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We are definitely off topic, but it's good advice nevertheless.
Yes, I have noticed this! These three months are a real test of endurance and it gets to everybody! That's why Quebec has so many 'snowbirds': those who head south, typically to Florida. They come back at the end of March.... But for the rest of us... . Maybe we could get a tax credit for staying?
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This time last year I was in Florence. Right there in the market! It hurts to look at the photos as I sit here in this God forsaken frozen wasteland of a province!
Some wise albeit cranky advice for tourists to Montreal: DON"T come here in the months of January, February and March - especially February and March. The locals have had it with winter and if the minus-whatever temperature, wind and muck don't kill you, any misstep with a local will!
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$30? Yikes!
I have vague memories of having passed a couple more Thai places in Mile End, which seems to be the area for them. It'd be worth a wander to note them down seeing as the internet has failed on that point!
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There are, I think, 4 Thai restaurants on Laurier between Avenue du Parc and St. Laurent, all high-end. You can be like Goldilocks and try them all. One does more Thai fusion, kind of like a Californian version. Another is more pretty than it is authentic. I'll let you decide for yourselves, but I stand by my recommendation.
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High on Thai at Restaurant Thaïlande
Posted by Andrea in Montreal » Places To Eat on 03/Mar/2008
With few exceptions, I never order anything that I can cook well myself. Thai is one cuisine that I would love to wow guests with. Its distinguishing feature is the use of coconut milk, lemon grass, peanuts and chilli peppers in harmonious constellations for consumption. But sadly, I've never actually done anything about studying it, maybe because I am a regular at Restaurant Thaïlande. Let's face it, we're a lazy species, and if others can do it better, why not go to them?
Read the rest of: "High on Thai at Restaurant Thaïlande":
http://www.sitebits.com/2008/high-on-thai-restaurant-thailande.html
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Rambling About (In) Cemeteries: Montparnasse Cemetery
Posted by Andrea in Paris » Places To Visit on 28/Feb/2008
One grey New Year's Day in Paris my sister and I decided to go for a walk. Our senses happily dulled from the night before, we wandered through Montparnasse; a high wall herded us along the sidewalk.
Suddenly, it broke into large gates: a cemetery lay beyond. We hesitated, but our curiosity was piqued, so we went in...
Read the rest of: "Rambling About (In) Cemeteries: Montparnasse Cemetery":
http://www.sitebits.com/2008/rambling-about-montparnasse-cemetery.html
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To avoid misperceptions, I was a waitress for a total of 3 years in a high-end dining room and in a similar pub and a cafe. Waitering is a difficult and respected profession: you've got to know enough about the cuisine and wine to make good recommendations, be organized, patient, congenial and have a lot of stamina. So, if an empathetic customer is left wondering whether the waiter genuinely doesn't understand his job, it means the service was really bad.
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Dining at Méchant Bœuf? No thanks.
Méchant Bœuf Bar & Brasserie is situated in Vieux Montréal at 124, rue Saint Paul Ouest (Tel: 514-788-4020). Attached to the hip 'n' classic Nelligan Hotel, it is alluring, visually. The décor is minimalist, a tasteful melange of old and new: contemporary furniture set among exposed brick walls. Its prices are just beyond the medium price-range; high enough to seem exclusive while remaining accessible. Open every day from 4 p.m., it caters to the evening crowd. However, herein ends the positive review.
A good dining experience depends on the menu, obviously, then the ambiance and the service. Méchant Bœuf fails in all three.
The menu
The menu, North American in orientation, is a regrettable attempt at fusion cuisine. The first gross error is assuming that the standard fare of the culinary ignorant (beef grilled and ground, beer chicken with BBQ sauce, spaghetti and meatballs - all that is missing is pizza 'n' coke) can be masked or improved by adding sophisticated elements from other culinary traditions. They blend about as well as oil and water. In fact, they're screaming to get off the same plate. French Onion soup with chunks o' ham? Braised pork with poutine? Poutine! Beef Carpaccio with Chipotle Caesar Salad? This is poaching, not blending! The French, Italians and Mexicans must be up in arms. And the poor pork, already humble, now reduced to the greasy spoon? What is preventing them from serving bavette on a bed of Kraft Dinner?
I chose one of the less offensive dishes, the Sesame-crusted Seared Tuna on “Vegetable” Salad for $18. This dish seemed promising, but they forgot the flavour. A friend ordered - and returned - the Grilled Duck Breast, Soya Reduction ($24 plus $10 if accompanied by Foie Gras). In the words of an ex-patron: “The quality of the dishes is variable. I've eaten fish there that I wouldn't serve my dog.” That said, appetizers range from $8 to $18, main dishes from $14 to $30.
The ambiance
In all fairness, perhaps weeknights are different. We were there on a Friday night and the climate was decidedly clubbish. The DJ, conspicuously decked out in a chef's hat, played dance/rock music very loudly. Cross-table conversation was impossible, so socializing was limited to a maximum of two people: with the one immediately to your left or the one immediately to your right, not even both at the same time. In between swapping comments, I chewed to the beat. When we asked for the volume to be turned down, our waiter said it wasn't possible: management liked it that way.
Why? Because Méchant Bœuf is for clubbers, not diners. It is multi-tasking at its best: fuel the body while eliminating dating prospects. First, scope the scene while sipping an aperitif. In between the appetizer and the main course, do a preliminary sweep of likely prospects on your way outside for a cigarette or cell call. Then, gobble your main course. To digest, strut past your prey, casting about for eye contact. If he/she is game, a post-dinner drink, there or elsewhere, is a sure thing.
