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Clarke Café

5 Aug

As much as I love living in Pointe St Charles, there are things that I miss living in the Plateau. One of these is the proximity of Mile End and particularly St-Viateur St. I loved visiting the street and relaxing there amongst the old cafés, St-Viateur Bagels and the different shops and bakeries. One of the old neighbourhood classics which I never got to visit was Boulangerie Clarke which closed in 2015. Fast forward to a couple of months ago and imagine my surprise when I read that Clarke’s has been revived and not only that but it is now only a few blocks away in my ‘hood! There is definitely a need for a good sandwich shop in PSC so this is a very interesting new addition to the neighbourhood.

The old spot in Mile End was a bakery that also did bread on top of sandwiches and pastries. This new version has eliminated the bread but added coffee to make it more of a café than the original. In the display counter, there is a variety of salads and pastries available. All the sandwiches are made to order and run the gamut with different Italian coldcut options as well as smoked meat and grilled chicken.

Having been a few times, I got to try a couple of sandwiches. Each sandwich is done up with a fresh loaf of bread and dressed up with tomato, lettuce, cheese and dressing (mayo, mustard, dijon or dijonnaise). There are also a bunch of extras you can add – eggplants, marinated peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.. Portion wise, the sandwiches are solid and hearty. I love the bread – it has a airy and chewy texture but holds up firm to all the items in the sandwich. The meats are sliced by order and I find you can always tell the difference when that is done versus pre-cut. Once, I went with the Calabrese – nice heat – and then with the Italian Sausage – which is cut in a patty format to best with the sandwich. Both were excellent and exactly what you would want from a sandwich shop.

From the pastry side of things, of course I needed to try a cannoli. The cream filling was excellent – rich and smooth. The shell was a little softened compared to an ideal crunchy one as the shells were pre-filled versus made to order. Still an excellent cannoli to enjoy.

Point St-Charles was missing a good Italian-style sandwich shop and Clarke Café has filled that space perfectly. It is a much welcomed addition and I seriously hope that they can establish themselves in the same way the old version did in Mile End for 35 years. I may not be a coffee guy but I am certainly a sandwich guy – as such, I will stopping by pretty regularly. Hopefully the rest of my neighbourhood does as well.

Cheers!

Clarke Café
2483 Centre
514 938 5554

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Cafe Parvis

25 Oct

Working in the suburbs and the general nature of my actual profession limits my opportunities for a nice weekday lunch downtown. So many great options to enjoy if you have the chance. Last month, I had a random Friday off to enjoy downtown. Perfect chance to go out to lunch with my mother who works in town and have a nice lunch. Given the location of her work, I figured that Cafe Parvis would be worthwhile to try.

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Located on Mayor street, just a quick walk over from Place des Spectacles, Cafe Parvis is from the same people who run Bar Furco just next door. Similar to its sister, Cafe Parvis certainly has a look to it. An interesting mixture of exposed concrete, brick and wood creates a very lived-in feel. The use of vines and plants all over the interior plus the huge windows create a warmth and relaxed atmosphere. Too bad it was a little too cool to enjoy the terrasse in the front.

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Foodwise, Cafe Parvis is all about pizza and salads. My mother went for one of the salad. Beets, pears, arugula, noix de grenoble, goat cheese and a tarragon dressing. A very hearty portion – tons of ingredients and very flavourful. Nice mixture with the beets, the sweet pears, the rich goat cheese and that awesome tarragon dressing. My mother had just the salad and was quite full.

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The pizzas are served by the slice. Similar approach as the salad – tons of ingredients and high on flavour. The key thing though is that crust. If that doesn’t hold up, it doesn’t matter. Thankfully, the crust here was on point. Closer to the “Al Taglio” style, the crust was thick with a nice crunch but still chewy. First up, I had the lamb, feta and tzatziki pizza. Great flavour to the lamb and with a big dollop of tzatziki right on top. Excellent.

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Next was ricotta with spinach and roasted peppers. Great mixture of creamy rich ricotta and sweet peppers. Served almost as a sandwich means you get double the crunch compared to the other slices.

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The final pizza I tried was the duck confit with potatoes, cheddar, garlic oil and rosemary. Very flavourful once again. Loved the fatty duck and how it mixed with the potato and the cheese. However, with the amount of potato on the pizza, it made the pizza much dryer since there is no sauce to speak of. I would have needed more cheese to offset.

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Thankfully we got there just before noon because there was a lineup by the time we left. I understand why – excellent pizza, flavourful salads and a beautiful space to sit in as people seek a break from their workdays. Cafe Parvis certainly lived up to my hopes and made a beautiful Friday off that much more enjoyable. Anyone working nearby should certainly give it a look.

Cheers!

Cafe Parvis
433 Mayor
514 764 3589

Cafe Parvis Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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San Gennaro

7 Aug

There is a certain vibe I love about Little Italy in Montreal. The real communal vibe – the way people seem to just come together to sit and enjoy a coffee and a chat. The little cafes and shops around that area cater to that really well. I don’t visit the area as much anymore but when I do, I really try to enjoy that experience. San Gennaro on St-Zotique is a place I have heard much about since it opened a few years ago now. A hybrid pizzeria, bakery, coffee shop, grocery and gelato shop, it tries to cover lots of ground but given its heritage – San Gennaro was started by the same group that gave us restaurants Bottega and Hosteria in Little Italy – it definitely has a good chance.

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First up, I tried one of their arancinis. A solid version all-around. There was a nice crunch on the exterior and the interior is a great mix of veal, green peas, mozzarella and parmigiano. Nothing to complain about here.

But truthfully, we are here to talk about their pizza. Coming from the group that brought us Bottega pizza just next door, there are certainly expectations even if we are dealing with Pizza al Taglio, not the napoletana-style they serve at Bottega. Pizza al taglio is baked in large rectangular trays and served by the slice. As such, crust-wise, we are not talking about thin-crust anymore. This is a thicker, more chewy pizza – the common version we have all had would be the tomato pizza often served in buffets or at children’s parties. Thankfully, this is much better than that. This pizza has a great crunch to its crust while still being nice and chewy.

I tried a host of different pizzas over a few visits. The first one was a potato and andouille sausage pizza. The inclusion of potato was something I had never tried before. It makes the pizza a little more dense and a little drier especially without any tomato sauce. The real kicker though was the sausage whose spiciness really came out.

I then tried the standard Margherita pizza. Their tomato sauce has a nice smoothness to it and a nice sweetness but acidic taste. Top it with some mozzarella and you have a solid classic. On a follow-up visit, I tried the same pizza but with salami added to it. Same great taste with some meaty goodness.

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A more unique offering is their breakfast pizza. Topped with a egg, some cherry tomatoes and some pork salume, you have a nice mixture of the richness and spiciness. The egg is cooked just enough to not leak all over the pizza which makes it easier to enjoy as a single slice. A nice change-up for a morning snack.

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The final one I tried was another potato pizza – this time without the sausage, just with some smoked cheese. I was curious how the potato would work without the spicy sausage. Another hit – the smoked cheese created just enough of a contrast with the potato to help lighten the feeling.

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As I was sitting outside of the terrasse on my last visit, I couldn’t help but observe the table of elderly Italian men visiting there simply having a coffee and chatting. Their level of comfort on the terrasse chatting with the waitress as she passed by as they were enjoying the weather. It speaks to how San Gennaro has fit into the neighbourhood and the vibe they have achieved. Good food, a nice atmosphere and a great terrasse – all a good combination for when you are passing by Little Italy.

Cheers!

San Gennaro
69 St-Zotique Est
514 273 6868

San Gennaro Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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