Le Paris (1812 Rue St.-Catherine Ouest, Montreal)

Day Two of our Montreal extravaganza started off very, very slowly. Still trying to shake off the booze & meat marathon of the previous night, it took us quite a while to drag ourselves out of bed. We finally got ourselves going & had a nice walk along Rue St. Denis, stopping at a few bars to play pool, then off to our favorite hangout; Thursday's for some pre-dinner drinks (they have a club in the basement, the aptly named; Thursday's Club... Fitting, eh?)

There was some confusion in locating Le Paris, a Montreal gem since 1956. We got dodgy directions & ended up at some dump called Cafe Le Paris. After a quick visit to an internet Cafe, we were on our way. There was some sort of mix up regarding the time of our reservation. Were the Gods aligned against, trying to keep us from a tasty meal? We were offered a seat at the piano & given the choice to eat there or wait till our table opened up. We were eager to get off of our feet & booze down our gullets, so we sat at the piano, facing perhaps the campest piano-player in existence. The (3rd generation) owner came by to explain the menu (which took far too long, he really prattled on & on).

Our table was soon ready, so we moved to more comfortable seating & started ordering. We ordered 4 starters & shared:

Malpec oysters; Served on a bed of sea salt & accompanied by a raspberry vinaigrette & lemon. These oysters were salty, juicy & very delicious. The plating alone let us know that we were in for a treat.


Fromage de Tête; Even though we had had some the night before, I was so excited about this dish. Ever since I went to The E.U in the East village & was disappointed to find that it was removed from the menu. Now was my 2nd chance at redemption! It was packed with gelatinous flavor & a hint of mustard while the meaty sections were very dense. This pig must have died happy for the fromage to taste so well.

Calf Brain; Feeling adventurous, there was no way I was going to leave Montreal without having tried this dish. I'm not sure if the rest of the gang shared my enthusiasm. While everyone tried the dish, I basically went berserk & scraped the plate clean. 'Here you go luv, no need to wash the plate!' The easiest way to describe the texture & taste would be cream cheese or a soft boiled egg white. Covered in capers & lemon, the brains were buttery, fatty & creamy. I was in 7th heaven!

Mashed Cod; Our final appetizer was great as well; salty, tasty & smooth, yet surprisingly firm, it basically clung to your fork. Very good stuff!

We took a bit of a break in between courses, both to compose ourselves & to ponder the delicious dishes that lied ahead.




Sid had the Beef Bourguinon.


Teddy opted for the Saucisses de Toulouse.


Adam got the monstrously large Steak Tartare which was a hubcap-sized plate of goodness.

Still on my offal kick, I ordered the Calf's Liver Meunière. I was greeted 2 delicious crescent-shaped strips of insanely tender calf's liver. Rich, flavorful& pink, the amazing taste was unobstructed by the sauce. It was served with bar far the best mashed potatoes I've ever had in my life!

I think by the end of the meal, we were fighting off the urge to fall asleep at the table. 2nd night in a row that we over-did things a bit. We left Le Paris contented & slinked off into the snowfall of Montreal.

Belcourt (84 E. 4th St.)

On the corner of 4th Street & 2nd Avenue is a newly opened French bistro which I've come to love. I've been there a few times before, without my camera, so I'll blog the excellent lunch I had last week, then mention a few memorable dishes from my previous visits.

The decor screams of French Bistro & the food doesn't disappoint. The joint is only a few months old (it opened in October, I think) & it has a great ambience. The large windowed doors that run along the street-facing sides all open fully, so I can imagine that this place will be awesome in the spring/summer.

We sat down & were given a rather small lunch menu. Not exactly what I was expecting as the dinner menu is vast, but I was able to find something I would enjoy. Each dish is accompanied by a beer or cider pairing, which I thought was pretty cool.

I opted for the Boudin which was paired with an excellent cider. I'll admit that I expected something a little more filling, but the boudin was tasty, especially with the sauerkraut & grain mustard.


Both Stefan & Alesha got the lamb burger which was massive. As soon as it was set down on the table, I thought; "Man, I should have got that!" Luckily, Alesha only had half of hers, so I got a chance to taste it. I really enjoyed the burger & I hope to fire up my meat grinder in the near future & give the lamb burger a whirl. This dish was accompanied by Dogfish Head, an Indian Brown Ale.

All in all, lunch was very good & I enjoyed myself. On the dinner menu, I recommend both the Sweetbread & Octopus appetizers; these are absolutely amazing. If you're in the hood, check Belcourt out.

Le Gamin Cafe (536 East 5th St.)

I've been going to Le Gamin off & on for quite some time as it's one of the few really good lunch spots in my 'hood. The decor is French Bistro & ever since they took over the building next door to expand the dining & kitchen areas, dining there has been much more comfortable.

I really love the coffee at Le Gamin, it is consistently among the strongest I've ever had which is perfect for waking up after a heavy night out on the town.

Today, I went with my brother Sous Chef Stef. Le Gamin specializes in Crepes (both sweet & savory), so I went for old faithful; the Coq au Vin Crepe. Wrapped in a delicate crepe, the Coq au Vin is deliciously rich & flavorful accompanied by seasoned rice.

