The Mane Event: A Bucket-List Dinner

 I don't think it's really any secret that I'm a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain, his show Parts Unknown, and really, really excellent food. So, when we decided we were heading to Montréal, we decided to re-watch his episode on Quebec and were reminded of a place we absolutely had to try--Joe Beef. This Little Burgundy masterpiece was opened in 2005 by three of Canada's finest (and coolest) chefs and culinary geniuses, Allison Cunningham, Frédéric Morin and David McMillan. 

Joe Beef takes its name from the proprietor of a tavern which once stood on the site. The neighborhood is still a little rough-looking, which lets the restaurant stand out as even more of an unusual gem. 

When you enter, you're greeted by really friendly servers dressed in flannel shirts, in keeping with the warm, rustic, and classy nature of the establishment. We had a 9:15 reservation (you'll definitely want to make one--the place is usually PACKED!), but by some stroke of luck, there was a table ready for us more than a half hour early. 

 Our table was basically a dream--cosy and gorgeously stocked, warmly lit, and attired with vintage plates and napkins that I hope I'll be able to find for my kitchen. 

A facet of JB that I really love is its menu--all in French, all written daily on chalkboards that line the walls. Our amazing waitress helped us a lot in deciding what to order (although I was already partial to a particular dish you'll see later), and gave us some wonderful recommendations for drinks and appetizers. 

In light of what I had in mind for dinner, I started off with some absolutely delicious Canadian sparkling wine, and D started off with an Oatmeal Stout from Le Castor. The wine was wonderful, but the Stout was definitely something to write home about. It was rich, malty, smoky, earthy, and musky, with a caramel smell that turned into a cocoa aftertaste without any loss of its maltiness. 

To start, we ordered some of JB's famous croquettes, which, for the evening, drew inspiration from Chicken Pot Pie. They were absolutely wonderful, if not quite as earth-shattering as what we ordered next.

D ordered the Monsieur Diane, a 16-ounce steak topped with mushrooms, gravy, and spinach, and accompanied by an onion chutney.

I decided to try Cheval á la Stroganoff, a deliciously tangy, rich, and tender filet served with wonderfully meaty mushrooms, marvellous pearl onions, and buttered Papardelle. This might just have been my favorite meat ever... And despite the fact that I love horses and have been riding since I was very little, I would love to have this again.

Everything was incredibly fresh and local, and our food was an absolute culinary masterpiece. Joe Beef is a place for the gourmand and man's man alike, a place where you'll want to savor absolutely everything you order and you'll be unable to stop raving about the food as you eat because it's just that good. 

If there's one place to visit in Montréal when you're hungry and really want to dig into some delicious, unpretentious, and generously-sized food, this is it. It is a little pricey to visit frequently, but given the chance, do--this may be the best meal you'll ever have. 

(P.S. If you can't visit Joe Beef in Montréal, get their cookbook. It's wonderfully clever and well-written, very eclectic in its style, and has absolutely amazing recipes. Definitely a great one to have in your collection or to give as a gift to your favorite foodie.)

Montréal Brews

     Among the items on our Montréal agenda were a handful of brewery visits. The cold, snowy, icy first Sunday of our trip seemed like a great day to find somewhere cosy for a bite and a brew, so we headed over to Brasserie Dieu du Ciel.
     We hadn't thought we'd need the Métro, but because we didn't quite feel safe getting to the Plateau district skateless, we caved. It took us quite a while to find Dieu du Ciel once we disembarked at Laurier Station, but eventually we turned a corner and found ourselves in a small, warmly-lit brewpub. 

On most days, Dieu du Ciel is a notoriously difficult place to find a seat. However, in light of the nasty weather, we were lucky and found a table right away.

Our copper-topped table gave us a great view of Dieu du Ciel's extensive beer list, and it wasn't long at all before we were able to order four six-ounce beers to taste and a cheese plate to nibble on. 

Among the brews we decided to taste were, from left to right, Aphrodisiaque, Premiere Neige, Solstice d'Hiver, and Peches Mortel.
Here's what we thought:

Aphrodisiaque

Deliciously chocolatey but a little too heavy. Bitterness balances out the sweetness of the chocolate and vanilla, though. A little like drinking a 99% cacao bar.

Prémiere Neige

Delicate anise flavor. Light, sweet but not sugary, warm and complex, anise at the floor point. Most of the flavor on the next breath. Our top pick, excellent with a baguette and Brie, or with green olives.

