Archive | June, 2013

Chaud Dogs

29 Jun

Another day, another food truck to try. This time around, I biked over to the George-Etienne Cartier statue on the slope of Mont-Royal to give Chaud Dogs a try. Chaud Dogs is, as one could probably guess based on their name, a truck that specializes in gourmet hot dogs. Everything they use is 100% homemade – be it the handmade sausages themselves down to the mustard and ketchup they use. They have a focus on using seasonal ingredients and a desire to support local farmers through local markets. An awesome concept that I believe we can all certainly get behind.

20130629-135716.jpg

On this day, the truck was offering a homemade corn dog, a ‘Wu Dog”, black bean salsa, house fries, bottled water and a Lemon Thyme soda. While there was some temptation to try everything, I held off and decided to stick to the two dogs for this particular visit. If the dogs held up, then I would be back at some point to try the side-dishes.

20130629-135729.jpg

First up, the Chaud Dog corndog. A nice housemade play on the classic pogo. The sausage itself was quite good and the corn batter around it had a slight sweetness. The batter had a nice crisp to it on the outside but was thick enough to be nice and moist inside. Add to that homemade ketchup and mustard on top and you have a solid offering. If you don’t like pogos, I don’t think this will change your mind but for the rest of us, this corndog will do quite nicely.

20130629-135753.jpg

Secondly, the “Wu Dog”. A very unique Asian-inspired play on the standard hot dog. Here you have a grilled sausage with a sesame/poppy seed bun, marinated carrots and Daikon radish,crispy chicken skin and hoisin sauce as a condiment. Big winner for me on this day. Each individual component was well done and created interesting contrasts in terms of both texture and flavours. In particular, the use of the marinated vegetables and hoisin sauce really added a lot for me. I loved the chicken skin but honestly their presence made it hard to actually bite into the hot dog as one would want to do. I ended up eating most of it separately and leaving myself smaller pieces to actually bit into on top of the hot dog. Regardless, a very creative option to be offering in this truck.

20130629-135741.jpg

Two for two so far in my food truck experiences this year. Love the fully housemade concept, the creativity and the flavours that Chaud Dogs brings to the party. If one is craving a good hot dog, Chaud Dogs is definitely one you want to look for this summer in the street of Montreal!

Cheers!

Chaud Dogs
on Facebook or Twitter: @chauddogs

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Camion Au Pied de Cochon

21 Jun

At long last, we have food trucks in Montreal! Well…. we actually had some last year but they couldn’t actually, you know, park somewhere and serve food outside of festivals, so this is closer to the real thing. Regardless, there is much rejoicing around these parts and for me, it means that I have some more trucks to track down this summer. I won’t spend anytime here discussing how this summer’s pilot project works so please just google MTL street food to find out the details in terms of locations, hours and the full list of trucks.

First up, on the opening day of the project, I had the chance to head to Victoria Square to try out Camion Au Pied de Cochon. Now I realize that this will be the 4th post I write about Au Pied de Cochon and its various off spring. The reason is quite simple… I love them that much!

20130621-200432.jpg

The concept they are going for is salty and sweet. You order in the front and from there, you pick up your items from either the salty window and the sweet window. The menu is an blend of dishes from the Duluth restaurant, the Sugar Shack and some unique truck items.

20130621-200446.jpg

I went for their big combo option with an added item. That item was a fried duck leg with maple syrup BBQ sauce. Anyone who went to the Sugar Shack this past spring got a taste of this particular item. Nice tangy BBQ on top of some great duck. Nice crispy exterior while still keeping some moistness inside. Great option for only 3$!

20130621-202457.jpg

The combo box itself contained four times – a maple soda, a foie gras poutine, a “beigne Cochon” and a “beigne sucré”. The maple soda was nice and refreshing with just the right amount of maple syrup flavor to make it sweet but not overbearingly so. This was one of the components of the Whiskey Soda I had up at the Sugar Shack…. Still the best one I have ever had.

