A Taste Of Montreal

Auberge Saint-Gabriel

2011-04-23T16:34:00.000-04:00

426 rue St-Gabriel
Montreal, QC H2Y 2Z9
(514) 878-3561

I will start off by saying, this is possibly one of the most elegant and stunning restaurants in Montreal. It is nowhere near pretentious like Europea or others in that class, but when Mr. Cirque du Soleil bought this place over, he got a famous decorator to redo it. The designer is the same as Club Chasse et Peche, one of my favourite restaurants, from the food to the decor. The chef Eric Gonzales, once cooked for Bill Clinton and used to work for the amazing XO restaurant in the hotel St-James. Located in the always busy Old Port area, I knew I was walking into a gem. An extremely busy Thursday night in mid January had me me surprised by the immensity of this location and the amount of people present at 7:00 PM.

To start off I took the delicatessen platter (16) ( the whole pig from snout... to trotter). A delicious assortment of pork, or as I call it, a pig lovers paradise. Each different part of the pig was fantastic, such a wonderful assortment and a couple little dishes of vegetables and beans.

My favourite dish of the night was the homemade cannelloni au gratin(28), stuffed with braised beef cheeks, parboiled brussels sprouts, bacon onion and marrow. A really divine dish on all aspects, from the visual aspect all the way to the taste.

The half free range guinea fowl legs(32), made with mushrooms, figs, artichokes, pistachios and spelt enriched with bacon and cream was another delicious tender dish.

The amuse-bouche that really stood out that night ( there was 3 or 4 of them) was the dessert, white chocolate, cashews and pineapple served in a small glass. A delicious mixture of white chocolate worked wonders with the salty and sweet of the two other items.

I must say, the best part of the night was the vanilla ice cream mixed with nuts and iced fruits(10). The saltiness of the nuts mixed with the vanilla ice cream and the frozen chopped fruits was another not to be missed dish.

Close to 5 hours later at midnight, it was time to go, I really did enjoy Auberge, but more for the atmosphere then the food. The food was good but it was not outstanding and not worth the price. The question is would I go back? The answer is yes I would, but I would be careful on which dishes I ordered from and not for along time...

Food: 7/10
Atmosphere:10/10
Location:9.5/10
Service:9.5/10
Price:7/10
Overall:8.5/10

Plaisirs Coupables

2011-04-23T15:48:00.001-04:00

1410 Rue Peel

Montreal, H3A-1S8

514-507-5689

To start this off, let's decode the word Plaisirs Coupables; in english that would translate to guilty pleasures and in both languages it works. The slogan, cuisine cochone et gourmande or decadent comfort food works also. Of course the last thing that needs to work is.... the food. Oh boy, it does. This small two floor restaurant looks great on the inside and has quite a lot to offer on the menu. On a somewhat quiet sunday night, I and 5 friends decided to feast upon guilty pleasures.

I started off with the poutine with truffle oil and foie gras(10) and lets just say that is damn cheap. Pied de Cochon charges 21$ for their poutine. Unfortunately this did not taste like that one. They used foie gras " en torchon" instead of a fresh piece that is pan seared. That would make the whole difference, as the piece began to melt and did not give off any flavour. I would love to see the piece replaced by a pan seared one and the price raised. Next was the poutine(10) with mature cheddar, lardon and dijon mustard. It did little to excite me and I must say that the dijon was way overpowering. The golden onion rings(7) in a parmesan crust were done to perfection with a nice crispy outside and a tender interior.

The menu is quite extensive, with comfort food favourites, so it is extremely hard to decide what to eat next. " Le Brome" (15) is my kind of burger, a confit de canard topped with a piece of foie gras was possibly the best burger I have ever tasted. The confit de canard patty was just delicious and on this dish, the foie gras en torchon worked, as it melted all over the bun and gave it a buttery delicious flavour. My mouth salivates just thinking of this burger. At this point, I was pretty stuffed and I must announce, with my sadness, that this was the only main I had! A big fatty, heavy juicy burger with a plate of fries, combined with all those appetizers was taking it's toll.

Although I was stuffed, I could not pass up dessert. I started with the deep fried banana split(7), topped with vanilla ice cream, strawberries and a melting chocolate chip cookie. A decadent pleasure to eat this dish. A rich and moist caramilk brownie(7), topped with fleur de sel, vanilla ice cream, caramel and little pieces of caramilk really hit the spot. A combination of sweet chocolate with the salty caramel was a winner. Please have a look at their dessert menu, 7 items and each looks better then the last.

I truly enjoyed my night at guilty pleasures, for the sole reason that deep down, I am a fat kid. This restaurant is here for the sole purpose, and that is to state the following: " There are a ton of restaurants switching over to healthy, because of the new health trend, but here at Plasirs Coupables, we want you to feel ok about what you eat..." No thats wrong, its more like " We want you to indulge in your hearts primal desires, no holding back, no guilt, just pure pleasure".

Food:7/10

Atmosphere:7.5/10

Service:7.5/10

Location:9/10

Price:10/10

Overall:8/10

Sugar Shack Au Pied de Cochon

2011-04-22T19:27:00.000-04:00

11382 Rang de la Fresnière
Mirabel, QC
(450) 258-1732

I have a little puzzle for you guys to figure out. Where do pigs go when they die? Well to heaven of course, no need to complicate things. Now for people who want to know where heaven is situated, look above, it's in Mirabel at the P.D.C. sugar shack! I reviewed a while back Au Pied De Cochon, a restaurant owned by stud martin Picard (it's a joke, he's nowhere near a stud!), from Food Network's own The Wild Chef. It's always great to see Canadians on the big television networks and even better to see Quebecers who cant speak proper english on them! I've been to his restaurant 6 times now and with plans to go back again and again. Now for his sugar shack, it was rated by EnRoute magazine one of the top 10 restaurants of the year. December 2009 is the first time I heard about it and I have been trying to get reservations there since!

Finally many many many months later a reservation for April 2011 and the countdown has begun. It's truly been a long time since I've wanted anything this badly. Our group arrived at 1:30 PM and this place is packed, every table booked and another 50-60 standing waiting for seats.

By 2:00 PM we sit and the feast begins. We start off with a delicious pea soup with lard and foie gras. I have never really cared for soup, but this was quite delicious. Next is the salad with cheese and oreilles de crisse and I must say that the vinaigrette works quite well with all the ingredients. The "oreilles" gave a delicious crunch to the salad and a nice salty taste. A buckwheat pancake with sturgeon and sour cream makes a nice sandwich when put together. Of course a weird item for a sugar shack... Sushi! A delicious piece deep fried in a tempura batter and it tastes great with some maple syrup. Lastly oysters with maple syrup. Yes there are quite a few appetizers, and quite a lot of maple syrup!

For main course, an extremely tender pork shoulder with vegetables, smoked and baked in maple syrup. The outside skin was crispy and smoky with a hint of sweetness. Truly delicious! A fantastic can of baked beans with cottage cheese to go along with all these upcoming dishes. A lobster egg tart was next with a huge lobster shell protruding through the dish. A roasted chicken with beer gnocchi was next, and lets just say, I hope you don't mind head and feet. Once again very tender, this dish was a pleaser , but I must say that the gnocchi were the star.