Solstice d'Hiver
Barley wine. Excellent with pungent cheeses and onion chutney. Dark, fragrant, reminiscent of wine or brandy, but with an inner heat.

Péché Mortel
A Coffee-infused Imperial Stout. Intriguing on the first sip, but entirely too heavy for continued enjoyment. Pretty good with nuts.

To accompany our beers, we ordered this big beauty. 

The kitchen at Dieu du Ciel treated us well, and gave us an assortment of nuts, crusty bread, green and kalamata olives, onion chutney, Brie, what we're guessing were a type of Porter cheese, and two other pungent and delicious cheeses. 

We also decided to try Dieu du Ciel's Cidre Rosé, and our expectations were far exceeded. 

The cider was absolutely beautiful, with a semisweet, dry fruity palate. It would be wonderful with creamy cheeses, Baked Brie, or Camembert, but alas we didn't save any of the cheeses on our plate to accompany it.

Everything was absolutely delicious, and I don't think we could have ordered anything better for such a cold and dreary day. 

Over the course of our meal, we met some other Americans--a couple who were in Montréal to explore its pub scene. They recommended some other breweries to us, including Le Cheval Blanc, Station HO.ST, and Le Saint Bock--the other brewpub we visited on our last day in Montréal.
  
On Wednesday, we stopped into Le Saint Bock to try their beer and have one last Poutine. 

From bottom to top, we tried RIP Brett (Porter Imperial Russe aux Brettanomyces), Prémiere Dame (Stout Imperial), 666 (Black IPA), Malédiction (Milk Stout), and Sweet Jesus (Scotch Ale). 

RIP Brett Porter 

Cedary, vinegary nose. Thin layer of eggshell foam. Tart, woody, and spicy in flavor, almost like Dijon mustard. Vinegar and smoke aftertaste. Pretty gross, probably would not order again. 

Premiere Dame

Nice layer of foam the color of coffee with milk. Light malty bouquet. Aftertaste like smoked ham; lovely mesquite flavor. Very easy to drink, would pair nicely with a creamy mild soup like Cullen Skink, a nice cold weather beer.

666

Basically no foam at all but a thin, patchy later topping a cola-colored brew. Heady, tropical fruit smell, like Passionfruit. Extremely hoppy, but has a nice fruit base to balance it out. Bitter but not harsh. Hoppy, sour aftertaste. A perfect, sexy summer IPA, and a good party beer. D's favorite. 

Malédiction

Dark Chocolate and smoky smell. A little bit of dark foam that sank down over time. Tastes a lot like semisweet chocolate, with an aftertaste of baking cocoa and hops. My favorite.

Sweet Jesus

Effectively no foam. Deep burgundy wine color. Malty, slightly cocoa-y, clean smell. Musky, earthy, apple-y smell; almost musty but absolutely delicious. Aftertaste like dried fruit and the air in a preserves cellar. Not particularly sweet, but almost like a really dark mulled cider.

Montréal has a really great craft brewery scene, so although we weren't surprised to find so many good places, we were thrilled that they were as wonderful as they were. 
If you're in the area and love a good brew, Montréal is really your oyster. 

Happy exploring!
Xx

L'Ancien Monde et le Nouveau: Day Two in Montréal

    On Saturday morning, the streets of Montréal were cold and icy. We had hoped the weather would be a little better, but we decided to brave the sidewalks and basically skated down Rue Sainte-Catherine, through Chinatown, until we reached the Place-des-Armes. 
Our destination? One of North America's most famous and most beautiful churches--the Basilique Notre-Dame. 

 This Gothic-Revival Basilica, designed by Irish-American architect James O'Donnell, was built between 1824 and 1829 in reaction to Ville-Marie's growing population, which the old chapel (built at the end of the 17th century) could not support. Its famous bell towers, affectionately called La Persévérance and La Témperance, were added later on, making one of Montréal's jewels really resemble its Parisian counterpart. 

Aside from its gorgeous façade, one of the things that really drew us to Notre-Dame was its history. Hundreds of thousands of people have passed through there, many have been baptized, wed, and given funerals there, and people from all over the world have flocked to the Basilica to see this amazing arm of the Catholic Church in New France--now Canada. When I visit churches on my travels, I can never stop myself from thinking about some of the amazing people who might have stood where I stood. In this particular case, when we entered the church, we walked the same path as Luciano Pavarotti (who held at least one concert there), Canada's own Céline Dion (who was married there), and Pope John Paul II (who celebrated mass there).

