cinghiale

I had a very delicious dinner at Django Wednesday night. The October menu features some terrific additions to their later summer menus. • Amuse: Polenta/Parmesan Puff • Butternut Squash-Scented Lobster Soup w/Polenta-Lobster Royale A downright hit. The lobster stock was super-condensed, resulting in a (for me) hitcha-in-the -back-of-the-throat intensity. The base was nevertheless very light, not at all overtly creamy, yet still rich. The royale – two dumplings – were less satisfying. Though flavorful (fennel was in there, I think), the texture left something to be desired. For my money, quenelles would have worked better. • Goat Cheese Gnocchi w/Carmelized Mission Figs and Applewood-Smoked Bacon The gnocchi have been a mainstay, but I don’t recall having seen this rendition before. This was good enough to wallow in. The fig-bacon playoff was superb. I can’t recall (better, decipher my notes) the type of figs, but they were tiny with an intense flavor. The saucing was butter and herbs, simple yet rich and perfectly balanced. • Pheasant Breast and Pulled Pheasant Leg aus jus w/Spätzle and Wild Mendocino Mushrooms Boy, was this good. The birds come from Griggstown Farms up near Princeton. I visited the farm last spring after spotting an item in the Jersey section of the NYT. Their product is great. I had success with the quail, but I couldn’t keep the pheasant from drying out. Bryan’s version is an absolute winner. The breast is moist, tender, and wonderfully flavorful. His spätzle are the real deal (cf. the wannabe pass-offs at Ludwig’s Garten). The mushrooms were meaty and played perfectly with the pheasant. 5* entree, this. • 3-Way Apple Dessert I didn’t take any notes, as this was pretty forgettable. The sorbet was nice, but the other two elements were bland and mushy. There’s also a boar loin entree that’s new to the menu, which I intend to order on my next visit. Also, I remember a Scottish salmon dish that sounded pretty intriguing. And, a lobster risotto, which I think is new.

Last overnight in New Hope was at the Pineapple Hill B&B. Nice owners, comfortable rooms, good bfast.

I like Hamilton's Grill Room in Lambertville. It's in a courtyard (former abbatoir, I think), with a quaint little bar across the way. There's probably more about Lambertville on the New Jersey board, like this review of No. 9. And welcome to eGullet.

Thanks to all for the recommendation to Capital Grille. Went last night and had an enjoyable dinner. We got seated in the "Board Room" -- ground floor, all the way in the back. Just four tables. Our server excitedly told me that several months ago, IN MY VERY CHAIR, sat noneother than Jon Bonjovi!!! He was closing the Philly Soul deal!!!!! Could it get any better? The french doors were later closed, because, as a runner explained to our neighbors, "there's a 65-top in there". Made for a cozy, clubby dinner. Service was impeccable. I'm ashamed to say we didn't have the calamari. I was outvoted in favor of the cold shellfish platter (oysters, shrimp, baby lobster), for $40 just OK, and steak tartare, good but unspectacular. The three of us shared a very tasty tomato and sweet onion salad. I had the porterhouse, ordered black and blue. Friend 1 had the delmonico, ordered pittsburgh. Friend 2 had the mini filet. My porterhouse was disappointingly on the medium side of medium-rare. But the meat itself was so good, so flavorful, so perfectly seasoned that I didn't have the heart to send it back. Curiously, the delmonico was grilled correctly, so maybe I should switch terminology. The filet was fine, if you like filet. The lyonnaise potatoes were a bit overdone; the creamed spinach was just right. Dessert was Capogiro. Thanks again for the recommendation. I'm sure to go back, if not least to try the calamari over drinks at the bar.

Sorry. My eyes were moving faster than my brain: From a Philly Mag piece several years ago:

All but one. He's become Philly's restaurant magnate: Continental Buddakan Morimoto Jones (formerly, Blue Angel) Pod Tangerine Alma de Cuba El Vez Striped Bass Washington Square Continental II I must be forgetting one... [Ah, Angelina, thanks to link] Cafe Republic failed (with Chodorow backing)

Just to clarify: (1) A $4 cheesesteak is about as rare as a $100 cheesesteak. (2) The "recipe" is like describing a hamburger as "ground beef patty on a bun". Also omitted is the crucial fried onion component. (3) The "inventor" of the steak is hotly contested here. Katie's right. Starr is riffing on the foie gras burger/hot dog & caviar omelette gimmicks outta NYC. Hell, he's also sourcing all of his new chefs from there.

