No. 900

I bike passed No. 900 pretty much every day on my way to work. And every damn time, I tell myself I could go for a good pizza. Yes, even at 7am. I'm like that, you know. SO, the other day, when Val called me to tell me she was there and needed someone to share her pizza with, I was like mmmya j'arrive. I mean, I gotta say I was going more to see my girl, but a bit of pizza would also help. Hahaha. Pizza ALWAYS helps.

I left my house quite quickly, and I was interrupting a very chill session watching somethin' on my computer, so I got there in jogging pants and a sweatshirt. Ya, that happened. I mean, it wasn't a chic place by any means, but come on, girl could've made a bit of effort. Yes, I'm talking about myself.

All pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven, for 90 seconds, at 900 degrees. dang that's hot. It's also why it's called No. 900. They so smart! BTW, there are, like, 120 No. 900 in Québec. I exaggerate. I believe there are 18. That's a lot of dough. A LOT of dough. It also makes for very quick service, which is what everyone wants. Show me ONE person that likes slow service. I dare you.

Val had ordered the caclocavallo and porchetta pizza. These pizzas were quite big and, in my head, obviously not made to be eaten by only one person. Let's face it, people, it's for one and a half person. I was more than happy to be the half person in this case. On top of that lovely meat, this pizza had pecorino romano, fior de latte, parsley oil, and roasted mushrooms.

With the pecorino AND the fior de latte, it was veeeery cheesy, veeery lactose intolerant non-friendly. Hahaha! But who gives a sh*t. Cheese is so good, I was just going to suffer the consequences later. The crust, even if it was super thin (just the way I likes my crust), it wasn't falling apart like cray. The mushrooms were charred to perfection, and the pesto was quite a great addition. Who knew parsley could be so good?! To make it even better, you know what you dso? You put some spicy oil on yo pizza. For me, that's pleasure X 100. Our hands were all oily and nasty by the end. And then, you know what we did? We licked those hands. YASS!!!

Service was great! I got there, sat down in my stupid jogging pants, and the waiter came by, asked if I wanted to order food or drinks. When we said that we would share, he brought me an extra napkin AND a plate. Oh, and much needed water (that oil was a bit a on the spicy side!).

And now, les scores!

Food: 9
Service: 8.5

Oh ya, I'm going back.

Alegria

The first night Boo and I were in Samanà, Dominican Republic, we walked down from our bed and breakfast to Punta Popy, a picturesque beach. Can I go back now please? Mmmmthanks! There's a line up of restos right on the other side of the beach, overlooking it, and it is just SO UGLY to look at. Or, you know, the opposite. We were looking for a drink at first so we headed to Alegria. And then we beached it up and came back for dinner!

The place is the cutest thang ever: all white with some red and light blue, and palm tree leaves as a roof. A very waterproof roof. We were actually sitting in the common area of our bed and breakfast while it was pouring and we were in awe. Imagine two girls looking up at the roof, with our mouths wide open. We sat at a counter facing the water. Argh, that view SUCKED. Or, you know, was the best thing ever.

We both had what we could only describe as "the blue drink". Actually, it was called "Aquarium". It was quite intense! And it was such a huge drink. Oh, I ain't complaining :p It was fuuuull of alcohol too. Again, not complaining! Blue Curacaô, rhum, tequila, Martini and sugar. Having a drink in front of the beach and the palm trees is pretty much THE dream. That sh*t never gets old.

We were tipsy and ready to hit the beach! So we walked about 20 steps hahaha!!! Had a little swim, played with a stray dog, and went back to Alegria for dinner!

We shared dishes, of course. I had the parsley and garlic shrimp (duh!). The shrimp were cooked just perf and were so freaking tasty!!! Mmmm... gaaaarlic shrimp :) :) If you want to make me happy, gimme some garlic shrimp. Enter Homer Simpson drooling sound. The fries were OK, really not the best. I obviously did not order this for the fries.

Boo had the octopus in a creole sauce with some veggies. The veggies were perfectly cooked: not too soft nor too hard, but quite salty. There was plenty of octopus in there. It was perf and ubs taste! Those creole spices went really well in there. For a dish that cost a bit less than the equivalent of 20 $CAD, it was oh so worth it. It was on the salty side of things though. Like a lot. Like so much that we wondered why we had salt on the table. We also wondered if they simply had taken the water from the sea and cooked with it. Seriously. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but whhhaaayyyy too salty!

