Desperate times call for desperate measures. That is why the Taverne Crescent, situated on one of Montreal’s historic party streets, decided to implement a new policy: Pay what you can.
Restaurants are feeling the decline of American tourists and are doing what they can to survive.
After enjoying their meal of what could include an appetizer, plus either tagliatelle bolognese, salmon or braised beef, and coffee or tea- customers can pay as they like, ten dollars, a dollar or nothing.
“Some people might pay nothing,” said owner George Pappas, “but maybe when they have more money in three or six months, they’ll come back and pay more.”
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Oh-oh:
Late Wednesday, six new sandwiches and two sandwich platters were added to the long list of products, including cooked ham and salami sandwiches sold in Sobeys, Foodland and IGA stores in Ontario and two Kirkland Signature sandwich platters sold at Costco.
Unconnected to Maple Leaf Foods, two brands of Quebec-made cheeses — Riopelle de l’Île and Mont-Jacob — have also been pulled from store shelves after officials found contamination from a strain of listeria different from that found in meat products linked to the deadly nationwide listeriosis outbreak. At least nine cases of listeriosis have been associated with the cheeses.
Maple Leaf Foods said Wednesday it shoulders the blame in the listeriosis outbreak, absolving Canada’s food inspection system.
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“They’ve done it again” was my first impression when I walked in to the dimly lit restaurant with a very bright future. The latest brainchild from acclaimed local restaurateurs (and husband and wife team) Travis Champion and Monika Terlecki is sure to delight locals and tourists. I’ve known Travis and Monika for over a decade (man I’m getting old) and have come to appreciate and respect their fine taste for all things culinary and their attention to the details that make dining out experiences memorable ones.
Two years ago, Monika and Travis were part of the 5-member team that founded one of the most successful restaurants to have launched in the city over the past decade. Looking for a new challenge - and location - Monika and Travis found a gem at 479 Saint Alexis, in Old Montreal, on the corner of Notre Dame (head down McGill, turn right on Notre Dame, and the first street after Saint Pierre is Saint Alexis).
Like many of the standout restaurants in the Old Port, you won’t find any signs donning the entrance, but once you find L’Orignal, you’ll know exactly how to find your way back, thanks to the menu that greets you and the friendly team that serves you.
The location is in a greystone on one of the more quiet streets of our Old City. Words can’t describe the atmosphere, but one word of caution: make sure you don’t walk through the glass entrance that greets (maybe it was the wine/martini/scotch… but I digress).
Of course, any dining experience boils down to food, and not surprisingly, I was quite impressed.
Some of the starters will leave you wanting more: the lamb mini burgers in particular are insanely tasty.
L’Orignal offers an impressive array of tartares that cater to vegetarians (cucumbers) and meat lovers (tuna, salmon, duck, beef). But with a name like L’Orignal, you the focus will be on meat and seafood.
Filet mignon, veal shank, fish and chips, bison meat and a mushroom risotto are just some of the dishes that catch one’s eye on the menu, which ranges from $18 to $52 (for an intriguing filet mignon with maple syrup whiskey!).
L’Orignal opens tonight… I’ll be there with moose antlers on!
Here are directions to L’Orignal.
Name: Pizza Pinoli
Address: 5524, rue Monkland (MAP)
Telephone: 514-489-8888
Cuisine: Pizza and Wings
So this place has a reputation for good pizza, and as long as it gets to you place on time, that reputation is deserved. A quick Google search also shows that it has a reputation for bad customer service, and experience demonstrates that that’s a mild way of putting it.
I placed an order for both pizza and wings, and they told me it would tak 30-45 minutes. An hour and ten minutes later I called back to cancel the order. The girl who had initially taken my order didn’t seem all that surprised.
A moment later, a man calls back, accost my girlfriend at length, claims that he will charge her credit card anyway, and then hangs up. When I call back to complain, the same man belligerently launches into a tirade about how we are the ones being unreasonable, and adds “F**k you and f**k your girldfriend” before hanging up on me.
Within another moment, the delivery man has arrived. He is extremely polite and apologetic. Had I not been verbally assaulted at length, I would have gladly accepted the pizza. However, my dignity would not let me give my money willingly to such a belligerent knave.
