Brunching & Lunching it in Montreal Part 4: Le Cartet

Le Cartet is an all around great sunday morning brunch spot. The place is beautiful in an old montreal industrial style kind of way. It's well lit by natural light pouring through windows on both ends of its long corridor shape. It's got high ceilings, white painted brick walls, and several long communal tables, with Edison bulbs hanging in a straight line at different heights all along the interior... their wires artistically knotted in line with the design style. It's a very warm and welcoming, montreal style decor that I love... especially on a sunny Sunday morning.

The waiting area is a small gourmet grocery corner of the restaurant, with plenty of interesting chocolates, teas, biscuits, olive oils, and ready to eat takeout items in an open fridge (fun to pop in and grab a little cheese platter with grapes and crackers). As soon as I walk in I fill up an Illy coffee at the self serve coffee counter in a to-go cup, to have while I wait. I'm pretty sure that counter is meant for people actually coming in to buy coffee and pastries to go, but I always help myself to a cup of Java, and nurse it until we sit down. No one has ever seemed to mind. I can handle a weekend morning wait for food... but that first coffee feels like life or death. The wait for a table is never more than 15 minutes, and the time passes quickly because of all the local and imported gourmet products to check out.

Le Cartet serves all the usual breakfast fare, but the highlight of the breakfast experience at Le Cartet are the different "complete breakfast" choices for $14.95. 5 or 6 interesting and different breakfast platters, all including a small fresh-squeezed oj, coffee & toast. To name a few: "Les Cantons", an egg, bacon, sausage, and potatoes served in a cast iron skillet with fruit and cheese on the side. "L'Atlantique", lox, a baked salmon cake, and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and a dill/yogurt dipping sauce in a shot glass... fruit and cheese on the side. My personal favorite is "Le Sante", two poached eggs served on multigrain toast with a chevre spread and arugula, a small yogurt parfait with blueberry and granola, figs, fruit, and organic cheddar cheese. I love it. Also, for an extra four dollars you can add a Mimosa to the party and make it a real breakfast with friends to remember! Sometimes it's just what the hangover calls for, or the just another way to celebrate a beautiful morning in our great city.

The service is quick and professional. The credit card processing is done at your table for a quick exit when you're ready to go out and enjoy the day. I'd probably rank Le Cartet last of the four spots I've covered. Not because it isn't a great spot, it's just not as consistent as Olive & Gourmando, Mckiernan, & Beautys. Everyone I have sent there gives the place rave reviews, but I do feel that the quality has gone down since they've opened: not as much attention to detail, a little less home made feeling (they used to have amazing jam) and sometimes, just sometimes, my "repas complet" choice feels like it was pre assembled before I ordered it and sat waiting on the kitchen ledge until my order came in. That being said, I still keep Le Cartet near the top of my list for brunch spots. It's just got the right sunday morning energy, and great food too. If you've never been there, try it out - it's also a great Montreal spot to take out of towners, who would enjoy a stroll by the old port after a deliciously gourmet breakfast.


Le Cartet
106 Rue McGill 
Hours:
Monday- Friday 7am- 8pm
Saturday-Sunday 9am-5pm

Brunching & Lunching it in Montreal Part 3: Beautys

To be perfectly honest I have probably eaten at Beautys for brunch or lunch 6 times in the last 14 days.  I wake up dreaming of Beautys waffles & blintzes. Beautys is a true Montreal establishment that most savvy tourists and every a-list celeb hits while passing through Montreal. I met up there with someone who had never heard of Beautys for a business lunch last week, and let me just say that if you are local and you have never even heard of Beautys, it better be because someone's kept you locked up in their basement for the last 25 years.

Now, Beautys. Everytime I slide my tush into a booth and navigate it around those big, worn down dips in the stuffed vinyl upholstery, and look down at that paper placemat, I know I'm home.  What a place. Clean, bright, stylish, and just right. People describe it as one of Montreals great"diners", but its not a diner. Its an amazing restaurant with top quality gourmet recipes and foods, disguised as a cool looking retro diner. There is no other diner experience like it in the world. 