 One of the things I love most about visiting Basilicas and Cathedrals is the collection of prayer candles scattered around the perimeter of each church. As small as the building might make you feel, the little kneelers and candle-filled trays make the church feel even more peaceful and oddly intimate. And even if you're not religious, they provide a great place for quiet contemplation. 

Time in the Basilica passed quickly as we looked at the beautiful artwork on its walls (and ceiling), and we decided to move on.

Our next stop was in stark contrast to Notre-Dame--as the weather was still snowy and freezing, we decided to head to the Musée d'Arte Contemporain.

I will preface this by saying modern art isn't really my thing. Some pieces I absolutely love, and some just don't speak to me. The MAC was one of those museums where I was crazy about some pieces and bewildered or weirded out by others. However, it is one of the most thought-provoking museums I have ever visited. 

The first piece we saw I absolutely loved. It's a piece you can interact with, one that looks and is physically heavy but, in a fantastical way, seems rather light and airy. 

A piece we saw after that drove me and the man a little crazy, and I couldn't bring myself to take a video. Ann Lislegaard's Time Machine  involves a computer-animated fox which stutters as it tells a hard-to-follow tale of its trip to the future. It's a really cool concept (a talking fox in a mirrored box), and I love that Lislegaard mixed English and Danish to make the fox's story make less sense, but to be honest, the fox's face is haunting... and not necessarily in a good way.

After we decided to escape from the room which housed Time Machine, we happened upon an installation which I really loved. Given my passion for Economics, it probably won't be too surprising when I say I totally geeked out when I saw what the installation contained. 

Entitled The Prophets, this piece by Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens embodies what I love so much about my field--the amazing power of models in predicting future events. 

Overall, this was probably our favorite part of the MAC, but we saw some other weird and cool things on our way out, including some unexpected taxonomy (a deer and a fox, seemingly sleeping, on the floor of two different rooms), some sort of arctic sled, and lot of heartbreaking videos. 

We went for lunch at Eggspectation (which seriously has the best omelettes I've ever had) and learned that there would be a huge snow storm that night. Because we knew we probably couldn't eat out, we made our second venture into the RESO to pick up some groceries--emergency food if you will. The result? 

Butter Chicken, Wilted Garlic Spinach, and Naan, which we prepared in our room's kitchenette. Not super fancy, but not too shabby in light of the heavy snow outside.
 We paired this with Revolution White Wine (Rev Vineyards, Napa, CA), a Colombard-Chardonnay blend. (For those who are wondering, it's very fruit-forward, floral, and tropical with a medium body and finish.) While the wine wasn't quite dry enough for our tastes, we were still impressed with how well our IGA run turned out.

As Saturday night drew to a close, we were absolutely exhausted. So, we cleaned up, turned on Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys (excellent, by the way), and turned in on the early side as we waited out the snowstorm. 

A Snowy Retreat: January in Montréal

      For Christmas this year, rather than giving each other physical presents, my boyfriend and I decided to do something a little different--we took each other to Montreal for a week of exploring and relaxing. 
      In grand American tradition, we took an overnight Greyhound bus up from New York City (after an absolutely wonderful New Year's Eve spent with friends) and arrived in the early morning. Because we had several hours to explore before we were allowed to check into our room at the wonderful Hotel Le Roberval, we decided to take a walk down Boulevard René-Levesque (and initially intended to see some art museums).

Montréal has a noticeable Catholic influence, so on our way through the Quartier Latin (home to the École Polytechnique de Montréal, the Université de Montréal, and the Université de Quebec á Montreal), we passed beautiful old buildings and many, many churches. 

Although we never made it inside (as apparently they no longer give tours), we saw our first Montréal landmark: the Molson Brewery.

  

Having dropped our bags at the hotel, and having realized that we were heading in a completely different direction than we intended, we decided to to scrap our original plans and head instead towards Old Montreal. 

Across the way from the our ultimate destination--the Chateau Ramezay (which was obscured by a lot of cold-weather additions, so I won't picture it here)-- stood Montreal's City Hall, one of the most gorgeous government buildings I've ever seen.

