A trip to Montreal - Part 8: French Bistro L'Express

On Sunday night, we went rue Saint-Denis to eat in a popular Parisian style bistro called L'Express. It was definitely a trendy place with an elegant decor and a typically French menu, from the appetizers to the desserts. The menu, elaborated by Chef Joel Chapouile, offers classic French dishes such as the rillette, oeufs mayonnaise (deviled eggs), foie gras or steak frites. 

When we arrived, there were not that many people. Normal I thought as it was Sunday night. But, as the evening went, more and more people arrived. When we left, the place was packed!

After we ordered, they brought us some bread and butter:

As well as some crunchy cornichons in a jar that gave a relaxed and rustic feel to the experience:

Jodi decided to order only a salad as she really wanted a dessert. She picked the goat cheese salad:

Goat cheese salad is pretty standard on a French menu. Sometimes the cheese is toasted, sometimes it is not. At L'express, it was not. The goat cheese can also vary, from buche to crotin de Chavignoles. It was a good salad: simple, refreshing and not overdressed.

I decided to order the salmon tartare:

A trip to Montreal - Part 7: Schwartz's delicatessen!

On Sunday, after visiting the Fine Arts Museum, we decided to got eat Rue Saint-Laurent. We noticed some delicatessens the last time we walked there and decided to go there to have some good deli sandwiches. We ended up at Schwartz's, located boulevard Saint Laurent.

The place has been opened since 1928 and reminded me of Katz's in many ways, although Schwartz's is much smaller and the staff is courteous...

The place was packed and we had two choices: try to get a table at the restaurant or go to the takeout section. We tried the restaurant and got lucky to be seated right away! We had to share a table with other patrons. Over there, the menu is on the wall only. Interestingly, the menu is small and if you are vegetarian, your choices are limited to fries, slaw and pickles...

Contrary to most of the delis in New York, they do not bring you pickles or slaw: you pay for it! So did we...

We decided to order two sandwiches:

The salami sandwich:

A trip to Montreal - Part 6: French Patisserie Boulangerie O Gateries in Longueuil

Before reading this post, please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

When my friend Malika came to New York, we told her that we were going to Montreal for a week end and she suggested to visit her friends Jean-Francois and Lise who own a Pastry shop in Longueuil, a suburb that is a few minutes from Montreal. 

Jean-Francois is a French pastry Chef who was trained by Les Compagnons du Devoir, a companionship that originated in the Middle Ages, during the construction of Cathedrals. The goal was to  teach and train very skilled workers during many years of apprenticeship. They then expanded to more traditional jobs. Being part of Les Compagnons du Devoir is not a small thing and not everybody can be part of it: you have to be dedicated, motivated and skilled. It is during his apprenticeship that Jean-Francois ended up in Canada, where he met Lise, and together, they opened O Gateries, that will celebrate 20 years this year, in July.

Besides talking about personal stuff with Jean-Francois and Lise, we spoke about being a boulanger - patissier and I could really sense a passion that I always like to find in people. One thing that I still remember that Jean-Francois said, was about technique: when making something, what matters is not the ingredients, but the technique. It makes sense, otherwise, each time I follow a recipe, I should have the same result as anybody, no? No.

To give you an idea of O Gateries, now: I was expecting a smaller place, but it was of a good size, with a terrace and a dining room. In fact, O Gateries is not only a bakery and pastry shop: it also does some catering (apparently their duck confit pie is a big hit) and serves meals. 

But, because of all the work, Jean-Francois decided to hand over part of the products he sells to local artisans: for the bread and the chocolates (at the exception of the truffles that he makes). This way, he can focus on making viennoiseries (croissants, chocolate croissants called in Canada "Chocolatines" and in France, "Pains au chocolat",...) and pastries. He tries to stay traditional and looking at the pastries, we saw the classic ones: eclairs au chocolat, mille feuilles, religieuses...

As we were there for breakfast, they proposed us to try few things. Jodi ordered the chocolatine or Chocolate croissant.

A trip to Montreal - Part 5: Kitchenette

On Saturday night, we went to Kitchenette, a restaurant located in the Gay Village, close to Radio Canada. We found this place after watching Unique Eats that is one of our favorite shows! 

This place is located in a residential area and if you do not have the address, you can easily miss it! 

The interior is modern but has an old feel to it thanks to its leather banquettes. The dining room overlooks the kitchen that is right behind the bar, where you can see the Chef, Nick Hodge, who is from Texas, prepare some comforting dishes upgraded for fine dining. 

They started by bringing us bread and butter.

It was funny to see that the bowl in which the bread was looked as if it has been bought in a garage sale. In fact it gave the impression we were at a friend for a casual dinner.

For starters, Jodi ordered the albacore (tuna) tartare "beach style" nachos:

It was very good, light and refreshing. The nachos gave a nice crunch to the dish.

I ordered the crab cakes, served with Ranch dressing:

A trip to Montreal - Part 4 - Ice Cream at Chez Catherine!

Walking around near the Vieux Port, we saw this place called Chez Catherine that was packed! It is a cafe with a terrace that serves a menu as well as crepes and ice cream. Most of the people who lined up inside were there for the ice cream though!!!

They had plenty of flavors like cookie dough, bubble gum, black cherry, but there was no coconut for Jodi. So she ended up with vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone:

I ordered praline and cream in a waffle cone: