maxanon

TYVM!

Hello, Are the strawberries ripe yet at the self-serve sites? Where is your favourite place to go? My interests lie in the the greater Montreal area, but free to discuss those locations anywhere in Quebec and the Maritimes. thanks, Max

I think the other thing is that people who are walk-ins are probably pretty hungry and may get cranky easily when not being allowed to satiate their hunger immediately.

Personally, it helps me justify spending that much on a burger meal.

Its probably another way of saying that they haven't really figured out the menu yet, but they need the money.

This is the second post I see that veers off the resto topic and focusses on the person behind the scenes. Liverpool house is a very good restaurant. Is it an excellent italian restaurant? That's arguable. I see it more as an "Italian" cousin of Rosalie. A pop-resto. My mother always give my recipe book collection a withering gaze. She always says to learn from a great chef and practice. When I want to learn from a cookbook prof, I watch the food network. If you don't know how its supposed to taste like, or why you're adding those ingredients, it defies the purpose of cooking. That's her opinion. Being married make me great at following orders. Also, it becomes a mindless task that gets dinner quicker to the table. I guess the distinction is based on expectations. When I go to Morton's in DC, I expect a great steak. I mean, a perfect steak. Anything less leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. However, when my neighbour has me over for a bbq, he can make a great steak. Its not a Morton's steak, but is an excellent steak. The difference is in the expectations. I expect something different from a 10$ bottle of wine vs a 200$ bottle. So, the question is, how do we rate food when our expectations change based upon our knowledge. Is it great Italian for a non-Italian head chef, or is it just great Italian? If one sees Ikematsu-san making French food and you don't know who he is, one might think his off dish is great French food (for a Japanese). But that's another topic.

Culatello: You're making want to book another flight to NYC. Alex et al. I just like saying Momofuku. The first time I suggested going there I was a little embarrassed. Someone actually gave me a dirty look on the subway. I can only imagine if I walk into a store and ask for some momofuku. Or steamed bums, I guess. Oh boy, off topic. Anyhoo, my buddy tried that recipe and it seems to be pretty good. As always it depends on the quality of the ingredients. Not the same as Chang's (ask him about the vegetarian dishes), but great for an amateur and cheaper than a plane ticket.

24 hours sounds nice. There's nothing more saddening than thinking that one of the only places to grab grub at 3 AM is Picasso's after a long night. I really hope that it works. If its good grub at the end of a long night I don't care who it really is (within reason).

I didn't realise that you can "make' momofuku. I thought Momofuku meant lucky peach and was also the name of a noodle shop in NYC (named after the guy who "invented' Ramen noodles). I've had those sandwiches and they're good. Here's his recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/240258

Searing is an amazing quick win. I held a lunch this summer where the theme was sear. Amongst the meals were seared scallops, tuna, steak, vegetables and even seared watermelon and cake. Everyone was really surprised and very excited about the dishes. Its something that's easy to wow people with. The importance is high quality stuff that can stand on its own as we can't marinade the things too much. Although CCnP didn't invent it, they probably started the buzz. Minimal prep time and popular and relatively unseen in restos at the time (probably due to its simplicity), which resto owner wouldn't want that action? Although fine dining is an art, you still have to get paid. Heck, even Michaelangelo painted ceilings.

.....so did you like the place? Who travels in packs? This is confusing. I went and it was actually pretty good.

We should all remember that a critic is providing an educated opinion. Tasting food is very subjective. There are off nights and times when everything is perfect. There's bias in tasting (try cooking dinner for 10 kids) and perception in service (try taking out my MIL for dinner). If something sounds interesting, you should not hesitate to try it. If you can afford it, try something new. Dining out should be an adventure.

How would he even be able to confirm it? This topic still reeks upon revisit.

What's the point of this topic? To attack the critic? To attack anonymous food critics? Eating food is very subjective and trying to criticise somthing so subjective is difficult. Are other critics always on the same page as you (movies, theatre, wine)? If you take umbrage with the fine dining section of the gazoo, a letter to the section editor would suffice. If I correctly recall, the current critic is a freelancer with a meagre stipend. You cannot hope to compare that with the NYT. Ever read the fine dining section of the NYP? Even that paper has a sizeable fine dining budget compared with the gazette. Its laughable that one declares bias when their argument is based on a biased diatribe. If you're unhappy with the state of resto reviews in Montreal, don't hide behind an involved party then declare yourself neutral. The only value one gets from criticism is when its constructive so one can build on it.

It depends how much money you throw at it.

