Review: Bocata

Bocata is a Spanish tapas wine bar in old Montreal that does it right. We were in the area last Friday and walked by this beautiful spot on our way to Venti hoping to get a table without a reservation. Thankfully we were unsuccessful in our try because we went to Bocata and got a nice little table. This was a perfect Friday night dinner for us and a great find. We'll be back for sure (and call for reservations this time!)

The place is nice and cozy, but yet there's still enough space for everybody without feeling like you're included in the conversations of the tables around you. The decor is very baroque and rustic with copper pans and iberico jamon hanging from the ceiling everywhere. One modern thing that is noticed when looking at the bar in but is very welcome is a cold storage for the "By the glass" bottles. This keeps all the bottles at a constant temperature and at the same time dispenses the exact amount (think of the donut system for drinks).They have a somelier on site that can help you go through the wine book (yes, a book!) and he helped us pick a Bordeaux that went well through our entire order.

Review: Joe Beef

Joe Beef used to be high on my list of places to hit in this city. Too much talk about it for years. Then the explosion, David Chang is talking about these guys and every NY chef mentions Joe Beef somewhere. We finally went last friday and I wanted to wait before writing this to see if my view would change once the dust settles. Basically, it was ok but I wouldn't really go back. 

Our reservation was taken at the right time, no tricky "Please sit at the bar while we get your table ready" BS move that we all usually go through. When we got seated, our very nice and helpful waitress (I didn't get her name) informed us that there's no paper menu, you have to read the chalkboard. This is fine and charming, but it was so dark that we had to get up and get near the bar to be able to read it (since the board's been erased a few times and is filled with chalk dust). The menu is a huge mess. Can't really understand what is a side dish vs an appetizer or a dessert. This part of the review might make you say "How old is this guy?" but i'm 35 and have better than 20/20 vision. I couldn't see it. When the waitress asked us if we had questions about the menu, I asked her about something, she looked up and even she had to walk to the bar to read it. So handwritten menus on the wall are nice and rustic, but make sure they can be read from further than an arm's length. 

Wine, cheese and coldcuts on the patio, that's living

 

This past Sunday was a gorgeous St-Patty's day, with 20 degree weather. Except Heather and I were looking to stay away from the green zombie crowds moaning "Beeeeeeeer" so that meant we couldn't enjoy the day like any normal Montrealer would, with a pint on a terrace somewhere. We decided to do our own thing and picked up some things, went back to my place and got the table out of the basement, plopped it outside on the back desk and enjoyed the warm sun.

Saturday we had picked up with fantastic loaf of bread from St-Denis street, corner of Cherrier. A place called Mammie Clafoutie or something like that. I can't exactly remember what it was called but the bread was excellent! Had a multi grain coating with a sourdough type of consistency. Very full flavour without being dry. So I pulled out my trusty cast-iron skillet, put it at high heat and waited to see some smoke. Put the slices of bread in the pan and put a heavy pot on top of it for a few seconds, just to make a nice little crostini. I can't believe I didn't have any garlic to rub on it. Oh well, next time! There's something so good about cast-iron grilled bread. Reminds me of the toast we'd eat on camping trips when I was growing up.

David Chang's quick pickles

Momofuku quick pickles

This is the super simple Momofuku pickles that Chang uses in the pork buns. I make them at home and my girlfriend loves these things. We put them in burgers too. These are awesome when cold!

- Cucumber

- Salt

- Sugar

Recommended gear: Mandolin

He recommends getting Kirby pickles, but a standard English cucumber works fine. I slice about half of it on a mandolin. Leave the skin on, and do it super thin. Put them in a bowl and add sugar & salt, 3:1 ratio. Start with two tsp of salt, six of sugar. Mix it up. Put it in the fridge for 20 mins and then you can start to eat them.

Loosely taken from David Chang's Momofuku book.

How far would you travel for a plate?

Me hitting every street food vendor at a fair on 7th ave in NYC

We all have these crazy stories. Cross the city for a sandwich, road trip for a slice of pizza, whatever it may be. I've sat at Portugalia (on Rachel st near St-Laurent) which is a hole in the wall portugese chicken place and heard orders coming in by phone. People placing orders 3-4 hours in advance and coming in from Ottawa! Can you imagine driving 90 mins after work to come get a chicken to then drive it back another 90 mins and serve it to your family? That's pretty hard core and I love it! I drive back to my old neighborhood to get cold tomato pizza from the bakery I grew up next to. I thought this was common, but when I moved a little west of the city, I couldn't find anything as good as the tomato `za I grew up on. in high school we used to drive out east to Milano's cafe on Jarry to get a sausage sang'wich. It had to be from Milano's. Don't bother today, I think even the most hard core Italian in the city will admit it's just not the same as it used to be. For me it's the bread that isn't as good.

Then, with the same friends, we heard there was a Taco Bell opening in Brockville Ontario. That's 2 hours away. We didn't care. My friend borrowed his mother's truck and off we went in search of bad (bad bad bad) mexican food with Nirvana tapes blasting on the radio. We must've done this at least half a dozen times actually. It truly was a sad day for us when we got there and noticed that the TB had been replaced with a Tim Horton's. We drove around the town looking for it, in case it moved. It looked like two guys searching the streets for a lost dog.

