carswell

The new extension certainly fills a number of gaps in the JTM's offer. Still, at least a couple remain: - No great pastry shop - A decent (i.e. Sélection-level) SAQ outlet, something like the one across the street from the Atwater Market Any other ideas?

Had more time to poke around the extension on Tuesday of last week. The fish store shows promise, though there wasn't a huge amount of choice. On the other hand, this was the first day of business after the Christmas holiday. Here's hoping the competition with Poissonerie Shamrock pushes both mongers to greater heights. A pasta store is a great idea, and the fresh noodles were selling like hotcakes; at three in the afternoon, there was only ravioli left, and not much of that. Has anyone here tried their wares? In the 'hood, Milano has set the bar pretty high. It will be interesting to see if the new store can raise it. Was disappointed that neither olive merchant had Nyons or niçoise olives. Atwater Market does. The cookbook store's staff was friendly. Too bad their inventory was almost exclusively French and nowhere near complete (very few books on regional French cooking, for example). A well-stocked polylingual cookbook store is a niche waiting to be filled in this city and maybe on this continent, and I'm pretty sure it would attract enough business to survive and maybe thrive. Alas, this store isn't it. In fact, it provides nothing that Renaud-Bray, say, doesn't provide better. The organic butcher's shop is under construction; from the look of things, it should be opening in a couple of weeks. In the meatime, Les volailles et gibiers du marché (514 271-4141) will more than do. For a dinner with friends that evening, I had planned to braise a pheasant with pancetta, chestnuts, rosemary, white wine and brandy. But they were plum out of pheasants. Despite the fact that one of my fellow diners, a Frenchman, finds local guinea fowl and rabbits lacking in flavour compared with those of his homeland, I decided to make the dish with a smallish guinea hen. Good thing, too: the bird was excellent, the flesh firm, tender and flavourful. In fact, it got two thumbs up from my French friend ("presqu'aussi bon qu'en France"). They ain't cheap but they're worth it. edit: Has anyone tried the espresso-based drinks from the coffee bar on the south side of the foyer? Any idea who the roaster is?

Hey, Kenk. Long time no see! If nothing else, Mourelatos was surely the straw that broke Plantation's back. M's produce wasn't as good as P's but M had the inestimable advantage of being a one-stop shop, especially after the Faubourg's butchers and fish mongers bit the dust. That said, the Faubourg's decline began long before Mourelatos became the new kid on the block. Maybe it was doomed from the start. I'd like to think that downtown could support a food emporium, but I guess it never has: Eaton's basement had one (my first sightings of crayfish and steel cut oats in Montreal); and there was one on the south side of Ste-Catherine across from Plaza Alexis Nihon; and there was that gourmet grocery store that moved from Mountain or Drummond to PVM. All went the way of the dodo. What with workers, residents and visitors downtown, it's not like the potential isn't there. Are high rents the reason? Anyway, I wonder if a short-term fix for the Faubourg wouldn't be to move the food stalls from the second to the ground floor. The restos' business would probably pick up a little (a lot of people won't make the trip upstairs, and it's not particularly obvious to newcomers what's up there) and the downstairs would feel less like a morgue. Oh, and last week I noticed that the Faubourg's cheese shop has also closed...

Have been racking my brain trying to figure out what the PA is, Maeve. Personal Assistant? Nah. Dyslexic A&P? Not likely. Prince Albert? Let's not go there... How about a hint?

Thanks for all the leads, guys. I ended up buying Henckels Five Stars at the Bay on Boxing Day, where the four knives ran about 10% less than elsewhere. When not on sale, the least expensive stores were Monas and La Soupière, though the latter never seems to have the full line in stock. Paul's site was the first stop in my search, ademello. But my friends said they preferred moulded, not riveted, handles, and Paul didn't have the full set of knives in the Grand Prix line. Anyway, I'm lusting after that Wüsthof Classic 10-inch (26 cm) Wide Cook's Knife, so Paul will probably be getting some business from me before long...

Hear, hear! A great first step would be to ban Flash from all resto websites. Strike that. From all websites period. And in the holiday spirit, I offer free to any takers my idea for a browser add-on that would nip Flash applets in the bud: Flash in the Can. Once Flash is buried, we can start work on banning website muzak...

