L'Atelier d'Argentine ▪ Montréal

355 Rue Marguerite D'Youville
Montréal, Québec
514.287.3362
website

Elle and I were invited to try out the food at L'Atelier d'Argentine. Lucky for us because Elle had wanted to try it out for a while. A funny coincidence is that she ended up going a few weeks before our outing for a friend's birthday! [ Elle: The restaurant was extremely accommodating of a large, loud group with late arrivals and the food was fantastic especially the pan de queso style biscuits in the bread basket - which we did not get a chance to try this time.]

The restaurant is in the heart of Old Montréal and has been beautifully decorated, mixing high end and rustic details. L'Atelier d'Argentine has been opened for over a year, specializing in (obviously!) Argentinian fare. The maître d Alexandre greeted us warmly; he was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the night.

L'Atelier d'Argentine.

While Elle decided on ordering the hermanito ($11), made up of strawberry, cherry, lime and rum, I decided to skip the apéritif since I am such a lightweight. Alexandre was nice enough to bring me a prosecco to enjoy with the appetizers.

Hermanito.

We decided to trust Alexandre and let him pick dishes that he thought best represented the restaurant. We started out with the cuarteto empanadas ($13). Four types of empanadas were included, each in different shape pastry: cheese, hand carved beef, sweet corn, and finally ham and cheese. The homemade pastry was flaky. The beef empanada was very well seasoned while the corn was the most unique filling. Elle's favourite was the combination of ham and cheese.

Cuarteto empanadas.

The appetizers were paired with Alamos' Torrontés, an Argentinian white wine that was light and fruity, perfect for our next appetizer.

Next, we had two fish appetizers: crudo de corvina ($12) and tiradito de atun ($12). Elle was very happy since she had been eyeing de corvina when we looked at the menu! Both fish preparation were raw, then dressed with lime juice right before serving, unlike ceviche in which the fish is marinated for a longer period of time.

The corvina is a white fish that is popular in South American cuisine. The delicate slices of fish were accompanied by an avocado salad. The tuna slices were slightly seasoned with paprika and topped with greens and tomato. Both dishes were excellent but our clear favourite was the corvina; we loved the combination of the white fish with creamy avocado chunks and the crispy waffle cut chips. As Elle put it, "there's nothing bad about that dish".

Crudo de corvina and tiradito de atun.

Next, Alexandre brought us quintessential Argentinan food: grilled beef on a cutting board. It was quite a sight to behold! We shared the flank steak - vacio (12 oz. for $19) and the short ribs - asado de tira (14 oz. for $26). The beef was paired with another Argentinian wine, this time Alamos' Malbec from Mendoza. I rarely drink red wine but I had to admit that I actually enjoyed the Malbec.

The beef was served with a butternut squash purée topped with bacon, carrots cooked in butter, as well as chimichurri and criolla sauces. It was hard to not add too much of the tasty chimichurri. While the short ribs were cooked beautifully, the flank steak was a tad overdone, maybe because it sat there while we ate the ribs first. The carrots were cooked to perfection and was definitely our favourite side dish.

Main: grilled short ribs and flank steak.

At this point, we were stuffed! We had one last course to go, which consisted of a sampler of three desserts: queso y dulce ($9), a milk semifreddo and panqueques ($8). The queso y dulce is a goat cheese cake topped with a quince compote and cocoa crumble. I loved the tanginess of the goat cheese and this is the perfect dessert for me, not too sweet! Supposedly, the dulce de leche stuffed crêpe is the most popular dessert; it was rich and sweet, and well counterbalanced by the milk semifreddo, which was deceptively light and airy.

 

Dessert.

Elle and I had a great dinner at L'Atelier d'Argentine. The service was extremely attentive and the food was delicious. I'm not a wine connoiseur but the staff is there to guide you through an expansive list of more than 130 wines, with a focus on South American wines.

While L'Atelier d'Argentine is probably more of a special dinner destination, it is also launching a 5-à-7 in a few weeks with $5 drinks and a new bar menu. In addition, it offers an extremely great special called Buenos Aires Hours: starter and main for $22.50 after 10:30 pm. That's a great deal to try out excellent Argentinian food.

SuWu ▪ Montréal

3581 St Laurent Street
Montréal, Québec
514.564.5074
website

SuWu newly launched a brunch menu and invited us to try a couple of dishes. Located on Saint-Laurent, which is not known for brunch, it was quiet when we got there at 11 AM (brunch is served between 11 AM and 3 PM on Saturday and Sunday), but not quiet inside. The music was not really my taste at that time of day. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with a just rustic enough cabin look.

SuWu interiors.

The café allongé (~$3) was served with a shot glass of milk, to which MrDee asked if that was by design or if they had not received creamers yet! I thought it was an original detail. This speaks to Saint-Laurent being better known for drinking than brunching. If you're looking for something spiked, on offer are endless mimosas for $35 and brunch bowls ($30 for 4 people).

Elle went the healthy route and ordered the smoothie of the day, which had cucumber, kiwi and coconut. It was refreshing and a unique combination (~$4-5). You can also order it with alcohol, which makes it a bit less healthy!

Smoothie.

MrDee ordered the SuWu BLT ($9), made up of peameal, tomato, lettuce and a fried egg. He seemed to enjoy his BLT; his only comment being that the amount of mayo was a bit excessive. The portion seemed on the small side for the price. The accompanying hashbrown was a solid block of grated potato that was fried to a crisp. Elle thought it was very good but slightly underseasoned.

SuWu BLT.

Elle ordered the egg in a basket ($13), which consisted of a savoury bread pudding with mushrooms, bacon, and an egg in the middle. Unfortunately, as there were so many ingredients, the egg nestled inside was not cooked at all. Elle likes her yolk runny but the egg whites were fully clear coloured. Our waitress was very nice in taking back the dish and making sure the egg came back cooked.

Egg in a basket ($13).

I went all out and ordered the Fried Chicken French Toast ($12). This provides great bang for your buck: three slices of French and three pieces of boneless fried chicken, topped with blueberry sauce. The blueberry sauce was different and there wasn't enough for the French toast, so I asked for some syrup. The fried chicken was definitely a home run! The chicken was moist, very well seasoned with an interesting mix of spices (Elle thought Chinese four spice while it reminded me of Indian spices) and crispy. Very happy with my choice!

Fried Chicken French Toast.

It's hard for us to pass on donuts when they're available so we ordered the mini-donuts ($5) which came with a strawberry jam. The donuts were warm and soft on the inside, a perfect vehicle to scoop some jam. Mini-donuts are definitely worth ordering on the side!

Donuts.

SuWu offers a unique brunch menu in a hip setting. There were a few vegetarian options including a baked egg on avocado and breakfast nachos. They might have to work over a few kinks from their new menu but overall we enjoyed the food. It seems they take reservations which is always a plus when going out during the busy brunch time. The dinner menu also seems fun and affordable. Will have to check it out!

Satay Brothers ▪ Montréal

138 Avenue Atwater
Montréal, Québec
514.587.8106
website

Elle and I had been wanting to try Satay Brothers for a long while. When we finally got around to visiting, we were disappointed to hear their brick and mortar restaurant had closed. The good news? They had reopened their stall at the Atwater Market.The restaurant is seemingly when it's too cold to eat outside.

There has always been a line when we've visited but it moves relatively quickly. You go up and give your order, find yourself a spot at one of the picnic tables, someone calls out your name and brings you your food. Everyone on staff is very friendly.

Satay Brothers.

Elle and I decided to split a few dishes. First, we started with the papaya salad with pork ($6.96). The papaya salad was fresh and the slices of red chili helped kick it up a notch. The pork was good and well seasoned. I love the old school plastic Chinese plates that remind me of my grandmother's dishes.

Papaya Salad with Pork.

We also shared a serving of the satay of the day (3 skewers for $6.09). How could you not have the satay when you're eating at Satay Brothers? Served with slices of cucumbers and a peanut sauce, the meat again was very well seasoned and nicely grilled. Elle dreamed about the large vat of peanut sauce that must exist behind the counter; we also spotted the sauce being served with the gado gado. The sauce was very addictive.

Satay of the day.

Finally, we shared a laksa lemak ($7.83), a noodle dish served in a curried broth, fish cakes, crunchy tofu, slices of shrimp, bean sprouts and a spoonful of chili to spice it up. This dish is so flavourful and there are so many elements that work well together. This is a dish that made me come back on a rainy day (which we have been having many lately) when I was looking for something warm and comforting!

Laksa lemak.

If you're at the Atwater Market or by the Lachine Canal, do stop by Satay Brothers to try out their Singapore fare. They also have a pork belly steamed bun and a vegetarian sandwich. It will be worth your while. It's even worth a detour, just for the laksa lemak!

Kazu ▪ Montréal

1862 Sainte Catherine West
Montréal, Québec
514.937.2333
website

I had visited Kazu once before to try out their ramen noodle (only served at lunch time). I had been itching to go back but going to Kazu takes a bit of organization as they're very busy and don't take reservations. They open at 5:30 PM and the best way to get in is to get there half an hour or so earlier and wait in line. We were lucky (back in October...) and were the last people in line to be seated at 5:30 PM. This meant the poor people right behind us had to wait for the next seating.

Kazu.

Kazu is probably Montréal's original izakaya. It offers a variety of Japanese fare on their menu and on white and yellow paper posted on the walls. Elle, our friend E and myself decided to share different plates. We started with the homemade tofu kimchi salad ($5). Anything with kimchi will get my attention. This salad was packed with flavours between the pickled vegetables and dressing, piled on the soft tofu.

Tofu kimchi salad.

We also shared a tofu hot pot soup. I really enjoyed the savoury soup, especially after waiting in the cold for half an hour.

Tofu hot pot soup.

The sea bass salad ($25) consisted of a piece of fried sea bass with a sweet and sour sauce, and topped with all sorts of crackly items.

Sea bass salad.

I had really been wanting to try the shrimp pancake salad ($10). It's pretty much the shrimp burger with less bread and topped with a salad. You can't go wrong with a homemade shrimp patty.

Shrimp pancake salad.

The food at Kazu is totally worth the wait although arguably it would be nicer to wait in the summer than our cold winter months. The small restaurant makes it cozy and you won't be able to find food like this anywhere else. I also recommend ordering one of their ponzu drinks; we all really liked it.

Prohibition ▪ Montréal

5674 Monkland Avenue
Montréal, Québec
514.481.8466
website

It seems all of my favourite Montréal food blogs have already posted about Prohibition. For good reason: it's a terrific brunch spot! We headed there for Elle's birthday before Christmas. It is located on busy Monkland Avenue in a semi-basement that was not too dark.

Prohibition has a small menu with unique items. The men of our group ordered the maple fried challah French toast with fried chicken ($13). Two large pieces of deep fried challah bread accompanied a piece of crispy chicken. It's a very impressive plate and Mr. Dee (Elle's hubby) seemed to really enjoy it. I wish that the bread wasn't deep fried because I would definitely have ordered it; it just seems a bit too heavy for me.

French toast and fried chicken.

Instead, I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes served with blueberry compote and sugar bacon ($13). I'm not usually a pancake person, but ricotta pancakes appealed to me and I'm wild about anything with blueberries. The four pancakes made for an impressive stack and the ricotta ensured they were light and fluffy. I was worried the thick cut bacon would not be crispy but I had nothing to worry about. I was very happy with my choice, combining sweet and savoury. I would probably order this again, even though I'd be tempted to try other dishes. 

 Ricotta pancakes, blueberry compote and thick cut bacon.

Elle and our friend MJ ordered the breakfast sandwich ($12), which consisted of an egg over easy and peameal bacon served in an English muffin. Elle seemed to enjoy her sandwich, after squirting me with her runny yolk, and the very generous portion of fries, that I was happy to help her finish. Those were good fries.

Breakfast sandwich.

I might be biased since it's in my neighbourhood and just a few minutes' walk from my place, but I think Prohibition is a great brunch spot for a number of reasons. The food was excellent and the plates plentiful. I liked the original breakfast items. Not ordered were also huevos rancheros and shakshouka. The service was very attentive: so much so, that I had to tell the waitress to leave my tissues on the table, while she keenly picked them up to throw them away. Finally, the big plus is that Prohibition takes reservations! No waiting in line, wondering when you'll get to enjoy brunch!

NYC Food: Day 1

When hubby and I recently planned a last minute trip to New York, I scoured the web to make a food heaven checklist.  When hubby realized that our trip was going to be food stop to food stop, 'we' decided to be a bit more flexible with our musts.

Day 1 saw us checking into our hotel in the morning.  We wanted to check out the High Line which gave us a great excuse to stop by the Doughnut Plant in Chelsea and sample their amazing gourmet doughnuts.

 

 

  

I had to have the crème brulée doughnut and boy, did this little guy not disappoint!  While I was expecting a 'hard candy' exterior it was more sticky than crackling, but the flavours by far made up for it.  The bitterness of the caramel was the perfect foil to a rich vanilla custard filling.  The Valrhona, hubby's choice, was a solid yeast donut completely immersed in an excellent chocolate icing.  The third, Tres Leches, was a winner for anyone like me, who loves sweetened condensed milk.  A cake doughnut with pockets of sweetened condensed milk in a milk icing.  I expected the doughnut to be also dipped in milk like the cake it's named after but really it was delicious as is.

I had a lot of trouble making a reservation for dinner, but I stumbled upon a great tip that Gramercy Tavern, my top pick in NYC, has a front room that does not require reservations.  We therefore had plans to have dinner quite early to avoid any wait times.  So we decided to stop by Aaron Sanchez's, of Food Network fame, Tacombi, in Nolita.  This adorable taqueria serves authentic latin fare in rustic surroundings reminiscent of an outdoor restaurant complete with a VW kitchenette and mood lighting.  Walking from the cold into this little spot really warms your heart; sitting down eating tacos really warms your stomach.

                 

With our early dinner in mind, we put a very conservative order in for a taco platter, a chef's selection of 5 tacos, and esquites, corn kernels in a cup with a chipotle mayonnaise and queso fresco.  I was really looking forward to trying the latter street food snack and it did not disappoint.  It was warm and filling, and packed a sweet, salty, spicy punch.

The tacos: al pastor with pineapple salsa, chicken with pickled onions, beef, corn and fish were all sensational, I'd have trouble picking my favourite one and would just opt for the platter again!  The manager, Eddy, saw me snapping pictures and sent us a platter of tortilla chips and guacamole and while we were trying to resist we finished it happily.  All of the ingredients were really fresh, the service was excellent and nothing can beat the laid-back vacation atmosphere.

Following some shopping and a bit of resting time, we headed to Gramercy Tavern for 5:45 hoping to avoid waiting to eat in the front room.  We were told it was an hour wait and we decided to walk around a bit.  We returned after 30 min to make sure we wouldn't miss our turn and were seated probably within 45 min of giving our name, which was pretty sweet.  The front room serves a four course Tavern Menu for 48$ or a short à la carte menu.  We both chose the Tavern Menu and it was a great value.

The first course of Arctic char tartare was my favourite.  Every component of this dish brought something to the table, pardon the pun, and complemented each other while highlighting the star, the fish.

 

The scallop course was also delicious: the scallop was cooked to perfection, the broth was flavourful and well seasoned and the mussels were fresh and succulent.

The steak course was very good, though the portion was a bit small, but really we ate plenty and did not need a full portion with the other courses.  We found the fingerling potatoes just slightly underdone and were not sure if that was intended, but the steak and chimichurri were really top shelf.

The little sundae was a great treat, good quality ice cream, cooked apples and little circles of puff pastry.  It was slightly sweet for me but still really good.

I would love to return next time to the dining room.