If you go during normal eating hours, and there's no line when you get there, have a peek in the window because the place is probably closed. I was even there mid-week a few days ago and the place was packed to the brim with a small lineup out the door. 
I don't mind the wait. It's kind of part of the charm. Lots of chatter... 20-somethings recounting their nights out on the town, families trying to wrangle their hungry children, excited tourists reading the articles on the wall and getting helpful travel info from fellow diners-in-line. But Hymie is the start of the show. The 80-something founder mans the door and handles line-up himself.

Find him in the small waiting hallway (between the exterior and interior door of the restaurant) checking on the line, reminding us that "everyone is welcome", working the crowd with old time one-liners about the place. "Someone has been here since yesterday...we don't rush you at Beautys". He makes you want to experience Beautys, and even if you feel like he might not be absorbing that you want a table for four, that he may seem a little too old for the fast paced lunch scene- he's got more marbles than I do on a sunday morning, let alone any regular day. Hymie's also there every day of the week. In fact not only him - his son Larry and his grand daughter Alana. Three generations working together (and working their butts off to boot). Unbelievable to see, and pretty awesome in my opinion.

Hymie runs a tight operation

3 generations, Beautyful.

The menu is something else. Some of the best red lentil, split pea, & vegetable soup around. For me, every meal - whether breakfast or lunch - begins with a soup. The coffee is also first-rate. Just when I think I have discovered the perfect item and have settled into a comfortable "regular order" zone, Boom! Something amazing goes whizzing by that I just have to try. I have been eating at Beautys regularly for over 9 years now, and I have gone through many phases of different "favourites" and I am glad that I can proudly report that I have now had almost everything on the menu. I have reviewed the intel, and put it into a "Beautys Top Ten" list that I think is varied enough to cater to everyone, with some classic and some original (but all incredible) choices. Here she is, in no particular order (*Please note I have left out very obvious things like soup, challah with Jam, and other sides in order to keep the list at ten and not twenty five):

1. Greek Salad with chicken (either chicken salad or grilled)

(not the greek salad, but a scoop of amazing chicken salad)

2. Superbeautys 2 

The fulll enchilada, this is the true hangover remedy of the ages. Eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes and two pancakes.

3. Beautys Bonjour

Fried egg sandwich on a bagel, with cheese and bacon, breakfast in the perfect package. I always throw in a little tomato and lettuce.

4. Beautys Special
Bagel, lox and cream cheese, is a Montreal classic, and Beautys is the place that makes the original of this classic. The assembly and ingredients has been passed down through the generations at Beautys, and every time one is dropped at a table, it's a little piece of Montreal bagel art that's a treat for the eyes. 

5. Waffles with frozen "yogurt", mini chocolate chipits and fruit - (it's ice cream, but I like to pretend its frozen yogurt). I went through a serious phase of being obsessed with this menu item. I have recently replaced it with blintzes, but it's a great alternative to a "sweet" style pancake breakfast, and I will always consider it as I walk through the door at Beautys. This waffle wonder is also a great way to get your niece or nephew to love you forever.

6. Blintzes with sour cream & strawberries
I can't even explain it. I had never even tried blintzes before having them at Beautys, and I dont like them anywhere else. Ask for them well done, and experience something euphoric.

7. Club Salad
Like a club sandwich, in a salad. Bacon, chicken, cheese, tomato, and lettuce piled into one amazing chopped salad.

8. Fried Banana bread
Even though I like my recipe better, they butter it up and fry it on the griddle so perfectly- it's the only way to end a meal with a cup of coffee.

9. Rice pudding
The only place I will eat rice pudding. In fact, even if you think you hate rice pudding, you'll love it at Beautys.

