Travels in Taste - Joe Beef - Montreal

Howdy!

Sometimes a night out at a restaurant becomes more than just good meal, sometimes it's a divine experience. The right combination of food, service, decor and company can make a lifelong memory. The meal I had on September 15, 2012 at Joe Beef in Montreal's Little Burgundy definitely qualifies.

So, with a combination of pictures and words, let me tell you the tale of an epic culinary evening. To begin, let's set the scene: September 15 is the anniversary of when Kari and I decided to become a "couple" and it also happens to be the weekend of the Montreal Comic-Con. Needless to say, a trip to "La Belle Province" was warranted. As was making reservations about 2 months ahead of time...

Once we were in Montreal and it was close to dinner time, we walked up Rue Notre-Dame to the resto, taking in the cozy charm of the neighbourhood. Now, considering the reputation of the place, I kind of expected a bit more flash, but it was rather subdued in outside and interior decor. Well, the five seconds we saw of the interior before being sat on the terrasse.


Very unassuming, which is classy in itself




Beautiful dinner date!



Now then, whilst the interior was somewhat understated (lots of lovely wooden accents everywhere, but also quite snug and dimly-lit), the terrasse was perhaps one of the loveliest urban outdoor locales I've ever had the pleasure of seeing (and dining at). We had the fortune of being seated right at the end, next to the herb garden. Yup, they grow their own stuff at Joe Beef. As you'll see below, they had herbs a-plenty, but there were also cabbages and zucchini and all manner of veggie goodness growing behind where I was sitting. There was also a smoker (behind Kari's arm in the photo) that was in use, so the entire patio area smelled of smoke, herbs and rainbows (rainbows have a smell, right?).




The view whilst we dined. All those plants are ingredients used by the kitchen.

Needless to say, we were already in a great mood thanks to the natural splendour of the place, but what came next was far more exciting: THE MENU!

Now, most high-end restaurants these days (and maybe since always, but I haven't been eating in high-end joints for very long) don't have a fixed menu. They either print by the day/week or have the server read it out or whatever. Something that seems to be all the rage is the "blackboard menu", which makes sense to me. It gives an opportunity to constantly keep things interesting and keep customers coming back to try new things. It also gives people the chance to keep looking and thinking what they might get later, appetites permitting, or on their next visit, if they're lucky enough to have that same menu item available. Either way, the restaurant keeps the customers coming in.

In the case of Joe Beef, their menu was kind of mind-blowing. It was quite difficult to figure out what to pick. If you take the time to magnify the pic below, make sure you get a good look at all the offerings. It was REALLY hard to pick just one entree and one main dish.



The menu


I have to admit, I got kind of stuck figuring out what to order without some guidance from our server (whose name escapes a month after the fact... d'oh). At least for the entree part. The main was a no-brainer in my case, but more on that later.

After an explanation of a few items, my mind was pretty well made up. I ordered the Terrine de foie "Bone-in". This meant that the terrine (which was basically like a paté) was served on/in(?) a piece of bone that was cut in half, with the marrow removed (and then cooked into the terrine!!!!!)

My 1st plate - Terrine de foie "bone-in"

The verdict? Wow, just wow... The flavour of this dish instantly brought me back to childhood memories of my grandmaman's paté de foie gras, even though this was all pork (I think) while hers was either goose or, more often, chicken liver. The dish was also topped with a lovely assortment of pickled veggies that gave the whole thing a nice crunch and tang to offset the rich, velvety texture of the terrine, a richness that was doubly accentuated by the use of marrow. The bread was also quite tasty, but its main function was as meat vehicle. All in all, it was freakin' delicious.

As for Kari, she went for one of her favourites, gnocchi. In this case, it was a ricotta gnocchi served with pig skin and pecorino cheese.



Kari's 1st plate - Ricotta Gnocchi with pig skin and pecorino

I can't speak too much to the dish as I only had one bite (needed to save room for terrine goodness!), but I remember the tomato sauce was bright and fresh (they probably picked the tomatoes from their garden that morning!) and the pig skin had this chewiness that could have easily been off-putting, yet I found it fascinating and complex.

Of course with our first dishes came the wine! We went with a simple Burgundy red since there was a lot of meat in play and the food was far too rich for white. It was a delicious bottle of wine and really went well with all the food. So, kudos to our server (Justin or Julien maybe?) for picking a perfect accompaniment for 15 bucks less than my wine budget limit!

A lovely bottle of red to go with dinner.

And, since it was our anniversary dinner, I figured a little present for my favourite girl was also in order...

A little added bonus to the festivities

As we ate and drank and soaked in the awesomeness, the sunset decided to come along to provide the evening's visual entertainment!