Had dinner there a week or two before Christmas. The place was packed at 9:30 on a Saturday. The menu seemed pared down, stuck in a rut, the only unexpected item being some pricey local caviar. My friend and I both began with salads: outstanding, as always. My cassoulet was good though not world class. Her duck confit was excellent though, as others have pointed out, slightly and a bit disconcertinly sweet. As usual, Philippe, the sommelier, was on target with his reccos: for aperitifs, he poured a fine dry Vouvray, my first ever from Chidaine, and a 2003 Loire sauvignon blanc, whose name I didn't catch but that disproved the conventional wisdom that the vintage is a write-off; both were private imports. In deference to my friend's taste for New World wines, we moved on to a shiraz from Scotchmans Hill, which I actually didn't dislike and may acquire a bottle of to serve with barbecued lamb this summer, assuming the SAQ strike's over by then... I spoke briefly to Martin Picard about the English on the (former) website. His line was in line with Lesley's: the site's being redone and should be back on line Real Soon Now. We'll see. It's not like they need it to attract business these days... Meaning? And anyway isn't one of the two ladies out of the picture or on her way out? My impression is that Elena and son Stefano are running the show. In any case, it's they who are throwing an Italian "dim sum" at the resto as part of the High Lights festival: Although I'm not big on brunches, especially ones with alcohol, the lure of Elena's pasta may prove irresistable. A few years ago, her Christmas lasagna with tiny veal meatballs was orgasmically good. I ate three servings and would have felt like a pig had not another diner chowed down five. And that night I had dreams about it, the only time in my life that's happened.

Some good friends, who are also serious amateur cooks, recently purchased their first home, and I've decided to give them a set of good kitchen knives as a housewarming present. I've more or less settled on four knives as a starter set: an 8 or 9-inch chef's, a 6-inch utility, a 5½-inch boning and a 3½-inch paring. I'd been looking at the Henckels Four Star line, which I know and like. Unfortunately, La Soupière, my first stop, had only two of the four desired knives. The clerk pointed me toward the Five Star line, saying she thought they could piece together a complete set from their various stores. Not enamoured with their look and slightly higher prices, I'd been avoiding the Five Stars but agreed to give them a try. Well, it was love at first grasp; up and down the line, the handles sat perfectly in my hand, and I liked the balance too. What's more, since I have a big mitt and one of the recipients has small hands, I collared two petite passers-by and asked for their opinion. Both preferred the Five Star to the Four; in fact, one was so taken with them that she said she was going to tell her husband they were what she wanted for Christmas. So, Five Star it is. But, of course, Murphy's Law rules and La Soupière couldn't put together a full set of Five Stars either. Turns out they have only the 10-inch chef's knife, which is just too big. The Bay has the full line but only the Four Star and Professional S models are on sale; the Five Stars are around 25% more expensive than at La Soupière. I'm not seeing my friends until the 28th, so in the worst possible case, I can buy the three smaller knives at La Soupiére and head to the Bay on the 26th in hopes of a Boxing Day special. Anyway, before plunking down my hard-earned cash, I thought I'd ask if anyone here knows of a store that offers a good deal on Henckels Five Stars and is likely to have a full set. (Please bear in mind that I don't have a car.) Is it worth schlepping out to Caplan-Duval?

Another one bites the dust. Plantation, downtown Montreal's best green grocer, was boarded up when I dropped by the Faubourg last week. It follows in the footsteps of the fish monger and various butchers. In fact, except for the Italian bakery, the bagel bakery, Scoops and some ice-cream and cookie joints, the Faubourg is now devoid of bulk/raw food purveyors. And with the SAQ store closed, the place was deader than a doorknob. There wasn't even a line at Cuisine Bangkok at 6:30 p.m. on a weeknight. I always thought the Faubourg concept would fly. There are lots of people who live and work in the neighbourhood. It's a short block away from a busy metro station and bus nexus. There's a steady flow of pedestrian traffic on that stretch of Ste-Catherine. And the restaurants in and around the place do good business. So what gives? The fact that there's no parking? The shuttering of the movie theatres? The closing of the Forum and the ensuing decline of Ste-Catherine west of Guy? What with Conk U's erection of its new engineering and fine arts building (the hulking strucutre on the northeast corner of Guy and Ste-Catherine) and eventual takeover of the Grey Nuns' convent just behind the FSC, you have to wonder whether the university's started viewing the FSC as a missing link, whether they have their sights set on it, too. It'd make a hell of a student union building and could probably be transformed into a decent sports centre, both of which the Sir George Williams campus sorely lacks. In the meantime, what might the owners do to turn the place around? Any suggestions?

Will do, though I can promise you it won't be until things warm up a little (wind chill approaching minus 40ºF this evening...). A little. Thoughts of Dar Es Salaam and Aiee! The Phantom, both of which I like, especially the latter. Have my eyes peeled for The Dark Tree and Among Friends, but suspect I'll find them only in NYC. No luck whatsoever with Jon Jang's Pan Asian People's Arkestra, though. But this is stray(horn)in' dangerously off-topic, so send me a PM if you feel like talking jazz.

Yeah, you gotta wonder if the union isn't digging it's own grave. Same here, though some of those are bottles I'll only buy during the Boxing Day sale and it looks like that's not happening this year...