  We then spent a few hours exploring the Chateau and headed to the gorgeous Old Port, where we stepped into the Héritage Gallery to look at some Inuit art. This particular gallery is partly a showcase of the work of some really great Inuit artists and partly a fur shop. Most of their wares were, as expected, just a tad out of our price range, but we still took a look.
  

  Among the things we saw and really, really wanted to take home was this polar bear. We were this close to adopting it for my new apartment--a total bear necessity if you ask me--, but we didn't think the folks at Greyhound would appreciate us bringing home an extra passenger. 

    Having sated our curiosity about this (pretty magical) Inuit gallery, we made our way to the Old Port and stopped into Montreal Poutine for a bite and a brew. MP is admittedly very touristy and a little spartan--if you're looking for a fancy, boutiquey gastropub, this is not it. When you enter, you'll walk up a set of stone steps that lead to an attic, where the menu and beer list are short and the wooden tables are mostly full.  But don't be discouraged--if you're looking for a low-key place with good food and a lot of attention to detail where food and drink are concerned, MP is just the place to go. We ordered Poutine with Montréal Smoked Meat and Rickard's White Ale, and though we'd been a little skeptical, I'm pleased to say Montreal Poutine was well worth it!
      
    Anywho, that's enough for today, but be sure to stay tuned for more of our Montreal adventures! On the docket for tomorrow's post: some of the other sites we visited and one of my absolute favorite art installations (you'll see why). 

A domani,

Caroline 
Xx

               

Il Weekend della Festa del Lavoro: Una Caccia al Tesoro e La Festa di San Antonio di Padova

           It has, amazingly enough, been about a week since I moved into my apartment, and things are finally coming together. We have nearly all our furniture sorted out (well, all except for the kitchen table that'll double as a desk), groceries bought several times over, the television finally set up and I've finally had a chance to reconnect with friends. I've thoroughly enjoyed Allston/Brighton Christmas-- even though I haven't found the right table yet, I found some awesome books and D found some really great stuff for his apartment. 

I'm adding to my apartment library! To the left are books I found on the curb during one of our hunts. They're in perfectly good condition, so I have no idea why someone would just throw them away rather than try to sell them! To the right are an assortment of textbooks for this year (it's going to be a fun time essentially taking three math classes! ;P)and books I've been enjoying in my spare time. 

I've also begun to get out of the pre-semester rut I've fallen into and gotten back to exploring Boston with D and my friends. Midway through last week, D and I went to an awesome outdoor concert at the Hatchshell. We lay on blankets looking at the sky while the Boston Landmark Orchestra played a set commemorating the end of the War of 1812. It was absolutely perfect, and I cannot recommend the Landmark Orchestra's Summer Concert Series more highly, but we unfortunately had to head back to his place early as a thunderstorm decided to cut the concert short. 

    I spent the next few days with D, S, and other friends just relaxing, cooking, and enjoying each other's company, and then yesterday, we decided to head over to the North End for Saint Anthony's Feast. Begun in 1919 by Italian immigrants, La Festa di San Antonio is the largest Italian religious festival in our area. 

    Just a few minutes' walk from the North Station T stop, on Endicott Street, you're greeted by a flower garland which tells you you're officially in the North End. As an Italian-American who grew up going to Little Italy and Brooklyn in New York quite frequently, the garlands that mark the Italian areas never fail to get me excited... And as much as I adore Brooklyn and Little Italy, I have to say I much prefer the North End! 

        As you make your way past the children's attractions, you're greeted by the intoxicating smell of grilling meats and Filippo Berio Olive Oil. Filippo Berio is the brand my parents almost always have in their house, and for me, seeing these stands was a wonderful reminder of my dad's cooking (and cooking lessons) as well as the general feeling of home. 

        
         We unfortunately weren't able to sample the olive oil until later in the day, but when they finally set out another tray of bread and oil, it was an amazing reminder of how satisfying simple things can be. 

Just a little further down the street, we saw this stand selling cannoli filled with gelato, and I. and R. couldn't resist their charms. 

         
         D and I decided to hold out for other dolci (sweets) later on, but don't these things look amazing?!?!?

         
       When we reached the area of the street dedicated to actual food, I couldn't resist the siren call of the frutti di mare for sale. While the guys grabbed polpette infilzate (skewered meatballs, which were reportedly very good), I went for vongole crude (this particular variety was Cherry-Stone) and of course calamari fritti.  The clams were unbelievably good (and cheap!), and the calamari were absolutely perfect. 