Not a bad little view...

So, moving right along, it was time for the mains!

First we'll quickly talk about Kari's Pojarski de lapin "hot et délicieux". This was a riff on an old Quebec classic known as "hot chicken", which is essentially a shredded chicken sandwich smothered in gravy and peas. In this case, though, it was rabbit meat, minced and reformed Pojarski-style (Pojarski was a chef for Czar Nicholas I) and served on the bone. It too was smothered in gravy and peas, and pieces of chorizo, and God knows what else. It was rich, delicious goodness, but I'll admit I only had a quick bite so I don't quite remember how it tasted. I only had a quick bite because I needed to keep room in my belly for my main dish....



Kari's main: Pojarski de lapin "Hot et délicieux"

And now we come to one of the most decadent, rich, insane plates I've ever had the pleasure of not being able to finish.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Deer Belly. Yup, roll that factoid around your noodle. Deer. Belly.

As you may know, bacon comes from pork belly. That is the only time I've heard of an animal's"belly" meat being used in cooking (well, Haggis involves a sheep's stomach, but I think there's a difference between stomach and belly when it comes to butchery and cooking). I've had duck and lamb bacon, so they probably used the belly meat and I just discovered that "beef belly" is more commonly known as brisket! (thanks Interwebz!).

But DEER Belly?!?!?!? Who'd a thunk it! Well, the crazies in the Joe Beef kitchen, that's who! (either Chef David McMillan or Chef Frédéric Morin, I guess). Needless to say, I HAD to try that shizz out! Oh and as you might have seen from the menu picture, it came topped with escargots. Of course! In fact, it also was served with lovely Chanterelle mushrooms, cauliflower, jus, some kind of half-butter, half-potato mash. And then there were the pockets of garlic butter to round out the "bourguignone" style of the escargots. I peg this sucker well into the 4-digit calorie range.

So how did it taste? Oh my God... the drool, must stop drooling on keyboard... It was one of the most uniquely decadent dishes I've ever had. The belly itself was likely roasted then seared, so it had this great little crust on it. The meat was just a little gamy, as deer should be, and probably the densest meat I've ever had; dense, but not tough. And the accompanying medley of flavours from the snails, garlic, mushrooms and cauliflower made it a once-in-a-lifetime sort of dish.

It also made it incredibly filling. I tried as hard as I could, but I wasn't able to finish the last couple of bites. I felt foodie-shame, but at least I didn't rupture my tummy.



My main: Deer Belly w. escargots à la Bourguignone

Kari pretty much felt the same way I did by the end: So. Full.

In the end, we wound up walking back to our hotel room and passing into respective food comas.

Maybe we shouldn't have had Schwartz's for brunch that morning... Next time I go to Joe Beef (because I'm damn well going back), I'll make sure to eat only rice cakes beforehand...

So there you go! Another culinary escapade to Montreal! Luckily the next day involved walking around Comic-con all day, so at least some of the 8 billion calories were burned off...

Till next time, eat and cook better than you ever thought you could, because life's too short for crap food!
Cheers!

Travels in Taste - Ice House - Montreal

So it would seem that my destination of choice is Montreal, eh?

In this case, however, this was kind of a last minute decision. I was supposed to head to Montreal to visit a friend for the day, but those plans fell through at the last minute, after I'd bought my non-refundable bus ticket. So, with a spirit of last-minute adventure, Kari was able to book the day off at the last minute, we booked a cheap hotel, and off we went to Montreal!

Now, one of the main bases of any trip Kari and I take to Montreal is to try out a new resto. And then eat Schwartz's at some point.

This time, with the trip being kind of last minute, we hadn't really had the chance to save a lot of money and we were looking for something tasty on the cheap. Fortunately, both of us had heard good things about Ice House on Roy (right near Saint-Laurent - ironically-ish, just around the corner from Schwartz's!) so we decided we'd give it a go! I'd normally post a link to their Web site, but such a beastie doth not currently exist!

So, we arrived and were sat on the terrasse next to a couple of nice ladies and immediately got our forcefields up (oh well, sometimes shared seating leads to new friends, sometimes it leads to strangers ignoring each other; we got the latter).

Now, first thing to keep in mind is that this place is anti-fancy. It's low-key, you share tables with strangers, you use industrial paper towel as napkins, there are NO actual dishes (i.e. plates, bowls, etc.) and the kitchen is about the size of a walk-in closet... a very small walk-in closet... But, I've seen tiny kitchens, including my own, produce some amazing food and these guys wouldn't have a rep if there wasn't something to their food. Or their drink. There were repeated suggestions that partaking of the Bourbon Lemonade was a must... Naturally we ordered a round! More accurately, I ordered Bourbon Lemonade, Kari ordered Bourbon Iced Tea.


