soupnancy

Bits and Bites September (and beginning of October) 2007

Lots going on on the Montreal Restaurant scene..

Dual finally opened in the gay village, Stelio has reemerged with his resto/épicerie, Conserves on Laurier and Papineau; there’s lots of buzz over Liverpool House , the Joe Beef group's new venture on Notre Dame, and Laloux officially opens the next door lounge Pop. In my recent outings, I went to the Dual opening, revisited Laloux, sampled Vertige on Duluth st., and tried the new winebar Vino on Monkland – See my detailed report below..

Is Organic better? Rats seem to think so.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/dining/03curi.html?r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

A phenomenal year for Canadian wine. If only we got to see more of them here.. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071001.wwine1001/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home

Bacon news: A new book ‘150 ways with bacon’ and a new condiment ‘bacon salt’ http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2007/09/pigging-out.html?mbid=rss_epilog

‘Salt’ – a new cheese and cured meat bar in Vancouver .. Sourcing top notch ready to eat foods and slicing them up – sort of like a deli with wine and ambiance or the ‘anti-restaurant’ as this article coins it – I like it. Its how I eat half the time anyway.. I bet it will be a hit with chefs after their shift.. They might not need a chef, but they still need quality and cost control for success, so employees who know and value food enough to take proper care of the precious hams, terrines and cheeses.. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070926.wlsalt26/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home

Anthony Bourdain’s overrated menu – I don’t agree with him in that I care about how my meat is raised and who picks the mushrooms, but I do appreciate his mockery of the ubiquitous fine-dining NA menu. I too abhor overly convoluted menus and cooking, especially when it is superficial and in the name of food snobbery. I tend to find his out-to-shock, cynical, bad boy machismo a bit tiring, but he often makes me laugh out loud with his undeniable wit.. Here’s a good example of that.

http://radaronline.com/from-the-magazine/2007/09/anthony_bourdain_overrated_menu.php

For a more serious side of Bourdain, view his ‘Decoding Ferran Adria’ available on DVD at Bon Appetit Cookbooks on Victoria . It’s an interesting overview of who M.Adria, ‘the most influential chef of his time’ is and what he does with his team at El Bulli. You see Bourdain in awe, as he tours the village, visits the lab, and samples a tasting menu of some of Adria’s signature creations at the restaurant. No details for curious cooks, but engaging nonetheless.

More satire on the business of food snobbery in a new book by David Kamp, the author of ‘The United States of Arugula’. http://www.randomhouse.com/broadway/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767926911

On Service: Upon reviewing Phoebe Damrosch’s new book ‘Service Included’, Sara Dickerman on Slate sketches out the essentials of good service, an apparently increasing rarity nowadays (according to Frank Bruni’s blog).

Table Manners, http://www.slate.com/id/2174796/pagenum/all/#page_start

Frank Bruni’s blog (NYtimes restaurant critic), http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/

Since oyster ‘season’ is upon us..  An interview with Patrick McMurray who has an oyster restaurant in TO and a new book out, ‘Consider the oyster’: http://gremolata.com/mcmurray.htm

Ode to the oyster at Saveur  http://www.saveur.com/web-exclusive/other/ode-to-the-oyster-21015424.html

Wines to go with those oysters.. http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2007/09/what-wine-goes-.html?mbid=rss_epilog

Environmentalists squabble over eating meat as PETA launches a campaign promoting vegetarianism based on the fact that meat production is the number one contributor to global warming. http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/9/12/9262/63548/?source=weekly

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/9/16/174625/254/?source=weekly

Gyweneth Paltrow the next celebrity chef? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20517192/

King Corn – a shock-u-mentary coming to theaters soon. Uncovering how we North Americans are made of corn, if the saying ‘you are what you eat’ is true. This documentary shows how this happened and how it has negatively affected our health, and that of the planet. http://www.kingcorn.net/

A review of the movie on Grist : http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/9/12/10919/0331/?source=food