20130621-202734.jpg

Next up, the foie gras poutine – their old restaurant classic and signature dish. If you’ve had it there then you know what to expect. They succeeded in translating perfectly to the food truck. Crisp golden fries, cheese curds, a piece of foie gras and their foie gras gravy – perfect in the restaurant and perfect here.

20130621-203124.jpg

Now for the new stuff. The “beigne Cochon” really stretches the definition of a doughnut. In reality, this is a smoked meat sandwich where a doughnut is the bun. Yeah…. You read that right… A doughnut bun. Picard and his team are just nuts man. Anyway, this sandwich was amazing. A very generous portion of pork smoked meat, white ham and pork tongue with some mustard sandwiched in between that doughnut. Great combination as the doughnut mimics a sort of brioche bread. Nice and golden with a good crust yet a soft interior. The perfect way to differentiate themselves in this food truck rush.

20130621-203741.jpg

For the “beigne sucré”, they take the exact same doughnut but then stuff it with a filling of your choice and then add powered sugar. In my case, I went for the rhubarb option. Stuffed to the gills with a cream and rhubarb filling, the doughnut, which had been perfect for a sandwich, became a wonderful sweet treat to cap off the meal.

20130621-204507.jpg

A very strong entry to the food truck world by the Au Pied de Cochon crew. Keeps in line with their “go big or go home” style of food all while adding some new twists for the truck. Very generous portions at a reasonable deal overall I think. If this is indicative of what we can expect from this generation of Montreal food trucks, we will all be very lucky people.

Cheers!

Camion Au Pied de Cochon
On Facebook or Twitter @camionpdc

Tags: , , , , , ,

Florida 2013 – Albert and Victoria’s

15 Jun

Okay….time for a long overdue post. Over this past Easter weekend, we went down to Orlando, Florida as a family for some nice weather, a little golf and a quick trip to Disney World. While we were there, we decided to pay ourselves a little treat. Inside of the Grand Floridian Resort Hotel at Disney is the restaurant Albert and Victoria’s. This restaurant is a 13-year recipient of the AAA Five Diamond award and is renowned for their 6-course prix fixe menu with associated wine pairings for each dish. They label the evening as a “2-2.5 hour dining experience” where no kids under 10 are allowed and the dress code is dinner jackets and dresses. You show up in shorts or jeans and you are refused entrance.

20130609-162008.jpg

When you walk in, in that typical Disney immersion, you feel like you are entering a traditional Victorian dinner room. Fine crystal and china, ornate wallpaper, long drapes and tablecloths, a harp player in the corner – full credit for creating such a unique restaurant space. The other thing you notice is the attention to detail in the service. Each table has a duo of servers that takes care of you. In our case, we had a lovely elderly couple of New York and Maine that for the life of me I can’t remember their names anymore. Having reserved in advance and requested your name and any dietary restriction, they know your name and throughout the evening, they will address you as such. They also practice absolutely spotless serving etiquette. I was quite amazing to see them work in that manner with such timing and precision. Everything they did was for a reason. A very unique thing to see in today’s restaurant world.

20130609-162101.jpg

20130609-162119.jpg

The menu is presented to you as there are different options for each course. Once you have made your selections, a personalized menu will be printed for you to take home as a memento of the evening. I went with the wine pairing option as well to really get the full experience. Once each course arrived, the gentlemen of our serving team recounted the entire description and story of each plate along the associated wine pairing as well as the bread to match. Yes, each course had its own bread pairing. Even for my father with his gluten intolerance. The ability of our waiter to describe everything in great detail and without any pause or mistake was mind boggling and truly a sign of a professional, someone dedicated to his craft. Truly a great thing to experience.

20130609-162204.jpg

Now then, on with the food. First off, an Amuse-Bouche with a Piper Heidsteck Cuvee 1785 NV Burt. The Amuse-Bouche consisted of a mini roll of crab meat, a piece of fresh salmon with some olive oil and a lavender-mint crudo. All nice and fresh options. Perfect set-ups for a meal such as this.

20130609-162247.jpg

Second course, I selected the Octopus “a la Plancha” with Black Garlic Aioli. Delicious octopus grilled nicely with some micro-greens, that wonderful aioli as well as some reduced balsamic vinegar for the option of some extra acidity. Great flavour combinations to experience.

