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phedre

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  • Website URL
    http://www.claudia.ca

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  • Location
    Montreal, Quebec
  1. They'd overbooked. We tried speaking to a few of the people working, I tried walking over to find someone who might be in charge, but by that point the rudeness of the staff on the floor had gotten to everyone in our party.
  2. Two weeks ago I made a reservation for eight people at 8PM at Jun-I. By yesterday I'd had two cancellations, so I called ahead at 11 this morning and let them know that we'd be six instead of eight. Good, right? Wrong. Our first dinner member showed up at 7:55; I showed up at 8:05 - our table wasn't ready yet. No problem, we were early, so we brushed off the rather cool attitude of our hosts. Our final members arrived at about 8:10. Still no table. Twenty minutes later, not only were we still waiting for a table, but the sheer rudeness and dismissive attitude of the staff had us walking out the door. I've been seated late before, but at least the restaurant staff acknowledged us and kept us aprised of the situation - no such luck at Jun-I, where the wait staff seemed to think we were imposing on their time to even ask for our reserved table. I'd heard poor things about the service at Jun-I before, but was willing to give it a try despite these reports. Given that another member of our group had experienced similar treatment before, I will not be returning. I've never written off a restaurant before I've even tasted the food, but Jun-I is the first due to sheer poor organization and ignoring us for the entire half hour we sat waiting for our table. Our group walked over to Bouchonne, where they quickly made room for us despite how busy they were; we were welcomed with open arms, friendly service, and delicious food. I certainly know which spot I'll recommend to others!
  3. True, an unfortunate side effect of the decline in posters on this board. Ah well.
  4. I am shocked that this place hasn't shown up on the egullet radar yet! Opened on December 5th, Bouchonne seats about 35 in a warm, inviting atmosphere dominated by an open kitchen/bar that runs the length of the establishment. Warm woods and red are the main colours, with low lighting that illuminates a chalkboard menu over banquette seating. The menu on the boards is small but delicious, with such lovelies as devilled quails eggs and crab sticks, cheese plates, and daily specials. Having been numerous times since the opening, every dish I've sampled has had me crying out for more. Their wine list leaves nothing to be desired - everything's available by the glass, and runs the gamut from a delicious vin jaune to rich burgundies. The service is excellent and has steadily improved since my first visit, two days after they opened. After being stuck in the wilds of New Brunswick for two weeks over the holidays, I ran to Bouchonne for a fix this evening. If you have half a chance, go try the oven baked cod with salmon cream cheese, capers, and bagel crisps. Oh my dear god it is SO GOOD. For dessert, I had a glass of Juracon sweet wine. The crisp granny smith apple acidity made my mouth water. I had seconds. Gorgeous! Definitely take the time to check this place out. I've never been able to escape for under $100, but I tend to spend a lot on wine by the gass, so your mileage may vary. comptoir à vin « bouchonné » 9 Fairmount East 514 273-8846
  5. I'm still a sucker for their chocolate noir & expresso ice creams, and my all time favourite cold treat, lemon sorbet. Though, I've yet to have anything from HaG that disappoints!
  6. Co-workers had scheduled an after-work 5a7 at Buona Notte for Thursday. Today, I hear that's been changed due to their liquor license being pulled. While I'm not upset that the venue was changed, I'm curious as to what the story is. Ok, nosy. Are they shut down for good?
  7. Thought it was worth mentioning that I just picked up a bottle of the Minus 8 at Latina, and it's priced at $29.99. I haven't cracked the wax yet, but I'm really looking forward to it!
  8. I've gotten an invite to the french restaurant of my choice in Montreal. Currently, I'm leaning towards Chronique as Toque has been slipping from what I hear, but I thought I'd take it to the egulleters for their opinions So, what do you think? Is Chronique a good choice for a no-holds-barred french meal? Price is not an obstacle.
  9. Afraid I can't help you out here, but I'll definitely be watching this one with interest! Pecan pie is one of my favourites. so decadent and warm and gooey good, with ice cream on top... *drool* Hope your party goes well!
  10. Hah! returned the corked coldstream hills, and found the borsao right next to it at the cash. Grabbed two bottles and exchanged them, plus change :) I'm happy! At $11.45, even if it's only drinkable, it's a steal. I uncorked bottle 1 of my perdrix this weekend too.... mmmm... *falls in love*
  11. I kinda went with both the recommendations :) Got hungry at around 3:30 and figured i'd have an early dinner (i skipped lunch). Plus I absolutely had to do a dry run before serving everything to my guests tomorrow night. *ahem*. I ended up using my cast iron skillet as my baking pan, with a plan in mind to use it afterwards for the potatoes. It's ~60 or 70 years old, and was originally my great grandfather's. He was a trapper up in Labrador. Long history, and my favourite cooking implement! Absolutely nothing browns like old cast iron. The duck bubbled and popped for 20 minutes at 400f, filling my kitchen with wonderful odours. While that was cooking, I made some caramelized walnuts, and a walnut oil dressing (walnut oil, olive oil, raspberry vinegrette, and dijon mustard) to top my salad of boston and frisse lettuce. I grabbed some small potatoes to try carswell's recipe. After the duck was finished, I drained off all but a coating of the duck fat and added a drizzle of walnut oil to my skillet, then fried the potatoes. Once they were nice and brown, I added the fresh garlic, chives, and parsley, then tossed it all together. I'll admit the sogginess of the skin was a disappointment after the crispness of the cryovaced version, but the meat itself was absolutely delicious! And so much of it! I picked those bones clean and coulda gone for more! Paired it all up with a mission hill pinot noir (five vineyards 2003 family reserve) that I snagged in Ontario. I must say, the pairing was.. interesting. While they didn't complement each other perfectly, the wine did a good job of keeping the fat under control. There are some decidedly peppery spicy tones, with a good balance of fruit and acidity. There's a freshness to it that i'm absolutely loving and the mouth-feel is lovely. I'll definitely be picking up a few more bottles of this one when I get a chance. My breath now reeks of fresh garlic, which to me is the perfect way to be. Thanks so much for the recipe suggestion :) Roasting them, as i did last week, imparts a very different flavour. The walnut is more subdued and bitter than the panfried version. I also added the garlic before cooking, so it was a more mellow flavour. I think I prefer it fresh. It has more bite! I'll definitely be picking up a few of your wine suggestions after I move. Right now i'm trying to keep my wine collection under control! I drank all my stores over the past fe w months with the expectation of "buying as I need it" til then, but uh.. that went to hell in a handbasket. I now have another collection on hand. Oops. One thing I WILL be using a bit of the duck fat for is reseasoning my skillet. The potatoes stuck a little, so it needs a curing, and the best thing for that is good ole animal fat. I do want that recipe carswell :) I'll pm you in a bit!
  12. Duck Confit, Round two. Dropped into Anjou Quebec today and picked up two mason jars for tomorrow night's dinner. I'd planned on buying three of the cryovaced legs, but alas, they were all out. So, woe is me, i'm stuck with an extra leg. I do believe that sorts out tonight's dinner plans :) Now to decide which wine to pair it with. Oh, decisions decisions. It's such a trial Also picked up some boston and frisse lettuces for a salad; i'll probably toss together a walnut oil dressing. Been debating caramelized walnuts, but as the duck is so heavy, i want a light salad on the side. I know it's not quite wattacetti's arugula suggestion, but eh, i'm a big boston lettuce fan :) Now, what on earth am i going to do with all that leftover duck fat?
  13. I'm a cereal ADDICT! Love it, in all forms and flavours. I go through phases of eating boxes and boxes of a certain kind, then move onto another one. Lately, I'm into these YogActive cereals (yogactive.com if anyone's interested), which have these yogourt drops in them, along with dried fruit. I have the cherry/almond, and the banana/chocolate ones. BOTH delicious. I've yet to try the strawberry/vanilla, but i'm sure i'll get it during my next trip to the grocery store!
  14. Heh. I NEVER forget the wine! I'm actually in Ottawa today, and made my usual raid on the LCBO. Damn.. it's HOT there. Thankfully my apartment is always quite a bit cooler than outside (i'm in a basement til i move) so the wine should be fine where it is. Thanks for the tip on the potatoes. I'll give that a try!
  15. Mom's pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. The roast is cooked all day at low temperatures, so it literally falls apart. SOOOOO good. With super soft whipped potatoes covered in gravy. And homemade bread. We never had storebought bread growing up. Every time mom made a batch, she'd make 'buns off a loaf', where she'd take some of the raw dough, cut off small bits, flatten them, and fry them in lard. We'd eat them hot, smeared with butter. mmm....
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