Lesley C

Just to answer Steve's question, the Cote St-Jacques poured in millions in renovations last year. Carry on....

My second dinner of the Montreal High Lights Festival was at Anise, a year-old restaurant on Ave. Laurier in Outremont, a chi chi Franco suburb of the city. Locals might remember Anise for the Pourcel dinner they hosted in December. I think some of the Pourcel magic has rubbed off on Anise’s chef Racha Bassoul. Yet Bassoul has her own style. Her presentations have that rare feminine quality displayed by surprisingly few women chefs, and all the best men. Her 6-course menu “Une Suite de Petites Attentions” was filled with bright and original flavour combinations, and her idea of serving two items per plate -- one raw, one cooked – worked. The menu included: Raspberry Point oysters in a strawberry and shiso cocktail (cold) Raspberry Point oyster on the shell, yuzu-flavoured strawberry salad (hot) Cocktail: Sparkling Saumur with raspberry coulis and rose water Yellow tomato consommé tinged with lavender (cold) Confit of Red tomato velouté infused with thyme (hot) Foie gras and maple syrup-caramelized scallop terrine (cold) Foie gras and scallop cappuccino flavoured with nutmeg, grilled pistachio (hot) Wine: Hydromel liquoreux La Cuvée du Diable Quebec lamb tartare with cracked wheat, flavoured with marjoram and basil oil (cold) Quebec lamb saddle flavoured with seven spices, butter confit dates and shallots, cracked wheat and tamarind sauce (hot) Wine: Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalans, Le Plaisir 2001, Domaine Mas Amiel Crotin de Chavignol with Chestnut Honey, fresh thyme, long pepper infused olive oil (cold) Beggar’s purse with paillot de chèvre, black Sicilian olives, za’atar. (hot) Wine: Hochar Père et Fils 1997, Chateau Musar, Lebanon Molten chocolate cake infused with star anise (hot) Rose water ice milk (cold) Wine: Mas Amiel Prestige, 15 ans d’age (Languedoc- Rousillon) I usually hate the word “exquisite” to describe food, but in this case it fits. The plates at Anise are also awesome; many of them were custom made for the restaurants. On top of that, the wine pairings were impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a wine better suited to lamb than the Mas Amiel, and that Lebanese wine – a blend of cabernet sauv., mourvèdre, grenache and carignan – somehow manages to be elegant and powerful at the same time. I have about ten more dinners to attend so I’ll keep this short. This one set the level pretty high for the Festival, and I was thrilled to see a local chef taking so many risks – and succeeding. I was also happy to see a few local and visiting chefs in the room as well as several younger diners. A small but important detail: this menu was $53, $100 with wine. Impressive. Last night, San Francisco chef Daniel Patterson of Elizabeth Daniel restaurant guested at Anise. I'll post more about that later.

Sorry cook-em-all, I meant Sinclair being David's belated High Lights guest.

Dave is this your belated High Lights Festival guest? Hopefully you'll be planning a fun Canadian dinner I can write about.

My first cookbook was actually a series of books put out by Time Life in the sixties called Foods of the World. These are still my favourite cookbooks. I think looking through these books so young is what made me want to cook more than any outside factor. The torte on the cover of the Vienna book set on an elaborate cake stand next to a silver coffee pot and a bowl of whipped cream is spectacular. If anyone can get theri hands on those books, do. I still use them for research and inspiration. I recently spotted the whole set at a garage sale for $2!

Are you boys/girls chefs? Care to share your experiences with us, and maybe tell us a bit about where you work now? Only if you're comfortable with that, of course.

It isn't cheap, but it's worth it, especially at night. Sookeharborkid, Rosalie's chef David McMillan (who often posts here as Davemc) is a former sookeharbourkid himself. You should try have a chat with him if you go.

Try Rosalie. They have terrific oysters and a nice seafood platter.

No, jokes are funny. You know, ha ha. That was an inside comment from a New Yorker. Let's not forget some of us on these boards are from other parts of the planet.

Basmati Rice (Version 2) I've had good results with this recipe given to me by a Parsi friend of mine. 4 c water 2 c (500 ml) basmati rice 2 tsp (10 ml) salt 1 T canola oil 5 green cardamom pods 5 whole cloves Wash the rice in cold water until the water is clear, rubbing the grains gently between your fingers. Pour four cups water into a medium-size pot and dissolve the salt. Add the oil and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir once, add the spices, stir again, cover and reduce to lowest heat. Continue to cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and with a spatula, turn the rice over (it will be moist at the bottom). Leave it for a few more minutes, uncovered, for the moisture to be absorbed. Serves 6 Keywords: Side, Indian, Easy, Rice ( RG184 )

Montreal just doesn't exist for Food TV Canada. I don't think they'd be at all interested, even if this city is the most happening food city in the country (hmm that sounds like a new thread to me). However, there are some excellent French shows running here, such as A la Di Stasio and Cultive et Bien Eleve.