The dessert portion of the afternoon was the best for me, with a ton of variety. To start off a freaking amazing warm tarte tatin (upside down apple pie), drenched in maple syrup with vanilla ice cream on top. This was one of the best dishes in my entire life! The mixture of warm tart, the cold ice cream, the sweet maple syrup and apples, brought me straight to heaven. Next was pancakes, very standard dish.... oh wait they were deep fried in duck fat and drenched in maple syrup! Another phenomenal dessert. Then came " tire sur la neige", which was with ice and not with snow... Lastly an nougat ice cream coated in chocolate sauce with a maple cotton candy on top was to die for, the nougat ice cream was pure pleasure to eat.

Our brunch ended around 4:30 and boy was I stuffed. I could honestly say that the last 3 hours, were some of the greatest of my life. With bellies protruding, my once super baggy sweatpants now tight, we were glad to pay 70+$ dollars for a sugar shack. That might sound high to some, considering most are less then 20$, but for a feast containing; oysters, lobster, foie gras, chicken and of course very expensive and very delicious maple syrup. Their syrup was amazing, the whole table was pouring it onto our spoons and drinking it, straws next time please. The absolute best part of the day was the dessert and I think everyone else would agree. I shall be booking quite early for the next sugaring off season so if anyone else wants to overindulge and fly away to heaven, join me at P.D.C. epicly glorious sugar shack.

Overall: 8.5/10

Overall for a sugar shack 12/10 ;)

Pecan Brownies topped off with Cookie Dough

2011-04-11T13:44:00.001-04:00

All great recipes start somewhere. Mine usually start watching The Food Network, and this time it was on Chuck's day off. I might of stolen this recipe from him but he stole it from his mom! His recipe is already beyond decadent, the best brownie recipe out there. I have made them many many times and then one day decided that it would be great if I added cookie dough! If you add the cookie dough as soon as the brownies come out of the oven, it starts to melt in, a little bit, and then the flavour combination works terrifically. You can either make your own cookie dough, see previous cookie recipe for the dough or you can buy two packs of Pillsbury! This is a dessert sure to please all brownie and cookie lovers alike!

Ingredients

Mom's Brownies

1/2 cup good cocoa powder

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 packs of cookie dough

Directions

Mom's Brownies

1. Stir together cocoa powder, flour and salt. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until thick and lemon-colored, about 2 minutes. Blend in vanilla and chocolate. Slowly add cocoa-flour mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, saving some pecans back for garnishing the top.

3. Generously butter and flour a 13x9-inch pan (33 X 23 cm).

4. Fill pan with batter. Dot with pecans.

5. Place pan in center of 350 degree oven (177 C).

Bake until wood pick inserted in center comes out moist from melted chocolate (not batter), about 25 minutes. The top will likely start to show some cracks – it is drier than the interior. Let cool completely on rack. Cut into 12 squares. Top with cookie dough when still very hot.

Frozen Ice Cream Banana Split Sandwiches

2011-04-11T13:03:00.001-04:00

I've been trying to think of the perfect dessert. I do love ice cream..I do love ice cream sandwiches.. I do love chocolate, bananas, nuts.. I could just say that I love all dessert and all junk. As the temperature in Montreal is FINALLY rising, it's time to bring out the big guns. By big guns I mean ice cream. Ice cream is beyond the perfect dessert for the summer, it can be eaten on it's own during a hot day, after a meal or on a very sad night....

I cannot take credit for inventing this, I must give it to the Food Network's Paula Dean. Thanks Paula, although I changed quite a few things in the recipe to make it the way I like it!

Use as much of the ingredients as needed, depending on consistency and flavour desired.

Ingredients:

•   12 ice-cream sandwiches, unwrapped
•   3 medium bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
•   1/2 bottle of chocolate sauce
•   1 pack of milk chocolate chips
•   1/2 tub of neapolitan ice cream
•   1 bottle of whipped cream
•   1/2 pack of nuts( pecans, walnuts..)

Directions:

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil
Place half of ice cream sandwiches on the pan, completely covering the bottom
Layer with bananas , then top with chocolate sauce and add chocolate chips

Add top layer of the sandwiches, then add whipped cream and nuts

Freeze for at least 4 hours, then add neapolitan ice cream when ready to serve.

La Cornetteria

2011-04-09T15:58:00.001-04:00

6528, boul Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2S 3C6
(514) 277-8030

Social networking sometimes really grinds my gears;when it comes to useless people getting famous for being horrible( I will not mention HER name), or just for the fact that there are now 1,321,456 ways to communicate with social networking. One thing that I do love about it; learn about great new restaurants, see delicious pictures of food, save money on food and restaurants etc etc. Almost everything I do online is food related, from restaurant reviews, to posting recipes, to helping people save money on restaurants and the countless more hours I spend on various other food related activities. I found out thanks to Lesley Chesterman, what a zeppola is, and were to get it. As soon as I laid eyes on the delicious looking pastry, I was in love, I had to have it. After over a hundred items ordered from La Cornetteria in less then a month, I knew I had found my place.

It is a tad far for me to go get pastries every day, so I usually go on a saturday and pick up a larger quantity. Wikipedia describes love as: "Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.^[1] In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels.^[2] Love may also be described as actions towards others (or oneself) based on compassion.^[3] Or as actions towards others based on affection", but I can sum it up in plain english, zeppole. This has easily become my favorite dessert and I am extremely saddened by the fact that the month is up.

The zeppole at La Cornetteria can only be described as a light fluffy deep fried dough ball, sugar coated, with a cloud like ricotta cream cheese filling that pleases all the senses. While being calorie dense, this pastry manages to be so light that I could eat half a dozen in a sitting, easy! Oh wait, I have done that!

Next up their "famous" cornetti. With flavours ranging from ricotta cream cheese, pistachio, chocolate and hazelnut, their are enough flavours for all pallets. I stick with the plain and simple ricotta cream cheese. I do like this dish, but I have to say it doesn't wow me. The filling is delicious, but the outer shell, almost croissant like, is just ok.

Another item that I tried here is the cannolis, once again a delicious filling but the outer shell was too hard for me to truly say love,

I do suggest going to La Cornetteria and trying all these items for yourself, at prices ranging from 2.00-2.50$, this place is a bargain. I also suggest sitting down and having a delicious espresso with one of their grilled sandwiches(7) and then for dessert, have it all! In the end, it is really the zeppole that I adored, and maybe that is why everything else seemed good, but nothing better. I shall return to see how these items stack up without the fierce competition of the Z!

Overall:8/10

Les Delices Lafrenaie

2011-04-09T15:20:00.002-04:00

58A Brunswick Boulevard

Pointe-Claire, H9B2L3

514-542-4242

When news first sprung that a new bakery was opening in the West Island, I couldn't help it, but smile. A smile from ear to ear and a loud grumbling deep inside my stomach. I heard they were going to carry items like; cannolis, zeppole, lobster tails, cakes etc... I was ecstatic, I recently learnt what a zeppole was (Commonly light, deep-fried dough balls about 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, these doughnuts or fritters are usually topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter-and-honey mixture. Their consistency ranges from light and puffy, to bread or pasta-like) and I cant stop eating them. Unfortunately most Italian bakeries serve them for a month or less out of the year, before St-Joseph's day. I must eat as many as I can in that one month... I easily had 30 of them that month! Orders ranging from 2 all the way to 72! As you can now tell, I am addicted to pastries, so light and fluffy, with a ricotta cream cheese that makes my heart melt. This was love at first sight...

Four days into Lafrenaies opening, I walked in to find a couple I know purchasing some zeppole and cannolis. I purchased two different zeppole; one with whipped cream and one with custard. These did not look like my favorite zeppole, from my favorite bakery. To start off the outer dough layer looked harder and not soft and sugary, and the filling did not look as light. I was right, from the looks to the taste, this was one of the worst pastries ever to fatten me up. The custard tasted decent, while the dough had absolutely no flavor at all. Next up the whipped cream, it had no taste and the dough didn't either, I seriously could not stomach the blandness of these two, into the garbage. An indicator of how bad these were going to be should of been the fact that they serve them all year round...Cannoli, please be good. Nope, god awful also. The shell was hard with a strange bitter taste to it and once again the filling was tasteless.

On my second return, expecting absolutely nothing, I got an apple strudel and a lobster tail. The apple strudel was at best, decent and the dough was better this time, yet I was wanting more apple flavor. A little bit fake, the taste, if you ask me. The lobster tail was actually quite decent, with a much better whipped cream filling. This one was over filling with cream and that's what I really liked about it. I would actually return for the lobster tail.

I might be harsh on this newly opened bakery, but it is their 3rd bakery; St-leonard and Laval being the other two. Everything is shipped daily from St-Leonard, yet I somehow question the freshness of the items. They are truly known for their cakes but unfortunately i'm not the biggest cake fan, nor do I have an occasion coming up to buy a 40$ one meant for 10 people. Maybe i'll have to binge and see how much cake I can really eat!

In the end, I am extremely disappointed, and now know to never return for pastries. Maybe one day, I shall return for the cake but I and many others alike agree, that the zeppole and cannoli taste just like dog food.

Overall:4/10

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-04-04T16:11:00.001-04:00

I want to be serious here for one moment, the child obesity rate in North America is rising quickly, and we must do something to stop it. My proposal, "If your fat, please do not make these cookies, as it will most likely result in massive weight gain, clogged arteries, diabetes and a heart attack". Alright now that the health and safety warning is out of the way, we can do what matters, eat and eat some more!

*This is not my recipe* This recipe comes from the website, http://www.beckybakes.net/2011/01/20/oreo-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/, hence it is becky's fault for killing some more fat kids.

Recipe is as follows:

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

All I must say is YUM!!! These cookies are delicious, but beware, extremely fattening and heavy! I had two cookies and thought my stomach was going to explode, 2 really means 6!

F Bar

2011-04-04T15:37:00.000-04:00

1485 Rue Jeanne-Mance

Montreal, QC H5B 1E4

(514) 289-4558

No need to introduce Carlos Ferreira, the owner of the famous Cafe Ferreira on Peel. Foodies alike know Cafe Ferreira, as it has held it's own for countless years in the busy downtown area. A portuguese restaurant where prices are high, very high, pleases everyone who has ever dined there. F bar is the "baby brother" restaurant; smaller and less expensive.

I'll start off by saying that the concept is genius, a restaurant on a sidewalk situated right off of St-Catherines. On Jeanne-Mance is situated Brasserie T( Toques "baby brother") and then right in back of it, F Bar. A long and narrow eatery made mostly of glass, amazes all pedestrians. My guests and I sat at the first table facing a large window onto the street. A really beautiful concept, I must say.

I was expecting a 7/10 restaurant, since I'm not a huge fan of seafood, and the menu here has a lot of fish. To start off, an exquisite piece of Mackerel, made with coco beans, sweet peppers/chorizo and almond milk (12). I must say that the mix of the fish and the 3 sauces truly attained perfection. Next, I tried the fried calamari in a corn crust with spicy lime mayo(9), which was good but not over the top. I also had a bite of the beef tartar w/ oysters, caramelized onions and arugula salad(14), and the tartar was spot on with the mixture of beef and spices.

For my main, I opted for something off the website menu, the veal sweet breads(25). OMG! That is all I must say, truly phenomenal, a rich fragrant taste and smell, I almost had tears falling down my cheeks. I gave a piece to each of my 5 dining companions and all agreed on the deliciousness of this item. This was a great way to start off the mains, let's continue on this pace. The Portuguese grilled cornish hen with tender calamari and lentils(22), was also splendid. The poultry was cooked beautifully and the grilled taste really hit spot on. My only comment would be the lentils... Did not do anything to accentuate the dish, actually maybe brought it down a little bit. The fresh cod, chickpeas, bread/parsley/garlic, salsify,onion and coriander(23) was a huge hit. The fish still retained it's moistness while achieving a balance between flavour and lightness.

For dessert, sadly I only had one! The dessert menu is spectacular; natas, fresh goat cheese cake, soft chocolate biscuit, coconut milk rice pudding.... All looked equally good in my eye, but decided to try an authentic dish, natas served lukewarm w/ caramel and cinnamon sauce, w/ a pear sorbet(9). A natas is: A pastel de nata (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɐʃˈtɛɫ dɨ ˈnatɐ]; plural: pastéis de nata), or pastel de Belém ([pɐʃˈtɛɫ dɨ bɨˈlɐ̃ȷ̃]; plural: pastéis de Belém) is a Portuguese egg tart pastry. A truly amazing dessert, unfortunately very heavy and at that point in the meal, I was dying.

The wine menu here is mediocre, serving mostly Portuguese wines (understandable), but at very reasonable prices (39$+). I'm not sure if the wine was doing the talking by the end of the night, but this meal was heavenly in all aspects, I would love to return as I write this, only two days later! The prices here are in the right ballpark for a fun night out with friends or even the perfect place for a date. I will say that this meal overall was one of my better ones in Montreal; from the price, to the atmosphere, to the concept and of course the food.

Food:9/10

Atmosphere:9/10

Service:8/10

Location:10/10

Price:9.5/10

Overall:9/10

Garde Manger

2011-04-02T18:23:00.001-04:00

408 Saint-François-Xavier,

Montreal

(514) 678-5044

To start this off, I want to congratulate Mr. Hughes for winning the Food Network's

Iron Chef against superstar Bobby Flay! Chuck masterfully beat out Flay in a fierce

battle in kitchen stadium. The least favourite dish of all 5 was the lobster poutine.. Hmm...

