empresser de nous refiler une nouvelle augmentation des prix, nouvelle convention collective oblige. La population a quelque peu été prise à partie lors de ce conflit et devra sûrement en faire les frais à nouveau, sans mot dire. Passons donc un message clair à nos détrousseurs dits «légaux» de portefeuilles, continuons d'acheter ontarien, ceci rappellera peut-être à nos dirigeants que la population n'est pas aussi crédule qu'on voudrait bien le croire.

hey, carswell, got the creme fraiche from exofruits today ( i haven't been there for a year or so). very nice. thx for the bento box referrals--i'm a fan of isakaya, will now try to get there at lunchtime rather than dinner. the hands-down-greatest-doner in montreal is decidedly not in laval. it's on jean-talon in parc ex, about three blocks west of parc. i believe the official name is village souvlaki grecque, not to be confused with similar names around town. most doner meat in montreal (and elsewhere) tastes like alpo 'n' woodchips. these are crispy, juicy beef-pork-lamb shards to die for. the telephone number--from memory, i might add--is 274-4371. they deliver around mile-end, etc. i have eaten the doner, without exaggeration, over 200 times. it's that good. i agree, it's sad we don't have the demographics from puerto rico and the dominican republic. also, of course, we sadly lack cubans, which i meant to type instead of the second 'dominicans'. found desi ghee in a couple of places now, apparently both 'desi' and 'usli' mean ghee from butter, which i wanted, and not from vegetable oil. thx for the list of groceries, though. it depresses me to agree with you completely on the likelihood of whole foods and other stores coming to town. of all things to be infused with reflexive nationalism, why grocery retailing? i mean all countries have wasteful/entrenched food regulations and quotas (rice self-sufficiency in japan, sugar in the states, dairy and wine etc. in europe) but this is different. a place like whole foods, and any other quality retailer, will open up new markets for local products across the board. the whole foods i went to in t.o. was downtown, in nyc it was in chelsea, and chicago was in a plateau-like area, close to the urban center. although i read online they're thinking of expanding to here and ottawa, i won't hold my breath. is jtm boucherie one of the new ones in jtm extension? used to go to it on st-denis, where they carried goose fat. they didn't have it the last time i went to the market, only duck fat (which is great, of course). god, there should be more goose around town than just the few places i know. when i was in hungary, i ate fresh teppertu: goose cracklings, like chicharron. they still had some downy feathers attached and deep-fried! what's not to love? glad you found lard. haven't walked by recently, so no name yet, but it's definitely on duluth, not roy, around du bouillon or so. south side of the street. starts with an s . serrano? soares? outstanding chorizo and blood sausage. a couple of fine portuguese cheeses, and jams from portugal made only with fruit and sugar. some are european berries that i haven't come across before--the texture is thick and grainy, great to have with cheese. the citrus oils i want are not infused, they're pure oil from the rinds of grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine. the company is boyajian--look 'em up online. they have one or two kinds in atwater, but at outrageous prices (although they are pricey anyway in new york, where i saw them). next time i go down i'll get some--or i might just buckle down and pay here. a little dab'll do you for a long time, as they are intense and concentrated. one thing i should add about montreal for this thread, is obvious--it's bloody frozen over almost half the year. this makes our hit-and-miss food scene at least understandable, if not fully acceptable.and while stews and other comfort food, and winter ingredients , are wonderful, it does impact severely on the quality of fruits and vegetables available. we aren't northern california, that's for sure, nor can we be. but why are much of the imports rock hard and tasteless--even in the summer? the royal galas and fujis are often soft and insipid, peaches and pears rock-hard, apricots and plums mealy, asparagus woody, mushrooms "mush"-y and so on. oh, well...

unfortunately, i have no contacts to suggest. but no one replied to this query, so i'm trying to bring it back into play. i know there are catering places that deliver real food, and give super-busy people the opportunity to chow down on something other than lean cuisine on non-restaurant nights. pony up the info, people!