1o. Mocchachino royale & all the smoothies

The good food doesn't end there - in fact it's just the tip of the iceberg. (You better get eating now). The service is great. The staff are friendly and efficient, they bring crayons to the table to keep the youngens entertained (and yes, you will find me with a cup of crayons dumped out on the table colouring in my placemat too). But don't be upset if when you order your bacon well done the waiter seems to be scribbling with his pen 3 mm above the paper and pretending to actually write this request. It's air-guitar special requests only at Beautys. They won't ask the kitchen for it, but they'll nod their heads as if they are doing it. But no worries, your bacon is still going to arrive well done & crispy.

Another happy bacon eating customer- she likes it crispy 

The takeout is great. I go all the time in the summer for a takeout picnic and head up the street to Mont Royal for a gourmet picnic - and I really feel it's the best way to celebrate the city we live in. It could be added to a list of tourist "must-do" activities. The takeout counter at Beautys is full of great stuff: mini bottles of maple syrup, banana breads, salad dressings, soup & crouton bags (croutons are made from Montreal bagels). You can pick up iconic Beautys T-shirts, hats, or coffee mugs too - a perfect gift to bring home to someone if you are visiting Montreal.

It's probably obvious by now, but I really love this place. It's not cheap, but again, it's not a diner.  If you want straight up eggs and bacon and don't care about the particulars, you can eat elsewhere and save a few bucks on breakfast.  Then again an egg breakfast with bacon, potatoes and toast will only run you $8.00 or so. I think you can handle it.

**Special mention of the BLT on Challah, because my man will kill me if I don't- It's delicious!

Beautys
93 Mont- Royal West
Open Weekdays 7am-3:30pm
Sat 7am-4:30pm 
Sun 8am-4:30pm

Brunching & Lunching it in Montreal Part 2: McKeirnan

McKiernan, the new-ish addition to the Joe Beef, Liverpool House, McMillan-Morin family on Notre Dame West is an incredible Montreal gem. This tiny lunch and-sometimes-supper spot has but 18 indoor seats in the winter, and a lively jamming terrace out-back when the spring-summer-fall weather permits. The vibe is sunny and cozy (love the four seater tables in the window banquettes), with a menu that boasts a wide range of items that are made with the restaurant's home-grown vegetables (from their patch out-back!). The more affordable McMillan owned spot brings the sud-ouest hipster crowd, Westmount lunching mommies & artsy business lunch crowd together for some of the best food the city has to offer. The decor is in theme with JB & LH, what seems to be a collection of mason jars, crates, collectibles, funky wall art and other rustic furnishings. The place is hopping at lunchtime but no matter how busy it is, chef Marc-Andre Leclerc, Curtis Vargo and his crew are bustling about, humming to the (great) music, and making it all look easy. It's casual, and it's styling.

Let's start with lunch. Everything on the menu is sublime. Everything. I have been hitting McKiernan for lunch for some time now - and it's the perfect lunch experience every time. Some of my favourites include: the Mckiernan Salad: beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, greens, radish & tomato. A mixed salad that's just filling enough. The pear and pecorino salad is perfectly executed, thinly sliced pear and coarsely grated pecorino cheese, pine nuts, arugula, and onion. Pear and pecorino have always been a favourite combo of mine, and I'm so glad it's there for the taking. The Chicken tikka sandwich was great too. And then there's the Cobb salad. Let's face it. Cobb salad is just the bomb - and that much better when it's done the McKiernan way. The club roll was good (served overflowing out of a toasted hot dog bun), but not exceptional, so maybe skip it when dining in a place with so many exceptional choices. The gnocchi special I had this past visit (today), was totally mind blowing. I didn't initially order it, but added it at the last second when I saw one being delivered to another table. Wow. Perfectly tender, with soft sun-dried tomatoes, greens, and lightly cheesed- it was rich but light. The pulled pork tacos were also amazing, and the turtle brownie made with pistachios was so good, I was still taking the last bites as I put my coat on and swearing I was too full for more. The menu is diverse and changes often, so you really have to go and see what makes your mouth water. It will definitely be an outstanding Montreal eating experience that will keep you coming back time and time again.

