Bon Appetit Cookbooks

Let me rephrase... First off, I would never want restaurants like Anise and Les Chevre to disappear. Every time a place closes, weither it be a place like Anise or Mom n Pops place on the corner, a big part of me really feels for them. I've been there and seen it too many times. What I DO want to disappear are restaurants who want to be like them but can't pull it off. Far too often I have gone out to eat and paid way too much for crap. Those who open a restaurant and try to be the next Keller or Blumenthal but can't get there. Or open a place that is all about looks but have no substance. And these are the places that cause places like Anise and Les Chevre to close. It's like Wal-Mart moving into into a small town. Looks good, but sells crap. Then puts everyone else out of business. Maybe saying "White Tableclothes" was not the right word. Every city need's it's Toque or Anise. Unfortunatly, these places close down eventually. Peoples taste change. The Chef/Owners want something different. Will Racha return with a "More elegant setting"? I don't think so. Will her next restaurant be as good if not better than Anise? I have no doubt! You watch, a lot of these chefs in the business want to move away from the "High end" way of doing things. A more casual, relaxed atmosphere is what is appealing to them. And we want it too, most just don't know it yet. Why is APDC, Garde Manger, Joe Beef so popular? Cuz it's amazing food without the "White Tableclothe". There is more emphasis on the food and they don't worry about the image. And yes, it was me unfolding the white napkin at Bouchon. But what you may not have noticed was that the table was covered with a white paper sheet and the menu was made of parchment paper. And the guy sitting next to me was wearing a Hawiian shirt and shorts.

Can I be so bold as to say the day of the white table clothes in Montreal are coming to an end? Or am I just hoping? I have witnessed something similar in Vancouver many years ago. The "High-end white table cloth" places started to die off as people were wanting a more casual, more relaxed environment. Is Montreal moving that way with the likes of Joe Beef and others that offer amazing food but in a non stuffy setting?

One I can totally recomend is Vij's; Elegant & Inspired Indian Cuisine from one of North America's best indian restaurants, Vij's in Vancouver. It would highly recommend it. I will have to warn you though, there is no butter chicken, no tandoori, and NONE of the same old curries you see in every book. And this is why Vij's book is one of the most unique. Check out his web site http://www.vijs.ca/index_in.htm

A Touch off topic.... Going to Bouchon for lunch and French Laundry for dinner tomorrow night. I'll be sure to report as soon as a can. BTW, we were buying our pastry at the Bouchon Bakery yesterday afternoon (amazingly good) and who was hanging out infront of Bouchon? The Master himself Thomas Keller. It certainly was an honour to meet him and we mentioned we were eating at the FL on Thursday and he said he'll be there. How exciting is that?

Martin Picard was in the store and had to make a few things from his book, Au Pied Du Cochon. So I was able to make a couple things. The Oreilles de Crises and the Tomato Tart. I forgot to take pictures of the tomato tart, but take my word for it, it was good. Any one for some Pork Fat? Had to fry the fat on low heat until it was almost translucent. Then drain those bad boys on some paper. Deepfry till crispy and you're in heaven.

Last time I was there, we had the Potee It was awsome. The Boudin was amazing. Had the Foie Gras Hamburger which was very tasty. Next time it'll be the Pied stuffed with Foie...will have to really prep the body for that. One of my favorites was the Foie Gras and Salmon Maki from the summer. THAT was the best.

Making stuff out of the APDC book today. Will let you know how it turns out. Wish me luck!

Insert rim shot here. Ba Dum Ching! Jonathan shakes his head and slaps his forhead

Yup English and French

"Unfortunately, there are not a lot of Quebecois cookbook that I reference frequently. I really should remedy that." Try out the new Au Pied de Couchon book. Stuffed pigs stomach and Foie Gras Burger......mmmmm

The book is available in English too. English book: Intro by Anthony Bourdain French book: 48 page comic strip It's pretty amazing!

That's what the Chinese side of the family used to do. I did that last year for thanksgiving. In my opinion, it's better than the regular ol' stuffing. But I'm bias.

It was a mixed case of what was left over from the restaurant the night before. I think think there were 4 different kinds. What they were, I can't tell you.

Made Pheasant. It was an adaptation from the Casa Moro Cookbook "Quail with Grapes and Ginger" Also Oysters And again from the Casa Moro Cookbooks, the Pistachio & Almond Tart C'est Tres Bon

Cooked Thanksgiving dinner on sunday and was inspired by the Casa Moro Cookbook. I made 2 things from it. 1: An altered version of the Quail with Grapes and Ginger. I changed the quail to Pheasant, added radishes as suggested by Fred from Joe Beef, and used red, rather than green, grapes. I also gave it a few splashes of red wine every 10 minutes. Also did the Pistachio and Almond Tart. So rich and very tasty. It turned out just like the picture too.