always a treat to read the yearly saveur 100. #60 on their list is a restaurant in toronto named beerbistro, where 80% of the food is prepared with beer, including ice cream (yes, please) and raw bacon (thank you, sir, may i have another?) below is the long beer menu (including many fine microbrews from our fair province) from their website. after reading it, i wiped the tears from my eyes. like jimmy carter, i have lust in my heart--but for suds. and for the saq-legal experts on this board, a question: could an individual set up a specialized beer store (and/or beer bar) and import those gazillions of beers we never get to see? can one deal directly with importers and dealers, as with wine, and just give the saq their tithe? ABOUT OUR DRAUGHT SYSTEM The first thing you notice about the bar at beerbistro is that instead of being out front, our draught taps are lined up behind the bar. We like this approach because it not only clears the bartop of unsightly draught towers, but also arranges the tap handles in a way that is easy to see. What you don't see, however, is what goes on behind the taps. Our entire draught system is state-of-the-art, custom designed for us by the industry leader, Perlick. We've spared no expense, from the highest quality beer lines to the newest, most sanitary taps on the market, in order to bring you the freshest, cleanest and tastiest glass of draught beer possible. We think it was worth the effort, and we hope you'll agree. draught QUENCHING - Softly spicy and fruity German- and Belgian-style wheat beers Blanche de Chambly (Québec; 5% alc.) $4.70/350 ml A light and refreshing, Belgian-style wheat beer accented by notes of coriander and orange peel. Denison's Weissbier (Ontario; 5.4% alc.) $5.98/half-litre or $4.06/300 ml Subtly spicy, fruity and citrusy, this Bavarian-style wheat beer is a flavourful thirst-quencher. CRISP - Dry, refreshing and moderately bitter to appetizingly hoppy lagers King Brewery Dark Lager (Ontario; 4.8% alc.) $5.98/half-litre or $4.06/300 ml An off-dry lager with hints of chocolate and caramel rounding out its otherwise crisp character. King Brewery Pilsner (Ontario; 4.8% alc.) $5.98/half-litre or $4.06/300 ml The robust hoppiness of this superb Czech-style pilsner is calmed by significant malty sweetness. Hacker-Pschorr Edelhell (Germany; 5.5% alc.) $5.56/400 ml This dry, golden and not-too-bitter refresher is brewed in the heart of Munich. SOCIABLE - Medium bodied, wonderfully balanced ales and lagers Creemore Springs Premium Lager (Ontario; 5% alc.) $5.13/half-litre or $3.63/300 ml An Ontario cult favourite, this boasts a lightly hoppy, roundly malty and gently fruity character. St. Andre Vienna Lager (Ontario; 4.7% alc.) $5.56/half-litre or $3.85/300 ml A bit sweet and roasty up front, this Austrian-style lager is dry and quenching in the finish. SATISFYING - Gently bitter and chocolaty or roasty ales, porters and stouts Black Oak Christmas Nutcracker (Ontario; 5.5% alc.) $5.56/half-litre or $3.85/300 ml This richly malty ale is accented with soft notes of roast and spice leading to a warming finish. Fuller's London Porter (England; 5.4% alc.) $5.98/half-litre or $4.06/300 ml Slightly sweet and liquorice-accented, this London-brewed porter is a robust, softly roasty treat. Mill Street Coffee Porter (Ontario; 5.5% alc.) $5.98/half-litre or $4.06/300 ml Mill Street uses freshly roasted beans from Balzac's Coffee to flavour this robust but well-balanced porter. St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (Québec; 5% alc.) $5.98/half-litre or $4.06/300 ml This rich, mocha-ish, softly fruity and silky textured stout certainly ranks as Canada's finest. BOLD - Ales with a moderate to full bitterness and a naturally fruity character Mill Street Tankhouse Ale (Ontario; 5.2% alc.) $5.13/half-litre or $3.63/300 ml This balanced ale combines citrusy hoppiness with rounded maltiness and a soft hint of spice. Scotch Irish Brewing Co. Corporal Punishment (Ontario; 5.3% alc.) $5.56/half-litre or $3.85/300 ml Think of this seriously hoppy beer from Scotch Irish Brewing as a sort of super-charged brown ale. ROBUST - Rich, warming and malty beers of impressive complexity Granite Brewery Peculiar Ale (Ontario; 5.6% alc.) $5.56/half-litre or $3.85/300 ml Despite its name, there's nothing odd about this slightly sweet and fruity, deeply malty ale. Leffe Brune (Belgium; 6.5% alc.) $5.55/350 ml Softly spicy and chocolaty, this ale is one of the very few Belgian draughts to make it to Canada. SPICY - Well-rounded, naturally spicy and warming ales and lagers Chouffe Blonde (Québec; 8% alc.) $4.70/300 ml Crafted in the great Belgian tradition of strong yet refreshing ales, this is a spicy golden beauty. La Maudite (Québec; 8% alc.) $4.70/300 ml We welcome the return of the draught version of this remarkable, spicy-malty beauty from Québec. FRUITY - Ales fermented or finished with real fruits or fruit juices Snoreau (Quebec; 7% alc.) $4.99/300 ml For a very limited time we are proud to present this tart cranberry ale with a quenching character. Amsterdam Framboise (Ontario; 6.5% alc.) $4.99/300 ml This ruby-red ale is fermented with real raspberries, which gives it a slightly tangy, full-fruit flavour. UNPREDICTABLE - This week's guest beer Dayna's Beer of the Moment - Market Price Our version of the 'Guest Tap,' selected by our resident bar manager and Beer Goddess, Dayna. Try a Taster! Any 3 Draught Samples for Only $6! Check Out These beerbistro Bin Ends We're Down to Our Final Few Bottles and Cans of These Fine Beers, Get Them While You Can! Affligem Blond (Belgium, 6.8% alc.) $6.89/330 ml Cochonnette (Belgium; 9% alc.) $7.89/330 ml Deuchars IPA (Scotland; 4.4% alc.) $9.49/330 ml Liefmans Frambozen (Belgium; 5.4% alc.) $9.99/330 ml Wellington Iron Duke (Ontario; 8% alc.) $7.69/650 ml Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale (England; 