20130609-162341.jpg

Third course, I took the Diver Scallop with Zellwood Corn Ragout. The scallop was perfectly cooked with a nice sear on the outside. The ragout had a wonderful sweetness from the corn. Once again, a perfect combination of ingredients.

20130609-162421.jpg

Fourth course, I had the Braised Oxtail and Cherry Ravioli with Roasted Red Peppers. The Oxtail was fall apart good and the roasted red peppers provided that right level of sweetness along with the Cherry. Quite good all around.

20130609-162458.jpg

I also got to try the other option for this course: Long Island Duck Breast and Sausage with Roasted Cauliflower. The duck was just perfect – great flavours and at just the right temperature.

20130609-162534.jpg

My main was Niman Ranch Lamb with Caramelized Turnips and Swiss Chard. Now, I just love lamb so it wasn’t hard for me to get on-board here. The lamb was rich and tender. The jus was perfect for it and the caramelized vegetables paired nicely here. Amazing dish.

20130609-162632.jpg

As a palate cleanser before dessert, I got the White Chocolate Gelato with Tableside Shavings and the paired glass of Muscato. Just a wonderfully sweet but light gelato. The shavings added a nice extra-chocolate element as well. The Muscato was a perfect pair to this. And this wasn’t even the actual dessert!

20130609-162708.jpg

The other option here was a plate of cheese with some port. The cheese provided was Gouda, Stilton, Parmigiano Reggiano and a Sottocenere Al Tartufo. All with very deep and complex flavours. Nice variety of textures as well. The Port created a nice combination from what I could try.

20130609-162753.jpg

Finally, dessert! The table ended up with 3 different selections: Caramelized Banana Gateau, Tanzanian Chocolate Timbale with Orange scented Milk Chocolate Gelato and a Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Purse with Blackberry-violet Sherbet. The caramelized gateau was the big favourite – very nice flavour across the board. The chocolate timbale was quite chocolate intensive which I loved but that may not be satisfactory for everyone. The lemon and orange purse really depends on how you like the taste of blood Orange as it pretty much the biggest note that comes out of that dessert.

20130609-162828.jpg

20130609-162842.jpg

20130609-162858.jpg

The overall dining experience was almost certainly the finest I have ever enjoyed. The food was all amazing. Lots of variety throughout the meal, amazing use of great international products in different ways. I will not comment too much on the wine pairings as that is not a particularly strong area for me but from my vantage point, every glass I was served matched perfectly with each plate and added something to the meal. The Muscato with the gelato was a particularly high point for me but I love Muscato so that may cloud my feelings there. The service from top to bottom was superb. The setting was unique and quite enjoyable for a relaxed 2.5 hour service. Now obviously this meal wasn’t cheap – the website clearly states the prices upfront – but you don’t mind spending for a unique refined dining experience, this is absolutely it. There is an option for the chef’s table in the actual kitchen which we visited afterwards but sadly it wasn’t available during our visit. Based on what we saw, it is definitely worth trying to get if you can. That Disney magic continues to work….even when we are talking about Restaurants.

Cheers!

Victoria and Albert’s
4401 Grand Floridian Way
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Victoria & Albert's on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , ,

Au Pied de Cochon – Le Gros Verrat

12 Jun

This is not a review. If you want a full run-down of Au Pied de Cochon, I recommend that you check out my post from a couple of months ago. No, this quick post is because I recently went back for a second meal for a very specific reason.

Around this time of year, Au Pied de Cochon offers a few different seafood platters on top of their usual fare. One of which is called Le Gros Verrat. It is a monster designed for 10 people. We decided as a group of 6 to pay ourselves a little treat. Here it is:

20130608-213422.jpg

The relatively poor quality of the picture probably doesn’t do this thing justice. I am 6’4” and I needed to stand up AND step back in order to fit the 4 level structure in the frame. Pretty much any variety of seafood you would want was present in this platter. The bottom level was all the warm options – Rockefeller Oysters, fried squid, scallops, halibut and deep fried lobster foie gras sushi. Yeah you read that right…. Deep fried lobster foie gras sushi.

