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.

Review: Boissonerie - Paris, France

What: Boissonerie (aka Fish)

Where: 69 Rue de Seine, 75006 Paris, France - In the St-Germain district (6ieme arrondissement)

Why: Cozy place with fantastic french country cooking right off the touristy section with a great wine list.  

Verdict: Highly recommended. Comfortable, easy going, you can get service in english, food was some of the best we had especially at the price. Get a reservation and be ready to spend the night there. 

Firstly I have to say how much I love the St-Germain des pres area. If you're visiting Paris for the first time, get a hotel here. It's so lively and fun with lots of great cafes everywhere. This find was by absolute luck on our part last summer. We were walking down rue de Buci which is busy with terrasses filled to the brim. Too busy, we keep walking. We get to a corner and look down, see a cute little sign of a fish. We walk towards it to see what it's about and see that there's a busy restaurant on this quiet side street. We pop our heads in and ask if they have a table, they did but with about 45 mins wait. We decide we might as well instead of walking around for 45mins instead. So we take a seat at the bar (window sill actually) and order a bottle of wine from the huge list they have. The bartender takes our order, walks out the front door and goes next door. This is where they keep their wine. 

Let's talk burgers!

If there's one place anybody should let their creative juices flow, it's while making burgers. Some people are traditionalists and that's good. Why mess with a good recipe right? Because it's fun that's why!

There are a few important things to any great burger so let's go through that and then we'll look at variations.

Cacio e Pepe: what's the big deal?

I have to say, I'm absolutely hooked onto this dish as if the main ingredient was crack. It's a simple, every day type of dish that is fairly light but also very pleasing. I would consider this something very cheap to make but with that being said, get GOOD ingredients. It makes all the difference in the world. The simplicity of the dish means you can taste every technique and ingredient, you can't hide under a heavy sauce.