Fraser Café

What a better way to end a morning at the RCMP Musical Ride Open House than to check out a restaurant near there, to which I had never been!

I have long heard about the Fraser Café.

The restaurant run by the Fraser brothers, the restaurant with a short seasonal, fresh menu, the restaurant located in an area I don't frequent much. The stars were finally aligned and I had the opportunity to check it out. Accompanied by the hubby, the mom, friend M and toddler lil G.

I had checked out their site the night before and they seemed to have a lunch and brunch menu on Saturdays. When we got there we found out it's only a brunch menu on Saturdays. I checked after and some of the lunch items are on this brunch menu - guess the lunch menu is just a weekday thing.

This place is beautiful. Lots and lots if natural light. It's long and narrow and decorated simply and whimsically but modern. I especially liked the bamboo tables.

They had a neat salt and pepper thing going on.

The mom and toddler both had the special of the day, a Croque-Monsieur with pea meal bacon, tomatoes and three cheeses in the sandwich, served with salad, roasted potatoes and a chutney of sorts.

The hubby had the Cheeseburger with smoked bacon, salad and fries.

Friend M had Scrambled eggs with cheese curds, roasted potato, sausage and tomato.

I had the Huevos Rancheros served with a salad and a salsa.

We could not resist sharing some homemade donuts to end the meal! First time I have donuts that have their very own dipping sauce!

Review:
Each one of us left this place satisfied. Completely satisfied.

And the power had gone off due to a wind storm after we had finished eating, but that didn't matter. I felt sorry for the people who had just gotten there and were not able to enjoy what we just had.

The service was outstanding. So attentive, accommodating to the toddler in tow, fast and so, so pleasant.

The food was delicious. Tasty flavour combinations and texture variances between each plated component. I could go on and on, but really, everything was good. The highlight, the donuts. The chocolate dipping sauce that looks like a tiny cuppa hot chocolate is genius. Pure, sweet genius.

I didn't even used the oh-so-cute flaked salt - didn't need to! Seasoning all around was great.

It's a tad loud in there. A little hard to have a normal conversation. But it's also a sign of happy people.

There is on-street parking. Restaurant is not wheelchair accessible.

Prices are reasonable. Make reservations.

Mango salsa

I tasted this mango salsa for the first time two years ago.

Four couples of friends had rented a cottage for a week. Each of us couples were responsible for a dinner. One of our friends who was a chef in a 'previous life' in Montreal had made this salsa for the meal for which 'his couple' was responsible. (It's great to have a friend with skills I admire so!)

The other day, a cold day in winter, I reminisced about those warm summer days. I decided I wanted a sunny boost in the form of fruits and veg! I found out what had gone into making that dish and gave it a shot!

No measuring, just the ingredients to preference.

Atulfo mangoes
Tomatoes, seeded
Cilantro
Red onion
Sriracha sauce

Chop produce, squeeze a few drops of sauce and mix.

Review:

This un-recipe is awesome! It's packed with flavour, texture, colour and nutrients. The balance heat-sweetness-tang is great. The salsa goes well with fish, chicken and seafood. And it's good with beef too!

Bar&Boeuf

The second of two nights in Montreal, the second opportunity to check out a gourmet hotspot for dinner. We researched potential locations from home before coming and the chosen one seemed promising to offer a quality experience.

I dined at Bar&Boeuf, a "bistro gourmand" with the hubby and friend M. It's surf and turf prepared with seasonal ingredients, presented and prepared with a 'twist'.

The place is beautiful, chic and modern but comfortable and welcoming. The lighting is quite dim which makes it all the more cozy.

We all decided to have the tasting menu. All the guests at a table must agree to have it in order for it to be served.

An amuse-bouche to get the party in our mouths started.

White bread served with unsalted butter and flaked salt.

PEI oysters with white wine and oyster juice sabayon, cipollini onions a chanterelle schmear and lardons.

Veal sweetbreads, foie gras sauce and red beets.

Filet mignon on cauliflower purée, turnip, a dollop of mustard and jus.

Caprice des cantons cheese with BBQ carrots, pumpernickel and clementines.

A chocolate and peanut butter tart with orange sherbet, curd-like citrus dollop, candied nuts and a mousse schmear.

Review:

In a nutshell, food, outstanding, service, satisfactory, vibe, laid back and trendy, prices, average for 'upscale', location, great (in the Vieux-port).

There was also a wine pairing that seemed to be to the liking of the hubby and friend M.

It was the first time I tasted sweetbreads, and I liked them. They had a distinct flavour but were tender and tasty.

I like the cheese course. Not only was the cheese was tasty, but I liked the concept of it before dessert. This was also a first for me.

I loved the bread, and the fact that I could salt as desired. Fun!

The seating is comfortable and meant to be sat on a long time.

Taste of Winterlude: Burnt Butter's The Art of Hand-Rolled Pasta

What better Christmas gift for a foodie than a culinary experience. In this case, a pair of 'tickets' to Burnt Butter's The Art of Hand-Rolled Pasta.

Burnt Butter is an Italian restaurant in the Hintonburg area of Ottawa.

It was the perfect gift for me for a few reasons. There's thought that went into it, it made me feel special. Christmas has so much hoopla, to actually have a residual activity when you have time to breathe and appreciate it is very nice. I didn't have to cook or do dishes! I didn't have to find 'a place for it'. I hadn't been to Burnt Butter yet. I love trying new restaurants! I love food. That about covers it! Oh, and the event promised to knock me off my Vespa!

As we came in, we were warmly greeted and the course of the evening was explained. The seating was family-style. Two long narrow tables with one person from each dining party on one side and the other across the table. The kitchen staff could be seen from an opening through the wall, this was from where the food was also served. Standing at the opening was considered the pasta-making demo. We bypassed that idea, picked up our glass of Prosecco and found our assigned table.