Review: 40 Westt

Image from 40 Westt website

I love a good steak, but I'm very picky. My preference is to the rib steak, I love the extra flavour the bone gives it. I'm not a filet mignon fan, it's too easy to overcook. So my friends and I went to 40 Westt a few months back. It's a beautiful space, nice high ceilings, everything is spot on. Like a Vegas steakhouse minus the millionaire teenagers chasing the waitresses.The service was alright, not bad but not superb. Our waiter did the job and we'll leave it at that. The wine list was extensive and nicely varied. When I asked for a recommendation between two wines our waiter simply looked at the prices and said "I'd go for that one" pointing to the higher priced bottle. I asked why, and he said "I don't know, people seem to like it". So. Why did he not just call a somelier over? Why was my wine order taken by someone who doesn't know wine to begin with? I didn't push, I just shook my head and picked a completely different wine based only on the grapes.

Current Top 5 "Dying-to-try" spots in Montreal

So my girlfriend and I were trying to think of a place to go to and got onto the topic of Top 5 spots each of us wants to go to. I never really thought of a whole list, I have a random selection of stuff. One of these will be knocked off the list in a couple of weeks and I can't wait!

Pastaga: I passed by here on foot when it was freshly opened and loved the space, the tables were gorgeous but I knew nothing of it. Started digging a bit and found out it's Chef Martin Juneau, who was the genius behind La Montee de Lait which was a memorable dinning experience. I still don't know much other than the cuisine is south of france. But I want it!

Icehouse: This sounds like it's right up my alley. Southern food done well. I love comfort food, and I'm a sucker for fried chicken. Anything rustic, home style and excellent, I want! Nick Hodge seems to be delivering that here

Joe Beef: We're knocking Joe Beef off the list in a couple of weeks and that should be fun, for the exact same reason as Icehouse. The simple flavours done well. I kept hearing about this place for years and never went. It was always "Right, forgot about Joe Beef. Ah, next time" and it's since then exploded into this almost Momofuku status. My fault for waiting! When this gets knocked off the list, I'll probably just replace it with Liverpool House right next door!

Lemeac: This has been recommended by a few people who's palates I trust so for a brunch, it makes the list.

Les 3 Petits Bouchons: We go to Artigiani on St-Denis as often as we can. The food is great, wine is cheap, staff is awesome. On the way we sometimes pass this place and it looks good. The plates look appetizing, kinda like french-country cooking. I'm very intrigued by it.

ADDENDUM: Yeah had to add this. The Grumman78 spot in the Faubourg downtown. I can't wait for this to open, and I REALLY hope these guys are eventually allowed to sell their stuff on the street.

Review: Imadake, Montreal

"WHEN I SAY SAKE, YOU SAY BOMB!"

That's what you hear being screamed friday night from every table filled with college kids and their wait staff. It's Imadake and it's fun! This is another in the (hopefully) new wave of izakayas popping up in Montreal. So far there's Kazu, the king of them all, Big in Japan (other than being on The Layover: Montreal, it has nothing going for it) and now Imadake which kind of bridges the gap. I went there last week and decided to bring my mom cause she loves Kazu so might as well bring her to a different spot. To sum up the review I'll use her words. "It's not Kazu" and also "It's so loud, my ears are ringing". That's a good thing btw!

Japanese? But I don't like sushi!

Okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima Japan

I hear this often. In Montreal, we've had sushi places for a long time, but nothing else in terms of japanese food which is a real shame because I usually wait till I go to NYC to get my fix. Japanese people don't eat sushi every day for every meal, just like the french don't eat 3 small carrots piled on top of one scallop with butter sauce every day. It's a special occasion meal and not something you'll find easily if you travel there. You're much more likely to find izakayas, grill houses, noodle shops and plenty more. I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks travelling from Tokyo to Fukuoka with a buddy of mine in 2010 and I loved the food. In the entire time, I had one bad meal and I was REALLY asking for it.

Coffee, why are you so good?

Espresso made with the Nespresso home machine

Whoever thought of roasting a specific cherry seed and grinding it to make a drink, thank you! This is one of the most consummed beverage world wide and one smell of freshly roasted beans tells you why. I've given serious thoughts to opening a coffee shop (and still do) because of the simplicity and yet complexity of this product. Coffee should something easy to make, yet it in't. As good as your cup is right now, do you think it's the BEST way to enjoy that crop of beans? Farmers in low income countries work very hard in the sun to collect these cherries off the plants by hand, carrying huge baskets of it through the fields. Then they extract the seeds and lay them in the sun to dry and then sell them at an insanely low price. The farmer can pay the wages, buy more seeds, and then maybe get a new hat. The beans then go to a roaster to turn the raw product into the tasty flavour bomb that it is through lots of care and attention. This is a very artistic process, every roaster is different. It's the equivalent of a brewmaster or winemaker. Everything makes a difference. They get packaged, put onto trucks and then some high school kid is putting them on a shelf somewhere locally waiting for you to pass by and grab a bag. You bring it home and then you throw them into the $15 coffee maker from Walmart. Really? Maybe this will help you change up your routine a little bit. Give some respect to all the hard work it took to get that to you.