Tequila Taco House
The intersection of St-Laurent and Sherbrooke features a gas station, followed by Med; an apartment building; the Opus hotel; and a doomed location that has been utilized more effectively in the last couple years as a high visability billboard. The space is now in use by a new Mexican restaurant instead of a shampoo ad, and it’s only a matter of time to see if it will shine like the luscious locks of the model who has since been removed.
Large windows make the space well lit and allow for every table to have an excellent view of the street, which is nice for people watching during the street festivals in the summer. The interior is adorned with many tables and a small bar with the most basic of liquor selections. Dehydrated and over-heated, we down several glasses of ice water while deciding on our appetizers. The menu reads with descriptions of various chilies, spices and citrus marinades. Several pages list options of enchiladas, tacos and fajitas, as well as full plate meals of fish, pork, chicken and beef. We’re having trouble making a decision.
A man comes out of the kitchen and presents us a plate of four small complimentary flautas; corn tortillas deep-fried and filled with queso fresco, a mild and creamy cheese. These are decidedly bland on their own, but soon two accompaniments join them. Our choice of a cilantro tomatillo salsa or a mild red sauce make them much more enjoyable. We decide to order a few light dishes that we can share between us, just to get a feel for the place.
Yea! Frozen Yogurt
The previous gelaterie at this location left much to be desired, offering several flavors that tasted like lightly infused milk. The hours of operation seemed random, it made a stint as a sandwich and salad shop, and then went out of business. Now in its place is Yea! which I’ve been trying to construe as some sort of acronym to make it seem less silly. It sounds more like an interruption than a destination.
“Let’s go to…”
“Yea! And get some frozen yogurt!”
This place took my favorite part of going to the buffet as a fat kid and added an adult spin. Several flavors of soft serve dispensers filled with various flavors of frozen yogurt line the back wall, with various sized bowls to dispense into. The smallest bowl, I should note, is basically the size of a pint.
The eight flavors on tap during my visit are mango and blueberry, natural and green tea, mint and chocolate marshmallow fudge, strawberry and cheesecake. Each dispenser allows you to select each flavor individually, or simultaneously in a swirl – so it’s definitely good that all these flavors are complimentary. I’ve made quick work of their selection this week and have chosen a personal preference of mint and natural. The natural has a creamy and acidic yogurt tang that is complimentary with any other option and the mint is actually quite light and refreshing, certainly nothing like the neon green mintload achieved elsewhere.
The reason for my preference of the lighter flavors is because of an enormous topping bar. There must be something like 50 different things to choose from, ranging from the extremely healthy (flax seed and wheat germ) to the not-so healthy (oreos and froot loops). One section is entirely dedicated to fresh fruit (watermelon, berries, pineapple) and a wide assortment of traditional sundae toppings (sprinkles, chocolate chips) and crumbled candy bars (kitkat, coffee crisp).
Your selection is put on a scale and you pay 48 cents per ounce. This has averaged around $5 a bowl in the half-dozen times I’ve visited, which is fairly reasonable. The real value here is that you’re not limited to frozen yogurt. Should you choose to, you’re allowed to fill up a bowl entirely with toppings. A 10 ounce fruit salad, for example? $3.50. Hmm, how much does bulk wheat germ usually go for?
Yea! has all the makings of a marketable chain, but I cannot find any information on whether this is a franchise or not via the Internet. Oh well, I guess I just have another excuse to go back now.
Yeh! Yogourt Glace & Cafe 3804 Bouelvard St-LaurentPicks
For years I’ve had dietary reservations about popping into a fast food restaurant and grabbing a burger, but for some reason these little hole-in-the-walls get me almost every time I pass by. Some element of these tiny burger joints appeals to the impulsive side that stems directly from my belly, instead of my brain that knows we don’t need another burger down there. The latest pull even had me venturing out of my way to try Picks.
Picks is literally just off St. Catherine’s, but I imagine a lot of people just walk right by without even noticing it. Similarly, when noticing their storefront, the three kogos that adorn their sign escapes me at first. More than a logo, those kogos, as far as I can tell, are a unique Picks invention, the love child of French fries and a corn dog. Made on the premises, these hot dogs on a stick are dipped in a corn batter with chunks of potato and deep-fried. Ordinary fries, as well as the standard Quebecois poutine, are also available, but an ordinary corn dog, strangely, is not.