Perhaps my girlfriend’s credit card will be charged, perhaps it will not. Whatever happens, I will be able to rest-assured that I am not alone (see Google search link above) in my experience.
Name: Mesquite (www.mesquite.ca)
Address: 3857 Boul. Decarie (MAP)
Tel: (514) 487-5066
Cuisine: BBQ, Cajun, Creole, Southern
You know, when I walked into Mesquite, I wasn’t intending on reviewing them. But when the place ruined my Friday night, I changed my mind. As much as part of that decision was grounded in veangance, another part was grounded in a sense of civic duty to spare others a similar fate of dropping thirty bucks a head on third-rate BBQ.
Now, the place did have a bunch of reviews from the local mainstream media laminated and hanging on the wall, so I guess that it’s my word against that of established and respectable journalists food critics. So if you want to gamble that kind of cash, time, and appetite away, that’s your call. If you’re not a gambling (wo)man, though, you might want to give me the benefit of the doubt for at least as long as it’ll take to read the next few paragraphs.
For starters, the ambiance was sterile, non-descript, and looked like it was inspired by last season’s Pier 1 Imports catalogue — except that the decorator wasn’t actually working a Pier 1 kind of budget. Basically, it feels like what might happen if Denny’s went after the upwardly mobile thirty-something market.
I walked in at about 7pm on a Friday, but there wasn’t music playing, and the lights were all the way up. It was lucky that I’m a CCR fan, though, because when the music finally came on, though, it tuned out that the management’s idea of southern soul is the double-disc of CCR greatest hits beign played over and over again..
The staff seemed to be there mostly to entertain each other than actually try to sell you anything off of the menu. Before they’d taken our drink orders, they were asking us if we knew what we wanted. We suggested starting with drinks and, had I known, I would’ve ordered two beers instead of one because once that the last I saw of them until the food was abruptly dropped on the table.
Now, normally, I’d guess that anyone who ordered something called pulled pork deserved whatever they had coming to them, but the staff seemed to really be behind it before they disappeared, so I gave it shot. It turns out that pulled pork is one of the most tender ways pork can be prepared. At Mesquite, though, that texture is drowned out in B-list sauce that tasted as though it came out of the club-pack aisle. The waitress had described it as tangy, but if I’d been a suicidal diabetic, I would’ve been in heaven – literally, pun intended, and all that jazz.
The vegetarian fajitas were similarly disappointing. The veggies were served on a skillet, but were nothing more than a mound of onions with a few peppers on top for appearances. Although the guacamole was impressive (and tangy, unlike the house BBQ sauce), there wasn’t much of a spoonful of it to go around. Furthermore, the only other condiments were equally meagre portions of bakes beans (wtf?) and Monteray Jack cheese (also wtf?). No sour cream and no salsa.
Our meals done, the waitress still hadn’t been by to (1) ask us how things were, (2) inquire as to whether she could get us anything else, or (3) refill our waters – something that would be nice after so much sugar in the BBQ sauce. So it wasn’t a surprise that trying to get some coffee, dessert, or the bill was a challenge.
My advice to you, then, if you’re in the NDG area and are craving some fine Cajun or Creole cuisine is to check our La Louisiane. About a five minute drive from Mesquite, the food is delectable and the service exceptional. Mesquite, on the other hand, is a cookhouse-con, scamming you into paying bistro prices for diner quality.
CT Moore also blogs full-time about new media at the Gypsy Bandito Vlog and about search engine marketing at the SearchAnyway Blog.
Name: Jardin Asean (www.jardinasean.ca)
Address: 5828 Sherbrooke. O (MAP)
Tel: (514) 487-8868
Cuisine: Szechuan, Sushi, Dim Sum, Thai
As far as Asian tasting menus go, Jardin Asean is probably one of the best bets in the city. All four of their cuisines are available a la carte or all-you-can-eat. Depending on the night, the all-you-cab-eat ranges between $23-$26/person, and you can mix and match cuisines.
What’s nicest about the sushi is that you don’t have to pay for what you don’t eat. It also doesn’t suck which is surprising for anything that comes with all-you-can-eat attacehd to its name. In fact, except for the roll that feature cream cheese and lox, it’s remarkably good sushi sushi.
The Szechuan can be hit or miss, but it’s never disappointing. The dim sum is like what I imagine Chinese home cooking would be like. There’s also a seaweed salad that is possibly the daintiest (whatever the f**k that means) appetizer I’ve ever had.