Pulled pork taco

Two girls, one brownie

In the summer they also make an amazing fruit lemonade. I can't wait for its return, but in the meantime, a lunchtime glass of vino will do fine.

About brunch... 3 important things: 1) it's only available Saturday; 2) it's heavy; and 3) it rocks. The lineup is about 30 minutes or so, but the hostess will call you when your table is ready, so you can peruse the antique stores nearby while you wait. If you can't handle the monster that is brunch at McKiernan, they always have the lunch menu (with salads) to fall back on. But the brunch is a not to be missed experience. The last time I ate there at 1pm, and I was not hungry again until about 9. The menu often changes, and is always imaginative and makes for a difficult ordering decision. The breakfast sandwich is colossal: it comes on a thin toasted (homemade) bun, with egg fritatta, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sausage, ham and of course bacon. 1 sandwich, 3 meats, no biggie right? wrong. I thought my friend (who can normally handle his breakfast meats) would have a heart attack just looking at the thing when it arrived at the table. But he polished it off an proceeded to move in on my grilled cheese (4 cheese & bacon grilled cheese= amazing). Lots of items on the McKiernan menu feature or include bacon in some way, and since everything in life is better with bacon, they get big points for that. Oh ya, the coffee is really awesome- my americano was first-rate.

Just like Olive & Gourmando, Mckiernan is tragically closed on Sundays & Mondays, but again, everyone needs time to relax and recharge. If you are visiting Montreal- I must reiterate, you cannot miss lunch at McKiernan (or dinner at Liverpool House for that matter) for a real authentic, original, and memorable Montreal meal.

McKiernan, 2485 Notre-Dame Ouest


Go to Lunching & Brunching it in Montreal: Part 1

Brunching & Lunching it in Montreal Part 1: Olive & Gourmando

Montrealers know what it's like when the sun starts shining, the ski equipment gets stored until next year, and the first few warm weekends arrive... we just want to get together with friends on a sunday morning, head out into our beautiful city and eat with reckless abandon (well I do anyway).

Over the next few days, I want to talk about 4 places I love for brunch & lunch. Because hell, even though it's snowing (lightly) as I write this - it's spring! Time to whip out your shades & leather jackets and go wait in line for some great brunch food!

These four places are some of my favorite of all time, anywhere, and we're lucky to have them right here at home. If you are coming to visit our great city, you simply cannot miss eating at these legend-status-worthy local spots. Not all of them serve brunch all week (who's brunching mid week anyway?), but they all have an excellent weekend brunch, and some of the most amazing weekday lunch around, spots I hit for a midday bite on an almost weekly basis. So here goes.... first stop; Olive & Gourmando.

As you approach the lineup pouring out the door of Olive & Gourmando in Old Montreal, you may want to turn on your heels and run in the other direction. If you do, you clearly have never eaten at O+G. Otherwise, you'd excitedly be placing your name on the list at the door, and waiting patiently outside on the bench like a good little puppy - soon to be rewarded by a world class eating experience.

O+G has always been one of my favorite places to be in Montreal. On a sunny day, with the open windows and breeze blowing through, or, as a cozy refuge of warmth from the rain and snow. O+G seriously serves up some of the best brunch & lunch I have ever come across. The cool design & the vibe hits you as soon as you walk through the door. Dark reds and purples, wooden counters, good lighting, nice fixtures, great music. At the back where you make your order, the food is beautifully styled and displayed on dishes inside the glass counter. There are pots of spices and tomatoes growing in all the windowsills. Beautiful. From the style of the words and graphics on the walls to the perfect placement of each bag of potato chips, (that seem as though they were tossed into a basket)... the place is right on.

The restaurant was opened and is owned by couple Eric and Dyan (and now another partner, the wonderfully sweet Shelley Garinther), and the fact that they are never too far from the shop really shines through in the quality of food and service. These owners are hands on, and passionate about their establishment. Eric checks each plate as it leaves the kitchen area before hitting the table (I mean EVERY plate), and Dyan works the front making sure clients are happy and the customer flow is running smoothly. I have rarely been in there when both of them weren't present. Strangely, their staff lack some warmth - it's not always service with a smile, but it is fast and professional. The rest of the sweet O+G package more than makes up for it.

Owner Eric Girard checking each plate for perfection.

Breakfast here is really all about the pastries. One more delicious than the next. The rustic and consistently incredible quality of the baked goods is like a magic trick happening to your senses. It all looks, feels and tastes completely unreal. The "Egg on your face" sandwich is a bite into something special: oven roasted tomato, chopped poached egg salad and proscuito. A treat for your taste buds. They also have an excellent yogurt and granola dish if you are on the healthy plan (a plan you will soon throw away as you walk by the pastry counter), and as though that's not enough, they also serve a way-better-than-average coffee.

A few of my favourites from the pastry counter include; personal banana bread loaf (a great companion for a morning coffee and Gazette in hand), valrhona chocolate brioche (Eric's fave), Jami's Bar (named after the former pastry chef at O+G), Apple turnover, and I can't seem to leave the premises without a chocolate chip pecan cookie.

Can't wait to see where in Montreal Jami & his sweets will turn up next...

Mandatory cookie to-go

For lunch Olive has 2 soups a day, always amazing, so original, healthy, and hearty. Salads change daily, and the very original signature dishes (baked mac & cheese that will make your mouth water) change seasonally. The sandwich board has 6 choices, one of which rotates seasonally and the rest are O&G staples. 3 hot paninis, 3 cold sandwiches. They are imaginative, varied enough to suit all eating preferences (an amazing "Viva Las Vegan" sandwich with tofu can even turn my meat eating self into a temporary herbivore), and perfect every time. My favorite has always been the cajun chicken, avocado & mango sandwich on char-grilled bread, but the more new stuff I try, the more addicted I become to it all. And I have been a die-hard fan for close to 7 years.

I don't think I can hold your attention long enough to describe it all, because honestly the menu at O+G is like stepping into another galaxy of pastry and sandwich eating. I'll just say you'd be hard pressed to find other places churning out this kind of heavenly goodness anywhere in the world. So go.

Unfortunately Olive & Gourmando is closed on Sunday and Monday (yes, it is completely insane for them to be closed on Sunday, but it's all in the name of a day of rest, thus giving you 110% quality the rest of the time).

Olive & Gourmando
351 Rue Saint-Paul West

On tap for this week's brunch/lunch blog bonanza: Mckiernan, Beautys, & Le Cartet.

OrangeX Jupiter: an extreme orange experience.

I went to visit my bro in New York two weekends ago. As soon as his apartment door swung open, I instantly noticed a bag of 24 oranges sitting on his counter next to a tall, lean, shapely, gorgeous new friend. Unfortunately for him, that beauty was... a juicer. I hadn't even taken my jacket off, and I was already slicing, juicing, and freaking. "I need one of these IMMEDIATELY!!!!....IMMEDIATELY!" I exclaimed (kind of screeched), with my weekend bags all around me on his kitchen floor. He went into his room, pulled out a massive Williams Sonoma bag, with a huge, extremely heavy box inside of it, and said "How immediate do you mean?", and right then and there, presented me with my very own OrangeX (Jupitor model) juice press, the Greek God of citrus juicers: It's tall, curvy, tough, all muscle, yet simple, and classic. A ruler of it's universe, it will extract all available juice from any citrus fruit with ease. The whole gift exchange moment was so perfect it could have been scripted, as I danced around celebrating the new addition to my kitchen.