Lookin’ for a Center City steakhouse for a celebratory, artery-clogging dinner tomorrow night. Does Philly have anything in the Luger/Old Homestead/Spark's/V category: Ideally, non-chain? Undeniably terrific meat, consistently expertly prepared? Polished if somewhat aloof service? For lack of a better word, “understated” ambience? If memory serves, we have the usual suspects along Broad Street and its environs: • Ruth’s Chris • Morton’s • Palm • Capital Grille • Smith & Wollensky Prime Rib at the Warwick might be a contender, but I’ve seen only two brief mentions here, and one was during Restaurant Week. Davio’s might work, but it’s sort of ristorante-meets-steakhouse, if their online menu is accurate. Then there’s the Saloon, I guess. While it’s in my neighborhood, the clientele drawn to it seem, well, different. So, anyone have any favorites? Maybe someone’s aware of a special running somewhere (Holly once reported on a Palm special). NB: Not looking for steak frites or the like.

Ooops: Didn't mean to sound like I was impugning your comments -- I certainly don't know much about one of the cuisines involved here, and nothing about the other. I can't remember if the in-house menu distinguishes between the two cuisines. Having of course promptly forgotten what we'd ordered, I asked Chef "Michael" if he could give me a menu to take with me to assist in the write-up for this thread, and he gave me a take-out menu, circling what he'd cooked for us. The take-out menu does have categories: For apps, "Thai-Laos Bridge", "Vientiane Kitchen", "Bangkok Kitchen". The laab I understood to be "typical Lao", as it was recommended in response to my query. There is also a "Thai-Laotian curry" heading that we were told has Lao influences, particularly snakehead fish. [Just Googled "Thai Orchid" and came up with a City Paper review of CdL from last month. May help in sorting some of this out.]

Reading this thread, I wondered whether there is in fact any difference between Thai and Lao food. A bit of research revealed that both cuisines have laab, tom, yam, kaeng. But according to this author (scroll down a bit) "true" Lao food is hard to find outside the country, since much indigenous cuisine is served raw . Other marks distinguishing Lao from Thai, according to the author, include (i) sticky rice, (ii) the fermented fish sauce called pa daek, (iii) laab (also Thai, no?), and (iv) less-refined kaeng than Thai. The jerky also seems more Lao than Thai, but I could be wrong. So but for the apparent absence of pa daek from the menu, might not "standard issue Thai" be a bit harsh?

Café de Laos is finally open. It’s located at 11/Washington, across from Nam Phuong and next to the wonderfully named but yet-to-open Porkie & Porky (with the pink sign). Decided to give it a go on Hurricane Night, so we had the place to ourselves. The restaurant bills itself as Laotian and Thai, and the menu offers ample selections from both cuisines. I’m no Thai expert, and this was my first Laotian meal, so I’ll leave it to others to debate the merits. (Dannyboy: You out there?) The decor is warm – lots of wood and several gold-leaf mosaics featuring warriors, goddesses, elephants and famous battles. We met owner/chef Michael, who said (memory got foggy at end of meal) that they have a place in Media (Noodles?) and one in West Philly – don’t quote me, but I think Vientiane. One of our party, Chef Tom from The Abbaye, grabbed control of the apps, which included: • Sai Krong-Issan Yang: terrific little pork sausage balls, served with peanuts, cashews, dried shrimp, and lemon grass • Mu Daed Diew: sun-dried pork jerky (there’s also a beef variety), some of which were really dry and others nice and chewy • Tub Kwan: spicy char-grilled pork liver (they were out of ox liver), which was not really my thing but well prepared • Thot Mun Pla: Thai fish patties with curry and herbs, very good • Crispy rolls: good, Vietnamese-like For mains, Tom and I went with the laab (seasonings: dried chili (whole pods), shallot, lime, rice powder, mint, cilantro, and scallion), served on romaine lettuce. Looks sorta like peasant food. Tom’s pork laab was bland and disappointing. My duck laab, on the other hand, was well seasoned, though some thought too salty. Served with choice of jasmine or sticky rice. The other three of us had pads: one beef, one pork, one shrimp. All were quite good, and the saucing was distinctly different for each. For those of you who know your way around Thai/Laotian menus (I don’t), there are also Tom Yums (hot/sour soups, including one with snakehead fish), Yams, two Nam Toks (beef and pork), a number of Kaengs (Thai-Laotian curries), and a few noodle dishes. Apps are in the $5-8 range. Mains are $8-11 mostly, topping out at $15 for mixed seafood. Edited to add: BYO

