Sunday brunch at Chien Fumant, a winter treat.

Just another beautiful, balmy -40C Montreal morning. Eric and I decided to head out to brunch. We went about our Sunday ritual of trying to pick a brunch place even as we get into the car and start driving. We headed out over sun streaked, Mont-Royal with no particular destination, then Le Chien Fumant popped into my head. 

I had been resistant to try Chien Fumant since their opening a year or so ago. Reviews (from press & friends alike) had been good, to so-so, and the place is not inexpensive (I'm not risking a pricey night out, on a place I hear might be so-so, feel me?)... And then recently my friend Lev uploaded a facebook pic of his delicious brunch at Chien Fumant. Only it didnt look delicious. It told a story of someone who couldn't keep down their late night eats. Nothing sunny or inviting about this one. In Lev's defence, he realized (after a few comments under his upload) that the photo didn't quite do justice to the experience. But it was too late for me. That photo (shown below), had done me in, and brunch at Chien Fumant fell off my radar.

Make you wanna go mmm? Didn't think so.

Until today. -40 degrees with an extreme hunger front coming in. Chien Fumant was the obvious choice I thought, because I did want to try it out eventually, and brunch is perfect for first time try outs. I said I'd only blog about the truly delightful or the downright degolasse and I'm pleased to report this experience fell into the former category. I definitely let too many Sundays slip by without visiting this place.

We walk into Chien Fumant, and yes! it's cozy (only 35 seats), and busy. And it made me instantly wish I had brought my good camera. The place is well styled, from the decor (bottles of booze, hanging at different lengths over the bar, cool lighting), to the odd not antique-ish china plates, and the personal styles of the staff. All funky, but with polished class.  The 16 year old-looking busboy/waiter/barista/ barman, who offered us coffees and refilled our waters with a smile, turned out not to be any of the above, but the unassuming, hard working, owner of the place, Dave. He was working his well oiled machine, and working it hard. Beautiful coffee, slurp-worthy bloody marys, all him. All while checking in on the kitchen and the customers.

The very sweet waitress, with a vintagey blue dress to match her eyes, and an awesome 40's hairdo, told us that the menu was behind us on a chalk board, always Southern style, and changed weekly. Southern style breakfast means two things: 1. It's going to be tasty delicious, and 2. There is no healthy option. Don't even think about it. The only fruit in the joint was the wedge of orange on the glass of my fresh sqeezed OJ (which was a sweet citrus explosion), and the caramelized apples served in a  heap over sausage stuffed french toast. And as for veggies: Fried potato patties, and chives....That's pretty much where they draw the line on those vital food groups. Who can blame them...it's brunch in the south at Chien Fumant, and it works.

The menu was small but we still had a hard time choosing only 2 items to share. We sat at the bar facing the kitchen watching all the food prep, so after 15 minutes we knew exactly what we wanted to eat. Too bad we ordered 12 minutes ago. We had settled on southern style breakfast (2 eggs & the works), and now I knew I wanted (and needed) the cheddar & chive waffle, with pulled pork & pickled onions topped with a fried egg. When we pulled the last minute order swap, the staff was happy to oblige. I can say that with confidence because I watched as the message got passed along, and our french toast order got cancelled (and pulled from the stove mid-cuisson), and no one looked even a smidge annoyed. Classy. 

The kitchen is an open air, small space. We watched as each plate was tenderly prepared with care. Everything looked amazing. The huevos divorcados (great name), and french toast orders that went by looked mint, and I watched the happy patrons devouring their plates, and swapping bites with one another.  

A look down the bar, provided an exciting preview of good things to come.

The food arrived, and it was glorious. The southern eggs breakfast was really a perfect standard breakfast, without being standard at all. Eric could not get over the perfectly fried eggs- while I moaned and groaned in potato, cake & sour cream bliss. soft, salty, crispy & delicious (Eric and I had a minor fork fight for the last bite of potato, thankfully no forks or humans were injured. he won). WOW. My only comment would be that the bacon could have been crispier for my taste (given that I saw them drop it into a deep fryer).

The cheddar & chive waffle was perfectly cooked, soft and doughy, with a crispy exterior. The tasty pulled pork was a very generous portion- they could get away with serving half the amount they do- but I'm glad they don't. It was juicy and delicious, smokey & just right on. Add a fried egg, perfectly executed CF style, a drop of pickled onion, and it's complete. I could think of 100 things to put on that waffle, and apparently so can they- the waffle is a regular on the CF brunch menu.

Chien Fumant is a special Sunday brunch spot. It's no egg white omelette with a side of berries and granola, but it also wasn't as greasy or heavy as expected. I didn't feel like I had to take a long lie down after, or even unbutton my skinny jeans. I plan on returning for dinner (for a full breakdown), hopefully soon- with Lev, and he won't be handling any cameras.

Chien Fumant

4710 Rue de Lanaudiere

514. 524.2444

Open Tuesday-Sunday for dinner, and for drinks until 2am

Sunday Brunch

Closed Monday

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.