Hog Futures - How the meat industry thrives, even as costs rise - Another disturbing article by Tom Philpott of Grist on the state of the American food industry, which closely parallels and influences our own. As corn prices rise due to ethanol, strangely the monolith producers are only doing better.. Because they are so big, and their costs superficially low, they control the markets. Thanks to a low American dollar, not to mention readily exploitable labour and comically lax environmental codes, they have managed to increase exports. This is bad news for all of us other people and for the environment. Philpot makes a good point in explaining the importance of a three pronged approach to tackle these guys. Beyond consumers shunning industrial meat, labour unions need support to organize and mobilize, and government needs to find some way to make them pay for the environmental costs. http://www.grist.org/comments/food/2007/09/13/?source=food

Being a restaurant critic: The new reality in the world of Google and bloggers http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/food/la-fo-dish12sep12,1,136047,full.story?ctrack=3&cset=true

My Montreal Restaurant report - a non-critic’s view:

Dual - new ‘concept’ restaurant in the old Area location, 1429 Amherst (between St-Catherine E. and Ontario E.), 514-528-3278 www.restaurantduel.com

Something different on the Montreal dining scene, finally! It’s refreshing to see someone daring to do something else besides another haute-bistro.. This is a very ambitious project, and I shudder at the logistics of making it work, which gives me even more respect for the brave owners, Laurent Godbout (of L’Épicier and Version Godbout) and David Biron (formerly of Yuzu in Quebec city, Toqué..). The concept is based on a dual between the two chef’s styles, one more classic French versus the other which is Asian inspired. The restaurant is a 45 seater with a modern black and neon green color scheme, a gorgeous brick wall, and two looming giant posters of the two chefs in combat stance.

So.. 2 Chefs, 10 ingredients, 20 creations. The menu lists 10 creations by each chef, including starters and mains, each dish using one of the 10 ingredients. The waiters are on sides, trying to sell their respective chef’s dishes. Each waiter describes the menus they represent at the beginning and then show up to deliver the dish and explain it, emphasizing how much better it will surely be then the other chef’s dish being presented to your dining partner if he/she opted for the opposite side. You do choose whatever you want à la carte, and so you can take the dual aspect as far as you want.

The menu is appetizing on its own, offering a wide variety of intricate dishes with exotic ingredients. If you do decide to play along, it can be pretty amusing. There is novelty everywhere, from the food to the utensils through to the service. Gimmicks and gadgets abound. There is a strong element of theatre here and the tone is very playful, leading to lots of oohs and ahhs, laughter and heated discussions about the food, especially at dual time. This is when the waiter surprises your table with amuses by both chefs and you vote.. There is no music, an open kitchen, and yelling out in favour of one side or another is encouraged, hence the ambiance is lively.. In essence, this place is not for the faint of heart, rather for the adventurous and the open minded diner looking for a good time and something new. Food-wise, the flavours are bold and surprising (especially on David’s side). It looks like Laurent’s menu is there for the more conservative palates, and to showcase David’s cuisine, as he will be the actual chef de cuisine in house.

Dishes we sampled (oversimplified in description): Three mini melon soups with a smoked duck, avocado, melon and ginger skewer. Foie gras from each side: one pan-seared with a date square, the other parfait style with crispy duck and mushroom jam. A ravioli from each side: scallop sashimi ‘ravioli’ with a pork stuffing, seaweed salad and a bonito caramel, up against traditional pasta stuffed with green peas and goat cheese with a garlic jus and apple juice. The dual amuses played on the pickle theme, with one being a tofu-daikon skewer, the other a proscuitto-fried cheese-pickle skewer. Both were delish, although the tofu one won out, the surprise factor packing extra umph. Mains included black cod with crispy pork and wasabi lima beans, monkfish with banana-bread and lemon (both from David’s side) and I had the lamb two ways from Laurent’s side. I liked mine the best, although both pieces of fish I tasted were beautifully cooked. As with the entrées, all dishes were quite successful; it came down to what kind of thing you prefer. Personally, I’m more conservative in my tastes, and often don’t take to preparations too crazy or too sweet, so I was more drawn to Laurent’s side. But the fireworks tended to come from the other side, and certainly the evening would not have been the same without the flare of David’s food in juxtaposition. Besides, many people love the salty-sweet thing and like to experiment and try bold flavour combinations and textures more than anything when they go out, in which case, David’s creations would take the cake. Here, there is something for everybody.

All we could handle for dessert was a peach maki (with pineapple skin) accompanied by grape coulis and fried sweet potato, a nice, light, fun dessert.