Service was awesome throughout the meal. Actually, pretty much everywhere we went to eat in Samanà had damn good service. They were attentive, they asked us if we liked it, they refilled our water. Kidding. We did NOT drink the water. Actually, I must have swallowed some whilst brushing my teeth, because I got the, well, let's just say I was ubs sick for a good week after returning to Montreal.

And now, the scores!

Food: 7 ALL that salt!
Service: 8.5

I'd like to say I'll go back but it IS kind of far!!!

Il Cortile

My dad eats lunch at nice restaurants about four times a year with his cousin and uncle. The last place had been Il Cortile and let's just say they had a bad service experience. My dad is difficult but for him to get three free meals because of this was something else! So, my dad decided to bring my step-mom and I. And we all know how much I like free food. A lot. I like it a lot.

I waited for my step-mom and dad right outside, from where the restaurant looked like, well, a cave! And then you enter somewhat of a basement type place and then BOOM, one of the best kept terrasse secrets in Montreal. This little courtyard was beautiful, with flowers hanging from balconies and paintings on the brick walls. Uber cute! I kind of felt like I was back in Europe. Ah, Europe, my first love! But enough about me and my lovers, apart from the cuteness, this place seemed to be hosting quite the richest in Montreal. Plastic surgery, fancy scarves and Louis Vuitton purses were everywhere I looked. It was almost like a secret society. Fo serious yo. So I was basically hiding under the table. But a girl's gotta eat...

The waiter brought us antipasto that consisted of prosciutto, grilled veggies, and parmesan. Basically, some of the best things on earth. I'd have more of that right about NOW. Those portobello mushrooms were literally to dsie for. DSIE. FOR. Stuff that is cooked in butter is ALWAYS good. The prosciutto melted in my damn mouth. A bite with mushroom, parmesan and prosciutto was like a little piece of heaven in my mouth.

Mushroom risotto. The risotto was cooked for just the right amount of time. Still a tad crunchy and not mushy. Texture was on par. They had cooked it in mushroom stock and they were very abondant in there as well. Again, who doesn't like mushrooms cooked in butta? The waiter shaved some parm on there and BAM, you got yourself a winner. That dish was so filling, it felt like I had gained 10 pounds in one sitting.

Service was probably one of the best I've had so far. In ma life. We got sparkling water very quickly, wine was served the proper way, and our waiter was more than present the whole time. He checked on us, refilled our glasses and asked us if we needed anything else.

And now, the scores!

Food: 8.5
Service: 9.5

I can say that I won't go back because, hello, I ain't no millionaire. But I did appreciate the wonderful service!

Café International

I got an email asking me if I wanted to come for a free (FREE!) lunch/dinner at Café International in little Italy and try the food. I said no, of course. Ha. Of course I was totes in!

Since, 1968, this establishment has been serving up authentic Italian food from pasta to risotto to pizza! I love all of those thangs. OK, it's a lot of carbs, but when you gym it up 15 hours a week, you're good. I went for lunch. Why? Main reason was that, hey, I know there are going to be less people at lunch, therefore, more attention on ME and more food for ME. Oh, I know, I'm totes smart that way.

The place itself looks like it could use a pick-me-up: white paneled ceiling, old floors, badly lit dining room and old lookin' tables. The chef tells me that they are inviting bloggers so that we can tell dem peeps to go eat there because the last few years have been a hard hit for Little Italy. I think it's been a harder hit for Café International. They've been there longer than most but apart from a couple things here and there, haven't changed much of the decor. So now they are stuck with regulars that are about to croak (low blow, I know) and Italian gangsters. OK, that last one isn't true but I swear there was a group in there that looked very questionable! One of the only cool thing is their neon blue sign outside, which still looks great and means to say 'hello please come in'. It's also a huge space with around 80 seats inside and 20 on the terrace.

I got there and... no one knew I was coming. It felt like when I went to 'La Petite Mangue' with Val and it took 3 people and 12 minutes to finally have someone realize that I was there as a blogger. I'm already not too fond of saying 'hey, I'm a blogger: look at me, look at me' but when I got there, they were not expecting me. They had to go get the chef and even he seemed a bit in the dark at that point. But he was uber nice and we settled on him bringing out small portions of many awesome things. Many. Awesome. Things. Sounds just about right to me!

1st: house ham with aioli and arugula. Yes AND yes. The aioli was amazing with just the right amount of garlic in there. It was nice and thick. The ham was very tasty, somewhat on the salty side but I don't mind that too much when it comes to ham. Hello, home made! It was rather tough at some points so that wasn't as pleasant. The arugula added a certain earthiness to the dish and rounded it off. Oh and they brought grilled bread which was perfect with the ham. No butta, just awesome grilled bread. Yes to the yes.

