DINNER May 23, 2008

Stuck with a serious hankering for Korean food and with my erstwhile Korean food guide In stranded in Halifax, the JJ and I set off for long time favourite Hwang Kum with Qbert and her D’Artagan. I had described Hwang Kum’s cuisine as Korean food with a certain “like my mum used to make” quality and the number of  (people who to all appearances were) Koreans tucking into bibimbap seemed to support that statement. After spending a few days in Seoul last month (the city, not the restaurant), I felt more able to navigate the menu and the tabletop grill on my own. Continue Reading…

DINNER May 18, 2008

Next on the list of new pizzerias to have opened up in the JTM area just in time for summer is Vinizza, which bills itself as an enoteca/pizzeria. The wood burning oven is prominently displayed near the entrance of this new establishment on the corner of Jean-Talon and Casgrain backing into the northwest corner of the market. The space has been completely redone with ochre offset by dark wood and rustic stone floors. The best thing about the re-designed space is all the windows opening up on Casgrain which are great for people watching.

For a restaurant billing itself as an enoteca, Vinizza has a pretty skinny wine list composed mostly, if not exclusively, of wines available at the SAQ, although what it does have is very affordable. It also offers the opportunity to order little portions of salume and cheeses as well as a number of antipasti to enjoy with a glass of wine, so maybe we should give them a break on this point. Continue Reading…

DINNER May 16, 2008

It is a truism in show business that some acts are harder to follow than others. And the same might apply to restaurants as well. Cocagne, which coquetishly refers to itself as a “bistro orgueilleux” occupies the space on St-Denis formerly housing heavyweight  Toqué. Try as it might to create its own thunder, Cocagne is most often described as “the restaurant where Toqué used to be.”

And that is a shame, because Cocagne, it seems, deserves a little bit of praise for its own cuisine.  A compact herd of tables near the front of the house belie the size of the restaurant. Muted green and red contrast with buttery yellow tones. Dark wood, terracotta floors and dim lighting give the restaurant a grown up atmosphere. Continue Reading…

LUNCH May 16, 2008

The Keg is not the type of place that I would normally write about on this site. With 90 locations across North America its a lot closer to writing about changes to the value menu at McDonald’s than reporting about the Montreal restaurant scene. But like many foodies, I have my own dirty little food addictions and my yearly meal at the Keg ranks right up there. Growing up in Alberta, the Keg is a fixture of community life, but unlike mullets and 7-Elevens, moving to Montreal has not been able to save me from the Keg, especially with the recent opening of a new downtown location. Continue Reading…

DINNER May 13, 2008

With the arrival of summer the late weekday night dinner returns. Sitting on a terrace in Little Italy is just a lot more satisfying when you don’t have to share your table with a four-foot high snowdrift and who isn’t able to get out of the office for a 9pm meal at least once a week ?

Over the course of the past few months there have been a few interesting development in Little Italy restaurant demographics, most notably a mushrooming of purportedly high-end pizzerias that seem eager to replicate the success of Bottega. While it is unclear whether Ustica has met its Waterloo (it has been closed for 5 months but the tables are still set as if to open tomorrow), signs announcing the opening of Vinizza on the corner of Casgrain right beside JTM and the merciful closing of Pesca, replaced by Pomodoro, demonstrate that dreams of turning dough into cash still abound in this neighbourhood. Continue Reading…

LUNCH May 10, 2008

Quietly becoming a fixture on Parc avenue is Caraïbe Delite, purveyors of Guyanan comfort food such as jerk chicken, curries, roti and fried noodles and rice. With  walls covered in Guyanan tourist knick-knacks, chairs from a junior high auditorium and plastic-covered tables, not too many people will be celebrating their wedding anniversary at this hole-in-the-wall.  But the space is well lit and has a certain laid-back charm that is complemented by the friendly greeting from the owners. Besides, you know a restaurant with decor this average has to cook up some mean food to make a name for itself. Continue Reading…