Huh? What I thought I'd get was a decent meal. I didn't. I have no idea what "South Philly will always be South Philly" means. I live in South Philly (well, BV), and I eat all over South Philly, in various dining incarnations, like Tony Luke's, Cacia Bakery, L'Angolo, Mr. Martino. They're all good and try to please their clientele with quality offerings. I was simply posting a review of a bad meal there, having seen one of Herb's posts on another thread, where he related that he had heard it was good. I thought it appropriate to share my experience. Thanks for the tip on Ralph's, but IMO, that place doesn't "charm" me.

After a couple of years hankering to go way down to 10th and Wolf and check out Bomb Bomb Bar B Que, I finally made it Friday night. I'd been in once on a late AM for a cup of coffee while waiting for a contractor and was certainly intrigued by the history of the place. If I recall correctly, some 50+ years ago, the place was firebombed on account of the owner's refusal to pay protection. When he remained defiant after the first attack, he was bombed again. The place has that old, neighborhood-y feel that gotten lost in recent years in the Northern (of Snyder Ave.) Italian places. The staff is great, real homey. Lotsa regulars. One hour wait for a table that night (it seats maybe 35-40), but the bar was comfortable. Kendall Jackson SauvBlanc was more than I expected, so I was looking forward to a good, solid meal. While Bomb Bomb bills itself as a barbeque, it has only ribs on the menu, and only one way at that. Crabs are really the focus there. Crabs whole, stuffed in things, in sauces. I started with the crab bisque. It was very good, full of crab and just creamy enough. I should have stopped right there. My friend and I then shared jalapeño shrimp. I'm fairly certain these aren't made in the restaurant. Very ordinary. A simple salad came with the meal, with the homemade Italian dressing served in a blue, Grolsch-type of bottle. The mains were truly bad. My veal marsala was nowhere near the common understanding of that dish. The veal, which was limp and bland, was either breaded or the victim of a dredging gone horribly wrong. The surface was mealy and under-sauteed, turning it the consistency of paste. But the sauce was truly awful. The medallions were swimming in a separation of some stock and fat, with no hint of marsala anywhere -- in fact, no hint of any flavor whatsoever. As for the inclusion of mushrooms, better minds can differ, I guess. My side of gnocchi were straight from the freezer. And again, the red sauce was devoid of flavor altogether, including that of tomato. My friend had the special spaghetti with crab meat in red sauce. Same problem: the usual over-the-top size serving with a ice-cream scoop of crab in the middle, then flooded with bland gravy. Looking around, I saw dishes that looked a bit better. The scampi at the next table looked appetizing, and people seemed to be enjoying the mussels (or clams?). But Yikes! If it weren't for the really warm service, I'd say I'd never go back. The sandwich selection looks OK, though, so if I do return, then for lunch only.

