New Montreal Restaurant Thread

[EagerBeaver]

protagoras,

I always apply the smell rule with milk as well. I am usually not that fussy when it comes to eating out, but I am very fussy when it comes to freshness and something smelling or looking fresh, or not. I can think of a few foods I will not eat due to their pungent odors, and poutine is one of them.

I do not eat tunafish salad unless I make it, and I will not keep any leftovers for more than 48 hours. If not consumed within 48 hours all leftovers in my place are thrown away, with the exception of milk where I employ a smell test. Usually I will throw out milk at the 1 week mark or the first tinge of unfreshness in the odor.

When it comes to eating at delis and at restos that prepare food for display, I am always interested in knowing how busy they are because if they are busy the food is moving, and if not it is sitting around gathering bacteria and getting stale, and I have a sense for these things.

Another food I will not eat based on odor is an ethnic Eastern European dish called "sledga", which is basically pickled herring in a sour cream and onion brine. I grew up with this dish being served during the holidays at family gatherings, and the smell so sickened me that I have never eaten it and don't even want to go close to it. The smell and taste of tequila is also revolting and if you want to induce me to vomit, it would be easily done by force feeding me a shot of tequila. The contents of my stomach would be sprayed all over your chest!

 

[protagoras]

Foods smelling bad

EB,

Your point about food and bad smell reminds me of a story that occurred to me a long time ago (in the mid 80's). I was then in Rio de Janeiro (Copacabana) in a restaurant with a SP which was originally from São Luis do Maranhão (in the North East of Brazil). São Luis is a city on the Atlantic ocean and Nadia (that was her name) was from a family of fishermen. I ordered a fish plate and I remember that even if she was sitting in front of me, she said « Don't eat that plate, the fish is smelling bad ». I smelled it myself and said: « It's smell good!» and I ate it. It was a big mistake because I was really sick after my meal..

 

[EagerBeaver]

protagoras,

I always defer to the expertise of my local guide when I am travelling abroad and eating something I haven't tried before.

When I was in Negril, Jamaica, I hired one of the locals who worked at my resort and moonlighted as a cabbie to be my guide one night. I got to know him because he captained the waterskiing boat. I paid him $25, and he took me to a bunch of places no tourist would ever dare venture to alone. I asked him to take me to the best local seafood restaurant in Negril and he took me to some place which really did not look like much. It was all open air and no roof over the place, which was kind of strange. Anyway we ordered some conch stew and some other local delicacies which were amazing. The conch stew was unlike anything I had ever tasted, but it was very fresh and I could tell it was expertly prepared. But I never would have expected such quality food given the appearance of this restaurant.

I did the same thing in Mexico, which was needless to say a much bigger risk. These days I would not go anywhere in Mexico outside the tourist areas, it's just plain reckless to do so.

A good friend of mine went to Beijing last year for the Olympics and he utilized the same principle. He met some local guy who was semi-educated and spoke really good English, and offered to pay him to serve as his local guide. He did not pay him much, like $25 a day or so. This guide took him to all the best restaurants and not only that, he also took him to the best brothels and helped him navigate around that immense city. He actually ended up forging a friendship with the guy that has continued and they stay in touch by email.

 

[Joe.t]

Based on the odor. I also haven't tried poutine and won't because I did not like the smell. If food does not smell good I will not eat it, just like if a pussy does not smell good I will not lick it. It's really a pretty simple rule.

How could poutine smell bad ?, after all it is just french fries, cheese and gravy, If you do not like any of the three ingredients in poutine then I can understand, If I went by this rule then I would never eat fish and God knows how I love fish.

 

[EagerBeaver]

How could poutine smell bad ?, after all it is just french fries, cheese and gravy, If you do not like any of the three ingredients in poutine then I can understand, If I went by this rule then I would never eat fish and God knows how I love fish.

To my nostrils, it smells unappetizing, if not disgusting. It's the unnatural combination of ingredients which probably produces those unsavory odors. I have not really thought about why it does not smell good, but it does not smell good to me.

 

[breadman]

I always defer to the expertise of my local guide when I am travelling abroad and eating something I haven't tried before.

Lets see you eat some haggis

 

[Joe.t]

Lets see you eat some haggis

I've tried it many times it is quite good although overpriced, it looks and tastes like ground beef.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Lets see you eat some haggis

Breadman, you may not believe this but I grew up eating the Eastern European equivalent of Haggis, which is called Hurka:

http://ewaldcolumns.blogspot.com/2008/02/opposite-of-fast-food-thatd-be-hurka.html

Haggis:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

I once asked my father, as a young boy, what the ingredients were in hurka. He told me, "rice and meat - don't ask so many questions!" What he did not tell me was that the way the EEs made it at the butcher shop where he bought it, EVERY part of the pig went into it, including ears, snout, feet, face, liver, kidneys, etc. I found this out later in life.