2nd: house prosciutto with sprouts and squash mostarda. I think this might be part of why they are struggling to have more clients. I mean, who sells mostarda anymore? And why put a handful of sprouts on the plate. I am not a rabbit. No, but seriously. They have a delicious product like home made prosciutto and they put a tree beside it on the plate. No. Alright, so the prosciutto was aged 18 months and right on the damn ball. On. The. Ball. It was salty and soft and was just melting on my tongue. Yes. You could see that the chef took pride in this, as he should. This is why it was weird to me to put it with grass and mostarda. Speaking of mostarda, it was actually good. My last souvenirs of it were not awesome. I really liked the texture and the temperature. It was at room temperature and I guess that's what does it for me and mostarda. Wow, you never here THAT. The taste of the squash came through just enough.

3rd: pizza with pistachio pesto, mozzarella and house bologna. I gotta say I was never a fan of bologna. Neva. My friends would have that in their lunches in high school and I was all like 'ew'. It just tasted too strong for me and a bit fake. But this one was dsamn good. Ya, THAT good. It could have had a tiny bit more salt but it was still a bit crunchy and my taste buds really loved it. The dough was so soft and airy and pretty much a perfect A+. The pesto wasn't pesto though: it was more like pistachios here and there and some oil. It was nice and different to have pistachios on my pizza, but it sure wasn't pesto. I gotta say that it was a lot of bread. A LOT. Although it was like biting into a cloud, it was still bread. I forwent (yes, I use fancy words now) half of that loveliness.

4th: calamari and octopus salad on a bed of mesclun with a tomato, onion, caper and basil salsa on top. What do I despise more than mesclun? Nothing. Nothing is worse. I hate it so much I don't even know how to describe my hate. OK, I'm going to take a chill pill. Chill pill taken. In all honesty (and you guys know how brutally honest I can be), I wish the chef had never served me this dish. A, because it was not up to par and B, because it lowered the overall score for the food. The calamari were squishy, therefore either overcooked or undercooked. Look, it's crazy annoying to cook these bad boys so just don't risk it. You don't really need em' on your menu. The octopus wasn't as bad and had a charred taste to it which was 100% better than the calamari. The salsa was fresh tastin' and capers gave it a nice twist. The whole thing was very much overdressed and so everything kind of became soggy. Oh, ooooooh, I found the thing I hate more than mesclun: soggy, wet mesclun.

#5: gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce. See, if only all my courses could've been as small as this...The gnocchi were, for a lack of a better word, divine. Yep, that's right! They were just perfect: the perfect texture, the perfect taste, the perfect size. The tomato basil sauce was simple, yet very flavourful and the parmesan on top added that extra twang (yep, I'm goin' with 'twang' here!) we all like. That big-ass-GMO basil leaf was only there for colour, I'm guessing. Because, well, although I would totally just eat a leaf like that, I don't know many people who would.

#6: mushroom risotto. I was starting to go into a food coma. This was a huge portion, yet again. The waitress told me that she had hinted to the chef that he should serve risotto next and she was super proud. She was saying how no one actually makes risotto at home because it's so time consuming. I didn't think mentioning that I am quite the risotto making expert would be a good idea. I do make a mean lobster-stock oyster mushroom risotto tho. The rice itself was perfect: a risotto should always keep some kind of bite to it and be all rich and creamy. Rich and creamy are probably my favorite adjectives when it comes to food. Mmmm. The waitress asked if I wanted some pepper and extra parmesan --because there was already some in there--and hells yes I wanted extra parmesan. Let's make something clear; I will always want that extra parm. The mushrooms were nicely cooked but I would have liked a bit of variety instead of plain ol' button shrooms.

#7: tiramisu. This coffee tastin' dessert is not usually my fave. But this one. Oh! This one was...oh! Yes, that's a foodgasm if you haven't noticed. It was creamy, it was soft, it was nutty, it was coffee. It was gone in 2.5 seconds. Hands down the best tiramisu I've eva eva tasted.

 

Service was really good. Well, it had to be, didn't it? I mean, they knew I was there to write a review. At first, the waitress was kind of shy, bringing me the menu and mineral water. But then she started being friendlier, probably because I was there, eating 7 courses, for about 8 hours. OK, 1 hour and a half. Still. The chef served the plates and, although he seemed really introverted, would talk to me about the restaurant and about the dishes.

And now, the scores!

Food: 8 (that damn calamari!)