Jardin Asean also features a list of specialty or exotic drinks that I’ve never tried, but they sure do seem colourful in the pictures on the drink card. Another bright and colourful beverage, come to think of it, is the green tea. It comes in glass pots, and is a shade of green that’s not unlike Mountain Dew. It tastes fine, though, so I drink it anyway.
As far as ambiance goes, it’s not a place to bring a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd date — in case the all-you-can-eat menu didn’t already lead you to that conclusion. As impressive as all the reds against a backdrop of stained wood is, they remind you constantly that you’re in a Chinese restaurant.
The service, finally, is neither bad nor good. The staff are just friendly enough that tipping them 15% is just plain fair. Especially in light of how much you can eat for twenty-five beans, you could probably tip them 20% and still come out ahead.
CT Moore also blogs full-time about new media at the Gypsy Bandito Vlog and about search engine marketing at the SearchAnyway Blog.
Name: Pushap Sweets
Address: 5195 Rue Paré (MAP)
Telephone: 514-737-4527
Cuisine: Indian, Vegetarian
A block east of the Decarie Expressway, just behind the Hotel Ruby Foo’s, is arguably the best channa in the entire city. Affectionately known as just Pushaps to regulars, the menu is cheaper than McD’s and entirely vegetarian.
The great thing about Pushaps is the tali plate. Every day, there’s a different combo of rice, bread (puri or chapati), curry, vegetable, and your choice of either lentils or channa (chick peas). Ordering with the chapati usually ensures that the tali is vegan, but ask ahead whether any of the veggie dishes have cheese in them.
Nowhere in Montreal have I come across channa this good. Mind you, it’s heavily spiced — not hot, just spicy. So if you’re ordering for a child or your palate prefers things on the blander side, go for the lentils — also good, just much milder.
There is, of course, an a la carte menu, but they’re not known for it. Don’t get me wrong, I ordered off it once, and wouldn’t complain about a thing. It’s just that the size, quality, and price of the tali alone is irresistable. Throw in a couple samosas or pakoras (all made on site) in at the start, and you won’t leave hungry.
As their name suggests, Pushaps also excels at desserts. Like the samosas and pakoras, these are made on site, so their frequently fresh. In fact, there are usually short take-out line-ups for their sweet. On some days, they’ll offer up to two vegan dessert choices — regrettably not as sumptuous as the non-vegan varieties.
Despite Pushaps appeal, it’s neither conveniently located nor ambient. Although it’s easily accessed from Decarie, it’s further north than Jean-Talon. The atmosphere, moreover, is rather shabby in a diner kind of way. Long story short, it’s no place to woo a romantic interest, but perfect for breaking bread with vegetarians.
CT Moore also blogs full-time about new media at the Gypsy Bandito Vlog and about search engine marketing at the SearchAnyway Blog.
Name: Eggspressions
Address: 3979, rue St. Denis (MAP)
Telephone: 514-282-8037
Cuisine: Bistro, Continental, Meditteranean-Moroccan-French Fusion
Another one of the nondescript sunny terraces on St. Denis, Bistro Côté Soleil has one of those menus that accommodate just about any non-vegan melange of patrons. Whether the service, quality, and over all experience, however, is good or bad seems to (in my experience) depend on the time of day.
The bistro was something I discovered as a weekend shopper. I’d pop in for breakfast, brunch, or lunch, and it was always pleasant. The kitchen seemed to out-do itself each time I returned. The service, moreover, wasn’t just efficient, it was warm and personable. Breakfast through lunch at Bistro Côté Soleil is akin to popping-in on some distant bon vivant French relatives.
During the evening, however, the service seems to range from inefficient to outright hostile. I’ve found the evening staff has trouble at half-capacity. When this happens, the staff seem to get grumpy. On one occasion, a waitress even had the gall to suggest to me that the foreign inedible I found in my food was put there by me.
Long story short, if you’re out shopping on St. Denis and need meal to break up the afternoon, or if you’re one of those Plateau hipster sleazeballs who takes your one-night-stands for breakfast, then the Bistro Côté Soleil is a solid choice. On the other hand, if you’re looking to unwind over a decent meal or just trying to make that date a one-night-stand, go another half a block north on St. Denis to the SAQ and hit up one of the bring-your-own-wine place on Duluth.
