Lesley C

I think it's also called a Cape Gooseberry. I think they're very pretty but -- generally -- pretty tasteless. AND very nineties .

Wow Steve, amazing cake. Very clean, elegant and original. Are you sure you're not French!

We should have been getting on the editor for the jig in the stomach comment two reviews back. Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally) almost the same expression – a jig in my mouth -- popped up in R.W. Apple's River Café piece today.

BTW, welcome to eGullet Haapdog. Here's a list of restaurants I ran with a story about dining out with kids in the Montreal Gazette a few months ago: A FEW FAVOURITE CHILD-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS For hamburgers and French fries… La Paryse, 302 Rue Ontario East. Phone: (514) 842-2040. High quality hamburgers French fries, roast turkey sandwiches and thick milkshakes are sure to appeal to youngsters and parents. The children’s menu, including a small hamburger or grilled cheese with French fries and juice, is $4.95. You’ll also find crayons at every table. L’Anecdote, 801 Rachel E. Phone: 526-7967. This popular Plateau burger joint offers a children’s menu ($3.65-$5.95) that includes a salad, French fries and a choice of hot dog, veggie dog, hamburger steak or mini hamburger. There are also children’s seats and crayons, and a small table and chairs where children can look at books. Frite Alors, 1562 Laurier St. E. Phone: (514) 524-6336; 5235A Park Ave. Phone: (514) 948-2219; 143 de la Commune Phone: (514) 875-9540 433; Rachel East. Phone: (514) 843-2490. Another good choice for excellent French fries, hamburgers and much more. Children’s menu $4.75-$6. Crayons at every table. For something a little fancier… Gibbys, 298 place d’Youville. Phone: (514) 282-1837. No children’s menu but portions are generous and there’s no extra charge for sharing. High chairs and boosters are available. Friendly service and free valet parking make a night out with a toddler here a no-hassle affair. Kaizen Restaurant and Sushi Bar, 4120 Ste. Catherine West, Phone: (514) 932 -5654. A good choice for children who enjoy the sweet and exotic flavours of teriyaki, tempura, and yakitori chicken brochettes. There are also delicious mini desserts for children. Booster seats upon request. La Spaghettata, 399 Avenue Laurier West. Telephone: (514) 273-9509. Children’s menu ($5) includes a choice of tortellini, penne, or spaghetti served with Bolognese, tomato basil, or rosé sauce, as well as Shirley Temples. Extras include special high chairs, crayons and a helium balloon for all children. Speedy service. Le Continentale, 4169 St-Denis St. Phone: (514) 845-6842. Simple food and a friendly staff make this branché bistro a good choice for dining with children. Twosomes can sit together at the counter and there’s a small lounge near the door where kids can go to explore. Eat early, because this hot Plateau hot spot fills up and gets noisy after 9. Mikado, 368 Avenue Laurier West. Phone: (514) 279-4809. Sushi may not seem obvious choice for children, but Japanese restaurants like Mikado offer terrific appetizers like chicken yakatori and gyoza dumplings and spring rolls, as well as small-sized soups and salads. And if your children do like sushi, you can order as much or as little as they like. Moishes, 3961 Boulevard St. Laurent. Phone: (514) 845-1696. The simple food here is sure to please children of all ages. Portions are generous enough for sharing. Service is fast and friendly. Though there’s no children's menu, the kitchen will prepare small hamburgers or chicken. Primi Piatti, 47 Green, St-Lambert. Phone: (450) 671-0080. Children will enjoy half portions of pasta as well as the pizza made in a wood-burning oven. There’s also fresh fish, veal chop, and Angus Beef filet mignon for the parents. Friendly waiters are a draw as well as highchairs, crayons, and booster seats. Ristorante Frank, 65 Saint-Zotique E. Phone: (514) 273-7734. Though this restaurant is a popular lunchtime destination for business types, dinner is often a family affair. Half portions of pasta are available as well as booster seats. Toyo Grillade Japonaise. 2155 de la Montagne, Tel: (514) 844-9292. Children’s menu $8.95. Specialties include sushi and grilled food such as chicken and filet mignon. Toyo is a good choice for families because of the entertaining cooking show provided by the chefs. I'm sure a few of the regulars on the board might have a few places to add to the list.

No, not change of ownership. In fact I saw the owner taking orders at one point in the evening when the service really seemed to lag. He then disappeared right after. Very odd.

OK, I love Spaghettata and have long been a fan because the food is cheap and reliable and the service has been pretty good in the past. Their approach with children is terrific. HOWEVER, I ate there last week and something is going on. The food wasn't so hot and the service was a disaster. Obviously they are having major staff problems these days. I would take a pass on the restaurant -- at least for now.

My Furi knife was fun and then it got very dull very quickly and it lost all its charm. Now I'm into Mac knives (as are Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter and Jamie Oliver). They stay sharp much longer and they are easy to keep sharp with a ceramic sharpening rod. You can have a look at them at www.macknife.ca. Oh and on top of that they're cheaper than the Furi.

Well, I completely disagree. If you chose to tip everyone who helps you out, good for you. But consider this, you aren't tipping anyone in the kitchen who made your meal. I worked as a pastry chef in restaurants where waiters were pooling tips and making a lot more money than I was. If you really want to be fair, I suggest you go into the kitchen and slip a twenty into the chef, sous chef and pastry chef's pockets as well. Fair is fair. Dining out may be expensive, but why make it more expensive than it has to be?

I think my point was more along the lines about the second part of my post, which was that, at expensive restaurants, one is paying more for just such a service. When it comes to tipping, I always give 15%. I would never undertip a waiter for bad service, or overtip for good. And, IMO, the idea of tipping $8 on a $35-$40 bottle of wine is ridiculous, because here that bottle would retail at our government operated liquor store for about $10-$13 -- $2 to $5 more than the tip! As for valet parking, do you give the same tip to the people who charge $10 for the service as you would for ones who offer it free of charge?

I don't think I would ever tip a sommelier. Here in Quebec (Canada) we have a 15% tax tacked on to the bill, and we are expected to add a 15% tip on top of that, so already our bills are astronomical. I have never had a sommelier spend a significant amount of time at my table that would merit added pay. Sommeliers are part and parcel of the upscale restaurant experience, and IMO, it is up to the restaurant's owner to pay them properly for the service they supply -- not the customer who is already paying top dollar to eat at an expensive restaurant. Also, in this neck of the woods, restaurants that employ sommeliers often sell wines at a higher price, and with that comes fine stemware, the odd decanter, and a sommelier to consult. I can barely make it over to my hairdresser to slip her a tip after a haircut, so the idea of finding the sommelier after dinner and slipping him a $20 is utterly unimaginable. I wonder if tipping so many people along the way isn't an American habit. I have never heard of tipping sommeliers anywhere else.

I just interviewed five sommeliers for a story and they all told me their tips come from the pool. Also, these days there are many restaurants where all the waiters have some sommelier training, so never assume your sommelier is THE sommelier. I was also pretty shocked to find out that most of them make seriously lousy pay, as in minimum wage plus tips.

Yeah, me too. But tell me, when did it become unstylish to call a restaurant a restaurant? And yes, I do think APdC is more of a bistro, certainly more so than a brasserie (I would even say it’s too small to fit that description). But, hey, he calls it a restaurant, no? I just want to know why anyone would think of calling Cocagne a bistro? Restaurant is classier, and also a bit riskier. Bistro has a slightly casual connotation, which I think in the case of a high end chef making high end food (not classic bistro fare, but more ever-changing market or nouvelle cuisine) is, well, inappropriate.

Wow, DaEmma has a terrace! Where is it? In the basement like the restaurant?

Au Pied de Cochon a brasserie? If you have the Larousse Gastronomique, look up both definitions of brasserie and bistro. You'll find all the correct information right there.

No actually I heard the same thing before I dined there. Someone must be saying something along those lines if we both heard the same thing. But I called the Auberge to check when I reviewed the place, and Labrie has not left.

Terrace dining can be very hazardous in Montreal. I love La Bastide, but once when eating on their terrace I thought I heard what sounded like a woman beating the crap out of a child a few doors down. Everyone stopped eating and someone actually left to check out what was going on. Then when that stopped two guys dumped an old disgusting sofa right in front of the terrace. Not the most posh neighborhood Bernard East. Laloux also has a cute little terrace out front. Yet when eating there last summer, a die-hard clochard ran in and sat down. Next thing I know two waiters lifted him right out of his chair and heaved him out by his shirt sleeves. He then hung around the terrace peeking through the flowers all night long. Very creepy. There's also a seriously creepy guy who lurks around the terrace at Lemeac giving everyone the evil eye.

I had some seriously horrible food at Julien a few years back. It's crowded at lunch, and the food and service tend to be mediocre. Dinner is a better bet, yet I would still hesitate to recommend it even though the wine list is a winner. Monkland Tavern is fun, but good luck getting a table on the terrace, they do not take reservations. As for La Petite Ardoise, the food is also pretty mediocre. I eat there often for the ambiance -- not the food -- though the sandwiches are a good bet.