The restaurant decor was modern and simple. The lighting was low and cozy but it was bright enough to see well. One wall was made of windows that overlooked Wellington, a prime people-watching street.

This was a sold out event. There were five courses and they each had a wine pairing.

The first course was Lime cappelletti filled with Gorgonzola in a chive brodo.

The second course was a Salad of spinach agnolotti filled with butternut squash, red onion, black olives, tomatoes and a black raspberry vinaigrette.

The third course was Curry angel hair pasta with shrimp, mango, mint, nutmeg, Marsala wine and cream.

The fourth course was Cajun triangoli filled with beef and oyster mushrooms on a papaya purée.

The fifth course was spelt ravioli stuffed with chicken, cranberries and Ricotta with anchovy pomodoro sauce.

A truffle was served to each guest to conclude the meal.

Comments:

Although I had high hopes for this experience, it fell a little short of my expectation, for a few reasons.

I am not a fan of family-style dinners. I am quite shy and am not into superficial conversations to pass the time. I can also feel socially awkward at times. Not having a choice gave me a bit of anxiety, but I had to go with the flow! Now having said this, the two ladies we ended up sitting next to made the evening for the hubby and I. They were interesting, funny, personable and genuine. Joanne and Susan, if you're reading this, hello!

The pasta was underwhelming. It was tough. I know nothing about hand-rolled pasta, and maybe that's the texture it's supposed to have, but I didn't care for it. The hubby, our friendly neighbors and I thought it was also a little thick. Most of the sauces and other plated elements were satisfactory, a few under seasoned, but overall tasty.

Two things struck me as odd about the evening. It was set to start at 6:00 pm. The restaurant was gracious enough to wait until all the diners had arrived to start, so this brought us to almost 6:30 pm. No big deal, but... There were bread baskets ready to be served and the people who got there on time, like us, would really have enjoyed pecking at them while we waited. The other thing was the end. No offer of coffee/tea. And no dessert. I would have loved for there to be a pasta-based dessert course.

The wine pairing was great-the hubby was really impressed. Although I found the sommelier a little pushy (trying to get people out to the monthly dinners of the same type as that night), he was very knowledgeable and personable, and his passion was obvious.

We all had trouble hearing each other. Although a buzz is a good sign and it usually means a good time, it's difficult to have a normal conversation.

I was expecting more of a demo/learning opportunity during this event. The small window overlooking the kitchen was not welcoming. I didn't even go take a peek.

The service was great, attentive, friendly, professional.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

The long-awaited for Five Guys Burgers and Fries has just opened at the Trainyards.

This eatery serves burgers, hotdogs, fries and a few sandwiches.

I went for lunch two days after it opened and it was fairly busy but somehow, it felt like organized chaos. The table turnover was fast, the orders were taken quickly, the food was speedy to come out.

The ordering process is a little tricky. The difference between a burger, and a little burger is that the little one has only one patty, while the regular version has two.

Toppings can be ordered individually but they can also be ordered like this:

• options in black text is 'all the way'
• options in black text and in red text is 'everything'

The hubby had the Bacon Cheeseburger. He had it topped with 'everything': mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, jalapeño peppers, green peppers, A1 steak sauce, BBQ aside, hot sauce.

I had the Little Bacon Cheeseburger topped 'all the way' with: mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard.

We shared a large drink. It was a two-handed cup.

We each had an order of fries, him Cajun, me regular salted.

Observations:

• It's a messy meal, napkins are necessary. Lots.
• It's a loud, loud place. Loud rock music, the grills, the kitchen banter, the ordering - all competing with each other.
• One order of fries is more than plenty to share between two, or maybe even three, people. They were good, not great, but quite tasty and nicely cooked.
• The burgers are AWESOME!
• The service was good, very personable, patient as we figured out how to order, friendly.
• Toppings were great. Tasty and a wide variety.
• They have mayo in which to dip your fries, just ask.
• There is free parking.
• Prices are average for a specialized burger joint. The hubby and I paid about $25 or so for two burgers, two fries and a large pop.

3 petits bouchons

Happy birthday to Friend Anne! The trip I recently took to Montreal was in honour of her birthday, which took place, last July. Yes, last July. A trip with friends is better than a useless gadget anyday, no? Even if it's a little late?

Chosen place for birthday dinner? Les 3 petits bouchons. We started the meal in style with some Prosecco.

This place is quite small, with seating for about 50, and by the looks of it, has been around a long time, at least the building has.

Seven of us went and we ate a bunch of food, ALL of it great. Each plate had a melody of components, and I could not keep track of them all which is why this post is mostly a photo recap. Some might call it food porn.

During the first course, we indulged in oysters, pieuvre, crab, foie gras, double-smoked bacon + goat cheese, dates, prosciutto and many accoutrements!

The mains offered us agnolotti, veal chop and veal tartare, duck, risotto, chanterelles and bits of this and that.

To end the meal on a sweet note, some of us ordered tarte tatin or a chocolate cake thing with cherries.

Review:

This restaurant was suggested to us by locals; the concensus was that it exceeded our expectations. The suggestion came from foodies so we expected good things, but this was outstanding.

This place is quaint and cozy, comfortable and warm. The service, could not ask for better. So, so knowledgeable, passionate, attentive, fun and just plain nice.

We mostly all had different menus items and we all swapped bites. This really maximized our experience.

Prices were reasonable, average to the type of eatery serving seasonal, local fare.

The one criticism some of us had was that the bread was cold, would have been nice for it to be warm.

This place is not wheelchair-accessible. Parking is available on the street where you can get it.