Service: 9

 

To answer your question, YES I ate everything. And to answer your second question, YES I am a pig. I left on my bike and I'm serious when I say that I don't remember anything from around St-Zotique/Clark to Pine/St-Urbain. It's like I blacked out! Food coma!!! I would definitely go back, especially for the tiramisu. I do hope that they revamp the place to get more customers tho. It would be worth their while.

Vicolo

Like Rachel in Friends once said: 'I think there was a restaurant... I know there was wine.'

I was invited to try a new Italian restaurant called Vicolo a couple weeks ago! And everyone knows that getting invited by Jillian Zrihen of Tracy Brooke PR means one thing: it'll be a party! And a partay it was, but I'll get to that later!

First off, I just want to mention how ridunculous it is (really!) to have an opening on a weekday evening. Why? This only means I'll get to work hungover the next day. I mean, make it a Friday, and then I don't care what I look like or how dizzy I am the next morning :p

We were welcomed by all smiles and DJ Abeille Gélinas, who has been at all the openings of recent. Good vibes and good people! We waited a couple minutes to give our coats and then, we were off upstairs to the dining and bar area. The place looks really good, with leather booths and lots of wood on the walls. There was also a huge bar, which is always important! Hehehe.

Wow, the place got full at around 6:30 and OH-SOOOO-FULL as in I-can't-move-a-bit at around 7.

We obviously (uh, duh!) headed straight for the bar because I just knew it was going to fill up real quick. We had their signature cocktail of the evening, Il Vicolo, which is gin, blood orange, lemon, egg whites, orange flower water and soda. It was...alright. Not really my cup-o-tea (or my cup-o-gin?) Too gin-y for me. I mean, I can handle too vodka-y or too rum-y but too gin-y? Nah.

OK, so basically, the evening was to be composed of free drinks, free food (tiny versions of  their plates) being passed around by waiters, a tiny cheese, bread and meat buffet type thang and a pizza etc table. That pizza etc table was really diddly damn good!

Alrighty, let's talk food, shall we?

The cheese, bread and sausagy buffet. It looked really good! It looked so good that I wanted to put everything in my mouth at once, but let's face it, my mouth is way too small :p The olives were, what's the word, oh-so-good! Mmmmmm, they pretty much melted right in my mouth (yes, apparently olives can melt). Some bread was a tad too hard but some was soft and yummy! Same with the cheese, some was soft and tasty and others were on the harder side, but good nevertheless. The only thing that really disappointed me were the little sausages wrapped oh so carefully in paper: they were so hard, I thought I was going to break a 5th tooth (mmmmya, I don't have the best teeth). Plus, my guest, Lea, found them way too spicy.

First thing that was offered to us by the waiters was this butternut creamy goodness heavenly thang. It was hot, which is not the norm when soup is served, especially during an opening, and so soft and unctions! I could have eaten about 11 of those. Just because.

This was a hit! Burrata atop an olive tapenade and crushed tomatoes on a crouton. The crouton wasn't too hard, the cheese was just lovely and surprisingly, the olives weren't salty at all. As I said, a hit!

This was also wonderful! Beef carpaccio with fleur de sel, parmesan, and truffle oil. I thought, like in many cases, that the oil was going to overpower the dish but it just added what was needed to complete it. The beef melted in your mouth and it was just goodness all around.

Ze calamari. Not squishy, thank the looooord! They were rather crunchy with a nice little mayo. Very pleasant!

The pizza bar! I think we hung out next to it for at least half an hour, just eating our way through every single pizza. There were meaty pizzas and one mushroom pizza which was to dssssiiiieee for! All were thin crusted and wonderful and oh-so-cheesy! And I don't say that lightly because I AM a pizza enthusiast.   

We also tried their mushroom risotto with a bit of parsley. It was nice and creamy but a bit too hard for my taste (FYI: risotto is not supposed to be soft, it's actually supposed to have some crunch to it).

 

Now, for the service! Seeing as the place was full or 'plein à craquer' as we say, service was actually on par (and the door dudes were really cool---I even gave one of them a plate of goodies :) There was a huge agglomeration at the bar and they were quite fast giving out drinks! At some point though, they stopped giving out free drinks :( That's alright, we became fast friends with the drunkered owner, so we paid for half of our future drinks. Hehehe. And then, like magic, everything became blurry....From what Lea told me, we hung out with the owner and a hot girl (hello!!!) for some time when everyone was gone. Oh and I woke up with her card on my night table AND in my jacket. I dream of a threesome, mmmkay? Hahaha. We ended up getting our pic taken in the Vicolo photo booth at the end, looking ridiculous, in good Marie fashion.