Naturally, two days in, there are still kinks to work out, and the menu format could be simplified to make the whole concept clearer for a smoother déroulement of the evening. With the energy and talent here, I’m sure they’ll get it down. Actual Iron chef style contests will take place once a month, and occasionally with invited chefs. Noteworthy is the beautiful wine-rack lined conference or party room downstairs available for groups or 5 à 7’s.. Bottom line: this is definitely a place to check out. Go to have fun, and to tickle the taste buds, not when on a schedule or with heavy conversation or business on the agenda…

The ‘new’ Laloux on Pine E, just west of St-Denis:

I love the classic French bistro feel of the place. The new fresh face is apparent in the menu that reads trendy fine dining, as opposed to Classic French, very appealing. I want to try everything on the menu. I am excited by the three fish option which is rare unless in a Greek restaurant - unfortunately only one is sustainable. Another disappointment: no Quebec bottled water, only imports! Back to the food: The amuse of wild mushroom arancini (fried risotto balls) were so crisp, light and tasty – they disappeared fast. An entrée of yellow beets and chevre was simply prepared and presented, and a simple salad was similarly minimalist consisting of only greens punched up with some fresh herbs and a mustardy dressing. Both dishes were elegant, balanced and delicious with clean flavours – perfect in my mind. My main of monkfish with white beans, chorizo, crisp fennel and green olives was pretty perfect too, although I could have used more of the fennel olive garnish for better balance. Minor squabble, I polished it off sans probleme. My dining partner’s main was less successful, an impressive chunk of filet mignon nicely seasoned but underdone, served with a less than inspired side of mixed greens, cold potato, and green beans drenched in more mustard dressing. The pleasant ambiance, a good Chateauneuf du Pape and most importantly, the brilliant grand finale that is dessert with Patrice Demers made up for any prior hiccups (like a forgotten appetizer). Not being much of a dessert girl, I knew it would be sacrilege to pass it up here. Patrice’s desserts are beautiful and scrumptious, often surprising, never cloying. I can’t decide which was better, the hazelnut cookie with tonka bean foam and apricot sorbet or the decadent chocolate wafer concoction, both were incredible.. The wine list is long and interesting when it comes to French wines. All in all, Laloux is a great restaurant revitalized, and remains a sure thing on the Montreal bistro trail.

Vertige 540 Duluth E. (corner St-Hubert), 514-583-0709:

With Thierry Baron as chef owner, this pretty little bistro borders on high end in many ways, fancy for Duluth in any case (and not Byob). The menu is loaded with special treats, very French in style with foie gras, truffle, veal cheeks etc., but with many sunny Provencale touches (sardine Pizzaladiere) and the odd international influence. The preparations were very savoury tending towards rich, the most successful dishes the perfect foie torchon with fresh fig, porto glaze and homemade brioche and his signature sweetbread dish (if you are into butter and cream rich). The crispy shrimp with coconut were also quite delicious. The service was warm and attentive, the wine list held few surprises, but more than adequate for most of us. All in all, this place is a good bargain for fine dining, with tasting menus starting at 39$, and especially on Mondays and Tuesdays when they charge SAQ prices for wine with only a 5$ corking fee.

Vino, a new resto-wine bar on Monkland (next to Maitre Boucher, beneath Dix Milles Villages)

This is a promising, cute little wine bar that is certainly a welcome addition to NDG. One thing is for sure – it is bound to please the neighbouring clientele. The décor is stylish but warm, the service eager to please and fairly knowledgeable about wine, and the food appears tailor made for the fussy, less than daring Monkland clientele. Hence the generic, predictable menu with fried calamari, crispy shrimp, salmon tartare, beef carpaccio, chicken, salmon, pasta etc.) . But since good is more important than groundbreaking, I say so far so good, because everything I tried was tasty, nicely executed and presented, not to mention generous. The wine list is conservative as well - no obscure gems here, but the offerings are varied and better than average. I can’t blame them for playing it safe and giving people what they want, but I can’t help but hope that once they are on sure footing, they might go out on a limb with a bit more personality. In the meantime, I will go back to sample more; it’s great to have another spot in the hood to go for a glass of vino and a bite.