By the ways, I liked Hurka. I have not had it in years, but my father told me there is a Hungarian butcher shop near where he lives that makes it the way we had it back in the day. He still eats it.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Montreal: The capital of heart-stopping cuisine

From traditional smoked meat to the infamous Plogues à Champlain, Montreal serves up a marathon that staggers even a hardened foodie:

http://thestar.com/living/restaurants/article/679652

 

[TheDon]

Best Portuguese Chicken

It has to be Romados on Rachel just east of St Laurent just use you nose to follow the carcoal scent to the restaurant.

Fresh charcoal roasted chicken that's great tasting and for a great price. Looks to be family run and well worth the wait in line for the chicken.

 

[Mod 11]

CS, keep your cheap shots in your pocket, would you? You're out of line here.

 

[protagoras]

It has to be Romados on Rachel just east of St Laurent just use you nose to follow the carcoal scent to the restaurant.

Fresh charcoal roasted chicken that's great tasting and for a great price. Looks to be family run and well worth the wait in line for the chicken.

I'm simply crazy about Portuguese chicken, chorizos (saussages), figado (liver) frango (chicken) and bife (beef) sandwiches. I can't resist the smell of frango assado (BBQ chicken). Romados is an outsatnding place and I know another good place on Gatineau street (near the University of Montreal).

For a few months (April-July 2009) I was lucky because there was a Portuguese restaurant near where I live. Unfortunately that joint (La Poulle Mouillée, on La Concorde Blvd,) didn't stay long enough. Too bad. I was there almost every two days to pick up sandwiches or frango assado.


I'm still looking for a good place for passarinhos.

 

[voyageur11]

According to Travel&Leisure magazine the poutine from La Banquise restaurant on Rachel street is one of the top 5 dishes on this planet for less than 5$ they have a selection of 25 poutines starting at 4$

 

[smuler]

Portugeuse Chicken

Hi guys

What do you think of Coco Rico on Boulevard St Laurent ?

I went there once, before a meeting with a girl and purposely didn't eat the potatoes, as they sure seemed loaded with Garlic


Just curious


Best Regards

Smuler

 

[Techman]

Hey guys!!! I have a pizza question...

It seems that the Papa John's pizza chain is moving into Quebec. They've got a couple of places open in Laval and are opening one in LaSalle on Friday. So I was wondering if anyone here has ever tried their pizza and how do they stack up to the usual chains like Hut and Domino's, neither of which impress me. The prices on their web site are very reasonable and the photos look good, but then again, they always do.

Anyways, if no one gives an answer I'll try them out on the weekend and let you know what I thought.

New pizza place. Yummmm!

 

[CS Martin]

******editted************

 

[bond_james_bond]

Papa Johns - My review

I've gone 'round and 'round with Papa Johns over the years, but I find myself using them less and less.

At first, they were great, because they had their special garlic sauce which was good for dipping the crust.

Then, Dominos came out with the Brooklyn Pizza, which I love. And there's always Pizza Hut's pan pizza.

Papa Johns could never get the crust right, imo. Their pan crust is not like Pizza Hut, imo, and their regular crust is too dough-ey for me.

After awhile, their great garlic sauce just failed to make up for the crust, which I don't like.

They have a white pizza that's OK, and sometimes, they'll experiment with a new recipe. But that's not enough for me, and they've fallen pretty low on my list.

 

[TheDon]

The best pizza is always at the mom and pop restaurants!

Forget about the franchise pizza places or the 2 for 1 arab run places. It's all about the mom and pop pizza places that are slowly dying off. Hand tossed dough, freshly made to order, baked in a stone or brick pizza oven, rustic looking, and great tasting.

 

[Techman]

Recently in this thread, someone, EB I think, was looking for a good breakfast place. I read a number of food blogs and came across this tonight:

The best breakfast in Montreal

My favourite breakfast joint in Montreal? The restaurant I’m thinking of offers the best deal in town, a chic but welcoming atmosphere, great coffee, and eggs done just the way I like.

It’s L’Express.

http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/shopchopeat/default.aspx

I haven't tried it myself yet, and won't try it this weekend because it will probably be busy after getting this kind of attention but it's definitely on my list.

This is a great food blog for anyone interested in Montreal restaurants and food in general.

 

[lgna69xxx]

i agree, the best pizzas usually come from REAL Pizzeria's........

Forget about the franchise pizza places or the 2 for 1 arab run places. It's all about the mom and pop pizza places that are slowly dying off. Hand tossed dough, freshly made to order, baked in a stone or brick pizza oven, rustic looking, and great tasting.