Yeah Steven, you totally missed the boat on this one.

Oh Canadian Living Cooks! Don't get me started.... Elizabeth Baird is certainly a force to be reckoned with on the Canadian food scene. But she seems rushed and frantic on that show, always trying to get an oven temperature or hint in edgewise. Emily appears to be the best cook of the three, but seems happy to play third fiddle to the other two. Daphna (sp?) gives me the impression she thinks she's smarter and better than the rest and would be happy to host the show alone. Basically, there is no chemistry in the group, the dreary suburban kitchen set is awful, the lighting is too harsh, and the makeup is too heavy. The casual banter is silly, and the phony jokes and laughter are embarassing. Perhaps worse of all, the recipes don't look appealing, and they should. Nothing I see on that show makes me want to set foot in the kitchen. It's just sooooo Toronto

I think he got that pots-and-pans contract during his "high" on What's for Dinner. I haven't heard anything about him since the FNC show was axed. He seems to have plenty of books on the market. I interviewed him once. He's a very nice man, but after about 5 minutes it became painfully obvious his focus is Ken Kostik -- certainly not food. I remember him saying, "I want to sing, I want to dance." And he did end up doing a show at Rainbow Stage in Winnipeg that summer. So maybe, if you look closely, you'll see him as an extra doing a couple Jazz kicks next to Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago. I saw Mary-Joe making drinks on Canada AM one morning. She was charming. But if I recall correctly, she had problems with the blender.

I don't think it would even be fair to take a picture at lunch. Why point out what's obvious? And why does an article like that call for a picture anyway? What if they had picture Cafe Boulud at 3 p.m.? Or the room half full at 12? What does Le Bernardin look like at 2:30? Why pick on that particular restaurant? If they really wanted to show how bad things are, why not go to one of the biggies?

"Lesley, has he suffered reverses?" Jinmyo, what this mean?

I don't agree. Lunch is not 3, and certainly not 3:30. That picture was unfair. Made the restaurant look like a big loser. In these tough times, shame on them. I don't care how good or bad the restaurant.

Hi Kenk and welcome to eGullet. You're absolutely right about Kostik. When they launched Food Network Canada, the show they were pushing the most was "Ken Kostik and Friends" or was it "Ken Kostik and Company." His was the promo tape included in the original Food Network press kit, no the Canadian Living show or Feenie -- Kostik. That show, which I think you can still pick up at about 6 a.m. on weekdays, ended up being Kostik's downfall. The guy showed up in a suit, blabbed away endlessly, interrupted all his guest chefs, talked about his mother, and proved episode after episode that at most he was a mediocre cook and not much of a comedian. Talk about a recipe for disaster. (note: kenk, please don't tell me you're Kostik, the screen name makes me worry Then again, if you are Kostik you could fill us in on the ups and downs of making that show)

If possible, try to avoid washing your chocolate moulds at all. Just scrape them clean.

Blue Cheese and Vanilla Bean Bavarois ( another signature--and wonderful beyond words) Now Mr. Bourdain, I'm your biggest fan. Really and truly. But I tasted that bavaroise last year in Montreal when he was guest cheffing at a restaurant here and I'd rate it as one of the most vile things ever. I wonder if you have to be at Tetsuya's to understand his cuisine. I ate many of those same signature dishes and I thought it was all pretty awful. He even brought a lot of those ingredients -- the trout, the Wagyu Beef-- with him, not to mention half his kitchen staff. He's a very sweet, gentle man, and very articulate... but I just didn't get it.

I've had good results with this recipe given to me by a Parsi friend of mine. Basmati Rice Serves 6 2 cups (500 ml) basmati rice 2 teaspoons (10 ml) salt 1 tablespoon (15 ml) canola oil 5 green cardamom pods 5 whole cloves Wash the rice in cold water until the water is clear, rubbing the grains gently between your fingers. Pour four cups water into a medium-size pot and dissolve the salt. Add the oil and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir once, add the spices, stir again, cover and reduce to lowest heat. Continue to cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and with a spatula, turn the rice over (it will be moist at the bottom). Leave it for a few more minutes, uncovered, for the moisture to be absorbed.

Only scary old alcoholic pastry chefs do that, and young French hot shot morons. I once saw a tired pastry chef do the opposite: dip his finger in the caramel, then the ice water and then the caramel. Some lovely second degree burns there.

Oh God...couldn't we just forget What's for Dinner? ever existed???

I'd call that "extreme nonchalance" sloppiness and total lack of technique. I can't watch that show without screaming. I don't want the Food Network packed with tight-assed chefs, but must we stoop this low?

Red Thai and Thai Grill are much better.