eat2much

Lesley, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything other than exciting my tastebuds in your review. My expectations were very high and while Savannah does perhaps do interesting things with the Cajun/ Southern/ Low Country fusion thing, I would have preferred a delicious meal to an interesting one. I have had a number of dishes at Rosalie that were simply fantastic, but it seemed to us that each dish at Savannah was an "interesting" (yet dissapointing) take on the original. I was kinda looking forward to trying a particular hot sauce at Savannah (until a waitress (not ours) snatched it from our table and it was never to be seen again). As with your Sapori Pronto experience, we left feeling that there was no need to return for a second visit.

Funny, but my wife and I had the reverse experience at Savannah. We had at best a mediocre meal and the service was not that special. Very nice atmosphere however, not as noisy as Rosalie, but we left underwhelmed (especially after such a glowing review in the Gazette).

My experience has been that on average, dinner for 2 runs about $140-$150. Your mileage may vary depending on choice of wine, etc.

English muffins stuffed with bacon, ketchup, and processed cheese......

I checked out my handy French-English dictionary which says "to repay, return". Methinks that it is the type of deal where the critic dines for free in exchange for the review. Small free "newspapers" often do this because they don't have the money to pay for fancy meals... I have heard some magazine types talk about "publi-reportage" wherein a merchant pays for ad but gets a write-up as well. In other words it gives the impression that the write up is based on merit rather than advertising revenues.

How much do you want to bet that the prices for California wines will not drop by one cent here in Canada despite our newfound "buying power"?

another good deal in the take-out vein, is Marche Adonis on Sauve. They have great produce as well as prepared foods. Buy a large bag of their shish-taouk as well as a couple of containers of hummus, babaganoush, and stuffed vine leaves (don't forget the fresh pita) and you've got a b.bq. from heaven

Jamie Oliver also has some wonderful measurements... how many glugs of evoo to an ounce?

welcome to eGullet Jean-Phillipe! Any relation to Jean-Phillipe "le wine guy"?

The Tavern (Westmount) is also very kid friendly so a good time can be had by all.

Let us not forget the goodies at the Jean Talon market in the summertime. I love the merguez from L'Olivier (with spicy sauce) for $2 and then a few stalls down to the lady who makes crepes and you've had a great snack for about $5.00. Also Romados on Rachel for their chicken take out (love the fries). Best inexpensive Asian cuisine (imho) is Papaye Vert on Bernard for Vietnames haute cuisine.

In Donna Hay's books she usually points out that paw paw can be found in most Asian markets. The first time I ran accross the problem I went to my local Asian market and asked numerous employees for green paw paw only to be shown the dispaly of green peppers (bell peppers). After explaining that I wanted pawpaw not pepper, a customer at the market hailing from the Philipines overheard the discussion and informed the employees (and myself) that pawpaw is the name she used for papaya. Note to Donna Hay: In future editions it might be an idea to indicate "a.k.a. papaya"

I drive by Bice every day and must say that the terrace seems to be more of a seasonal extension to the main dining room. By that I mean that it is walled in as well as covered by a tent. Not exactly al fresco dining.

OK, I'll rephrase that.... Will I go back to get some for myself? Probably not...but will I steal one from a box purchased for my wife and kids...definately.

Raspoutine, I guess the point is that while they are very tasty donuts indeed, who eats donuts? I liked the one I had but will I go back? I doubt it. I never go to Tim Horton's or Dunkin Donuts so the arrival of a higher quality alternative is of only passing interest. Now if Rosalie would only open a drive-thru window for the hamburgers and fries... That would be fast food that would interest me.

I have been on the Atkins diet for a week (no carbs..anything bread related is a big no no) but my 10 year old daughter begged me to take her to Krispy Kreme. We waited in line for only about 10 minutes (I have never waited in line for doughnuts). As we got towards the front of the line an employee came out offering free samples. Although I shouldn't have accepted because of the diet, I took one for research purposes only.... Perhaps it is because I haven't had a piece of bread in almost a week but that doughnut was orgasmic! Note to self: Return to Krispy Kreme to put back all the weight

I haven't been back in a few years but Pizella on St. Mathieu makes wonderful European style pizza. I believe that they are owned by the same folks as Bocca D'oro. There used to be a few good places in and around the McGill ghetto when I was a student, but for some strange reason I can't remember too much from my student years and the names escape me. Now that I am older, wiser, and a little more health conscious I order in from Village Pizza on Cote St. Luc Road which makes a whole wheat pizza that is pretty good and not too greasy.

For whatever reason my wife does not like Pied de Cochon although she loved Martins' food at le Club des Pins. My office is right around the corner from les Caprices so I want a change of scenery. Tonight we'll try Chez L'Epicier as my wife hasn't been there yet and I haven't been since right after they opened....

I've noticed that a lot of my favourite restaurants are closed on Sundays and sometimes Mondays. It so happens that Sundays are a convenient night for my wife and I to get a babysitter and go out for dinner. Any suggestions?

So far this is all they have in terms of a website

To briefly respond to all the above points.... The unit is almost 3 years old. The cellar is a free standing "Vintage keeper" with a capacity of 220 bottles. I would say that I have just under 180 bottles so the unit was not jam packed. I must admit that while the unit was not flush with the surrounding walls to enable proper air circulation, it was placed in such a way that I could not clean the air intake grill on the back of the unit as per manufacturers instructions. The light was left on due in part to my believing that it would not hurt the wine or the cellar. I must admit though that laziness and vanity also come into play. I never got around to putting a switch on the power cord and the low "warm" light made the bottles look "sexy". Oh well, live and learn! The new cooling unit is due to arrive today and I am trying to figure out if I have a better place to put the unit for better access to the rear panel. And for all you helpful souls who have so selflessly volunteered to help me test the wine, you have helped me figure out what the hell to do with that magnum of Sauternes!

My theory as to why it blew in the first place is that the blame goes to the new light fixture. I have noticed that at several times over the last month or 2 that the temperature indicator would read something like 52 or 53 degrees. In fact I called the manufacturer and was told that the lower temp was part of a normal cycle and was within tolerance. In retrospect however I have to wonder whether the cooling unit wasn't trying to compensate for the heat given out by the lightsource. Perhaps the overwork lead to the failure.

I don't think the unit did any cycles but rather simply ceased cooling and circulated the ambient air. I did open up a bottle of Gaillard St.-Joseph Clos de Cuminaille 1999 which was still tasty (although bit young and way too warm).

The other night I went to the basement to pick out a bottle of wine for dinner. Immediately after opening the door of my wine cooler I noticed that the air was noticeably warmer than the usual 56 degrees. I looked at the digital display on the cooling unit and was shocked to see it alternate between AL (which I guess is short for alarm) and 78 degrees. Needless to say the first thing I did was unplug the unit and prop the door open as the ambient room temperature is somewhere around 68 degrees. I spoke with the manufacturer yesterday and ordered a new cooling unit which should arrive this week. I am not certain how long the unit was out of order (no more than a few days) and am wondering if there was any significant damage done to the wine. I did notice that a magnum of CdP which was on the top shelf has cracks in the wax seal. One or two bottles had a tiny bit of "gunk" under the foil (but this could have been present before the breakdown). Bottom line, do I relax or freak out? One final note which I should post as a warning. A few months ago I purchased a light for the wine cellar which the store informed me could be left on 24/7 as it would not add any significant heat. Suffice it to say that I was misinformed. While I cannot prove that the low heat from the lightsource was what killed the cooling unit, it most certainly drove up the temperature once the unit died.

Wear a goatee!