Well, as I said, this was a few years ago, specifically in the pre-Sélection days, back when they were in the basement. The new store's staff is more on the ball. But you can still run across a clueless clerk, especially in the Classique outlets. A while back, not long after the SAQ expanded their selection of Canadian wines from downright pitiful to just plain pitiful, I ran across a bottle of a Bordeaux-style blend (cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc, IIRC) from the Niagara Peninsula in my neighbourhood outlet. Never having tried an Ontario red, I was intrigued and thought, hey, for once I'll earn some brownie points by asking the wine advisor what he thinks. When I did, he looked at the bottle, snorted and dismissed me with a, "Moi, je ne bois que des vins faits des cépages nobles." Yeah, like cabernet and merlot ain't noble... In other words, not only was he an ignoramus, he was a snob too. Fortunately, he was transferred and the guy who replaced him is great.

There are probably as many recipes for Swedish meatballs as there are cooks in Sweden. Traditional versions do not include garlic, spices or herbs other than chopped parsley, and even that is strictly optional. Modern day versions tend to spice things up a bit; for example, lorea's recipe calls for garlic and allspice while another recipe recently posted on the Radio Sweden website skips the allspice but adds paprika and soy sauce. Another, er, bone of contention is the meat mixture; some cooks insist on beef only while others add pork and/or veal. Bread crumbs and finely chopped onion are universal, though more than one cook insists that the best texture will be obtained only by replacing part of the crumbs and the egg with mashed potatoes. Half butter, half oil is the traditional cooking fat. Two secrets to success. First, as you form the meatballs, place them on a cookie sheet. When the sheet is full, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two. This helps the balls keep their shape when cooking and also lets the flavours meld. Second, don't overcrowd the pan and shake it often to ensure even cooking and avoid Swedish meat cubes. As each batch is done, transfer it to a dish in a warm oven. When served for dinner, the balls should be about 1 inch in diameter. The sauce is made by dumping most of the fat from the frying pan, browning a bit of flour in what remains and making a gravy with cream (half and half works best, and be sure to scrape up any tasty bits adhering to the bottom of the pan). Most Swedes I know eat them with potatoes (boiled or mashed) or noodles. Meatballs served as hors d'oeuvres are smaller (about 1/2 inch in diameter), sauceless and usually stuck with a toothpick. IKEA's lingonberry preserves are quite good. In many stores, the food boutique comes after the cash registers, so if you sneak in through the exit, you can avoid most of the craziness and make a quick trip of it.

Well, we get those here, too. A few years ago I called the Rockland outlet to inquire whether they had a certain Chardonnay in stock. The clerk who took my call said he'd go check. A couple of minutes later he came back with a question: "Chardonnay. That's a white wine, right?"

Hey, man! I'd thought about baking my own but was dissauded by your zero success rate report. Well, that and my lousy apartment oven and total failure as a pastry chef... The Lazzerone and Tre Marie are two of my perennial favourites. Don't think I've tried the Maina or Loison but I will. Thanks for the input.

Good idea, Maeve, though I still harbour the hope that one of our pastry or Italian experts will come through with the skinny. Can't help on the panforte, I'm afraid. You mean both pannetone and panforte, right, and not both commercial and artisanal pannetoni?

Benelo update. The former operators of the Benelo cafe (on Crescent between de Maisonneuve and Sherbrooke) decamped I know not where earlier this fall. In October, the front half of the store was a construction site. But when I dropped by for a haircut last night, peace reigned. While I don't think the renovations added to the square footage, it sure feels like they did: the space is airier, warmer, less claustrophobic, and only a clear glass divider separates the cafe from the salon proper. The changes include a new menu, espresso machine (a two or three-group San Marco semi-auto, IIRC) and coffee bean supplier, Agga. As it was 8 p.m. and I wanted to get to sleep sometime in the following 12 hours, I didn't subject them to the acid test and have them pull an espresso. But the decaf americano (déca allongé) was delcious: rich, complex and without a trace of bitterness. An Italian walnut cake procured somewhere in St-Léonard was perfect: simple but far from boring, dry but not too and not particularly sweet. Will report back once I've had a chance to put them through their paces but first signs are good. I gave one of the new operators the address of this site, so they may chime in at some point. Anyway, when's your next trip to Montreal, arkestra?

The SAQ's outlet and office employees have rejected the monopoly's latest offer by a vote of 88%. And though bargaining talks are slated to resume today, both sides appear to be digging in for a long fight. Take, for example, the SAQ's recent announcement that it will be opening another Montreal outlet, the SAQ Dépôt, which will specialize in the sale of products by the case. Add to that the government's statement that it has no intention of passing back-to-work legislation and we're looking at restricted access to booze not only during the holidays but also well into the new year. The LCBO reports a sharp increase in sales at outlets near the Quebec border, especially in Hawkesbury. And dep wine sales are said to be going through the roof. I confess that I broke down and bought a bottle of dep wine yesterday. Dinner was to be linguini with scallops, olives, fennel, tomatoes and chile pepper, and the only whites I had on hand weren't appropriate (upscale oaky Graves, a full-throttle Savangin, a Mosel auslese and an old sweet Barsac). So I grabbed a bottle of Oro ($13.50 at BoniSoir, $2 above MSRP I see!), a dry Chilean white imported by the Maison des Futailles: non-vintage and, despite the meaningless "vin de cépage" sticker on the bottle, lacking any mention of the actual grape varieties used to make it (my guess is low-end sauvignon blanc with a dollop of something aromatic, like pinot blanc or torrentès). Inoffensive but devoid of complexity, terroir or the ability to provide pleasure is about the best that can be said of it. Anyway, I won't do that again. Even if my storage is inconveniently located off-site, I've never been happier to have a small wine collection. The downside is that it consists mostly of wines for special occasions; I've always relied on weekly visits to the SAQ for day-to-day drinking. And I'm worried that if the strike stretches on I'm going to deplete my reserve, which includes a number of wines that are, for all intents, irreplacable, since they were semi-affordable when I bought them but are way out of my price range now (J-L Chave's 1990 Hermitage, a treat wine at c. $50 in 1993, now sells for c. $500, and even the latest vintage, the 2001, retails for $200+). So, how are y'all coping? Have you switched to beer? Do you hold your nose and buy dep wine? Have you crossed the picket lines? (If so, any problems?) Hot-footed it to Ontariariario? And what about restos and bars? Are their supply lines affected by the strike? Lastly, what do you think this bodes for the SAQ? Comments on the web are strongly anti-union and pro-privitization. It's almost beyond imagining, but could this be the beginning of the end of the SAQ as we know it?

I usually give a pannetone or two as holiday gifts. To date, I've bought the boxed varieties imported from Italy and on sale at Milano and other Italian stores. But I'm wondering, does anyone in town make excellent pannetone? And if not, which do you consider the best of the commercial brands? Mille grazie.

Hey, Poutine and sf&m, I was at the market on Saturday afternoon, too. We could have had a mini-offline! The new extension gets a thumbs-up from me. I like the fact that they kept the look and feel of the old winter enclosure but widened the allées. And the selection of shops in the extension per se looks exciting, especially all the new butchers. It's great to see that Le Tartarin is back, though with the tables out in the open, I doubt the experience or the menu will be the same as those provided at the St-Denis location (or is current set-up temporary?). It's also great they put in public restrooms, a feature you can't take for granted these days. They need to rethink the windows on Henri-Julien, though: they give a full-length view of the urinals. Until changes are made, remember to zip up before turning away, men! I've always been partial to the Jean-Talon Market but feel this addition puts it head and shoulders above the other public markets in nearly every aspect: cheese stores, butchers, charcuteries, bakeries, green grocers, cafés/restos, fish mongers, spice stores. Throw in the extras like the chestnut roaster, the bookstore, the kitchen supply store, the cooking demos and, the clincher, piccolo Italia, and it's no contest: the place has become the city's primo culinary destination. Lucky us.

I'd thought about adding a comment like "stay tuned" but figured that would be obvious... Actually, I kind of think that's to Italy's credit. Anyway, I've got my fingers crossed that Nadia Santini will be on the list.

The horse's mouth

The cooking was as good as ever last spring. Service was polished if cool. Your friends are right about the unavailability of many wines, however; it took three tries before we hit a bottle they actually had on hand. I don't understand why they have such a problem keeping the list up-to-date in this age of inexpensive scanners, digicams, inventory management and page layout software and colour printers. The new digs are posh but also less edgy. That also applies to the cooking (based on a single visit). Don't know if it's due to the move as much as inertia. Can't say I noticed any decline in service quality; it was as indifferent as ever. You may want to bear in mind that Toqué! has always been a restaurant whose cooking I've respected more than enjoyed.

Boo! Resurfacing momentarily to report that a Halloween scratch 'n' save promotion is on at all SAQ outlets through Sunday, October 31. Purchases over $100 get you a coupon you scratch for an instant rebate of 10%, 15% or 20%. On-line purchases and telephone orders over the $100 threshold are discounted 10%.

Chicken and lamb tagines are the best use of the fruit, IMO. Sliced quince poached in sugar syrup makes a nice addition to a fall fruit compote. Quince paste is great, too. However, you can buy excellent imported pastes year round; fall is the only time of year you can make tagine with local (and relatively affordable) quinces.