I had done some research on juicers, as I've had my eye on one for a while, and I can report that the Jupiter OrangeX Professional Juice Press is really in a class of its own. They even have the exact same one at a favorite Miami juice bar/eatery: Miami Juice. If it's good enough for Miami Juice... it's going to kick butt in my kitchen forever.

What's the big deal about this juicer? Here's a few of the many things I love about it:

1. It doesn't slip and slide around the counter, like some of the more residential style ones (even the OrangeX juicers in those categories aren't great). It's heavy iron and has great suction cups on the base. We're talking heavy duty business here.

2. It's beautiful in its industrial simplicity. So easy to use (except for the fact that when Eric first saw it and tried to use it, he attempted to jam a full orange inside it instead of cutting the orange in half. I guess it's not completely idiot proof). It's so simple, and well built, with few moving parts, all iron and steel... which means you don't have to worry about a malfunction, an electronic problem, or replacing cheap or hard to find parts. The handle is long, ergonomic, rubber, and quality. This press should be with you a long long time.

Nice try Eric

3. It's green. No plug, no motor, no electronics, no noise, and no power required (except for the power of your bicep and a touch of tricep action to finish it off). A simple, functional, machine that delivers a universally loved, healthy, all natural, ready to eat product... quickly and deliciously.

4. It actually looks great. And it doesn't take up much space. I couldn't wait to find a permanent spot for it on the counter. It's a classic design: white, traditional, almost rustic looking, slim, and plain cool.

5. Kids love this thing. I finally have something in the house that I could entertain a child with for more than 35 seconds. We had two toddlers visit (separately) in the last few days, and both were captivated by it. Save for slicing the oranges and the power required to press it all the way down - they can basically do it themselves. My niece offered everyone in the room a glass (praying they'd say yes), and then asked us 14 times during dinner if we could make more juice.

6. It's easy to clean. Just grab the two stainless steel round parts, both easy to remove, rinse off, and put back. No nooks and crannies where pulp might get stuck, no delicate pieces to worry about.

7. It's great for making delicious cocktails. We tested it out this weekend with a good old fashioned cocktail showdown. My brother Jonathan was in town staying with us, and we had some friends over for drinks before heading out for my birthday. Jonathan made a brazilian drink called "Caipirinha", using lime that he pressed, and Eric made the "Little Devil Cocktail" using pressed lemon (and rum and gin - by the way, not a winning combo); both recipes out of the cute Bartender's Pocket Guide book. I made my very own, original, "Bluma Bellini" with Champagne, fresh pressed blood orange & grapefruit, and smashed raspberry. I definitely won over the ladies in the house, and got points for using the press in the most unique way (which reminds me - you can also press pomegranates in the OrangeX. Pretty awesome right?). But a special mention of Jonathan's drink; that although no one actually liked- someone in the room who had travelled to Brazil said it tasted very authentic- so he would have placed high in the "replicating a traditional drink" cocktail-off. Better luck next time brohan. The only (negative-ish) comment I would make is that I love a nice amount of pulp in my juice, and although trace amounts of pulp do escape into the glass, I like to scoop some out of the top strainer and stir it into the juice.

8. It's great for cooking. If you cook with lemon like I do, it's amazing. No seeds, fast, and right there next to my cutting board. It may be a bit large for the size of a lemon, so it may extract a little less than a traditional wooden reamer. But again, fast, clean, no seeds = awesome. I've already used it more times than I can remember this week. Caeser salad dressing, roasted brocolli, piccata limone, and this list goes on. And this thing is going to make whipping up an Arnold Palmer in the summer a breeze. I can't wait.

9. Who doesn't love fresh juice? Get yourself one of these, and enjoy.

Please note; Williams Sonoma's website does not feature this model (not sure why).

A Juicy follow up! After a dinner party at our house this past weekend, the tail end of party moved into the kitchen (that's just where we hang in my house), and of course- we had to do a little OrangeX demo for our friends. Here's how it went down.