The service
Let me first say that all restaurants and their wait staff have bad nights. However, if you are a reasonable customer and the staff has been properly trained, it is usually apparent that the experience is unique: the staff will be apologetic and do their best to remedy the situation. Waiters will be helpful, well-mannered and professional, recognising that a customer who returns will bring more customers; consequently, you can be forgiving of a rocky experience.
The night we went was appallingly bad with zero attempt to improve let alone apologise for it. It was an example of what not to do. Our waiter did not understand (willfully?) what he was paid to do. Upon a third request within 30 minutes for our drink order, his response was: “Yeah, you know, there is only one of me to all of you. So, could ya help me out and be patient? You ordered the X wine, right? And, you? Oh yeah, the glass of Chablis.” The meals arrived helter skelter. Some of us tried to wait, but tepid meals quickly lose their appeal. The bill took as long. Eventually, I went up to the computer terminal and orchestrated it myself.
In short, go to Méchant Bœuf to club, not dine.
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1) You forgot to mention that the cookies/biscuits are bite-size, another great thing about Iranian sweets. Instead of being confronted with one mono-flavoured cookie the size of a muffin that didn't rise, you can taste a variety, until you've had your fill of sugar.
2) The Y chromosome. Any good lad will know that to meet a good lass, conversation and a cuppa go a long way (with Xs of all ages). Dates aside, tea has earned its rightful place as a "social utility", to use facebook lingo.
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I really dig the pig! Very medieval. Hand-crafted to boot! But, hey, no one has invented a machine to do that type of labour yet, hence the coroners, undertakers, butchers ... . Enough of the macabre!
Other interesting things to do in that area are:
- Go to the Antique/Flea Market (halfway up Via Pietrapiana) in Piazza dei Ciompi. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from La Standa grocery store, it is open almost every weekend. You can get all kinds of things, from old lace and linens, lamps, odds n' ends to used clothing. I bought a shirt there for 5,000 Lire (about $5 CDN) that I still wear!
- Meander up Via Pietrapiana which turns into Borgo La Croce, one of my favourite streets. It is quiet and has some great stores: clothing, furniture and all the household trimmings.
- If you're in the mood for a film, continue up Borgo La Croce to Piazza Beccaria and turn right: Ta-daa! A cinema!
- Visit Santa Croce, the church and the piazza, both favourites of mine: the piazza for its simple elegance, the church for its starry façade and the famous personalities it contains (literally): Niccolò Macchiavelli, Gallileo Galilei, Michelangeo Buonarotti, Ugo Foscolo, to name just a few. Found at the end of Via Giuseppe Verdi, the open space of this piazza often has a skating rink in the winter. It has also imported a tradition – German Christmas markets.
Now, that's an itinerary that ought to occupy someone for a while!
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I know what you mean about nostalgia...I lived in Firenze for 5 years. While writing the article, I could hear the sounds of the market. What it offers is so unadorned and frank, simple and mundane in its pleasure.
I also noticed that the vendors had discovered the utility of immigrants - not everyone, but some.
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Gastronomy Through the Backdoor: the Markets of Florence
Posted by Andrea in Florence on 11/Dec/2007
In Canada and the US, going to the market is either considered an event for special occasions, an outing, a break from the supermarket; or if you go there as part of your routine, it is a badge of your 'culinary expertise'. However, in Italy (and I imagine most other places in the world that filter life less) the market is still special, but because eating well is integral to daily life: populated by housewives and husbands, students and professional chefs, it is a given that gastronomy begins at the stalls. Granted, the market is a few steps removed from the watering and harvesting, feeding and slaughtering of even the average dish, but it is still a better point of departure for truly understanding cuisine than the supermarket.
The flavors for this venture are those of Florence, Italy – that famous Tuscan cooking! If you can go armed with some knowledge or at least a culinary guidebook, you'll be able to spot some of the most savoury and intriguing ingredients, which will aid you in your menu choices later on...
Read more:
http://www.sitebits.com/2007/gastronomy-through-the-back-door-markets-florence.html
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I've ordered off menu here in Montreal in Chinese restaurants. In all honesty, I think it is more common than we realize in all good restaurants regardless of the cuisine.
From what I've gathered the prerequisites are:
1) the restaurant is usually higher end, or at least does quite well i.e. the restaurant has to be able to afford the extra investment in time and ingredients that go into off-menu dishes
2) the customers have to show that they are game to try new dishes and/or knowledgeable about the cuisine. Natives, for lack of a better word, fit that bill, but so do people who just love cooking/eating.
Once the staff know they've got an customer with a palate, I think the chefs are more than happy to prepare something out of the ordinary. It's also interesting for them; I know I love cooking for people who appreciate it! It's a pleasure.
I think the only way to know which restaurant will prepare off menu dishes is to just ask.
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Beautiful photos!
I was in Cinque Terre a few years ago. My friend and I stayed in Monterosso - stunning. However, we arrived without any hotel/pensione reservations and had no where to stay. We must have looked a little lost because a guy in his twenties (he looked like an Italian version of a Californian beach boy) approached us. He told us that we could stay with him at his parents' place. We were skeptical, but he seemed honest, was well mannered, and, frankly, we had no other options. So we followed him. We ended up staying in a lovely, clean guest house on a private property in the midst of an orchard, breakfast included, for a really reasonable rate. Cash only, of course. While there are many variations on 'accomodation' that are offered to desperate tourists, some are simply genuine.
N.B.:
Jellyfish (in Italian = medusa) populate the waters there, though some periods are worse than others. So, when there is a warning, heed it! They can really sting!
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Hear! Hear!
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