The next levels were loaded with raw oysters, clams and razor clams, boiled lobster, crab legs, shrimp, escargots and other things I am probably forgetting in such absurd quantities that it truly seemed like the staff was daring us to try to finish it. And wouldn’t you know it….

20130608-214453.jpg

…. We did.

If you have a group of worthy eaters who enjoy seafood and the willingness to open up the wallet a bit, may I highly recommend you visit Au Pied de Cochon this summer. Don’t think you will leave disappointed.

Cheers!

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Duluth Est.
514 281 1114

Au Pied de Cochon on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , ,

Pizzeria Napoletana

9 Jun

If there is one blind spot in my Montreal food repertoire that I feel somewhat embarrassed about, it is Pizza. Despite my absolute love of all things Pizza related – I could honestly eat pizza everyday if such a thing were reasonable from a dietary point of view – I have not exploring many of Montreal’s fine establishments. If someone were to ask me where to get a great slice of pizza, I honestly wouldn’t have an answer that I could base on personal experience. Well… I want to change that. So last weekend, I took the opportunity after a visit to Jean Talon Market to try a Little Italy institution, Pizzeria Napoletana.

20130606-232255.jpg

Right off the bat, I am not a staunch advocate of either thin crust or deep dish pizza. I give equal time to both sides… as long as it is done right. In this instance, we would be treated to a classic Italian thin crust pizza. When coming to a place that has been doing it since 1948, one hopes you will be getting a great slice of pie. With thin crust, you are looking for a nice crisp base but one that still has a bit of chewiness to it. Too thin or crisp and you get something that tastes completely burnt. On the toppings front, you want a nice tomato sauce and good cheese. You want just enough of both to cover the dough but not so much that it overwhelms the flavor of the crust.

I decided to go with a Quattro Fromaggi pizza for my first try. Before I add extra ingredients, I want to see if the basic pizza is done well. Napoletana uses Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano and bocconcini for their version. This was a very well done pizza. It pretty much had everything I was looking for. Crispy yet tender crust – check. Bonus points for the slightly burnt edge as well. Right amount of both sauce and cheese – check. Tangy tomato sauce – check. Nice mix of cheese – check. Very satisfying pizza overall.

20130608-204457.jpg

My sister went with a even simpler pizza on her end – the classic Margarita. Once again, a very nice pizza with the same characteristics of the previous one minus the added notes of the Romano and bocconcini cheese.

20130608-204512.jpg

As the 1st true entry in the Montreal Pizza search, Pizzeria Napoletana was exactly what I expected from a Montreal Institution – a place that serves solid pizza, tried and true. It was a good initial benchmark to set my expectations for a good Montreal Pizza. Walking into the restaurant, you absolutely get that old school pizzeria feel – the pictures of celebrities on the walls, all the staff in restaurant t-shirts and caps, paper placemats and the fact that this still only take cash. If you’re looking for a classic Napoli style pizza, this is a good place to start.

Cheers!

Pizzeria Napoletana
189 Dante
514 276 8226

Pizzeria Napoletana on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , ,

Petit Cake Shop

3 Jun

I continue to be amazed by the many wonderful options we have here in Montreal in matters of food. I have been on a bit of a dessert exploration kick recently and my most recent discovery is one that you won’t find in a restaurant, bakery or cafe. In fact, you need to place an order via email or Facebook message if you want to partake. This discovery is cake balls from Petit Cake Shop.

20130505-162923.jpg

Petit Cake Shop is a small business run by Stephanie Segal out of her home. When you place your order, you have a choice of some standard flavors but she does mention the possibility of some custom ones if you make a request and give enough time. In my case, I placed an order last minute for the next day so I simply went with a sampling of the dozen flavors I could get that day.