Stefan went for the Grilled New York Shell Steak with fries, a salad & grilled endive. I tasted his dish & there was really nothing exceptional about it, not to say that it wasn't good, just your standard steak.


My only real problem with the place is the long wait to get food. We were lucky today as it wasn't that busy which is why I normally only go for weekday lunch. Dinner or weekend brunch services can lead to a frustratingly long wait for your food. Are they perfectionists back there, or just understaffed? I still Like Le Gamin & suggest you check it out.

Bacchus Bistro, Brooklyn.

So, we all met up in Brooklyn for Teddy's '60th' birthday over the weekend & threw down. Converging on Bacchus (409 Atlantic Avenue) we were in for some primo French Fare. I wasn't so sure what to expect as I'm so used to the amazing food at Casimir. While Bacchus did not disappoint, some dishes had their flaws.



Teddy & I shared starters; Scallops & a Duck Gizzard salad, both were excellent, particularly the salad which I cannot find the words to describe.






Here are a few of the other starters that were had...







I had the duck confit which I found to be VERY dry. Teddy had the skate which was really salty. While these weren't really deal breakers, I wish the food was better on the night. That having been said, I did have a good time at Bacchus.




We went to a local bar afterwards & made complete idiots out of ourselves - good stuff!

Raoul's

I had a chance to dine with my brother (Sous Chef Stef) & a few others at the 'cozy 'French eatery, Raoul's (180 Prince Street (http://www.raouls.com) a few nights ago. Now, I use the term 'cozy' loosely, as if you've read my review of Extra Virgin, you'll know that I like my space while eating.

Stef & I turned up a little late as we were boozing at Ideya (349 W Broadway) beforehand. Needless to say, the place was packed! The Maitre d' showed us to our table which was in the enclosed garden in the back. We had to walk through the kitchen, which I thought was pretty cool.

I found the menu to be somewhat limited, but there were a few gems. I ordered the roast rabbit saddle with ricotta gnocchi, escarole & bacon. Stef had the oxtail ragout with pappardelle. As we arrived late, the others were just finishing up their appetizers. Our waiter said that he would try to get our (by which, I mean Stefan & I) dishes out asap so that we could all eat together. The kitchen staff worked their magic & we got our entrees only moments after the others. An excellent job, considering the time constraints.

Let me put it this way. My gnocchi & the sauce was simply amazing. I love gnocchi & this was delicious. The rabbit was also very tasty, but my only gripe was that the bacon was overcooked & very dry. Once separated from the bacon, the rabbit, gnocchi & sauce was a three-pronged attacked on my taste buds... I promptly waved the white flag...

People with vertigo, two left legs or no co-ordination would be advised to go to the bathroom before they go to Raoul's - or piss their pants. The spiral stairway to the bathrooms upstairs is tiny & very scary. I'm lucky that I was somewhat sober, or that would have been the end of J Boogie.

I enjoyed the food & atmosphere, but I doubt that I'll be going back to Raoul's as it's a little too cool for school & way out of my normal stomping grounds. If you're in the neighborhood & want some authentic old school French cuisine, give the place a once over.

The Mighty Balthazar

It was my Mom's birthday last night, so my brother & I took her to Balthazar (80 Spring Street). We had tried to go to Blue Ribbon (97 Sullivan St.), but the Maitre D' informed us that it would be an hour or more for a table. It was freakishly hot yesterday as well as being a Saturday, so we knew it would be busy, but not that busy. So, we decided to go to Balthazar & didn't fare much better.

Balthazar can be somewhat imposing & upon opening the front door, our senses were barraged. The smell of the various foods, the sight of the sheer size of the place with it's staff doing what looks like a choreographed dance, the sounds of hundreds of people eating & chatting & the feel of 75 or so people waiting for tables & brushing up on you. We didn't get to the taste part until an hour later, & that was with preferential treatment as my brother knows the Maitre D', Kevin.

We were finally seated in an area away from the door, with far less foot traffic which made for a far more pleasant/comfortable dining experience than those who were sitting by the door or bar. I was still recovering from the night before, so I drank San Pellegrino all night, but my brother did order an excellent '05 Sancere which I had a few sips of. The wine list simply blew my mind. I thought it was only the front & back of a large sheet of paper, but it actually opened up to reveal 2 inner pages - over 400 wines; amazing!

We started with a dish known simply as 'Le Grand'. A towering, two-tiered monster of selections from the raw bar along with a seafood salad, crab & gigantic shrimp. We also ordered half a dozen Fanny Bay oysters for good measure.

Stefan ordered the Sat. special; Braised short ribs, which fell off the bone at the slightest touch. He also got a glass of Syrah-Grenache blend which he seemed to enjoy. I got the duck shepherds pie which I thought was so-so (that having been said, my taste buds were still recovering from the whiskey beating they had taken from the night before). We ended the night with coffee & a chocolate cake for my Mom.

All in all, an excellent experience. Don't let my horror story of the wait deter you from checking Balthazar out. The food is excellent & the service is among the best I've ever had (our waiter, Provost was awesome) despite the huge number of people dining. You can thank me later...