I was fortunate to snare a reservation for a one-night-only U.S. appearance of Chen Kenichi at Susanna Foo on Sunday night. The event was sponsored by the family-owned firm General Ecology, Inc. of Exton, PA, maker of the (IMO) somewhat unfortunately named Seagull IV Water Purifiers. The back story is that while on a business trip to Japan a number of years ago, the owner of the firm was introduced to "Doc" Hattori, who installed the purifiers in the Nutrition College. He was so impressed that Hattori arranged for the purifiers to be used in Kitchen Stadium. Chen now uses them in all his restaurants, as does Morimoto at his restaurant here in town and now Susanna Foo. The filter is installed at the source for the restauarant, so all water is purified: for tap, ice, cooking, and washing. The water at dinner seemed fine to me. On Monday, GE had planned a publicity stunt for the local Fox affiliate, where water from the Schuykill would be poured into the filter, then pumped through into a glass and consumed on the spot. To promote its product, apparently, GE brought Chen over for this sole dinner in the states. Foo told me that she'd never met Chen before this event, so its puzzling why and how this all came about. There were large TV screens throughout the restaurant, where diners could watch Chen at the wok and courses being plated. There were a couple of cheesy interviews in the kitchen, but Chen was his usual high-energy, goofy self. One question prior to service of the shark's fin soup: Q: "Oh, it's a delicacy? Do you make this very often?" Chen [via translator]: "When I do, I always hum {theme from "Jaws"}." On to the food. We were seated upstairs for the 6:00 seating; the main floor held the 7:00 seating. So with 150+ dinners coming out in that time frame, I guess I shouldn't have expected Iron Chef-level food. But I did, and I was a bit disappointed. First course was Szechwan Bon-Bon Chicken Salad with Organic Micro Greens. Chen explained that "bon bon" reflected the sound made when hammering "hard" chicken. The dressing, a spicy sauce based on roasted sesame, was underneath the greens, so we were advised to mix as we ate. A quite nice starter. Next came Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Essence of Crab Roe. The soup was very delicate and silky. The crab flavor was very subtle. A good version. Then Tiger Prawns with Shrimp Sauce and Fall Vegetables. Things started to decline with this dish. While the prawns were delicious -- sweet and tender, a winner -- the presentation was sorely lacking. "Fall vegetables" were two mini broccoli and two mini cauliflower florets -- rather uninspired. And the saucing was pretty amateurish, though tasty. I was really looking forward to the Stuffed Bamboo Pith with Seafood Sauce. The stuffing was shrimp mousse. The broth was composed of ham and chicken stock with peppers and (I think) soy bean. The bamboo was very limp (perhaps this is normal -- it was the first time I had had this), but the overall dish was exceedingly bland. Major disappointment. Next up was Kung Pao Beef with Green Pepper and Szechwan Chili. This wasn't as spicy as I expected. However, the dish also contained lemon pepper. Our server said to try "just one". I misunderstood and ate the entire mini, charred "branch", rather than just one of the berries on it. My God! I got an overwhelming rush of super-intense lemon -- not spicy but stupefyingly lemon-y. Salivation kicked in and my mouth was sort of numbed for a few minutes, not unlike the effect a certain party powder once (for me) had. As the sensation cleared, the rest of the dish was quite good. The beef was very tender and nicely accented by my lingeringly lemonated palate. Finally, an Iron Chefish dish: Szechwan Ma-Po Tofu with Minced Pork, Spicy Chili Sauce and Steamed Rice. Chen said he decided to make this dish, one of his favorites, sort of at the last minute. I believe he brought the chilis with him, and he warned that it would be spicy. It was. The creamy tofu was great and attenuated the heat of the chilis. The rice on the side was a bit odd. Some diners scooped theirs into the bowl to cut the intensity of the dish. Others tried to push the rice individually onto the spoon. All in all though, a wonderful dish. Last up: Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake with Fuji Persimmons. Nice finish. Not at all sweet. The pomegranite seeds were a nice touch. Finally, Chen was animated the whole evening running back and forth through the dining rooms, stopping for photos and autographs. Ms. Foo and the sponsors also went table to table. The food and atmosphere made for a very entertaining evening.

Yes, of course: smell paired with taste. I was thinking of smell alone, as was the question: "Is it the smell of a food which attracts you even before seeing it? Or is the visual equally powerful as a stimulant to you?" Gopnik: Sound and vision seem powerfully anchored in memory and are easily communicated to others. For instance, if you sing just the smallest bit of a well-known song, as little as "these little town blues", you and your listener recall "New York, New York" in all detail. When it comes to describing smell and taste, however, you have to go to linguistic extremes to convey only a modicum of understanding. Gopnik again:

Gopnik's article on wine (book review, actually) in the recent food issue of the New Yorker touched on the taste-smell interaction, and he had a fairly interesting point to make about the "weakness" of smell:

Oops... Now, retroactively, yes, your post was crystal clear. And, ya know, I reviewed the thread before posting, too . I obviously cannot claim the same clarity for either my eyesight or my attention span. Haste doth make waste.