4.7% alc.) $9.47/330 ml bottles QUENCHING: Softly spicy and fruity German- and Belgian-style wheat beers Hacker-Pschorr Weisse (Germany; 5.5% alc.) $6.69/half-litre Hoegaarden (Belgium; 5% alc.) $5.98/330 ml Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier (Germany; 5.5% alc.) $5.98/330 ml Schneider Weisse (Germany; 5.4% alc.) $6.89/half-litre Wittekerke (Belgium; 5% alc.) $6.49/250 ml CRISP: Dry, refreshing and moderately bitter to appetizingly hoppy lagers Bitburger (Germany; 4.8% alc.) $5.98/half-litre Czechvar (Czech Republic; 5% alc.) $6.29/half-litre Krombacher Pils (Germany; 4.8% alc.) $5.59/330 ml Pilsner Urquell (Czech Republic; 4.4% alc.) $5.59/330 ml Samuel Adams Boston Lager (USA; 4.75% alc.) $5.59/355 ml Staropramen (Czech Republic; 5% alc.) $5.98/half-litre Stella Artois (Belgium; 5.2% alc.) $5.98/330 ml Zywiec (Poland; 5.3% alc.) $5.98/half-litre APPETIZING - Ales endowed with subtle shades of tartness, fruitiness and mouth-wateringly dry malt. Liefmans Goudenband (Belgium; 8% alc.) $8.49/330 ml Petrus Oud Bruin (Belgium;5.5% alc.) $6.49/250 ml Rodenbach Grand Cru (Belgium; 6% alc.) $7.89/330 ml SOCIABLE: Medium bodied, wonderfully balanced Anchor Steam Beer (USA; 4.8% alc.) $9.76/650 ml Cooper's Sparkling Ale (Australia; 5.8% alc.) $5.99/375 ml Fiddler's Elbow (England; 5.2% alc.) $7.89/half-litre Köstritzer (Germany; 4.8% alc.) $6.29/half-litre Samuel Smith Winter Ale (England; 6% alc.) $8.39/550 ml Sleeman Cream Ale (Ontario; 5% alc.) $5.59/341 ml Yersekes Bière de Moules (Belgium; 5.2% alc.) $5.49/250 ml SATISFYING: Gently bitter and chocolaty or roasty ales, porters and stouts Dogfish Head Chicory Stout (USA; 5.2% alc.) $8.87/351 ml Dragon Stout (Jamaica; 7.5% alc.) $5.89/300 ml Guinness (Ireland; 4.1% alc.) $6.99/440 ml Hobgoblin (England; 5.5% alc) $7.89/half-litre Mill Street Coffee Porter (Ontario; 5.5% alc.) $4.79/341 ml Rogue Chocolate Stout (USA; 5% alc.) $11.89/650 ml Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar (USA, 6% alc.) $15.75/650 ml Rogue Shakespeare Stout (USA; 6% alc.) $15.95/650 ml St. Peter's Old Style Porter (England; 5.1% alc.)$8.49/ half-litre Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale (England; 5% alc.)$7.89/355 ml BOLD: Ales with a moderate to full bitterness and a naturally fruity character Adnams Suffolk Strong (England; 4.5% alc.) $8.58/half-litre Alley Kat Full Moon Pale Ale (Alberta; 5% alc.) $6.69/341 ml Black Sheep Ale (England; 4.4% alc.) $7.89/half-litre Chimay White (Belgium; 8% alc.) $8.89/330 ml Fuller's 1845 (England; 6.3% alc.) $10.95/half-litre Liberty Ale (USA; 5.9% alc.) $9.89/650 ml Marston's Pedigree (England; 4.5% alc) $8.99/half-litre Rogue Brutal Bitter (USA; 6.2% alc.) $16.98/650 ml Rogue Yellow Snow Ale (USA; 5.7% alc.) $11.95/650 ml St. Peter’s English Ale (England; 5% alc.) $7.69/550 ml ROBUST: Rich, warming and malty beers of impressive complexity Aventinus (Germany; 8% alc.) $6.99/ half-litre Chimay Première (Belgium; 7% alc.) $16.99/750 ml Raison d'Etre (USA; 8% alc.) $6.89/351 ml Fuller’s Vintage Ale (England, 8.5% alc.) $16.50/ half-litre Rochefort 8 (Belgium; 9.2% alc.) $8.79/330 ml St. Paul Double (Belgium; 6.9% alc. $7.49/330 ml Traquair House Ale (Scotland; 7.2% alc.) $8.69/330 ml Westmalle Dubbel (Belgium; 7% alc.) $8.69/330 ml Victory Storm King Stout (USA; 9.1% alc.) $7.89/355 ml SPICY: Well-rounded, naturally spicy and warming ales and lagers Achel 8 (Belgium; 8% alc.) $8.69/330 ml Delirium Tremens (Belgium; 9% alc.) $7.89/330 ml Duvel (Belgium; 8.5% alc.) $7.99/330 ml Eau Bénite (Québec; 7.7% alc.) $7.89/341 ml Fin du Monde (Québec; 9% alc.) $14.99/750 ml Gulden Draak (Belgium; 10.5% alc.) $7.49/330 ml Orval (Belgium; 6.9% alc.) $8.49/330 ml Westmalle Tripel (Belgium; 9.5% alc.) $9.73/330 ml SOOTHING: Potent ales with almost sinfully decadent maltiness and profound depth of flavour Bush Ambrée (Belgium; 12% alc.) $8.89/250 ml Chimay Blue (Belgium; 9% alc.) $9.69/330 ml Koningshoeven Quadrupel (Holland; 10% alc.) $9.49/330 ml Rochefort 10 (Belgium; 11.3% alc.) $9.69/330 ml Terrible (Québec; 10.5% alc.) $17.95/750 ml Trois Pistoles (Québec; 9% alc.) $6.49/341 ml X.O. Bière à Cognac (France; 8% alc.) $8.89/330 ml CONTEMPLATIVE: Big bodied lagers with full maltiness and refined character Mahr’s Brau Christmas Bock (Germany; 6% alc.) $8.89/500 ml Paulaner Salvator (Germany; 7.5% alc.) $6.98/330 ml FRUITY: Ales fermented or finished with real fruits or fruit juices Mort Subite Cassis (Belgium; 4.5% alc.) $8.97/250 ml Mort Subite Framboise (Belgium; 4.5% alc.) $11.99/375 ml Mort Subite Pêche (Belgium; 4.5% alc.) $8.97/250 ml Quelque Chose (Québec; 8% alc.) $19.95/ half-litre SMOKY: Ales and lagers with flavours ranging from a wisp of smoke to a roaring campfire Raftman (Québec; 5.5% alc.) $6.29/341 ml Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Germany; 5.1% alc.) $7.89/half-litre CIDERS: Because sometimes there's nothing quite like a true fermented cider Waupoos Cider (Ontario; 6.4% alc.) $10.95/half-litre BIG BOTTLES: For celebrations or just because everyone is together at last, oversized bottles of some special beers Chimay Grande Réserve (Belgium; 9% alc.) $39.98/1.5 litre Duvel (Belgium; 8.5% alc.) $39.98/1.5 litre AND ALSO: A selection of more mainstream tastes Carlsberg (Canada; 5% alc.) $5.49/341 ml Coors Light (Canada; 4% alc.) $5.49/341 ml Corona (Mexico; 4.6% alc.) $6.69/330 ml don’t forget our BEER COCKTAILS Almondberry $8.97/300 ml Amsterdam Framboise infused with Amaretto di Saronno. Any Port in a Storm $10.69/414 ml An intensely flavoured blend of Imperial stout and port. The ultimate nightcap! Black Forest Cake $8.99/300 ml We call this 'dessert in a glass.' One ounce of cassis-flavoured Chambord dropped in a soothing glass of stout. Mimosa Bianco $4.95/350 ml Three parts Blanche de Chambly, one part orange juice, 100% refreshing. Not enough for you? Ask about our Cellar Selection!

. . . and this intriguing little get-together--check out the program. http://www.culinology.com/annualconference/index.cfm

thx for the creme fraiche tip, carswell. thought i should post a link to the upcoming professional foodfest descending on the city in april. http://www.sialmontreal.com/home.ch2

This stuff sounds interesting; Miyamoto would be a (very) long shot but I'm going to try some of the Latin grocery stores. Don't suppose you have a brand name to help the search? ← should find some at supermarche andes, st-laurent below mont-royal--i've seen it there. lotsa peruvian chili pastes and sauces.

if you are unable to stomach 'boring' and 'tedious' discussions about available foodstuffs and meals in montreal, might i humbly suggest you take your own advice and get the hell off this topic thread. love it or leave it, eh? you ignore everyone's detailed postings and continue to spout the same stale dogma that caricatures open-minded eaters' legitimate laments as some fictional disloyalty to montreal. sure, some nouveau-riche 'foodies' are annoying when they demand grey goose for their martinis when they can't tell cheezies from kim chi. those people are not on this board. and we're not all obsessed with 'scene' scuttlebutt from expensive kitchens. now back to a question--where can i get a solid plate of cuban or dominican rice and beans?

montreal is not a small city. the greater metropolitan area--the best gauge-- has 3.5 million people. it is tied for 12th in north america. this fiction that we are a small market town stems from the linguistic divide of neighborhoods, and was popularized in the expos saga. we are not. montreal is also a city enriched by a steady stream of immigrants from all points. what is their impact? an examination of food gaps and holes is legitimate and necessary. that's what this board, and specifically this thread, is for. can we please have an end of self-righteous postings that ignore all the detailed and thoughtful critiques of the food scene. saying that montreal sometimes punches below its weight is not treason. pointing out that claims about the relative poverty of the city and lack of appreciation for a fine bakery or innovative restaurants is actually proving the argument, not refuting it. besides, much of what i and a few others wrote about is not about 300$ restaurant meals (as important as that topic is) but rather quality ingredients widely available at fair prices, and good neighborhood comfort food. not to mention a very limited offering of quality beers, in particular (a provincial problem). this does not mean i don't love st-ambroise and cheval blanc! how can a plea for greater food selection and quality be interpreted as a desire for homogenization? it is, of course, the exact opposite. as i took great pains to state before, but apparently must repeat, montreal is a wonderful city for food, at least certain kinds. i shop regularly at dozens of portuguese, vietnamese, turkish, persian, jewish etc. stores and often find great stuff. raw milk cheese is a serious plus for this burgh--even if taking off only over the last few years. les chevres is magical. the buttery lox at new victoria fish is beyond compare. none of this means montreal doesn't have major flaws. other cities do too, of course. i'm sure they're itemized on their respective boards. the way to get better, as was pointed out, is to identify holes and try to help fill them, either through patronage or word of mouth. if there are gems of places to get, say, tripe soup, people wanna know about them. that's what being a real foodie--and not a snob, booster or passive eater--is about.

the title of this chain states clearly that it is about holes in the city's offerings. therefore, posts that accuse people of complaining and whining miss the point. most posters here, me included, go to great lengths anyway to praise montreal. i love adonis and ahkavan, but this doesn't mean that lebanese and persian food in montreal is generally of quality and widely available. alep--and petit alep--is very good, as is daou. but they are exceptions. name one place in montreal that fresh fries falafel (and made with chickpeas, rather than fava beans) other than the kosher ones i mentioned. i love discovering eats that happen to be available here and not elsewhere--the biscotti and cantuccini are wonderful, portuguese grilled chicken is heavenly, poutine and tourtiere are great, quality chocolate is everywhere, vietnamese stores are chock-a-block with hard to find ingredients, and so forth. but that ain't the whole picture. rather than attacking the messengers, why not relect?

"The point here is, if you aren't happy, talk to your grocer or specialty shop owner about stocking said products (I got my grocer to stock Mozzarina and Caprifeuille goat's cheese). If that doesn't work out, hey, at least you gave it a go. If it's ruining your life, move. If not, cook using the GOOD products we have here in Quebec." what a delightful spirit of free inquiry and openness. to think montreal might have some serious gaps in its culinary landscape, despite many strengths. shut up and smile everybody. particularly those of us who pay for our meals.

. . . and stuffing, quality dim sum, polenta, matchstick fries, bento boxes, usli ghee, doner (except for stunning village souvlaki grecque), soul food, veal parm sandwiches, trifle, clotted cream, pork pies, pure quince jam, rice pudding . . . .

ademello, didn't see your post 'til i wrote my screed. bang on.

first off carswell, thx for bringing back this thread. although i have grown more tolerant of this city's food shortcomings, there are still big holes. it's ridiculous that creme fraiche isn't available in montreal. besides our huge dairy industry and gallic bent, there is fabulous stuff just over the bordder from the vermont butter andd cheese company. they also have, of course, an 86% fat butter--good luck finding that here because of regulations. as for buttermilk, i'm of hungarian descent and i love the stuff. real buttermilk is not the awful 0.25 or even 1.5% avaialable here. where the hell is it? of course there'd be a market for it. the new jt extension is actually really good, from premium spices to (finally) some kick ass ice cream. bilboquet, with its thickeners and gums, can't holdd a candle to it. d'anton 45% cream and a few other organic high quality creams and sour creams are often found only in health food stores, which often hold many interesting items found nowhere else (like true dill pickes preserved in brine, not vinegar). real bbq is a huge gap here, made tolerable finally by mesquite, which is a perfectly decent, though not great, joint. as for mexican, i say we all chip in and fly over a contingent of extended mexican families who can cook us really tasty, affordable authentic mexican. all the places here are overpriced and underflavoured. and why the hell is it so hard to find a solid plate of rice and beans in this town? where are the dominicans, puerto ricans and dominicans? i like central american pupusas, but not exclusively. good falafel is sorely missing here. in nyc and toronto, the primary falafel purveyors are israeli, syrian and egyptian. falafel is made from scratch, fresh fried and never microwaved. only chez benny on queen mary and jerusalem in cavendish mall measure up. in lebanon, i'd probably die with joy at the freshness and vibrancy of the cuisine, but they ain't brought it here. so we are unfortunately prisoners of immigration patterns. none of this is to deny montreal's many strengths (polish doughnuts, armenian pizzas, bistros, brewpubs, 'la bomba' hot sauce, cheese caves), although i think we trumpet them too loudly at times, without some perspective. montreal as a 'great food city' is less convincing considering our insipid pizzas and canadian made 'westphalian', 'serrano' and 'bayonne' hams. we don't even have a whole foods market in town. there are over 140 of them in rest of states and t.o. think about that. this organic chain is pricey and yuppie healthy oriented but undeniably has astonishingly fresh produce, a huge selection of quality meats and cheeses, along with just about everything else. olives for example. latina and gourmet laurier, and milano aside, how many other places in town have high quality brine cured arbequina, lucques etc. varietal olives to offer? believe me, to taste is to believe. in chicago there are polish/sausage hotdogs that are a religious experience. why not here? we have some fine polish and eastern european delis. but often it's just day-old dried out wursts. like the saq and its upscale skewed selections, there is a paucity of filling and tasty street eats here (let alone illegal street food carts). top tables are french and fusion and fab for the most part (a huge strength of the city), although there still are gaps in japanese and others. (again, few japanese in the city) i like l'express, but it's a little tired (curry? inedible fish soup?). and last but not least, bring some good bloody fruit into the city. chez louis is very expensive and also hit and miss. i want meyer lemons as bad as anyone--but i bought some there last year that were flavour-free. my brother gets his in brookyn at a dirt cheap food co-op, and man are they sweet. the big problem is that there eventually be 1 place that has a rare, desired item, but people don't have the time to run all over the city time after time (btw carswell, good lard on duluth from a portuguese store. also great artisananl jams i'll get the name next time). quality and rarity often march together, but it seems to be particularly difficult here. even smoked meat is not great in montreal (gasp! although still better than 11$ ordinary corned beef and pastrami in nyc) basically there's schwartz's, which i love, but any cut below medium juicy is tough and pointless. lester's is watery. i hear sm pete's is good, but no car means few w. island jaunts for me. so many holes--beef jerky, goose fat, aged meats, oyster varieties, citrus oils, wide selection of microbrews, i could (and have!) go on and on. montreal's a great food town in many ways, but has a long ways to be truly, exceptionally great.

ademello, i feel your pain. the selection of zins and other american wines up here is pitiful, and ithe markups are outrageous. i find this to be part and parcel of the saq's philosophy. they soak the everyday consumer who is looking for solid, quaffable wines. the selection is often superb at the higher end (particularly french of course), but is made up mainly of plonk on the lower end--and a lot of the plonk ain't even that cheap. yes, that includes the vins de pays d'oc. it's nice to know that our tax dollars can't even get us a full line-up of reasonably priced wines (to say nothing of the tired, threadbare beer and spirits selection.) one of these days a real rain's gonna come. . .