CT Moore also blogs full-time about new media at the Gypsy Bandito Vlog and about search engine marketing at the SearchAnyway Blog.
Name: Eggspressions
Address: 4230 Boul. St Jean (MAP)
Telephone: 514-624-5830
Cuisine: Breakfast / Diner
Just off the beaten path in the West-Island, Eggspressions is a medium-sized breakfast joint is only a few blocks north of Fairview Pointe-Claire on Boul. St. Jean. While the portions and quality of food are a bargain at the prices, the service leaves a lot to be desired.
Not very visible from the street, I would’ve never noticed Eggspressions if I didn’t work in the building. Their menu is primarily breakfast foods, but they are open for lunch and feature both a la carte and daily special options that are more suitable for lunchtime.
Although their breakfast menu is considerably stronger in both selection and quality, their Californian Club is possibly the best club sandwich I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, it’s only available as an occasional daily special.
The service, on the other hand, ranges from passable to terrible. On occasion, I’ve watched tables seated after me receive their order before I had a chance to place mine. Nonetheless, I keep going back because the breakfasts are on par with Chez Cora’s, but cheaper, and as I said, I work in the building.
All in all, Eggspressions seems more geared toward neighbourhood suburbanites who don’t have anywhere else to be. If you’re just passing through the area and looking for breakfast, you might be better off checking out the Chez Cora’s on Boul St Jean just at the 20.
CT Moore also blogs full-time about new media at the Gypsy Bandito Vlog and about search engine marketing at the SearchAnyway Blog.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC–(Marketwire - June 20, 2007) - Sofitel Montreal officially launched its patio for the season, with a cocktail event with a twist: the theme was based on experiencing an enhanced culinary appreciation by invoking all the senses. The event was inspired by a course taken by the sous-chefs and servers of the hotel’s Renoir restaurant with the objective of improving their understanding of how we relate to and experience food, thereby enhancing the pleasure we take in dining.
The course, which was given over five, two-hour sessions, was taught by Ms. Andy Brasseur, an instructor trained in teaching the stimulation of the senses. The training educated students on how to focus on and engage all the senses (touch, sight, hearing, taste and scent) when enjoying food, elevating the experience beyond the mundane (simple consumption) to the sublime (creating a more fulfilling and memorable culinary occasion). Ms. Brasseur was trained at the Institut du Gout in France (the “Taste Institute”). Her training follows a method created by Jacques Puisais which aims to educate individuals on how to better understand our reactions to food and to better appreciate what we are eating.
The staff of the Sofitel’s Renoir are the first and only restaurant personnel in North America to have obtained certification in taste training according to the Jacques Puissais method. This exceptional training offers the clientele of Renoir a unique benefit in that the staff is prepared to answer any and all questions regarding the food and/or preparation from a more in-depth perspective, and are not limited to the “obvious” observations such as ingredients.
The cocktail was held on the hotel’s elegant patio and featured Renoir’s new Ice Station, inspired by a new area of fine cuisine, “molecular gastronomy”, which involves the application of science to culinary practice.
Sofitel: 200 premium hotels around the world
Because no one country or city is the same, Sofitel has made each of its 200 hotels around the world a truly unique establishment. Combining the spirit of each place with the values of modernity, refinement and absolute comfort, they are all imbued in their inimitable way with the French “art de vivre”.
Whether their setting is a great business metropolis like Paris, New York or Bangkok, or nestling in the landscape in Indonesia, Polynesia or Brazil, each Sofitel hotel offers travelers a genuine haven of peace. So that each guest, for an overnight stay or longer, during a business trip or for a holiday, can enjoy the rich variety of these unique places in comfort and tranquility.
Accor, European leader in hotels and tourism, global leader in corporate services, operates in nearly 100 countries with 160,000 employees. It offers to its individual and corporate clients nearly 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:
- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, Red Roof Inn, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6 brands: over 4,000 hotels and 475,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lenotre, ambassador of the gastronomy ‘a la francaise’ worldwide;
- Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 21 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor Services products - meal and food vouchers, people care, incentive and loyalty programs.
For Sofitel Montréal information visit www.sofitel.com or 514.285.9000