It has been a long time coming, my feast I mean at this small yet hip

restaurant. Can I say, I got lost... About 5 times. I walked by

Garde Manger so many times, because there is no sign outside of it!

This place is packed, reservations are a must, so book early.

Later on throughout the night, the music gets loud and it was old school

style. Great beats and tons of fun to dance and sing along to these

old tunes. I must say, for a very plain, no frills kind of place,

somehow the ambience makes you feel like

your in the greatest spot in Montreal.

To start off, of course the lobster poutine. Can I say absolutely positively

delicious! The mixture of the gravy and lobster is a match made in heaven.

A cannot be missed dish, even at 21$, I think good value! I still am very

surprised that the judges really disliked this.. Next appetizer was the ricotta

cream cheese filled ravioli with truffle oil(18). Another hit, but after that

phenomenal poutine, it fell short. Next a confit de canard with onion rings(16),

which was divine.

For the main course, I opted to start with the beef short rib, spatzle and a fried

jalapeno(35). Such a tender piece of beef, cooked to perfection with a nice

spicy kick from the jalapeno.

Then the magret de canard, foie gras, riopelle and latka (36).

This dish did nothing to wow me, although it was

good, the foie gras was lost in the dish, full of sauce.

Onto what I might call the best part of the night, a heart attack in a dish,

AKA, deep fried mars bar with vanilla ice cream. The somewhat melted mars bar,

chocolatey, gooey, carameley flavour was outstanding, of course very heavy,

so the vanilla ice cream balanced it out. The warm and fresh beignets lightly dusted

in powdered sugar were also to die for.

Reservation 6:30, 10:00, time to leave. A long, but wonderful evening ended

on a high note, 3 bottles of Yves Cuilleron(165) later, the whole table was full,

intoxicated and in a great mood. The prices are not cheap, I might even say they float

on the note of overpriced... but when the bill came

( although I jumped a couple feet from my seat), I was glad this night was the way it was.

Great atmosphere, great service, divine food, high prices,

I couldn't help but wonder if I would return. The answer is yes, but let me win the lottery first!

Food:9.5/10

Atmosphere:9.5/10

Service:9/10

Location:9/10

Price:7/10

Overall: 9/10

Restoprestige

2011-03-28T14:30:00.000-04:00

www.restoprestige.com

How would you like to be part of the most prestigious dining club around, get exclusive content and great deals on the best meals around! Be part of RestoPrestige and save at West Island's finest restaurants today!

For one low price of $19.95 you can save up to 50% on your restaurant bill. You and your guests can enjoy delicious meals and fantastic deals at the top West Island restaurants. With RPC you don't have to worry about carrying around multiple coupons, vouchers or gift certificates. RPC is all you need to enjoy savings at our succulent restaurants.

Consult our restaurant listing for the perfect deals for you, your family and friends. Our list of participating restaurants is growing rapidly so make a point to visit our website frequently.

Don't forget to register for your chance to win free cards, 100$ dining certificates and much much more!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates, pictures and prizes!

Do not hesitate to contact us at info@restoprestige.com for questions or suggestions!

Riccardos

2011-03-28T14:22:00.000-04:00

4055 SAINT-JEAN BLVD

DOLLARD-DES-ORMEAUX QC

H9G 2R4

514-620-3477

Fine dining is great and all, but some nights it just feels great to relax and stay close to home. A small and cozy restaurant with great food and a wonderful staff with such great prices,what's not to love. Riccardos restaurant situated in a small strip mall on st-jeans is serving up homemade italian cuisine, from his grandmothers recipes. This is a family owned restaurant that fits about 60 people, so reservations are recommended.

I have been to this place countless times and have enjoyed it every single one of them. I cannot go into huge detail into every dish on this menu because all I ever really get is there fantastic gnocchi rose with the veal parmesan(18). The gnocchi is one of the best in the city,a good blend between chewy and moist with a tasteful rose sauce. Another dish I recently tried was manicotti(13), a cheese and spinach filled pasta, another delectable hit! The fried calamari(10) is also a tasty fried dish on the menu. I've also been told that there desserts are great, notably the mille-feuilles(6), but you guys will have to let me know about that one.(Edit) I finally tried the Mille Feuilles and it is delicious, so moist, every piece melts in your mouth. A tasty graham cracker mixture with custard and whipped cream, what's not to love!

The list goes on, from pizza, to sandwiches, to every type of pasta with even more sauces that you can think of, this place is just so great that I would have to recommend it to everyone. This is not just a restaurant for an occasion but a place to eat lunch, supper, monday, tuesday, wednesday.. anytime your in the mood to grab a nice bite to eat at an affordable price.
Food:8.5/10

Atmosphere:8.5/10

Service:8.5/10

Location:7.5/10

Price:10/10

Overall:8.5/10

Kanda Sushi

2011-03-28T14:21:00.000-04:00

987 Boulevard Saint-Jean,
Pointe-Claire QC, H9R 5M3
514.428.8989

Kanda Sushi, with currently six different locations, offers all you can eat sushi at a reasonable price. The selection is the best at dinner time, but unfortunately that is the most expensive time. With the prices during the week lunch menu around only 15$, the prices comes close to doubling on the weekend nights.

My suggestions for this restaurants are the gyoza's (dumplings), chicken teriyaki, pizza sushi and udon noodles. In terms of sushi, the phoenix rolls, deep fried are a must. The seafood rolls, once again deep fried are delicious. Of course the standard california's and kamikaze's are also great. I do suggest going to Kanda and trying the whole menu!

Go enjoy an all you can eat extravaganza with all your friends, this place can provide some serious fun!

Food:7/10

Atmosphere:7/10

Service:8/10

Location:8/10

Price:8/10

Overall:7.5/10

Karma

2011-03-27T19:49:00.002-04:00

4720 Boulevard Saint Jean

Montreal, Quebec H9H 4B2

(514) 620-1233

I was invited by the owner of Karma to try this Indian restaurant. I have driven by a million and one times and been intrigued by its immensity and beauty. I have always wanted to try it, yet there was always a place I wanted to go to more. Mistake!Yes it might be different from my everyday french bistro cuisine that I love, but variety is they key to life.

I was greeted by such warmth into this building, a friendliness that I have never received at any restaurant before. I must commend the designer of this restaurant, no expense was spared in giving it a true Indian feeling, while making it both new and hip. It sits around 150 people but looks much bigger than that, with a top floor and lights that change colors all night. I must say it is pure beauty, as is the beautiful bar with a great alcohol selection. I must also mention the breathtaking bathroom...can you use the word breathtaking to describe a bathroom? Well anyways, the sink pours into a long cubicle fitted with rocks instead of a normal basin.

Onto the food, the owner came and sat with us to describe what he was going to bring to us and the way Indians eat. To start, every table is brought a lentil type of pita with three different types of chutney, mango, mint and turmeric. The mango was nice and sweet, the turmeric was a nice amount of spice and the mint, well was a little strange for me.The next dish was a vegetable samosa with chick peas and it was absolutely delicious! The sauce used inside was so tasty and sweet and the dough was baked to perfection.