I noticed this item in this morning's food section of the Inky.

The decor is pretty spartan, though. If you're doing Django and then considering Tre Scalini, Anastasi's would be at the other end of the ambience scale from those two. There are a number of other, not-pure-red-gray Italian choices near 9/Washington: Forte, Mezzaluna, Dante & Luigi.

wow, what a weird coincidence--i just noticed this place for the first time this morning. i must have walked by it a hundred times and never really seen it. what's it like? there's some other place on that corner that i saw too that i never noticed before. weird. I've only been there for lunch I have yet to get to Kibbitz. The first time I tried, it was Sunday -- closed. The second time, I picked up bagels from Hot Bagels on 4th St. around 8:30 on a Saturday morning, biked over to 7/Chestnut for fixins, only to find them ... closed again They don't open until 10:30 (M-S 10:30-7:30). What self-respectin' Jewish deli keeps those kinda hours???? I'm boycotting the joint on principle.

Fat Darrell named Best Sandwich in the Country by Maxim. Sounds like y'all might have other thoughts, or?

Another thread here about whale-eating in Norway.

Mezzaluna is across the street from Forte (where Maria cooked before she opened Forte), and they have a liquor license. Quite good risotti; good white-bean app; fairly priced wines, though nothing spectacular. Dunno about Vesuvio eats -- it's always pretty empty (other than the bar), even on weekends. BTW: Two weeks ago, I happened into Cucina Forte on a Thursday and got talked into the five-course $25 meal. What a bargain! Had the terrific Dream Soup referred to by jas (s-d tomatoes, mushrooms, bread cubes, chicken stock, and other stuff I forget), simple salad, gnocchi (asked for, and received, gorgonzola sauce instead of the single offering of marinara), choice of 5 or 6 entrees (I had the saltimbocca -- two, very generous slices of excellent veal, plus standard potato and veggie sides, sauced in mushroom cream (?)), and a dessert duo. I was completely stuffed. Available T-Th.