The first 6 were Maple Cookie, Skor, Party Cake, Key Lime Pie and as we were in hockey playoff mode here in Montreal at the time, Markoffee Crisp and Subbanana-Nutella-Peanut Butter. Loved the wordplay there by the way. Humor is always a plus. All of the balls are a cake base covered with a thin chocolate or candy coating. I loved how different each one is decorated and differentiated one from the other. You can pretty much look at one and know right away the flavour you are about to enjoy. In all cases, the cake centers were dense and moist – exactly the right combination one looks for in a good cake. Of this first 6, the real winners for me were Subbanana, Key Lime and Party Cake. Very nice rich flavors without being overbearing – which tends to be the cardinal sins of bad key lime pies. The others were good as well but I’m not a big Skor or Coffee Crisp fan so my enjoyment wasn’t as high.

20130505-162945.jpg

The next 6 were Red Velvet, Dark Chocolate Cherry, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Peanut Butter Vanilla, Cookie Cake and Salted Caramel Chocolate. The Salted Caramel drizzle really adds great depth to that particular ball. Both peanut butter ones are awesome but as a hardcore Reese’s fan, they were right up my alley. Both hit the right chocolate to peanut butter balance. The other three were unspectacular but solid nevertheless.

20130601-182937.jpg

If you are looking something a little different for dessert, I likely recommend you give Petit Cake Shop a shout. The box of 12 didn’t last very long in my apartment and I can pretty much guarantee it won’t last long in yours. Stephanie will most certainly make it worth your while. And I just need another reason to order a second box….

Cheers!

Petit Cake Shop
On Facebook and Twitter @petitcakeshop

Tags: , ,

El Rey del Taco

1 Jun

Spring is finally upon us in Montreal which means my regular excursions to Jean Talon Market are occurring once more. Outside of the wonderful produce available to us at the market, there are some very interested options for anyone looking for a good meal. One of these is El Rey del Taco, a Mexican grocery store with a terrasse space overlooking the market and dishing out some south american food. With the recent rise of tacos in the city with Grumman 78, Icehouse and Mais amongst others, El Rey del Taco can get overlooked as a worthwhile option but I am here to tell you that would be a disservice.

20130601-164322.jpg

20130601-164402.jpg

Over the last month, I went for a quick lunch twice. As soon as you sit down, you are greeted with complementary tortilla chips with 3 different salsas, one mild, one spicy and one salsa verde. All 3 are enjoyable – the salsa verde in particular packs a pretty good punch.

20130601-164220.jpg

To cool down from the heat, I ordered a glass of horchata. For the uninitiated, horchata is a rice based beverage which I absolutely love. Nice hints of vanilla and cinnamon within this cold drink. Great refreshing beverage to balance nicely the heat of the dishes. One of my favorite summer non-alcoholic drinks.

20130601-164249.jpg

First up, I ordered the cheese quesadilla with guacamole. The guacamole has a nice thick consistency with the right hints of coriander, lime and tomato with the avocado. The quesadilla was quite good as well. The tortillas had the right crispness to them on the outside without becoming too brittle in general. The cheese in the middle was perfectly melted and had the right tang to it.

20130601-164305.jpg

As a main, I chose to go with the chorizo tacos. The chorizo was broken down and cooked perfectly well with the natural spiciness of the sausage coming out very well. The little sauce added to the mix further enhanced that flavor. Topped with some coriander and onion to add some freshness and sweetness, these were very nice balanced tacos.

20130601-174447.jpg

On the second visit, I went for the lamb tacos. In contrast to the spicy chorizo, the lamb was mild in flavor but had a more tender consistency and a much fattier taste as well. Topped with the same onions and coriander as the previous tacos, these tacos were quite tasty as well. I could have easily eaten the lamb by itself as a meal. Juicy, tender and falls apart without any effort. Just a wonderful cooking job there.

20130601-174505.jpg

El Rey del Taco is a great option for anyone looking for a good taqueria in Montreal. Service is a little up and down but the price is reasonable and the quantity are plentiful. If you come to Jean Talon Market with any regularity, you need to stop by at least one and enjoy a good meal.

Cheers!

El Rey del Taco
232 Jean Talon Est.
514 814 3813

El Rey del Taco on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , ,