gus_tatory

i hope they can make a go of it. that locale seems to present problems... i wish them all the luck in the world!

i understand that people love microwave popcorn--but the cheap stuff they make in my office smells like heated-up Coppertone suntan lotion...

again, not a bouillabaise per se, but the Chez Jose breakfast place on Duluth, 3-4 blocks east of St-Laurent has a really good seafood soup. for a traditional bouillabaise, you'll need to go somewhere "old school" French, like Le Caveau, close to McGill College and Sherbrooke... I had a dreamy lobster bisque there before; not sure about the bouillabaise though.

i used to go to a bar that did this, and they said they emptied the ice machine (into the urinals) every now and then to start off with all fresh (not stale tasting) ice.

hey NYC Mike-- I don't know if you or your wife speak French, but regardless, there are some social nicenesses that'll take you a long way here: --if a cabdriver drops you off and says 'merci', you can say 'c'est moi qui vous remerci' (it's me who thanks you) and they'll be charmed... --also, if someone wishes you 'bonne soiree' or 'bonne fin de semaine', you can say 'a vous de meme' (the same to you), and ditto on the charm factor. now i can't wait to see what you guys do here and hear the report back!

hey NYC Mike: sorry i heavily edited your post. you and your girlfriend are going to have an awesome time anyway, from your agenda. but here's a few other minor things: --if you want to be right *in* the theatre of the kitchen at Au Pied, then ask for two seats at the bar, hopefully to the left, where one of you can have the crazy chair with the deer-antler arm rests. seriously. --there's really no comparing or contrasting Jean Talon and Atwater markets: different shops, overlapping specialties, terroir products, produce, cheese, and seafood merchants. can you do both? --poutine and a pint=> go to reservoir and have some of their evolved bar food. i don't think they have a poutine, but, you know, dude: you don't have to eat poutine at every meal while you're here. looking forward to your report back when you've had a few chances to try places out! gus edit to add: sorry, it's your wife, not your girlfriend. also MaeveH, a member of this board, also the resto critic from www.hour.ca did a review of Reservoir this week, from whence i may have swiped the phrase "evolved bar food": this link to the Reservoir review works until March 2nd.... clicky...

i always knew there were multiple reasons i was thrilled to live here, but i almost cried with joy as i thumbed through my Gourmet Montreal Edition yesterday night. the magazine itself is soo Montreal: joyful and not pretentious; they've taken the time to bring out some quiet legends like Elena Faita; and besides the obvious smoked meat/poutine references, we also hear about Jun i, Raza, and Anise, among others. congratulations to all those name-checked in this issue, and congrats to the contributors. it's only their 6th city-themed issue, and they got to Montreal already! so encouraging, and the local food will be now, if anything, better than ever.

i have not had the Blue Ribbon tartare, but a well-made, fresh one is one of life's sheer pleasures. Luckylies: unless theirs is really untraditional, i think you may be mistaking French shallots (echalottes grises) for red onion, as they sometimes have a purple/red colour. also, the mayo you discern, is it possibly raw egg yolk alone? the tartares i've loved contain dijon, flat parsley, egg yolk, capers, gherkins or cornichons, perhaps 1 smushed anchovy, olive oil, salt, pepper, Tabasco... if you uncover the mystery of how they make tartare at this place, please post back to this thread! thanks, gus

yes.

From the article: "Most innocuous is The Nightcap for Good Night, and Good Luck, the ode to TV newsman Edward R. Murrow (a warmed blend of Kahlua, milk, nutmeg and powdered sugar). Then there is the tongue-in-cheeky Jolly Rancher, the potable in honor of the gay Western romance Brokeback Mountain (Ketel One vodka, Midori and cranberry juice). Darned clever is In Cold Bloody Martini for Capote (a bloody mary with Absolut Citron and Absolut Peppar). Taking the easy way out, though, is The Olympian (dark rum, cherry brandy and lime juice) for the vengeance drama Munich." Story online here... link...

OK, I have to confess I was inspired by a thread on the Toronto board, so props to them. There are tons of items I can reliably find in Montreal; others, not so much. For example, I can find dragonfruit and pomelos, but I can't find yuzu. Likewise, I haven't been able to find curry leaves in Montreal since the Indian produce store on Parc Ave. closed. So: where can I find yuzu and curry leaves? And is there anything you've been looking for and had difficulty finding?

today is the last day to vote for the 2006 Bloggies awards (for food blogs), at: vote for the Bloggie awards here... the five food blogs they have nominated are: delicious days just recipes... the domestoc goddess vegan lunchbox and... the apartment go vote for your favourite!

Try making your next bloody mary with clamato juice. ← ...and you know what's also really good in a Bloody Caesar? a tbsp or horseradish, stirred in, or a splash of caper brine (from the bottle)...

hzrt8w-- i have *so* much enjoyed your pictorial Chinese cuisine series, I wonder if you could index or post them somewhere towards the top of the (Chinese cuisine) page/board/site? you're already on pictorial 43~! thanks a lot, now i know what to do with these things i find in Chinatown here (Montreal)

this might help some of you guys who have less experience, such as myself, with sausage-making: Montrealfood.com's guide to first-time sausage making... click...

and that brings up the whole cheesecake/beefcake thing: cheesecake, yes, it exists. but beefcake?! what the hey is that?!

i use quite a bit of star anise in soupe tonkinoise (pho), but also when slow-frying strips of cooked pork roast to make a shortcut char siu (bbq pork). but i find, like coriander, that it is a polarizing taste, i.e., you like it or you don't. paprika i love in so many things: i get eastern european paprika and use it in chili, tomato coulis, seafood soups... as for the 'trendiness' factor, it's cute that every industry (in this case, spices and McCormick's) releases a little newsletter each year with the happy side effect of selling product. i can deal with it as long as it's 99% informational and not advertising passing itself off as editorial...

She thinks she's all that and a bag of chips. :-) edit to add: X is all over Y like a fat kid onto a Smartie.

caveat: i know almost nothing about the current dining scene in Toronto, BUT i have been going through Susur Lee's *gorgeous* biography/cookbook for the last month or so now, and consequently would suggest that you try Susur... edit to add link... click here for tasting menus...

Jean-Philippe Tastet's Best of Montreal 2005: Link to article in Voir magazine... (This link only good until Dec. 29th, 2005--after that, search the archives.) On his top 10 list, I have only been to Bo and Juni, and loved both. Comments from others who may have been to more of his selections? ...And Happy Holidays and a warm and wonderful 2006 to all Montreal eGulleters!

LOL...

Dejah: there's a recipe in Susur Lee's A Culinary Life link for the book so that eGullet gets the commission... for deep-fried taro root fritters in book 2, recipe #2.31. i can't put it here, i don't think, for copyright reasons, but PM me and i can give it to you, or better yet, buy the book! edit to add: any eGulleter can donate the Amazon commission from any ordered book to the eGullet Culinary Society. all you have to do is take the ISBN (book publishing number) and add it to a link like this (replace the number after ASIN with the ISBN): http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158...2/egulletcom-20

if you put in tiny dollops of labneh (strained yogurt) and topped with inexpensive caviar like tobiko, that'd be nice. also perhaps pesto-cream cheese and smoked salmon? i also like your tuna tartare suggestion!

a new cuisine in montreal! they are most welcome, and i myself hope to go to one of the eateries mentioned this weekend (i am mailing some of my 'dining out' friends a link to this thread). thanks carswell, onionbreath, et all for the heads up, and will report back if i can get there... edit to add link to pictures and descriptions of 'plats typique Uighur' i found via Google...

i got my copy last night--gorgeously put together, the first half, as others have said, is biography, exposure to food, and base recipes, and the second half, more elaborate recipes. i browsed through it for 4-5 hours last night, and prob will again this evening.