        We then made our way towards Prince Street, where I found a bancarella where a father and daughter were selling large cannoli. It certainly wasn't Mike's Pastry, but I will argue that the adorable father-daughter team, size of the pastry, price, and considerably lower traffic made this a much better decision than trying to make my way through throngs of people at Boston's most famous cannoli joint. 

Here's a beauty-shot of my gorgeous cannolo, impressively made by a six-or-so year old girl!

I., meanwhile, opted for a calzone at this amazing bakery, which he was thrilled to find is a permanent installation with an option for delivery. We all had a bite of the most enormous calzone we'd ever seen... And the consensus? Absolutely heavenly!

        D decided to get a Peanut Butter Cup bar from a stand run by two adorable kids, working for what was presumably the same bakery. It was a rich, chocolatey, peanut buttery concoction complete with a chocolate graham-cracker crust... So delicious, but so rich that we had to split the thing among the four of us!

                We then headed over to one of our favorite areas--Paul Revere Mall, a gorgeous brick courtyard near the Paul Revere House and Old North Church. While the Paul Revere Statue in the center of the Mall is definitely a tourist attraction (it's pictured on the front of a lot of Freedom Trail brochures), the Mall is usually fairly empty. Yesterday, however, throngs of people walked through the Mall, buying Lemonade, T-shirts, and looking at artwork for sale. 
       As the guys relaxed on the benches that line the mall, I popped into the Green Cross Pharmacy in search of some Chinotto. Sadly, they didn't carry it, but I ended up conversing with the proprietari, an amazingly sweet and helpful family, opting for San Pellegrino Pompelmo, and carrying out my entire transaction in Italian. The fact that I was able to keep up a conversation in Italian, despite a semester-plus hiatus from Italian courses (simply because my schedule is far too full at the moment), was really exciting, and I was maybe a little too giddy as I rejoined the guys in the Mall. 

        It was an absolutely perfect summer day, so we decided to continue exploring the North End. 

We made our way to another small neighborhood park, which had beautiful stonework, and an even more beautiful view of the Harbor. When we'd finally had our fill, we made our way back towards the festival. 

         
       I'm always floored by the beauty of the neighborhoods in the North End. It's filled with neo-classical architecture, scrolled faux-balconies, window-boxes overflowing with flowers, and just has a very home-y feel. 
        

Despite the tiny size of this house, I think it's absolutely adorable! It's just like a little hobbit hole on the corner--must be really cosy in the winter!

          All along the street, there are reminders of an older world. These window-boxes reminded me a lot of the neighborhoods I saw in Rome, especially near the Scalinata di Spagna. I'm living in the Fenway area now, but I'm already dreaming of the day I'll be able to move into the North End!

        On a whim, I decided to capture the wall of the Copp's Hill Cemetery, and I'm finding this shot rather entrancing. 

        
        After we found a great bathroom shelf (just sitting on the street!), we finally made our way to Prince and Salem Streets, where I stopped into Monica's Mercato for some Italian staples. I'd been there before, sometime last January, but it's recently re-located and expanded both the size of its store and its inventory. They have so many things I used to only be able to get at Eataly in New York, so I was in heaven!

I ended up getting a small filone, a  single-serve Panettone (which I sadly can't picture because it didn't last very long :P), some Sugo all'Arabbiata, some Prosciutto di Parma and Mortadella con Pistacchio, some Fusilli col Buco,  some Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia and some Baci di Perugina, which I ended up giving to the guys.

         Afterwards, we made our way back to our respective apartments and dorms, and I later headed out to catch up with friends and then returned home and cosied up with a cuppa to watch the latest episode of Outlander.

   This weekend isn't over yet, but it's been quite a whirlwind--both stressful and extremely fun. There's a lot of stuff to do for ΦΧθ (we've got a pre-petition meeting coming up, so I'm very excited for that, but there are a lot of pieces to put together before that can happen), and I'm honestly more than a little nervous about balancing classes and applying for jobs/working this semester, as it's going to be a really hard one. But overall, the past couple of days have been the perfect breather, and I couldn't be more excited for what's to come. 

  I hope all of you have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend, and to my fellow students, I wish you the best of luck in the semester ahead!!

Xx
Caroline