There are three tricks to making delicious Indian food: Don't use canned beans or lentils thinking they will taste as good as fresh Don't use pre-ground spices they will taste as good as freshly toasted and ground whole spices Follow the freaking recipe! At least the first … [Read more...] about Chana Masala from “My Indian Kitchen”
Swordfish with Sunflower, Currants and Capers
If you're trying to eat a little healthier, this recipe adapted from Bonnie Stern's The Best of HeartSmart Cooking is for you. Nine grams of fat per serving, 204 calories, 400 mg of potassium and 23 grams of protein mean you'll feel satisfied without the heavy feeling or the … [Read more...] about Swordfish with Sunflower, Currants and Capers
The Best Thing I Drank at the Sparkling Wine Salon…Was Cognac
Sparkling wines from around the world (mostly Europe) was this year's theme at La Grande Dégustation, Montreal's largest wine salon that takes over the Palais des Congrès in early November. The other two themes (because one should never lack for themes) were Grenache and … [Read more...] about The Best Thing I Drank at the Sparkling Wine Salon…Was Cognac
Top 3 Picks for Restaurant Day Montreal
It's once again Montreal Restaurant Day, the day when anyone can open a restaurant and sell whatever the heck they want. It takes around the world (no, we didn't invent it) but our safe city makes for a great day of wandering from stranger's house to stranger's house in search of … [Read more...] about Top 3 Picks for Restaurant Day Montreal
Wines to Try and the Beginning of the Cold-Weather Drinking Season
Craving a glass (or so) of Sangiovese, Syrah or Xynomavro around the end of November doesn't mean you're an alcoholic – it just means you're Canadian. There's a hibernating effect of the cold weather that makes a lot of us want to spend the early onset evenings sipping something … [Read more...] about Wines to Try and the Beginning of the Cold-Weather Drinking Season
Blueberry Wine Chicken with Arugula
I love things bittersweet. The same way The English Patient pulls your heartstrings is how I feel about Aperol, or dark chocolate, or this recipe for sweet blueberry wine and bitter herbs. I think of it as balance. Because without the bitterness, how would you know what was … [Read more...] about Blueberry Wine Chicken with Arugula
Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots and White Wine
This is one of those "looks fancy, but isn't" recipes. You roast a bunch of fennel and carrots with some white wine and then throw some marinated chicken breasts on top, letting their juices soak into the vegetables. If you feel ambitious, you add some beans and peas. Yup, … [Read more...] about Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots and White Wine
Invitation V at MTL à Table
My first stop this year for Mtl à Table, the magical restaurant week of prix fixe menus, was Invitation V, a vegan gastronomic bistro on rue Bernard in the Mile End. "Wait, wait, wait..." you say, as the oxymoron rings in your ears. "Gastronomic bistro" and "vegan" in … [Read more...] about Invitation V at MTL à Table
Montreal Vegan Fest
The second weekend of Mtl à Table -- the time of year when foie gras can be found on $41 prix fixe menus citywide -- might not seem like the best time to hold the annual Montreal Vegan Festival. But when you've OD-ed on pork belly and tapped out on crème caramel, maybe it's the … [Read more...] about Montreal Vegan Fest
Loïc Wine Bar and Two Wine Events in Montreal
First there was Ludger. Now there's Loïc. Here's what you need to know about the second wine bar in Montreal's St-Henri neighbourhood: Decor. It's in an old bank, so the ceilings are high, the feel is hipster but with a grungy looking seating area in front of the bar and a … [Read more...] about Loïc Wine Bar and Two Wine Events in Montreal