A cup of bourbony goodness!

 Wow, that was one hell of a drink! Really sweet, but countered well by the sourness of both lemon and bourbon. The bourbon was Maker's Mark, which is apparently to Jack Daniel's what microbrew is to Budweiser... (aaaaaaaaand here come the shoes, or biker boots, to the head). Either way, Maker's Mark and lemonade > jack n' coke. I enjoyed this drink so much that I had a second and NO beer. That, my friends, is rare like platinum.
 
Next came the food. Keeping up the vein of "anti-fancy", there were no menus, but rather a chalk board that listed all the items of the day and their cost. An added touch I thought was pretty cute was that the chalkboard paint was on a bunch of surfaces, so you to poke your head under an overhang to see what was for dessert...



Quite the interactive menu...



 

We figured tacos were a good way to go, so we each ordered one. I had the Pulled Pork Taco (or in French, "porc effiloché") with Dr. Pepper sauce, watermelon pickle, chicharonnes (pork rinds), candied almonds (although the menu said pecans, but they were almonds) and cilantro. Kari had the Teriyaki Beef Short Rib Taco with Green Goddess dressing, daikon radish slaw and jalapeno. Both were 8 dollars for two tacos.  

 



That's a pretty tasty-looking taco!



To be honest, what made the Pulled Pork Taco good wasn't the pulled pork. It suffered the same fate as many a batch of "porc effiloché" in that the meat itself was not as tasty as it could have been, it had a sort of wateriness to it. The DP Sauce (their term, not mine), chicharonnes and candied almonds were really awesome, unique flavours that mixed well to save the dish, but the pork was average (not enough rub?) and the pickle had little assertion in its flavour.

 

Since we had two tacos each, Kari had my second taco and I hers. Funnily enough, we enjoyed what the other had ordered more. The Short Rib Taco was spicy, but the flavour of the beef was front and centre with richness and depth. It was Just a great bite of beef.

 

But I needed more, I needed some sort of 'side'. When I saw 'beignets de crabe', it was "FRAK YES!" time. And I was so right to have ordered them, even if they were a bit pricey (12 bucks for 2 crab 'beignets'). Verdict? TOTALLY worth it! They were rich, buttery and loaded with crab, also coated in, I believe, potato chips, which was brilliant. They came drizzled with a Ranch sauce, but its flavour was outstripped by the cake itself. It did add a nice depth of creaminess though... Definitely the best part of the menu, except, maybe the Lemonade...

Best. Crab. Cake. EVER! (despite it being called a 'beignet')



Now, being crazy people, we decided to get MORE food and another round of lemonade after this first course of pigging out. I had the "Red Fish" Taco while Kari ordered the Popcorn Shrimp.
 
The taco was tasty (not sure what fish the "Red Fish" actually was) with black beans and chipotle adding a lot of flavour. The fish was also well cooked, if maybe a tiny bit overdone. There was also pineapple in the taco, but I could barely taste it. I suspect canned pineapple is the culprit... Either way, it was quite tasty and light. Too bad I already had two tacos and a beignet in my belly by then... Kinda getting full...
 
It didn't help that Kari had maybe 4 pieces of the Popcorn Shrimp before announcing her incapacity to eat another bite. So, being a human goat who prides himself on never letting food go to waste, I tried my best to finish them off. Well, they WERE super-tasty - an odd combination of sticky and crunchy and sweet and tangy, with just a tiny bit of peppery heat to bring it all together. I almost got through it all, but even the mightiest must fall. I could not get through the last 4 shrimp...
 



The mound of crustaceans that did us both in...

 And that was that. Our bill came and for all that food and booze for two, it was still less than 100$ (before tip). 
 
The rest of the night was spent walking off the meal, drinking a few beers (with some difficulty) and shuffling back to the hotel in a food-zombie-like state where we would pass out by 11:30 pm... WE ARE PARTY ANIMALS!!!!!!!!! But really, who doesn't enjoy a good food coma now and then?
 
So, if you're in the area and looking for cheap and tasty Tex-Mex/Soul Food, definitely check out Ice House. I'll be going back, because apparently they also have Buckets of Ribs or Fried Chicken...
 
Enjoy!

Travels in Taste - Schwartz's Deli, Montreal

I've just finished reading Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour, which is basically the story of a celebrity chef's voyages to various parts of the world looking for "the perfect meal". I guess you could call it a Hollywood-ish example of foodie tourism (although I'm pretty sure some of the experiences and locales he visits in the book are unattainable for the average non-bazillionaire).