 

And now, the scores!

 

Food:8

Service: 8.5   

 

We had an excellent time, although the morning after wasn't so excellent! I'll go back for sure to have the REAL Vicolo experience!

Pasta Casareccia

Val and I had some early business at Sushi Taxi and when we were done, since I wasn't on the schedule till later in the afternoon, we decided to have lunch at her friend Mauro's restaurant, Pasta Casareccia. This family owned place is located where I neva eva go, Sherbrooke West. There's a bunch of nice restos in this end of Sherbrooke, it just seems too far, ya know?

Anyhoot, there is a large terrasse, obviously closed because it ain't getting any warmer, and two dining rooms inside. Oh, and they also have a gourmet boutique where Italian everything is sold. My mouth was watering just looking at the sausages and meat and fresh pasta and home made loveliness. Drooling isn't polite, is it? I HAD to eat, like NOW.

We didn't even see the menu because Mauro knew what Val liked, therefore what I liked: Val and I have some pretty similar tastes when it comes to great food!

The starter for two: antipasti. Hello! Homemade or Italy made, this was a plate of wonderfulness! Olives, old cheddar glazed with balsamic syrup, homemade olive bread sticks, homemade fennel -tiny- bread ...thingys, sopressata and capicolli. Everything was darn good. The bread sticks were freshly made and the cold cuts were just so good! I'd even go as far as 'mouth watering' good. Yes, that's right. The olives were a tad saltier than I would have liked but still hit the spot.

Olives ascolane. Although I am TRYING to watch what I eat, especially everything breaded, I just couldn't resist these meat filled, breaded olives. With just a tad of lemon, they were, well, heaven in my mouth! The lemon helped bring out all the flavours and I just wanted more!

Pumpkin risotto. Pumpkin: YES. Risotto: hell YES! It was very silky and the pumpkin was well cooked and super soft. The pancetta was great although it made the dish a bit too salty. Green onions made for a nice texture change. All in all, I would have this risotto over and over again. Maybe i'll go now! But first, there's more!

Speck and porcini tagliatelle. Oh man, eating one mushroom was like an explosion of flavours in my mouth. It was like they had been marinating for 100 years! Ok, that would be a bit gross but you get the idea. They fly them in from Italy and rehydrate them here. Dry, hydrated, rehydrated, I don't care; they were probably the best mushrooms I've ever tasted. Chopped parsley added some freshness to the pasta which was not too creamy and not too wine-y. Val had guaranteed this was going to be good (she had tasted it before) and she was right! The speck, which is a type of prosciutto, was, again, a bit too salty in itself but within the dish, was just the right salty element.

Lemon sorbetto. Very tasty but it was sooooo cold that my brain surgery scar started hurting! Hahaha!

Let's talk about the service! Well, when you're friends with the person that owns the restaurant, it certainly helps! We got water in 3.5 seconds from our waiter and our dishes arrived in a timely fashion. Plus, we got the chance to learn about the history of the restaurant and where most of the products come from straight from the owner's mouth! He also answered every question we had about the dishes.

And now, the scores!

Food: 9
Service: a well deserved 10

I'll say this: if ever I'm on Sherbrooke West again, I'm coming to see you, Mauro!

 

Café Presto

Flash review alert!

I went back to this little place for lunch today with my dad. This restaurant is tiny and you could possibly miss it while walking by. OH but it's right beside Chez Parée so, uh, ya, I don't know why that matters. Perhaps go watch a little bit of strippin and then eat some italian? No? Shut up? Mmmmkay. The place has around 30 seats and has a maitre d'/owner that is usually very enthusiastic. Today, I think he was having a bad day.

Anyhoot. It is SO cheap there for some good ol' home cookin' (in an actual kitchen that looks like my kitchen at home but older...) :they have a board with about 8 choices, all at 6.95$ Not too bad, eh?

Bread
-big
-all you can bread
-dry

Spaghetti a la bolognese
-Pasta cooked just the way I like it
-Lots-o-meat
-Not enough spices
-Filling

Canolli
-Meh
-Not crunchy at all
-Made many hours prior...

As for the service, I mean, our waitress didn't seem to care much plus she was coughing without covering her mouth which was just not cool. Plus, we had to ask for water after my dad's glass had been empty for 10 minutes.

And now, the scores:

Food: 6.5
Service: 5.5

Not the best scores today but last time was better. And I have an inkling that I will end up going back there for a dad lunch at some point :)