I am back from my long-awaited trip, and I just can’t fully express how great your city is. I am truly smitten. Thanks to all eGers who made this trip fantastic. Mom and I stayed at a pension at the top of the Parc la Fontaine, which turned out to be perfect, as I was blown away by Plateau Mont Royal and all that is has to offer. Since I arrived Saturday noon, several hours earlier than she, I immediately set off for lunch at Schwartz’s. Zigzagging my way there via Rachel, St. Denis, Duluth, etc., I was really taken by how urban yet laid back the neighborhood is. There are so many enticing restos, cafes, boulangerie, charcuterie as to be nearly overwhelming. But at Kenk’s suggestion, I went to Schwartz’s, and after a half-hour wait in the take-out line, I got the acclaimed smoked meat sandwich with a half-sour. The meat was less fatty, less succulent than NYC pastrami that I’m used to from Katz’s or Second Ave. Deli. Also, I found the sandwich rather, um, petit – it’s not really enough for a meal. Though priced right – $5, I think – I was disappointed that there wasn’t more. Proceeding with Kenk’s and gus_tatory’s itineraries, I decided to pass up Reservoir for Mile End, since I first wanted bagels. I continued north on St. Laurent to Fairmount (a bit of a hike, but it was perfect walking weather) to try a Fairmount Bakery bagel. Had a sesame w/cream cheese (they were kind enough to prepare one – I didn’t realize until walking in that it was pretty much just OTC bagel, pita, etc. sales). Light, sweet, just as described, and very good. I bailed on continuing on to St. Viateur, though I subsequently had several at the pension, which prefers them over Fairmount’s. I then walked up to Mile End – doesn’t open until 8 PM, gus Ended up having a few “blondes” at the Tap Room on Rachel. Saturday night was Au Pied de Cochon. At riboflavinjoe’s recommendation, I reserved at the bar. However, it was far too warm in front of the kitchen, and we were kindly accommodated at the far end of the bar, at the beverage section. Eating at the bar also resulted in terrific service, as we could get ongoing recommendations from the keeper and the floor manager. I started with the cochonnailles platter – a sampler of sausages, pates, and the pickled deer tongue I was longing to try ($5.50), but I forgot about the venison tartare recommended by gus . Though the sausages were somewhat dry, the rest was terrific, especially the tongue. Mom had zucchini blossoms and also the blue cheese salad. For mains, the manager talked me into the lobster guédille, basically a lobster roll with three sizeable slices of foie gras. This was amazing (and decadent). The lobster is harvested from a whole Gaspé lobster cooked upon ordering and put together on the spot. The creamy foie gras harmonized beautifully with the buttery lobster. It’s priced according to the size of the lobster used: $30/lb. I asked for a “small” order and received a roll from a 1-½ lb. lobster. Mom had grouper, which looked pretty hearty as well. Sunday morning found us in Vieux Montreal. While there are varied dining options here, many seemed focused on the tourist trade, particularly in the Place Jacques Cartier/Rue Notre Dame vicinity. We happened upon Le Bourlingueur on Rue Saint-François-Xavier, which served simple food at very affordable prices. I had cauliflower soup and the “Alsatian sauerkraut”, basically an “Eintopf” with several sausage varieties and a piece of braised pork. Enjoyable comfort food (about $15 pp). Sunday evening was Les Caprices de Nicolas. The space is very beautiful. We sat in the atrium-like area in the rear. Had the menu ($65). Amuse was green pea vichyssoise with mint and a drizzle of Castellano super first-press olive oil. Delightfully fresh and vibrant. I ordered an additional before the first course: foie gras with beautiful Quebec strawberries and ginger crisps ($28). The two generous slices of foie were perfectly grilled and silky beyond belief, and the strawberries were an excellent pairing. First course were two squids stuffed with ricotta and herbs, served with fig and preserved-tomato “lasagna” (think small sheets folded like crêpes), sauced with hen jus and 30-YO dry sherry vinegar. The squid was absolutely perfect – tender, not chewy, but still cooked through. The spicing with dead-on. My main was Le Porcelet (organic milk-fed piglet done three ways), which apparently changes with the chef’s whims. Mine were roasted, seared and “cake”, served with beet and green curry sauce, purslane salad, organic carrot tempura and mango-beet chutney. The plate was a tad busy. They could have skipped the carrots, as they came out cold. The pork was generally quite good, although the cake was unusual, an odd melange of shredded pork and pastry. I asked the waiter about it, who gave me some spiel about the pastry chef making it fresh. I really wanted to know how it was composed, but I got no answer. Mom had white sea bass with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, zucchini blossoms and mashed potatoes. Wine was 2000 Confuron Cotetidot Nuits St. Georges. All in all, the meal was very good, though the service was terribly slow. It turned out that they had only seven reservations and decided to go to half-staff. However, a total of 14 parties appeared between 7:30 and 8:30. The meal took 3-½ hours. Monday afternoon, after visiting the botanical gardens, we