Over the course of reading it, I've come to realize that I too need to start travelling the world looking for some of the best food it has to offer. At least I've already got Prague under my belt, so no need to go back in search of more deep-fried cheese sandwiches, bread dumplings and bramborak.

Luckily, a recent trip to Montreal gave me a pretty decent (and unexpected) starting point. It was a Wednesday morning, I was staying at my brother's place in Montreal, looking forward to dinner with a local friend at a recently-opened BBQ place. But alas, plans had to be cancelled. This left me with a few hours to kill in the afternoon before the Mastodon concert (which was the whole point of being in Montreal in the first place). So, after confirming with my bro that Schwartz's Deli is indeed the place to go for smoked meat, I set upon an excursion up the length of St. Laurent Blvd. to find this promised land of brisket.

After a bit of confusion, I finally was able to amble my way into the place. I was greeted by an enthusiastic and easy-going gentleman dressed in cook's whites who asked "to go?", to which I responded "Actually, one for here if you have room" (the place was packed, which I can guess is normal). He indicated a table of four with three people still sitting, so I sidled into a seat beside a bunch of strangers. I was in love with this place!

Inside Schwartz's Deli - A beautifully low-key environment for such a wonderful culinary experience!

As I sat and took in the surroundings (and snapped a pic or two), the other three folks finished and left, leaving me on my own at the table for a bit. Looking over the menu, I decided I'd go for the standard smoked meat on rye, fries, coleslaw and pickle. Within minutes, the "server" returned and I gave my order and asked if they served beer. Turns out they don't! But he suggested I get the traditional Cott's cherry soda with the order instead. With a "Sure, why not?", my fate was sealed! He also assured me that "medium" fattiness was the way to go. Sure, I could have gone for lean, but what would have been the point of that?

It didn't very long for my order to arrive, nor for a few more guests to join my table. What I really enjoyed about the laissez-faire ambience of the place was the hodge-podge of clientele: Japanese tourists with professional grade cameras, businessmen in from New York, locals on their break or day off, not to mention the two guys from Norway who sat next to me.

But, ambiance be damned, I was here for the food!


Smoked Meat on Rye, Fries, Slaw and a Dill Pickle - What else does a man need?


Now, before I tell you just how damn good this sandwich was, let me give you some background on the significance of smoked meat in my lifetime. Back when I was a little guy in the 80s, there was a place called Kardish's Deli in Ottawa's Hintonburg neighbourhood (wayyyy before it was trendy). Once a month or so after going to Mass (that's what Catholics call "going to church"), my dad would trundle all the kids into the van and we'd have lunch at Kardish's, being served by their legendary waitress Nancy who knew all seven kids by name and would always give us extra fries and pickles. It was probably the best thing from my childhood.

I'd still go into Kardish's in my later years, but in 2000 they closed down. For years I went around Ottawa hoping to find comparable smoked meat, to no avail. I also had been to some of the better delis in Montreal (like Ben's) and definitely enjoyed the smoked meat, but it still didn't quite measure up to Kardish's. I feared that nothing ever would.

Then, more than 11 years after my last bite of Kardish's came my first bite of Schwartz's smoked meat.

Angels sang!

Taste buds exploded into flavourgasms!

I exclaimed "Oh my God!" quite audibly while gripping the table.

This was like NOTHING I'd ever tasted. Kardish's be damned, this was the promised land! The meat didn't need to be chewed, it just dissolved in a smokey moment of bliss and spice.

I was in Heaven...

If you've never had smoked meat before, you might hear folks say that it's basically the same thing as pastrami or corned beef. Whoever told you that deserves a beating. While all three are basically cured and smoked beef (smoked meat is always brisket, other cuts are known to be used with the other two), pastrami and corned beef are usually sweeter and less peppery. You know that "Montreal Steak Spice" they sell at the supermarket? Imagine if Yahweh Himself whipped together a batch of that (in reality, it was invented by a Schwartz's employee in the '40s), rubbed it all over premium beef brisket, cured that mofo for 10 days, and then smoked it in a smokehouse dating back to the '20s. Starting to see the difference?

Montreal smoked meat is one of those "must try before you die" foods, and it must be tried at Schwartz's. Don't worry about the crowds, you'll find a seat next to a nice couple from Belgium or a bunch of techies on lunch break. Why would you have it any other way?

Oh, and the cherry soda? I wound up drinking two... Even with that, the bill was less than 20 bucks. What's not to love about the deli life?

Cheers!


Update - March 3 2012

After much pleading, I finally took Kari today. She really enjoyed the pickle: