soupnancy

Bits and bites February 2009

Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck closed due to health scare that appears to be no fault of his own, still a mystery.. What a nightmare, poor guy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/feb/27/heston-blumenthal-fat-duck-food-poisoning

Montréal en Lumière festival reviews

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/food-wine/index.html

An inspiring interview with Gail Simmons, a little Canadian girl who made it big in the food world http://gremolata.com/Articles/534-Gail-Simmons-Rise-to-The-Top.aspx

Truffe – the movie, now out on DVD: I was psyched, a Québec movie with truffles as a main part of the plot (you see, with global warming, truffles start sprouting up all over the place and people are topping their poutines with them), I was ready to LOVE it, and I tried. But even with Roy Dupuis, I found it hard to love; in fact I spent the whole time waiting and trying to ‘get it’. I suspect there a lot of subtext here, playing with metaphors, or maybe they’re just having an all out stupid time, not sure. François kind of liked it. http://www.radio-canada.ca/arts-spectacles/cinema/2008/08/21/001-truffe_sortie.asp?ref=rss

A much more promising MUSHROOM MOVIE, ‘Know Your Mushrooms’,

Coming to Cinema du Parc in March.. http://www.cinemaduparc.com/english/prochainemente.php?id=know#top

Scotch and coffee tasting at Lenoir Lacroix Thursday 5à7

http://www.lenoirlacroix.ca/degustarium.html

New Restaurants to check out:

Mas cuisine in Verdun Chef Michel Ross 51..., http://www.voir.ca/publishing/article.aspx?article=63011&section=21

Greasy Spoon on Laurier, http://www.voir.ca/error/error.htm?aspxerrorpath=/publishing/article.aspx

Monsieur B. (old Montée) 371 Villeneuve E. (corner Drolet), 51..., http://www.voir.ca/publishing/article.aspx?zone=1&section=21&article=62668

Macaroni Bar 4448 St-Laurent, 51..., http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Dining+Macaroni+full+boil/1312491/story.html

Barroco in Old Montreal, I’ve heard good things, especially from the young set.. http://www.voir.ca/publishing/article.aspx?zone=1&section=21&article=63130

Contempory art meets gastronomy at the Jolifou Recession or not, cool things are happening in Montreal.. (this event Feb. 24,25)

http://www.voir.ca/publishing/article.aspx?zone=1&section=21&article=63010

Nadia G. book launch From the online hit cooking show Bitchinkitchen.tv, Nadia G., an Italian Montrealer with a following, has published a book, a very different one at that, subtitled ‘Rock your kitchen and let the boys clean up’. Definitely sassy and fun with some solid food tips and recipes (stashed behind the hilarious pictures, capsules and sexy photos). I really didn’t expect to like this book, but I did, not because I learnt anything about food, which could be besides the point, but I bet a lot of the young bitchin’ set would. If the kids are being nudged towards organic food and real cooking with a bit of witty rebel-sexy edge and silliness, than cool. We can all use a dose of it anyway.

www.bitchenkitchen.tv.

Menus by Epynord – for restauranteurs and sommeliers, sharp options, take your pick.. http://www.menusderestaurant.com/

Garlic – the ultra anti-oxidant – that is real garlic, not supplements

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2009/02/politics-of-the-plate-health-properties-of-garlic

The next ‘it’ ingredient – Black Garlic http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/24/AR2009022400755.html

Everything Chocolate:

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/chocolate/index.html

Top twelve aphrodisiac foods for Valentine’s.. Whether their powers are scientifically proven or not (hardly the point), folklore suggests they can work for you..

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/valentinesday/aphrodisiacs?mbid=e021009

Cuizine, The Journal of Canadian food cultures – our very own Canadian academic food journal on line, very cool. I remember attending a conference hosted by McGill and the McCord Museum years ago and listening to all these fascinating people presenting their theses and food related studies in English or in French and having the time of my life. I was floored that all this research and dialogue was going on in a separate world, parallel to mine as a chef. Now I am happy to know I have access to some of it..

http://www.erudit.org/revue/cuizine/2008/v1/n1/index.html

Rethinking allergy paranoia http://www.chow.com/media/7136

Vancouver is looking awfully good

Daniel Boulud’s Lumière

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090204.wldish04/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20090204.wldish04

Jean George Vongrichten’s Market

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090204.wljeangeorges04/BNStory/lifeFoodWine

How Lobster turns from blue to red when cooked - has possible medical applications http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/science/03qna.html?ref=dining

French idioms relating to food: ‘Mi-figue, mi-raisin’, ‘s’occuper de ses oignons’ and etc.. Love em..

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/cat_french_idioms.php

Salon HRI restaurant show in Montreal Feb 8.-10. at Place Bonaventure

www.salonhri.com

Montreal Highlights Festival: all kinds of events and culinary delights for all budgets, with Paris as the focal city, from February 19th to March 1st.

The guests: http://www.montrealhighlights.com/volets/table/invites_en.aspx

The events: http://www.montrealhighlights.com/volets/liste_eve_en.aspx?volet=table

Poor Restauranteurs, Lucky diners (in NYC): ‘When Restaurants stop playing hard to get’

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/dining/04note.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Customers here in Montreal already have a good deal..

Fresh Boxes I’m not a such a gadget person, but this looks like a good idea.. For those fragile items and pastry type things you can’t put sous-vide but aren’t made à la minute, sometimes necessarily a day or two in advance, to keep them fresher, longer ..

http://www.freshfinds.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/_/Fresh-Box/productID/C1AC3072-CCB0-4BA8-B9EA-1019AB66D649/categoryID/1F44D1B7-80BE-4DBC-814D-42D01E35950B/