The next two dishes that came were the main courses, the butter chicken and a delicious spiced lamb. The butter chicken charcoal braised boneless chicken simmered in a butter, tomato and cream sauce...not much more to say but fantastic. I was literally spooning the sauce and eating it as a soup becayse it was so flavorful. The chicken was so tender that a spoon could have cut right through it. The spiced lamb was also so tender, but the sauce wasn't my favorite. The tasty juicy lamb then made up for it. A delicious butter and garlic naan bread was just great- I kept dipping it in the butter chicken cream sauce. This all came with plain rice, but in reality I was way too full to eat much more then a few spoons of it.

For dessert, an absolutely fantastic Gulab Jamun, which is a very authentic popular Indian dessert. This is the first time I have ever eaten this, and it made me wonder why I haven't had Indian dessert before. This dish is made of a dough consisting mostly of milk solids in a sugar syrup usually flavored with cardamom seeds, saffron or rosewater. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...a perfect mix of dessert flavors.

The bill came to about 100$ with all these dishes, a glass of Chilean wine and a martini. I was given a special price for the meal as I was the owner's "guest", another friendly gesture on his part. In the end, I was sad to see that at 9:30 at night on a Friday, this place wasn't getting much busier. With great waiters, a gracious and friendly host that greets all his clients and thanks them at the end of the meal, I truly enjoyed being here and I am planning on going back, and soon. I want to get the word out there about this place because many like me, drive by everyday, wondering what lays in the world of delicious Indian cuisine at Karma's restaurant.

Food:8.5/10

Atmosphere:9/10

Service:8.5/10

Location:7.5/10

Price:9/10

Overall:8.5/10

Aikawa

2011-03-27T19:44:00.000-04:00

55, boul Brunswick
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC H9B 1P7
(514) 684-4333

It's been less than 5 years since I started eating raw fish and in that time frame, I've gone everywhere. I started out with the regular avocado rolls and cucumber rolls and moved onto the bigger things. California and Kamikaze became my favourite, finally the integration of fish! Those days are long gone, I hardly ever order those boring items and stick mostly to sashimi, nigiri and chef specialities.

At this medium sized hidden eatery( behind the main Des Sources strip mall), you will find a great chef presenting some of the best looking food around. The interior of the building is classy yet unpretentious, with enough seating for at least 80 people at the tables, a large bar and 3 private rooms. There are beautiful paintings lining the walls,for added colour and decor, all for sale by different artists. This restaurant is not the most stunning place to behold (no Kaizen sushi), but that's not what this restaurant is here for. It is here to present it's art like dishes and mouthwatering food.

You can go many different routes with this menu; salads, tempuras, teriyakis or raw items. I will talk about my favourites over the half dozen times that i've been there. Being a big fan of raw fish, I always have the tuna and salmon, so fresh and so light that I can never get enough of these two. Heaven is one of the best sushi dishes in Montreal, slices of red tuna sashimi on a grilled-rice medallion, topped with shiso leaves rolled in salmon(18). Absolutely heavenly! The volcano is another huge hit, spicy salmon, cream cheese, avocado, tobiko and crab meat rolled in seaweed, coated with light tempura batter(18). The last chef speciality I will talk about is the besame mucho, spicy tuna, crispy tempura, cooked shrimp and avocado rolled in a soya bean leaf(18).

I never leave hungry, as each dish is quite large and the best part is... the dessert! Not many sushi restaurants have dessert, let alone sushi dessert! My favourite being the Adam and Eve, vanilla ice cream, banana, apple tempura and butterscotch chocolate(13). Pure delight, the mixture of the fruits, tempura and butterscotch chocolate works like magic.

I do truly believe that Aikawa is the best sushi restaurant in the West Island, unfortunately I wouldn't go as far as saying the best in Montreal, but still a great feat. Everything from the service, to the food and the ambiance is good in this place, maybe even great. I highly suggest trying the food here, a quiet evening during the week, a party on the weekend or even a delicious takeout platter any time!

Food:8.5/10

Atmosphere:7/10

Service:8/10

Location:7.5/10

Price:8/10

Overall:8/10

Scalo

2011-03-24T18:34:00.001-04:00

395 rue Cherrier

L'Île-Bizard, QC H9C 1E8

(514) 696-9955

As usual, I get another restaurant recommendation. If I had a quarter for every time.. I would be able to afford my meals! Every so often there is a recommendation that comes along that stands above the rest. Scalo restaurant, in Ile-Bizard, a very unsuspecting restaurant situated in a small strip mall. The interior is very well decorated, a classy decor yet unpretentious. The owners of the restaurant, Giovanni and Fleur are quick to greet with big smiles. A family run business with a couple who lives for fresh ingredients and good food.

Onto the food... I started off with an unforgettable chestnut soup, so rich, so creamy, I can't say enough. The biggest surprise of the day is, I never ever order soup! Next the Melanzane Torta; a mixture of eggplant, goat cheese, seasoned breadcrumbs, oven baked with a four cheese sauce. Another huge hit, the sauce and the texture is right on point.

For the main course I ordered off menu, of course. A rack of lamb ( on menu), stuffed with foie gras in a maple balsamic glaze. A delicious, tender, fall off the bone rack of lamb and a melting foie gras center. The sauce was once again delicious and complimented the meat perfectly. This dish came with a side of pasta; spaghetti aglio e olio and in english, white wine, garlic and olive oil. The pasta dish that really stood out was the gnocchi, soft, moist and of course cloud like! The seafood pasta cooked in parchment paper and tin foil was a huge hit with my dining partner.

For dessert, a creamy caramel cheesecake. I hesitated before ordering this, usually caramel is so heavy that it drowns out the delicious textures of the cheesecake. Not this one, perfection! A warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream is one that is very hard to go wrong on and of course it was right on.

The one most important question: Would I go back to Scalo?

I already have! The warmth from the owners, the expertise of the waiters and the cooking skills from chef Giovanni are really what sets this small restaurant apart. This is a great gem and I hope everyone can see that for themselves also.

Food:8.5/10

Atmosphere:8/10

Service:9.5/10

Location:7/10

Price:8/10

Overall:8/10

Le Boucan

2010-09-07T20:26:00.000-04:00

1886 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest
Montreal, QC H3J1M6
(514) 439-4555

Usually new means great. A new car, a new phone, a new job, all great things when they're new, but unfortunately, restaurants do not fall in that great category. The reason why is basic, EXPERIENCE. Even if the owner, manger, chef, has owned or worked at different restaurants, the new is terrifying. Everything is different from the service, the food, the prices, the clientele, it takes a while before things really start rolling. This time, it might be different. David Adjey (Restaurant Makeover), star of Food Network's The Opener, helped this little place "open". I have never watched his show, but i have watched countless hours of the Food Network, and Gordon Ramsey's show and noticed some similarities. The menu should never be too complicated, not too many items, nor too many ingredients per dish, prices in the middle scale, fun atmosphere with good service and fast turnovers.