Here's a list I ran in last week's Montreal gazette: Bice, 1504 Sherbrooke W. (514) 937-6009. Lunch weekdays; dinner daily. An oasis for the sophisticated downtown crowd for a night of pampering, people watching and savouring nouvelle-Italian cuisine, Bice’s 200-seat terrace is one of the city’s most spectacular. Vegera, 228 Bernard St. (514) 490-4222. Dinner Tues.-Sun. Fans of Greek cuisine will be pleased to discover sunny Mediterranean flavours at this unpretentious Mile End restaurant. Book one of the terrace’s 30 seats to enjoy the super fresh fish and the wonderful calamari while soaking up the summer breezes. Rosalie, 1232 Mountain St. (514) 392-1970. Lunch weekdays; dinner daily. Rosalie’s 100-seat terrace has quickly become the downtown spot to see and be seen. Terrace reservations are essential to enjoy the restaurant’s modernized French classics – paired, perhaps, with a fabulous cocktail – under the moonlight. La Vielle Histoire, 284 Ste.Rose Blvd. Ste. Rose Laval. (450) 625-0379. Dinner daily. A French, bring-your-own-wine restaurant with professional service and solid, sophisticated food. Be sure to call in advance for one of the terrace’s 22 places. Savannah, 4448 St. Laurent (514) 904-0277. Lunch Mon.-Fri. Dinner Mon.- Fri. Sunday brunch. Serving Lowcountry, Creole and Cajun cuisine paired with flavour enhancers such as Stilton, Parmesan, aioli, and maple syrup, this Mile-End restaurant also boasts a 40-seat garden terrace complete with flowers and a beautiful fountain. Chez Noeser, 236, Champlain, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (450) 346-0811. This warm and appealing bring-your-own-wine restaurant features a magnificent outdoor terrace surrounded by large trees lit with fairy lights. The French cuisine is offered in a set monthly menu, so be sure to call in advance for wine-pairing suggestions. FondueMentale, 4325 St.Denis St. (514) 499-1446. Dinner daily. Fonduementale has been drawing in diners young and old up for fondue, be it in hot or cold weather. The romantic 35-seat terrace behind the restauran is ideal for those up for a little forkplay during dinner. Le Saint-Christophe, 94 Ste.Rose Blvd., Ste.Rose, Laval. (450) 622-7963. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner Mon.-Sat. Located in a renovated Edwardian house on the main street of Old Ste. Rose, this family-run restaurant offers a superb wine list and French nouvelle cuisine. Outdoor seating includes 25 seats on the balcony and around the gardens. Le Latini, 1130 Jeanne Mance St. (514) 861-3166. Lunch Mon.- Fri.; dinner daily. Passing by Le Latini you’re sure to spot up to 80 customers dining al fresco enjoying fine Italian fare including superb risottos, pastas, meat and seafood. Le Gourmand, 42 St-Anne St., Pointe Claire. (514) 695-9077. Lunch weekdays. Dinner daily. This West Island hot spot offers a French/Cajun menu filled with terrific grilled meats and fish presented with flair. The 75-seat summer terrace makes this one the best summer dinner destinations outside of the city. Reservations are essential. Chez Queux, 158 St.Paul St. (514) 866-5194. Lunch and dinner daily. This good-old-days restaurant with a French retro-luxe menu boasts a 100-seat terrace overlooking the Old Port and Place Jacques-Cartier. Leméac, 1045 Laurier Ave. W. (514) 270-0999. Lunch and dinner daily. Enjoy fairly-priced bistro cuisine and a glass of chilled rosé on this elegant 35-seat terrace in the heart of fashionable Outremont. On balmy nights after 10 p.m., dinners can opt for the two-course $20 menu. Ritz Garden, 1228 Sherbrooke St. W. (514) 842-4212. Lunch daily; dinner Thursday to Saturday; Sunday brunch. A Montreal classic, the elegant Merchant/Ivory garden setting offers about 200 diners upscale French cuisine and pricey wines. Though the garden is in full swing, the ducks only make an appearance later in the season.

OK Oceanfish, whoever you are, look up the definition of bistro then get back to me. And why would it be more of a bistro than Lemeac? Explain. Also, who out there is calling Au Pied de Cochon a gastronomic restaurant? And why is it unfair to say they might have chosen the bistro descriptor to distinguish itself from Toque!? What the hell is wrong with saying that? Not fair??? What the??? Once again, I feel I have to say that I have a really hard time taking comments seriously by anonymous posters. If you want to put some force behind your words, may I suggest you crawl out of the shadows and sign your name.

I believe it's the ex sous-chef. Alain Labrie is still at Auberge Hatley.

It's funny how some chefs start focused, then are all over the place style-wise, and other chefs are all over the place style-wise and eventually find their focus. As for the bistro description of Cocagne, I always thought it was a way for the new boy, Loiseau, to set himself apart from his famous boss, Laprise.

That's an interesting topic, how long does it take for a chef to get up to speed in a restaurant? Look at chefs like Claude Pelletier, Normand Laprise and Nicolas Jongleux, who really were very good in their new restaurants from the get go. My first meal at Toque! remains one of my best, so I don't really believe everyone does better with time in their first year. Long term is a different story, as is my experience with La Chronique this week -- which has never been better. As for Cocagne, I think Loiseau seems like the kind of chef who needs time to find his style in this new restaurant, especially because it lacks a sharp focus (forget the bistro thing).

Jean-Philippe is a great friend of mine, so I'm not knocking his writing, which I think is superb. It's more about the menu at Cocagne, which never grabbed me or made sense in the bistro genre. Guess I'll wait to get over there and see for myself.

Funny though, I couldn't quite get a take on the food from that review. Or should I say, I wasn't tempted by the makeup of the dishes.

I once was at a dinner with a high-powered New York food magazine editor who told me, after hearing me rave about Babbo, that in fact it was more of a "pick up joint." I never bought that magazine again.