Wow I had a fabulous evening this past Wednesday, a magical metropolitan night basking in some of the best cultural delights Montreal has to offer. I was originally going to try a tiny restaurant hidden in Verdun with my friend Johanne. The day before she got in touch with me saying she could perhaps get free ticket to the very special event of this year’s Fantasia Festival event: Metropolis (see below).

Sure, I am up for it, I had no idea really what we were attending. All I knew is that it was taking place at the Place des Arts (PDA) which meant our Verdun resto would have to wait for a future outing. And my mind was racing as to where to eat around there. The core downtown area is not crawling with funky and nice foodie haunts. We walked along Ste-Catherine in search of something decent. I was also getting paid at midnight so let’s say budget was really an issue, to a certain extent.

cocktails: Jeanne-Mance Collins and Purple Splash

And then, like a savior appearing before troubled souls, we saw in the distance the new “IT” place in town right next to the PDA….Brasserie T!. It is so new (1 month) that neither one of us thought about this place beforehand. So why such a buzz for a new place. The owner is the same as Toqué, one of Montreal’s absolute top restaurants. The good news is the prices at Brasserie T! are a lot more reasonable compared to Toqué.

Brasserie T! is smack dab in the middle of the PDA, the Contemporary Art Museum, the Place des Festivals where numerous international outdoor festivals take place and the brand new Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan. The restaurant itself has a very peculiar architecture I would say almost reminiscent of a long glass bus stop. It’s a very narrow and long rectangle. From outside I find it off putting. From inside you forget about it.

Charcuterie: Saucisson en brioche and Tête fromagée

We did not know if we would even get a table. Turns out the 6 stools by the bar are reserved for ‘walk-ins’. They were all empty. I normally hate eating at the counter but this time it turned out to be the best seats in the place I think. Sara, the bartender who also took our orders, was just a jewel. I really, really, really liked her. We each had a cocktail…really original ones. Totally from memory but Johanne had the Jeanne-Mance Collins which included vodka, limoncello, absinthe, fresh mint. She was actually the first official customer to order that drink, it was brand new. It was AMAZING. I had the Purple Splash which had gin, raspberry blueberry and something else with a bit of hot peppers and served with ground pepper on top. Really unique but there was something missing.  Sara really took the time to ask our opinions of the drinks and was open to my suggesting a couple of drops of Bitters. She was very happy to oblige, welcomed suggestion and took note of it.

Plats: Croque monsieur and Brandade de morue

Our bartender was just as attentive and knowledgeable when it came to our food selection. The winner in the Charcuterie was my Tête fromagée. It was just divine and melt in your mouth. In English it is called Head Cheese, a meat jelly. The winner in the Plats category was Johanne’s Croque monsieur. At first she was a bit surprised it had 2 slices of bread, presented like a grilled cheese almost. Oh but was it good, the cheese so flavorful and there was a poached egg in the middle. Really the only dish out of the 4 that left me a bit indifferent was mine, the Brandade de morue, which I found a bit bland. An interesting note though: the bread had been drizzled with excellent olive oil quite liberally before placing the cod dish on top, that I enjoyed.

Before or after a show, if you can get a table or stool, Brasserie T! is a fabulous place to go for a true French Bistro bite to eat if you have a bit of extra money compared to what I normally blog about. A cocktail, a charcuterie and a plats came out to $35 before tipping. Exclamation mark.

Brasserie T!, 1425 Jeanne Mance St., 514-282-0808

So this is just dinner! Next was the movie Metropolis. Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Metropolis was cut substantially after its German premiere, and much footage was lost over the passage of successive decades. Today the film has been restored and 30minutes of lost footage has been added. These 30 min actually change the whole view of the movie. This film has such a strong influence is was  inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2001.

Many considered this cinematic presentation a real coup for the Fantasia Festival. It was show on closing night. A 3,000 seat sold-out presentation for a silent 83 year old film. A 147 min silent film that was accompanied by an orchestra. Internationally renowned silent film composer Gabriel Thibaudeau wrote a new score for the film, which he performed with a 13-piece orchestra live at the screening. A very long standing ovation closed the performance.

I am not sure how to describe the experience. Palpable and surreal are two words that come to mind. It was one of those just profound once in a life time experiences sprinkled with a dash of magic. At first I did not know what to think of the movie but later on I realized how powerful its message was. It was captivating and a still valid sociological critic today of basic morals and values. Closest to it I ever saw would be Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal.

If you ever have a chance to see Metropolis this way make it your priority.

I have been putting of going to Bofinger for quite sometime. The first location is like 8 blocks away from me and I just did not go. At one point I was decided to go with the CEE dinner group but they do not take reservations. Why was I so hesitant to go?  Because the word of mouth reviews I got were mixed and mostly somewhat negative. Since they serve traditional US Southern food I figured if there ever was a time to try out Bofinger it was NOW, upon my return from the South.

Now what most people do not know is that one of the owners of Bofinger is also co-owner of La Louisiane, a Cajun bistro which I love. Again, the first location near me is 3 blocks away from La Louisiane. Since then 3 locations have opened up: downtown, West Island and the Plateau. The website says:...Our goal was to introduce authentic Southern Style BBQ to Canadians. At Bofinger, we prepare all our food with great care. Our famous NATURALLY Smoked Meats are prepared in a true fusion of Southern/Quebec style: Dry rubbed and smoked with maple wood for up to 24 hours.

The one I tried was the Plateau location on Parc Avenue. Not only was I finally going to try this place but it also turned into a ‘foodie blogger ‘blind date”. Through the Foodie Exchange I started chatting with another Montreal food blogger. I really like her blog and I was happy to see we were getting along by email. She suggested meeting and I brought up Bofinger. Now it was a bit odd planning a first date in a really non fancy place lol. But Vibi of La Casserole Carrée said she clearly understood what she was getting herself into. We had a really nice time chatting away for a couple of hours, actually 3 I think he he, and another diner will be planned once the craziness of summer subsides. Her blog is only in French but it is wonderful. Recipes can be translated easy enough.

So Bofinger is totally cafeteria style. You order what you want at the counter…your meat and the famous sides plus what ever else you want. You pay, they take down you name and you go sit and wait till you are called. I am not a big cafeteria style fan. But the girl who served us was nice enough. They have trios on the menu – your meat, 1 side dish and a drink.The menu is Southern BBQ in its various forms: ribs, chicken, pulled pork, wings. In North Carolina BBQ is pulled or chopped pork…period. My friend there said it quite well: ” for you BBQ is a verb, for me it is a noun”. Once you pick your meat you pick your sauce to go with it. Choices are Texas, South Carolina, Honey BBQ, Memphis, Alabama and Crazy Spicy. Sides dishes offered are mac and cheese, baked beans, salad, potato salad, coleslaw, bean salad, fries.

Vibi liked her ribs although they were a bit dry and not the best she has had. Her side dish of baked bean were a disappointment. they were your Canadian variety. Potato salad was good but nothing special. That is all I am going to say about her critic….can’t remember other details.

Now for my review – fresh of the plane from the South – please buckle your seat belt and make sure your trays are in an upright and locked position because it is going to be a bumpy ride. I had of course the pulled pork sandwich. Both ribs and pork had a very pronounced smoky taste to them, good but not what I was familiar with in the South. Besides that I found the pork itself a bit bland. As I said you choose your sauce, they did not put enough sauce on the pork and they should add the sauce in the kitchen in a bowl and mix it all up…..not just ladle it on the meat. Never in North Carolina did I have a piece of unseasoned meat sticking out. I got the South Carolin sauce and they got right: traditionally dijon mustard that makes it sour-sweet. With the sauce the pulled pork was good and did bring back vacation memories. If I were them I would not toast the bun….it was a bit burned and too big.

Next the sides. Really, no attempt to have an equivalent to greens? For shame. Actually the only side dishes that were truly reminiscent were coleslaw, fries and mac & cheese. Where were the mashed potatoes with gravy, the black eyed peas, string beans, corn. The mac & cheese was a DISGRACE! it’s by the box Kraft dinner with sprinkle shredded cheese on it. It SHOULD BE  by the box Kraft dinner with baked in cheese. Not a fancy dish but the backing with extra cheese is a huge upgrade to this crap. Baked beans were very Canadianized.

Things seriously missing from the menu if they want to call themselves a southern restaurant…biscuit, corn bread, hush puppies and ice tea..the real kind! you want to try some simple different BBQ food which a gourmet touch then Bofinger is for you. If you want to try reall Southern BBQ….travel!! It’s not so authentic.

All in all there is one lesson learned here: even if two foodies share a just OK meal it can still be a wonderful outing as what counts is the company rather then the food sometimes.

Bofinger
- 5667 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC
- 1250 University Street, Montreal, QC
- 25 Boul. Don Quichotte, Ile Perrot, QC
- 5145 Ave. Parc, Montreal, QC

No, Raleigh is not by the beach as most people seem to think. Depending on which beach you decide to go it can be anywhere from a 2h30min drive to 5h. Going to the beach for me was a priority so my host was accommodating. We went the first and last day. I may not enjoy spending the whole day on the beach but for me a holiday without sand in my toes and a swim in the ocean is just not complete. First day we went to Wilmington beach and the last day we went to the Fort Macon State Park near Morehead City.

On that last day we decided ultimately to have dinner in the area before heading back home to Raleigh. Being by the sea I had a hankering for some seafood. We went to Morehead City where we checked out about 3 restaurants. We settled on Sanitary Fish Market (a fave of my friend’s dad apparently). Sexy and appetizing name, I know! But there is a story behind it…

On February 10, 1938, two partners, Tony Seamon and Ted Garner, opened a fresh seafood market on the Morehead City waterfront. A small building had been rented from Charles S. Wallace for $5.50 per week with the understanding that no beer or wine would be sold and that the premises be kept clean and neat. The name “Sanitary Fish Market” was chosen by the partners to project their compliance.

By the spring of 1938 it had 10 stools in the market to serve seafood. Sanitary Restaurant opened in 1942. Since 1969 they can sit over 600 people! You don,t actually sit in a room with 600 people though. it is split up into 3-4 rooms. You can tell each room was a built addition. Of course it is located on the waterfront. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of a coast seafood shack…just a big one.

When you sit down you get a basket of hush puppies. Apparently hush puppies are a normal thing here because in 6 days this was my 3 or 4th free basket of hush puppies. These were the best! I am not going to tell you more about them…this will be a future post! One thing I will say: they may taste good but the shape (which is the common shape) is way too similar to a small turd!

We shared a starter of Peel-& Eat shrimps. The concept is fun – you have to shell them – but they were rather tasteless. Rich had a fried combo plate of shrimp, scallops and clam strips. The scallops were amazing. I opted for a daily special of a full Flounder stuffed with crab. The fish was very good but it really needed more seasoning in my opinion. I ate like half it was a huge portion. One of my sides was a stuffed baked potato which was awesome but I was so full my friend had most of it. He can be a bottomless pit lol.

I have traveled extensively over the US and restaurant, service, customs can vary greatly. There are a few things I noticed here in the South that stood out for me…coming from Montreal, Canada:

1) Waiters are always in a good mood, always give their first name and will usually bend over backwards to get you what you want.

2) Restaurant food in North Carolina is dirt cheap! Most of the bills for us two were not far off what in Montreal would be per person.

3) Service is wayyyyy to quick. Like you order and 5 to 10 min later you have your main meal. For me a nice Montreal dinner outing is a good 2-3 hours spaced over time. In no way did the staff ever make me feel rushed to leave the table but you can tell the general mentality is get in, eat fast, get out. Eating out should be an event, and experience…not a chore to get over asap. But I digress, that is the European side in me talking perhaps.

And so you have it. I hope you enjoyed this little Vacation Eatz series of my summer holiday. We will soon be returning to our normal program. Actually first thing up will be a restaurant review: Bofinger. This Montreal restaurant (a chain now with 4 addresses) specializes exactly in the Southern food I ate for 6 days while in NC. Did I think they measured up to the real deal? Tune in to find out!

Welcome to the North Carolina portion of my trip. I visited a friend here for 6 days. If you live in the South of the US you will feel right at home for the next 3 posts. If you come from anywhere else in the world…hold on to your hats and add an extra hole in your belt.

Southern food is by no means a glamorous fare, even if it can be presented that way. We are talking here about good home country cooking. Unfortunately we no longer work in the fields to work off all those calories! Granted my host Rich may have gone the extra mile to really stuff me with Southern food to give the max exposure to it. I did overdose and started to develop a fear of fried foods. My body was screaming for real veggies! But it was a blast.

My no.1 priority was to go to Mama Dip’s which we did on day 1 I think. This restaurant is your best bet as to tasting the local food. And it has a great history. “Mama Dip’s first job was as a family cook in Chapel Hill. She then moved on to work at Carolina Coffee Shop, Kappa Sigma fraternity and St. Andrews Hall. In 1957 she worked with her mother-in-law in a tiny take-out restaurant where she began to hone her business skills. On a Sunday in November 1976 Mama Dip opened her own restaurant with $64, $40 dollars went toward food and $24 was used to make change. The morning’s take was used to fund the lunch meal and lunch to fund the dinner. At the end of the day Mama Dip took home $135, and the rest is history”.

I ordered Fried Green Tomatoes because, well, never had them and its a movie about female angst lol. They were bland. Rich got the smothered pork chops with greens and green beans, he was very happy with his selection. I got a combo plate of Chopped BBQ Pork and Fried chicken with the mashed potatoes and black eyed peas. Sides, pork was pretty good, butt he chicken ruled. The batter used is remarkably light and fluffy, I loved it. I got to say everything had a bit of a blandness to it but this was a bit of a theme in the whole 6 days. I am so used to cooking with lots of herbs and spices, they don’t apparently. For me it made a big difference. That said I loved Mama Dip’s even if I found it bland a bit. Great adorable place and the sweetest most attentive waiter. We ate outside on the wrap around porch which give to a relatively quiet and almost residential street. Fabulous! If you go to Raleigh RUN to Mama Dip’s.

Corn bread and biscuits galore everywhere. Love that! It seems that what I consider a vegetable list and what the South considers a vegetable list is 2 different worlds. This list below may not be the best example as it has the most actual veggie choice of all side dish list I saw. But sorry…beans, black eyed peas, potatoes, yams, macaroni, firs, rice are not vegetables body absorption wise! They all taste GREAT…but it ain’t veggies people! Greens, collar or otherwise, are not my top choice, but are a real vegetable. Sorry but this was my pet peeve with my host – the veggie thing.

And of course I got an ice tea. I have always been a fan of ice tea and the South serves ice tea everywhere. Thank god though you can get it unsweetened. Lord some places has so much sugar in it a diabetic would go into hyperglycemia shock in 2 seconds flat! I don’t put sugar in my coffee or tea. I make my ice tea normally with a dash of lemon juice and maybe 1tsp of sugar per glass. If you like sweet but not that sweet you can ask for half-half. Drank lots of ice tea with the heat.

Remember last week I promised you a story about that all natural syrup where Rich freaked out? Well i will tell you that story here. On this trip I only had grits once at a breakfast plate. I am very mystified by grits. Polenta I get, cream of wheat I get, grist I don’t. And I know I am not alone. That is why there will be an in depth study future post on grits. Anyways we are having breakfast and I got grits with it. It was 100% unseasoned and bleh. I added a bit of salt and that helped, but not much. I could not help feel how close to cream of wheat it was, something I used to eat for breakfast. And I always sweetened it a bit. So in my logic I took the bottle of syrup and added a bit to the grits. This is when friend literally FLIPPED OUT on me and looked around in shame to make sure no fellow Southerner should have witnessed my sacrilegious action! I was baffled but very amused by it though. He was so embarrassed to be seen with me for that moment l0l. I am assuming some of you reading are nodding in a agreement with him. But once the shock subsided (about 10 min) he reluctantly took a mini forkful of it saying he had to taste my abomination and in a very low voice filled with resentment said” its not bad but I will never admit it publicly” Pfft I say! It was awesome with syrup.

After lunch we went to A Southern Season. I had been there in January and adored this foodie heaven. Got myself a few things here like local cheddar cheese, salt water taffy, pecans, moonshine cordial chocolates. Also got stuff I regretted not buying the last time: a mango coconut sauce and banana ketchup. They are from Costa Rica! This place also has an awesome selection herbs and spices cheap, in cylinder plastic tubes. Got a mole rub and two other I was clueless too: Annato seeds and Epazote. I love getting unknown stuff and then researching it at home only.

Wow this is a huge post. OK finishing it off with a couple of pics from July 4th. This was museum day but we walked right by the State Capitol building where lots of celebration stuff was going on. That night we went to the State Fair Grounds to see the fire works. Wow there were a gazillion food vendors with enormous lines. All we got was a orange-aid. There was one thing that caught my eye: the Turkey Shoot. I am sure you are thinking the same question I did: do they shoot real turkeys? I asked my friend knowing how stupid it probably sounded out loud. Thing is he is excellent at keeping a straight face when responding so sometimes I never can quite tell if it is a joke or not..even if what he says makes no sense. It drives me NUTS  and he knows it and relishes those moments. GRRR!

So in the end no turkeys were being shot at…tree trunks were.  But I did my research! The term comes from the 1800s where REAL turkeys were tied down and shot at 25 to 15 yards away. If a bird was killed it WAS given to the shooter as a prize. years later an inanimate target was used and a frozen turkey was given to the best shooter. I am so quoting wiki on this one (inside joke): today, turkey shoots are still popular in rural America, where citizens are all likely to be familiar with shotguns. The prize was a T-shirt.

Just 2 more posts coming about my trip…then back to blog reality! Tune in:

Saturday…..Vacation Eatz: South Fast Food
Sunday…….Vacation Eatz: Sanitary Beach

Yes part 1 was just the was my evening arrival and morning. This post is on the afternoon and evening. OK so it’s like 100 F in a big city. Hello museums with lots of A/C. I did 2 museums (quickly) that day. The first one was the National Museum of American History. Lots of fun and important exhibitions reviewing the past influences and happenings that shaped the USA.

One totally unexpected but fabulous exhibition was Julia Child’s actual kitchen from her home in Massachusetts. Apparently she donated it to the Smithsonian in 2001 when she moved to California. Julia cooked in this kitchen for 42 years! This kitchen alone influenced the way of eating of a whole nation. I stitched pics together to give the best 3d effect I could, bare with the imperfections.

She was apparently a knife fiend. And lots of copper pots too.

Next museum was the National Air and Space Museum. Here you will see the history of flight and space exploration attempted, failed and achieved. It is a hugely popular museum with lots of people. Be prepared! But it is something to see. I card less for the flight part but really enjoyed the space side.

And yes even this museum had food items on the display menu! There was the occasional brief comment on airline food and a statue of a ‘stewardess’ holding a tray.  Ice building totally unrelated but wanted to show you the pic. It was near my friend’s house.

Now space food….on display…was unexpected. Coke, Pepsi, brownies, nuts,prepared stews, fruits. The upper left pic above this text is the kitchen on Skylab. Little teaser: tomorrow’s Thursday’s Thingamajig will be related to space food so come back to see that.

On Apollo 10, semisolid foods became regular items. With a supply of chicken, ham, and tuna salads, along with breads contained in sealed, nitrogen-filled packages, the astronauts could prepare fresh sandwiches. Beginning with Apollo 13, a canteen was added to the astronauts spacesuits that would allow the crew members to drink while they worked on the moon. The Apollo 15 astronauts carried apricot food bars for a snack during increasingly long work periods on the lunar surface. Each astronaut meal was individually wrapped in foil and color-coded.

Back on earth it was time for supper. My hosts decided to take off the beaten path all the way to Fairfax Virginia where a favorite Thai restaurant of theirs is: Cee Fine Thai Dining. How can we not like this place CEE is Cheap Ethnic Eatz acronym too.