bussed over to Rue Bernard (O) to check out the neighborhood. I hadn’t researched eateries but we ended up having a very nice lunch at Zorba’s Remezzo (Bernard/du Parc), which apparently vies with Kenk’s reco Arahova for best souvlaki. We had gyros platters. Man, that ranked among the best gyros I’ve had in quite some time, served with an enormous amount of delicious tzatziki and superfresh tomatoes ($10). Monday dinner was Brunoise. What a delightful gem of a place in a quiet corner of the Plateau. The cross street dead-ends in the restaurant, giving a nice flow to the streetscape. Menu prices depend on the mains ($32-42). Amuse was porcini “panna cotta” with porcini oil, arugula, and marinated mushrooms. Wow, what a creamy, unctuous dish. My starter was quail “escabeche” with lentils, lardons, roasted garlic and almond cream. The quail was terrific. However, the almond cream (an Adria-like foam, actually) was surprisingly bland. Also, the lardons were served as bacon strips, not (as I always assumed) as crispy little nuggets. I think the latter would have worked better in the dish. My main was duck magret, served with Swiss chard and shitake tatin in a five-spice sauce. Superb. The duck was tender and succulent. The tatin was carmelized-sweet, a perfect accent to the duck. The wine was, I believe, a 2002 Minervois from Chateau Tour Boisée. Mom had the halibut in an antiboise sauce with artichoke puree, which I’m gonna try to recreate at home. My dessert were those wonderful Quebec strawberries with poached pears served with crème pâtissière and a caramel “minus 8 vinegar” (i.e., like ice wine) ice cream, with which I had a glass of cidre de glace. Terrific. Mom had the citrus salad with tea syrup, which was very fresh and refreshing. Service was exceptional. After the meal, Zach stopped by the table to chat about the restaurant. He is very engaging. He mentioned that they do little if any advertising and then asked how I learned about the restaurant. I mentioned eG, and he is pleased by the positive talk about the restaurant this board generates. I wished him well on behalf of the Montreal eGers who recommended the restaurant to me. Tuesday lunch was at Hamel – thank you slbunge and others. The Jean Talon Market is wonderful, sort of an open version of our Reading Terminal Market here in Philadelphia. The produce was very fresh. I was amazed by the wild blueberries, which are pretty difficult to obtain here. As for Hamel, we did the cheese sampling plate – three cheeses (I didn’t note them and only remember the raw-milk d’Iberville, which was great; another was a beer-washed, also good), pâte, grapes, and almonds ($10). I then purchased five raw-milks, including the aforementioned d’Iberville, to take home. Next door, at the wine shop, I also picked up two bottles of cidre de glace. Tuesday dinner was La Chronique. I’d have to say this was my most enjoyable dinner. As the menu didn’t interest me, and Mom wasn’t up for the dégustation, we ordered à la carte. I had two starters: “refreshed” langoustines with blini, smoked salmon, osetra caviar and crème fraîche, very rich and thoroughly enjoyable; and foie gras with poached apricots and pain d’épices. I also had a glass of 1999 Fonseca Muscatel de Setúbal “Alambre”, the most amazing wine pairing with foie gras I’ve ever had. I have unfortunately forgotten the name of the young woman who, with Stephan, was working FOH, but she was spot-on with her wine recommendations. My main was Beef Rossini with shredded beef tortellini in a truffle sauce. The sauce was strong without being overpowering and perfectly balanced the beef, which unfortunately came closer to medium than the ordered rare. Wine was 2001 St. Joseph Côtes du Rhône “Les Royes”, which I was permitted to order as a half bottle by drinking only half of the full bottle. Mom had the Dover sole, which was served in an unusual “rolled-up” style. I am totally amazed by the excellence of the restaurants I visited. In the last two months, I’ve also eaten for four days in New York (i.a., Babbo, Oceana, Lever House) and for a week in Hamburg and Berlin at Michelin *’ed restaurants (still completing my report). But the totality of the food experience, the depth and breadth, as recommended by the Montreal eGers, surpassed those other gastro-tours. You have a wonderful, wonderful city, and I’m already scheduling my next trip to your mecca (between Christmas and New Year). In addition to trying the neglected poutine (definitely will do APdC), cromesquis, and brandade, I look forward to sampling more of your restaurant recommendations. Thanks again, all. edited to add restaurant websites

Ya see, if the meal were particularly filling, I'd do the grappa first. Then, maybe a coffee and smoke. Pause. Dessert + wine -- though the spirits/caffeine/nicotine could significantly impair the enjoyment of any delicate dessert wine. Maybe a second espresso after dessert. It's sort of a dessert-as-postscript approach. It's somewhat confusing when, after finishing the main course, you're asked if you'd like coffee-dessert-grappa without any discernible sequence. On more than one occasion, I've ordered grappa post-meal, and the waiter brought the bottle and left it on the table. After, well, several grappas, I'm in the mood for dessert and maybe a glass of wine. I just wondered if that would be viewed as weird or gauche by the locals.