A late reservation on a Saturday afternoon led to an 8PM dinner. The 50 sum seater eatery in Little Burgundy was busy throughout the night with quick client turnovers. A couple of TV's on the walls with tennis playing and some semi loud music had a calm yet fun atmosphere. I noticed only two waiters/hostess/bartenders for the whole place, add one more please, service is slow.

The night started off with a very bland mac and cheese(8), skip please. Next came the "famous" pork ribs, half rack(18) which were overdone, but the barbecue sauce was smokey and sweet with a hint of spice. Too bad the ribs were over cooked, this dish could of been a huge hit, I can just imagine it, melting off the bone, succulent and tender pork with that delicious sauce. Perfection! The pulled pork guedille(13) was pretty decent, could of been just a little bit more tender and I wish it had that BBQ sauce. It is basically a hot dog bun with a ton of pulled pork layered inside. Another dish that could of been! The last main course was the 5 napkin burger(15), a guarantee that five napkins will be used to clean up. I don't think 5 is even enough! Why does everything here have to be overdone!!!! It had the BBQ sauce that I couldn't get enough of, another could of been.

Every dish comes with 2 sides! Now that's what I like to see, the fries were nothing out of the ordinary, so was the salad and the coleslaw. The best thing was the potato salad and generally I don't like potato salad!

The desserts are the biggest hit at this small joint, starting off with the bacon brownie(7). Yes, I said there is bacon in the brownie! A great idea, a mix of that salty flavor with the very sweet chocolate and vanilla ice cream. One thing i would change about this dessert is to have the bacon crispy, instead of chewy. The other dish was the buttermilk pie(7), that I actually thought was better tasting and not as heavy to eat.

I left here wondering, what if? What if everything was cooked a couple minutes less, crispy bacon instead of chewy, and what if they offered a glass of milk with the most chocolaty brownie ever! This review would be sky high! I would praise the food at this price, I would actually be there as I write this! I will go back, that's for sure, in 2011 that is, when the dust has settled and everything is on point.

Food:7.5/10
Atmosphere:7.5/10
Service:7/10
Location:7/10
Price:8/10
Overall:7.5/10

Elounda

2010-08-29T20:33:00.000-04:00

1818 boul. de la Côte-Vertu

St-Laurent, QC H4L 2A6

(514) 331-4040

I was told about this restaurant by quite a few people whose opinions count. Elounda, in Ville St-Laurent, situated in a little strip mall attached to another restaurant, has a great location on a very busy street. It took me a little while to try this place out because Mediterranean food is good but has never really blown me away enough to hurry to a new location.

I went on a very busy Saturday night to this big, yet cozy restaurant. The owners and waiters were very very friendly, unfortunately only to the people they knew. Service was average throughout the night, but the food made up for that. The first entree was the Elounda special(15) which was composed of fried zucchini, eggplant and cheese with tzatziki sauce. Absolutely delicious, lightly fried with one of the best tzatziki sauces I've ever had. Next was the Greek salad(17) which was alright, but way overpriced, and that was for the smaller size.

For main course, I had the lamb chops and swordfish(32), which were both delicious and nicely cooked. It came with vegetables and half of a corn on the cob. The salmon(28) was well done, with a crispy outside and a moist inside, once again with vegetables.

For dessert, a phenomenal baklava(7), a sweet, rich pastry made with phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts sweetened with honey or syrup. Bite after bite, this kept on getting better. This is not my usual dessert. I typically like very sweet chocolaty items but this was right up my alley. Fruit, on the house, was a nice end to the night.

A light dinner finished off with light dessert. This was a very different night for me, but I must say very enjoyable. I would recommend this restaurant for everyone, from the true "foodies" to the once a year diners. My only complaint on this restaurant would be the high prices, but apart from that I left very satisfied.

Food:8/10

Atmosphere:8/10

Service:7/10

Location:9/10

Price:6.5/10

Overall:8/10

Le Milsa

2010-08-29T17:57:00.000-04:00

5021 Boul Des Sources

Dollard-des-Ormeaux,

QC H8Y3E3 - (514) 542-4224

A new restaurant opened recently in the West Island, meaning I had to try it out, and quick. I'm always looking for something new and good, close to home. Montreal is known for its amazing food, but unfortunately in the West Island, there really isn't that much. Le Milsa, with 4 locations and a fifth one opening soon, I was hoping that this new expansion wasn't going to hurt the food that I heard was so great at the Bishop location. This is a Brazilian rotisserie called "Churrascaria" that comes from the word "Churrasco"which means a restaurant that serves grilled meat on skewers(most of the time all you can eat); with waiters walking around slicing the meat on clients plates.

This particular location is enormous, split in two sections with the bar in the middle, has midway through the night a belly dancer and a male dancer. The music turns up loud, the lights dim and the disco balls light up. There are 3 different sections on the menu ; the turnstile, the whole cornish hen grilled on charcoal and the smoked salmon grilled on charcoal. I choose the turnstile(29.95), which is 10 different types of meat(all you can eat), some of the notable meats were the pork sausages, filet mignon, lamb and strip loin. The meats were all cooked medium rare so they were all juicy and tender, but I found that they lacked a little bit of flavor. I assume the meats are not top quality which is the reason why they're not as delicious as they could be.

A mediocre at best salad was served with the meal, so were bland sweet potatoes, a tasty rice and delicious sauteed mushrooms. For dessert there is the choice of grilled pineapple covered in cinnamon and sugar or vanilla ice cream. I opted for the pineapple and was a little disappointed by the overly bitter taste. The wine list is pretty decent for this type of restaurant but are priced a little bit on the high side.

At the end, I had a nice time, with a good 20 minutes of belly dancing and a male doing some type of karate dance. The food was average at best, with prices too high to match, I unfortunately cannot see myself returning here.

Food:6/10

Atmosphere:8/10

Service:7/10

Location:6/10

Price:6/10

Overall:7/10

Au Pied De Cochon

2010-08-06T18:25:00.000-04:00

536 ave Duluth est
Montréal, QC H2L 1A9
(514) 281-1114

Food is my passion, I love trying new restaurants, new dishes, new ingredients, that it ends up being very rare that I go to the same place twice. What does it mean if I go again? Great food, great atmosphere, great prices, well it is a combination of all of them. Many times I'll go to the same place because, it's tasty food at a good price and close to home. And then there's Au Pied De Cochon, which I've been 4 times and I'll add one more to the list in a week. This place combines the food with atmosphere, the great service with even greater prices and delectable smells with divine flavors.

At this point, I've nearly tried all the dishes I've wanted to try on the menu, 23 different items. As you can tell, I like this place a lot. Martin Picard, the chef at this small eatery, has a TV show on the Food Network "The Wild Chef" and was just featured in Playboy as one of the greatest chefs. Playboy has never been wrong before... The menu is filled with fatty items, french fries(in duck fat), hamburgers, foie gras, pizza, pork..you get the point. This is one of the most unhealthy places in Montreal, but also one of the tastiest.