No Nonsense Naan
Naan, for those unaware, is a Middle Eastern and Indian flatbread typically served with curries or soups. Generally when we think of naan, we think of blistering hot tandoor ovens and puffy fermented dough. I wanted to try and establish a recipe I could make at home with ingredients that pretty much every household has on hand.
Peanut Brittle
Upon receiving a piece of brittle with my truffles at Holder, conversation ensued about brittles in general. Why is brittle so hard to find? I’m really not sure. Considering how economic it is to make brittle in your own home, it is surprising that only artisan shops are taking advantage of it commercially. Thinking about it now, I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen even basic peanut brittle for sale in Quebec. A piece of brittle can cost you almost a buck an ounce at a place like Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, which was our standard treat shop when we were living in Alberta.
Alright, so most homes don’t have copper kettles and marble slabs and aren’t going to yield quite the results of a confectioner, but they’ll do. The great thing about making brittle in your own home is the options that it affords you. Finding peanut brittle, it would seem, can be a chore. Finding cashew and macadamia brittle would be all but impossible. The recipe is extremely versatile, and you can substitute any of your favorite nuts, or even nut-like things, in place of peanuts. If you’re looking to get adventurous, try wasabi peas, chocolate covered espresso beans, or bacon!
Sacwich
When I saw the location was under construction, I had my doubts. The name, for one, is ridiculous. This particular location on Atwater has a poorly distinguished entrance from Nickel’s, which is a restaurant I would really rather never even step foot in again. It’s with much luck that I even ended up inside to begin with. I was pleasantly surprised.
Holder
Housed in the former building of an old Bank of Montreal is the well-established bistro Holder. Upon entering the building you’re greeted with the lobby of what could feel like a modernized 19th century bank. The second you open the doors comes a surprise change in ambiance, as an amazing supply of sound billows out from the restaurant. I am more than slightly amazed at this level of sound-proofing and am tempted to play with the doors childishly, relishing in the, “Now it’s quiet! Now it’s not!”
You’ll either identify with Holder the moment you open those doors or you won’t. The restaurant and bar combined must seat around 200 people at capacity, and I don’t believe a single seat was empty until we were getting up to leave around 11pm. This, on a Thursday night, mind you. Although the bar is comparatively smaller, it is certainly spacious, and offers an equal billing between after work drinks and nibbles, and a proper meal.
Enjoy the Heat
For the uninitiated, chili peppers can seem incredibly intimidating. Even banana peppers, which are comparatively barely hotter than a bell pepper, can leave some waving their hands in front of their mouths. Repeated consumption of capsaicin, the compound that makes chilies hot, causes a desensitization to the burn. That may sound like something a chili head tells you when he’s trying to trick you into eating a habanero, but it’s true. The more you eat chilies, the more you increase your ability to tolerate spicy food. That is why one person can eat a plate of vindaloo without breaking a sweat, while another would be reaching for the milk after a single bite – they’ve simply eaten more chilies in their lifetime.
Milk, it should be noted, should be the beverage of choice for the amateur chili consumer. Capsaicin is particularly soluble in fat, but completely insoluble in water, so a nice cold glass of H2O is only going to spread the burn around in your mouth. The lactose and casein in milk also help make it perfectly suitable for relieving the burn. Capsaicin is also particularly soluble in alcohol, which is why spicy food is often paired with an ice cold beer. Since the alcohol percentage of beer is still relatively low, milk is still the best extinguisher for the fire though.
Knowing that you can overcome the burn of chilies is one thing, but perhaps a more important question is, why would you want to?
Supertaster
A supertaster is exactly what it sounds like: someone with exceptional, or “super” taste buds. As many as 1 in 4 people may be considered supertasters, and it is easy to determine whether or not you are one of them by taking part in a simple test. A chemical, propylthiouracil, is sprayed on a piece of paper. This scentless chemical tastes extremely bitter to supertasters. You simply put the piece of paper in your mouth and discover which category you fall into: super or average. Curious, I purchased this from Supertastertest.com. I received my tests within a week, a tiny Ziploc bag containing two tiny paper strips, for $10.95 USD including shipping and handling. Perhaps a steep cost for such an, er… product, but a small price to pay to sedate curiosity.
Tomato (Restaurant)
I’d seen the scooters riding around town and the advertisements for four 9″ pizzas for $33. I’d eaten at their St-Denis location once and was less than impressed, but thought I’d give them another chance.