When two lovely Italian gentlemen invite you to a lunch and to drink wine, you say yes. Well, in real life you think harder about it, because who are these Italian gentlemen, you may ask? But when the offer comes through a PR department and includes a four-course lunch … [Read more...] about Re-Branding Barolo as an Anytime Wine
montreal
With Montreal’s Wine-Tasting Season Back in Person This Year, There’s No Reason to Wing It at the SAQ
For anyone who likes to make an informed purchase, whether on wine, winter wardrobes, or weird cat barista aprons, the pandemic was a depressing time to be a consumer. Testing before buying was really not a thing anymore. October and November used to be the season of wine salons … [Read more...] about With Montreal’s Wine-Tasting Season Back in Person This Year, There’s No Reason to Wing It at the SAQ
Biodynamic Oregon Wines, Sustainable Fish Jerky, Hazelnut Butter, and The Hot Ones Season 4 Hot Sauce
"Who imports this wine?" I asked the person standing behind the Troon Vineyards table at a wine tasting of Washington and Oregon wines in Montreal last week. "Flor," said the man, smiling as though he had a lot of respect for the company I'd embarrassingly never heard of. But … [Read more...] about Biodynamic Oregon Wines, Sustainable Fish Jerky, Hazelnut Butter, and The Hot Ones Season 4 Hot Sauce
Thanksgiving a Little Differently
This year I'm going to chuck a chicken in the slow cooker with potatoes, parsnips and carrots and be done with it. Sacrilege! you say. What is Thanksgiving if not an indulgent, roasted feast of turkey stuffed with fatty, herby, soft bread that leaves you comatose? Turns … [Read more...] about Thanksgiving a Little Differently
Tastes Like Gentrification: My 10-Year Story on Low-Income Residents in PSC as Told Through Tacos
My latest food article in the Montreal Gazette was about gentrification in the southwest neighbourhood of Pointe-Saint-Charles in Montreal as told through its changing restaurant scene, from blue plate specials to tacos. What I didn't get to include were some of the … [Read more...] about Tastes Like Gentrification: My 10-Year Story on Low-Income Residents in PSC as Told Through Tacos
Beau Mont
People have a lot to say about gentrification in Montreal, especially in Parc Ex and Mile Ex, a lot of which ties in loosely to the opening of the Signé Toqué restaurant group's latest restaurant, Beau Mont. There's the Mil campus from UdeM that's expected to increase … [Read more...] about Beau Mont
Ten Dishes and Four Hours of Fine Dining at Pastel
Dinner at Pastel, the fairly new fine dining restaurant in Old Montreal, starts with a heads-up that the meal's going to take awhile. This is a destination kind of restaurant where you come for the evening, explains our server/sommelier. Post-dinner drinks with friends at a … [Read more...] about Ten Dishes and Four Hours of Fine Dining at Pastel
Treating Immigrant Grapes and Family Unfairly at the RASPIPAV Private Import Salon in Montreal
As I take a sip of a Merlot from Friuli, I'm expecting to dislike it. Kind of like going on a first date and telling your friend to call an hour in, because you think it'll be awful. It's not fair, to the date or the wine. But as I let the Merlot from I Clivi cover my tongue, … [Read more...] about Treating Immigrant Grapes and Family Unfairly at the RASPIPAV Private Import Salon in Montreal
The Old Fashioned Pure Quebec Cocktail at Madame Smith for Cocktail Invasion 2018
Last night was the industry party at Le Livart in Montreal for Cocktail Invasion 2018. Each nook of the gallery was devoted to a type of spirit: Trois-Rivières rum, Absolut vodka, Woodford Reserve bourbon, etc. The bourbon room was serving a variation on an old fashioned, with a … [Read more...] about The Old Fashioned Pure Quebec Cocktail at Madame Smith for Cocktail Invasion 2018
And They’re Off! The First Day of Cocktail Invasion 2018 in Montreal and the Lucky Lucano from Bar George
Montreal's cocktail week is finally upon us. Until May 20th, you can get discounted cocktails at a ton of places in the city. Download your free online passport on the Cocktail Invasion website and hit the bars.* And if you read my descriptions of the special cocktails at Huis … [Read more...] about And They’re Off! The First Day of Cocktail Invasion 2018 in Montreal and the Lucky Lucano from Bar George