Some of the most notable items on the menu are the foie gras cromesquis(3.50), two deep fried squares, filled with hot melted foie gras. The only way to describe this dish, is an explosion of flavors! The tarragon bison tongue(6) is absolutely delicious, and this was the first time I have ever tried tongue. This piece of meat is a melt in your mouth type with just enough sauce not to overpower the meat flavor. The beef tartare(12) is one the best tartares out there, rolled in a sushi cornet filled with rice, matchstick french fries and a quail egg, this was such a pleasure to eat.

All I have to say is, foie gras, an abundance of foie gras. The best dish at this restaurant, I would have to say is the foie gras poutine(23). An absolutely exquisite poutine that combines french fries(in duck fat) with cheese and two different types of gravy, a PDC gravy and a PDC gravy mixed with foie gras in it, and then a big chunk of foie gras right on top. What more can I say than cloud nine, heaven, a dish fit for a king...

Another main course worth mentioning is the duck in a can(37). An extremely heavy and rich duck with foie gras and even richer sauce. This dish is pure fat but with tons of flavor.

This last dish was ordered more for the fun of ordering it then anything else, but in the end, it was delicious. The pigs head for 2(75), not something I would eat everyday, was a cooked head, served on a huge wooden platter with mashed potatoes across the face and mussels shoved in the mouth. The meat is so tender, that a spoon can can cut it, with such beautiful aromas, and the potatoes made with melted cheese are none I have seen before.

Even the desserts are phenomenal, from the creme brule(7), to the pecan pie(12), the pot de creme(8) and the chocolate molten cake(8). All with such sugary and sweet flavors, all desserts are a must!

I do suggest reserving a table a couple of weeks in advance, last tuesday night at 11 PM, there was still a lineup outside! I do also suggest trying to get a seat at the bar, were you can watch the artist create your masterpiece. The service is superb, with waiters, busboys, hostesses and kitchen staff greeting you and smiling the whole night.

I could keep ranting about how great this restaurant is forever, but I'm sure the keys on my keyboard would start breaking off. All I need to say is, this is not for the faint of heart (yes there is steak on the menu) or the kosher people, this is an all out carnivore, artery clogging, heart stopping, delectable restaurant. Martin Picard, I thank you for this gem in my hometown!

Food:9.5/10
Atmosphere:9/10
Service:9.5/10
Location:8/10
Price:10/10
Overall:9/10

Les Fetes Gourmandes Internationales 2010

2010-08-01T15:02:00.000-04:00

Les Fetes Gourmandes Internationales 2010, is taking place from the 28th of July to the 1st of August. For 18 years this event has been held on Saint Helen's island, but for the first time it is brought to the Centropolis in Laval. With easy access, a huge amount of free parking, this is a great spot for this large event consisting of over 60 kiosks from around the world. Countries ranging from Polish, Portuguese, Jamaican, Brazilian, African and a Little Italy with over 12 kiosks, featuring a beautiful Lamborghini booth with the new Supperlegera. Of course Quebec food also plays a huge role, with bison, duck and "Queue de Castor".

Admission for the day is a measly 8$, a great price to see all the different culinary items available in our world, or 10$ for a 5 day pass. Food is extra of course, with prices starting at 1$, this day can become quite expensive. I held myself back, trying only items that are very difficult to find in our city.

I started with Kangaroo steak, a tender piece of meat cooked nicely was a little strong in taste. Next on the menu was seal, with a steak texture, it tasted somewhat of beef liver. This was my least favorite item of the day. Another booth was serving up alligator, turtles, snakes and insects. I wanted to try all four but they only had two left. The snake was tough, dry and had a fishy taste to it.On the other hand the alligator was nicely cooked, tender and served with couscous. One of the better dishes of the day. The camel had a grainy like beef texture, but the fact that it was turned into a burger made it tasty. The milk fed veal brochette with melted cheese was delicious and so was the calzone and pizza.

Dessert was the best part, starting off with 3 different cheeses, with sliced baguette and a small piece of foie gras torchon, delicious and the best value for the money at 6$. Next was a piece of sugar pie with pecans, so tasty, sugary and salty, my taste buds were really starting to dance again. Last but not least was the chocolate churros, do I really need to say more... Deep fried dough topped with sugar and filled with a chocolate hazelnut sauce.

A gorgeous sunny Saturday afternoon, with 2 and a half hours of fun, this day was well worth it even if the price tag for 2 came to 75$. I decided not to try any of the huge selection of beers for the fact that it was a very hot day and I was already exhausted. This was a great success with the massive amount of people who attended, hopefully next year they can bring even more food into the mix, I know for sure that I'll be heading back!

http://www.fetesgourmandesinternationales.com/

Kitchenette restaurant

2010-07-25T18:24:00.000-04:00

1351 Boulevard René Lévesque Est

Montreal, QC H2L 2M1

(514) 527-1016

With a new list of 50+ restaurants to go to, it's always hard to pick what's next. Montreal, with so many choices, is the city of food, everything from Chinese, Indian, Japanese, French, contemporary, fast food... We all have our preferences and kitchenette seemed like mine.

A Wednesday night at 7 P.M., most restaurants would be empty, not here. It was almost full and there was still a good crowd going past 10 P.M. A small cozy restaurant near the Jacques Cartier bridge, is one that most people would not see just walking by. A large menu with a variety of meats, salads and seafood is one that is sure to please everybody. The low prices here also help, unfortunately most items are very small.

The "yellowfin tuna tartare with jalapeño, avocado, tomato, micro coriander, spicy mayo and nachos"(14), was a delicious tuna tartare with a variety of flavors that makes you smile, hit number 1. The second appetizer was a "Japanese taco with pulled teriyaki beef, wasabi green goddess, daikon slaw & yuzu "Jello"" (14). One of the best taco's I have ever had, such tender beef, its was a pleasure to eat. The yuzu 'jello" a sort of lemon jello didn't really fit in anywhere in my opinion and the dish was slightly expensive for what it was.

The main courses started off great with "Beer-braised short ribs with house BBQ sauce, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and buttered haricots verts"(24) was completely worth the price. Such a delicious sweet and tender piece of meat, a spoon is good enough to cut trough it. My only complaint would be that it possibly needed a little more BBQ sauce for some extra flavoring. The "BC farm-raised chipotle glazed black cod, jalapeño and scallion waffles, maple ponzu, green apple and radish salad"(26) was a strange mix, chipotle black cod on waffles.. It was great nevertheless. The cod was nice and moist with a delicious glaze, and the waffles had a strange taste that I later found out was scallions, very interesting. The last dish was somewhat of a disappointment "Grilled cheese" panzanella, sourdough and smoked gouda, grilled squash, heirloom tomatoes, green beans, and roquette"(19). Maybe the fact that I was full at this point or that it was boring compared to the other dishes, I pushed the dish away after a few bites.

The side dishes were also a disappointment to me, "the sweet potato tater toters"(5) were way too sweet and the "vidalia onions rings"(5) were way under seasoned and tasteless.

Now desserts were the best part, an absolutely delectable "Sticky toffee pudding sundae with “Cracker Jacks"(9) is in the top desserts. A vanilla sundae with a mixture of toffee pudding and salty caramel popcorn, a perfect combination of sweet and salty.

The "Bread pudding with Jack Daniel's and toasted pecan caramel"(8) was another near perfect dish, so moist and tasty. Unfortunately the owner's mother was on vacation, so many desserts were off the menu and I can't help but wonder if these could be any better if she was here.

I left this restaurant 3 hours later, wondering were time had gone, a great atmosphere and great food, I'll be returning soon to try the other huge selection of dishes on the menu.

Food:8.5/10
Atmosphere:8.5/10
Service:8/10
Location:7/10
Price:9/10
Overall:8/10

Le Club Chasse et Peche

2010-07-16T16:43:00.000-04:00

423 rue St-Claude
Montreal, H2Y 3B6
(514) 861-1112

What consists of a perfect meal? A beautiful restaurant, breathtaking decor, phenomenal waiters, and of course A++ perfect food. My meal here was just as close to perfect as they come. From the great location in the Old Port to the huge door that lets you enter this strange basement looking establishment. I must say the decor is very different, but absolutely spectacular.

The menu changes every week but a few items stay indefinitely, and for good reason. The prices for the meals are not extremely high but portions are very small so order a lot, or eat before you come! I started out with a classic, the braised piglet risotto with foie gras shavings(16). This is the perfect dish, a mixture of rich and creamy with saltiness, I couldn't get enough. This might possibly be, THE BEST DISH I EVER ATE! Another appetizer I had was the partridge, a deliciously cooked bird.

For the main course I had to have the famous, Chasse et Peche(44), which that night was a Kobe beef steak and a half lobster. Pure perfection on a plate, the Kobe beef was juicy and tender and the lobster was so flavorful . The boar roasted two ways(32) was also a hit with a thin crispy piece of skin on top of it. This was our order for the night, yet I was still hungry and was really craving that risotto once again. Yes! I thought of ordering the same dish twice, it was that good. Instead I opted for the duck magret(34) which on any other night would of been great, but because of all these spectacular dishes it was just really good.

"Youppi"! Yes, that's right, I'm happy, happy I ate that dessert. A long milk chocolate bar with a base made of peanuts with a caramelized banana along side. I dug into the bar with my spoon to realize, it was completely melted, yet it stayed completely intact like if it was hard. Pure chocolaty, nutty and sweet, what more can I ask for. The other dessert was the "univers", a Cinnamon brioche with a salty ice cream. The ice cream actually tasted like the remainder of milk from a bowl of corn pops cereal, a very interesting flavor.

At the end of the night, I was full and extremely content with the way the meal had turned out. My only complaint was the service, it was sub par, but the food was so perfect that it didn't matter. As I left the restaurant, little chocolates were given out as souvenirs. Thank you Le Club for an amazing night, I will be back quite soon.

Food:9.5/10
Atmosphere:9.5/10
Service:7/10
Location:9.5/10
Price:9/10
Overall:9/10

Recipe of the day!

2010-07-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

The most delicious dessert I've ever made on my barbecue, is also one of the simplest! This takes only 15 minutes to make, and it is an absolute treat, simply delectable.

Grilled Banana Split

Ingredients:

bananas
unsalted butter
sugar
semi sweet chocolate chips
chopped pecans
vanilla ice cream
whipped cream

Preparation:

There is no specific quantities of each item in my mind, it depends on how sweet and chocolaty you desire it. Take the banana with the peel and slice it down the middle without cutting the banana itself. Open it without completely taking it out of the peel and butter the inner layers, sprinkle sugar and throw in pieces of chocolate chips. Wrap the whole in tinfoil and put it on the barbecue on medium heat for 7-10 minutes. The banana should be thoroughly caramelized and then served with chopped pecans, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and extra sugar.

Enjoy this absolutely wonderful dessert!

Kitchen Galerie

2010-07-12T19:42:00.002-04:00

60 Rue Jean Talon Est
Montréal, QC
(514) 315-8994

There is a never ending amount of ideas in this world. Innovation is one of the greatest qualities any person can possess. Some ideas fail and some barely stay alive, but others flourish and can go on to be something great. Kitchen Galerie is a different concept than most other restaurants as the two chefs-owners, Matthieu Cloutier and Jean-Philippe Saint-Denis, are both your waiters, hosts and cooks. Located only a few minutes from the Jean-Talon market, daily menus are established based on seasons (meaning only the freshest ingredients are used). There is a maximum seating of 30, so reservations are definitely recommended. This small, cozy, open concept kitchen is nothing impressive...so it must mean that it's all about the food.

On the hottest EVER day in Montreal, we decided to make our way to a restaurant which has no AC, or very little of it. Sitting right by the open kitchen did nothing to help the already 45 Degree weather. This could possibly have been the most uncomfortable dinner I had every had, leaving the table a few times to get some air and wiping the sweat off my brow countless times.

The daily changing menu prices start at 29$ for an appetizer, main course and dessert, which is very affordable. Obviously, our bill wasn't even going to be close to that price. We started off with the "foie gras roti entier pour 4, pommes caramelisees, glace de viande" which was an extra 80$. They present the uncooked foie gras, the biggest piece I've every seen, before cooking it. It was an absolute pleasure eating that giant piece of fat. I probably have all my arteries clogged and gained 10 pounds, but it was so worth it. After devouring this savory dish, we requested more bread to wipe the delictable oil mixed with the fatty juices. Our plate was returned to the kitchen spotless.

Next, I shared the "Cote de boeuf rotie, jus a l'estragon et legumes racines (pour 2)" (80). Deliciously tender pieces of meat bathing in estragon juice with mashed potatoes. Dish for 2... I think it was more like a dish for 4 because it took up two whole tables! I also tasted the "Care de porc poele, sauce au foie gras, rattes, paris, petit pois, harictos" (34), and I was a little dissapointed that the pork was overcooked. The sauce was nice and the potatoes were tasty, but unfortunately the meat was too tough to enjoy.

For dessert, the creme brulee was the star, with a thick crunchy caramel crust and a custard filled inside...pure perfection. The second best was the "blanc comme cerise" and then the "Joe Couture", a twist on a Joe Louis.

A brutal seating, at temperatures way above the norm, I'm sure I could have enjoyed the food even more if I didn't think I would pass out. The waitress was not that great either, but I assume she was dying of heat also, so no points docked off there. I truly did enjoy my meal here and would recommend it purely for the foie gras pour 4, a dish that is quite rare to find in that proportion and that is quite exquisite. I might retry this place once the temperature has returned to normal to really find out how truly great it is and explore their potential much more.

Food:8/10
Atmosphere:7.5/10
Service:7/10
Location:8/10
Price:9/10
Overall:8/10

Editor's Note: Also to try is their sister restaurant, Bistro Chez Roger located at 2316 Beaubien Est.