The issue I find is that there's brand dilution and bait and switches. For example, there are not a lot of different manufacturer's of those normal lines (Whirlpool, Kenmore, etc). You'll see a lot of similarities, the functionality is mostly intact but some features differ. As for the high end ones, be wary. You get what you pay for. Unless its an exact same model number, there's a reason why one place is selling it for a lot less. The brand is using their name to get those mid-price buyers, but the quality suffers.

Its an age old problem in the service industry where there's competition. Its why doctors and dentists charge no show fees (as do some restos). The client has no commitment when making a reservation, the risk is entirely on the resto. In any situation, rudeness should not be tolerated. The weight of the agreement between client and resto was felt by the OP, as he did call (albeit at the last minute, there was an effort) to allay some of the guilt. That being said, if a resto is out of the way and known to not have any space, that is the business model of the resto and the risk of reservation cancellation should be accounted for. It sucks to lose money on a table and chronic abuse of the system leads to the inevitable double bookings and rushed seatings which makes everyone suffer. But that's why insurance is so high, cameras are everywhere and the wait time at the doctor's are so long.

thanks for that info, i will check it out. i believe it's usually only available through some bakeries (read: industry) and not commercially over the counters -- not that i have found yet. ← ohev'ochel-- they also have 1 ounce cakes of fresh yeast at frenco vrac, a health food store on st-laurent, east side, just south of duluth. it's in the fridge to the back right, by the marzipan (which is kinda dumb, as it looks almost exactly like marzipan... ) if you find out what day they cut it up and put it out, yuo can get it that day, but they date it, and i have never had a problem with their freshness. also, just curious, what does your screen name mean? good luck! gus ← Gus! Many thanks for that piece of information; I would never have thought to look at Frenco's for it. I will give them a call to find out when they put out the next batch for sale. I have been looking around for it for a while but never very 'seriously'. As for the meaning of my screen name, it's Hebrew for "loves food" [ohev = loves and ochel (as in the bach, loch sound) = food]. ← How about fresh yeast in the west island in montreal? I've been looking and have not been lucky so far. Ives

thanks for that info, i will check it out. i believe it's usually only available through some bakeries (read: industry) and not commercially over the counters -- not that i have found yet. ← ohev'ochel-- they also have 1 ounce cakes of fresh yeast at frenco vrac, a health food store on st-laurent, east side, just south of duluth. it's in the fridge to the back right, by the marzipan (which is kinda dumb, as it looks almost exactly like marzipan... ) if you find out what day they cut it up and put it out, yuo can get it that day, but they date it, and i have never had a problem with their freshness. also, just curious, what does your screen name mean? good luck! gus ← Gus! Many thanks for that piece of information; I would never have thought to look at Frenco's for it. I will give them a call to find out when they put out the next batch for sale. I have been looking around for it for a while but never very 'seriously'. As for the meaning of my screen name, it's Hebrew for "loves food" [ohev = loves and ochel (as in the bach, loch sound) = food]. ←

I find the buying fruits are hit and miss in Montreal. It usualy isn't where your buy it, but when. You need to know what is in season, how long the transport was (longer transport mean longer NO2 exposure) and when the store gets the deliveries. Its really frustrating when someone does not have the time to find quality raw materials at various shops. There's all this talk about mtlers being cheap, but I think its a chicken a egg type of thing.

Oh boy a 47 page menu. Back to topic: Seeing places like this (Anise) close is always perplexing in that it there may be other factors (rent hike, hassle, etc) we don't really understand. I agree that the suburbs and the resulting unease with going "to the city" in terms of driving and parking make it a tough sell. The fact that there isn't the market is kinda off. There are some passable restos in the west island that charge (IMO) a lot for the quality of meals. But they do have the business. There's a lot of disposable income in the suburbs, you just have to market it well (and provide plenty of convenient parking).

Hello, Not an ingredient but an item. Where can I get an Hangiri in Montreal(Japanese rice tub)? Preferrably about 30cm (diameter) or so and not more than 100 bucks. thanks, max

I used to go for nostalgia. It wasn't that great of a sandwich, but it would bring back memories. Too bad about Ben's. I know a lot of people who will miss going there.

Lesley: It sounds like a really interesting idea. Loading up on affiliates help pay the server usage. I like your style of professional writing, so I hope you great success. On topic: I refrain from the guides due to their "staleness" after a short time. They remind me of an old guide of Montreal roads that I have. Vast swatches of the suburbs are empty spaces and it doesn't help when I get lost in those infernal winding roads.

ugh. I was actually hoping for a good review. Have any "regulars" gone? Also, does the prix fixe have descriptions that would give a hint of this mess?