It really was a great meal, if not a bit too SPICY (OMG) even for me. I am not new to Thai but this was hot! Thanks god for the Thai Ice Tea (dairy calming down the fire). All 3 of us are foodies and all 3 of us wanted to taste everything. That suited me just fine! We ordered Tom Yum Soup, Jacketed Shrimp and Pot Stickers for starters. Entrees were Drunken Noodles, Panang Chicken Curry and one I cannot remember but it was seafood mix. If you are in that area I recommend this restaurant.

Keep on checking daily….

Thursday’s Thingamajig will be related to space food.

Friday’s post begins the North Carolina leg of my trip.

Trying to figure out how to summarize my food pics from my vacation was an overwhelming task. So much to share, it would have taken 12 posts and 85 pics minimum if done individually! I decided to condense stuff over a few posts instead, have brief descriptions and do photo collages. I hope you enjoy this Vacation Eatz series!

I do want to try my hand at some recipes or explore some of the food’s background once the Vacation Eatz series is done. We always say that but we end up with a zillion other projects. So I am writing it down now here and you, my reader, can hold me to it that way lol. They are not exotic recipes at all, more your traditional Southern American staples. But for me they are exotic as they are not part of my food habits. So recipes/explorations to come in the future are:

• She Crab Soup
• BBQ as in the NC pulled pork version (I know different sauces, I’ll pick one)
• Mac and Cheese
• Fried Chicken
• Grits
• Banana Pudding
• Indian Taco
• Cornbread
• Hush Puppies
• Fried Green Tomatoes

Now let’s start the trip. My first stop was Washington DC for a day and I slept 2 nights at a friend’s house in Alexandria Virginia. It was so awesome to catch up with her, it had been 7 years since we last saw each other. I kind of wish I had stayed there longer…it went by too fast.

When she suggested Maryland crab as being a must I was not going to argue with her lol. We took a walk in Old Town Alexandria (which is just too pretty) and went to The Warehouse Bar & Grill. I am warning you right away…not a cheap place lol. But hey it’s a vacation treat. The walls of the restaurant are covered in caricatures of patrons. No one famous, no idea who drew them…but it is a unique and cool decor.

I had the She Crab Soup and the All Lump Crabcakes plate. My heart stopped a bit at the price of the entree, $28.95, but you only live once. The soup was amazing and very filling, so much so I had little room for the main dish. I stuck to the crabcakes mostly which were awesome with nice big chunks of crab meat. The veggies were plain enough anyways. What is lump crab? Lump crab is the extra large portions of meat that come out of a crab body. In other words you get chunks of crab flesh…not just torn apart little pieces. In my research online for this it is apparently common for commercial crab to be pasteurized but connoisseurs say it is to be avoided.

My friend works in DC so I hopped in the car with her in the morning. I spent the morning seeing lots of outdoor stuff like the Lincoln Monument, the White House from afar, the Capitol, and more. Funny enough you can’t get near the White House without getting a reservation 6 months prior but Obama’s veggie garden is right by the street lol…it’s the pic in the middle. It was so hot though I decided to spend the afternoon in the Smithsonian Museums. But first I had to have lunch.

The Smithsonian neighborhood is not a restaurant hub area at all. But I asked the cashier in the American Art History to recommend a place. She suggested the cafeteria in the National Museum of the American Indian. The Mitsitam Native Foods Café was a great discovery portal into the indigenous cuisines of the Americas. It’s set up like a food court with 5 counters representing the different cuisines: Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains.

I ended up having an Indian Taco which was made with Buffalo Chili and a fried bread. This recipe I have already made at home and posted about it here. I also got for dessert a Guava tapioca pudding. Yes I like tapioca lol. I have to say for a museum cafeteria the food was good but again the bill !!!! 20$ for a taco, a dessert and a juice. Me thinks DC would not welcome a Cheap Ethnic Eatz group to well.

Tune in tomorrow for more of my DC foodie adventures with Julia Child’s kitchen,  space food and Thai cuisine!