Ame Sushi

Ame
19 Mercer Street
Toronto, ON

●●●●●●●●●☺○

9 1/2 out of 10

Japanese

I would be completely happy if I died and found out that heaven is exactly what I experienced last night.

I went to Ame feeling very suspicious. When I left Toronto two years ago, the restaurant was still called Rain, and was known as a fine dining Toronto establishment. Since then, the same owners, Italian brothers Guy and Michael Rubino, have translated the restaurant name into Japanese and done the same with the dishes. Asian fusion is often the subject of culinary abuse. Authenticity is often under-rated. Ame, however, is a rare example of respect for another food culture. Each plate is a balance of Japanese ingredients, flavour, presentation and perfection. Ame's also thrown in a robata grill for good measure (the only one in Canada) and a Hawaiian-trained sushi master, but it's the incredibly high quality of every ingredient - fish, meat, and plum - that makes each drop of Japanese Rain feel like the most sensual touch.

I have only three complaints, and then I will again allow myself to be seduced by the chef's kiss in every sweet memory of miso.

In the incredible atmosphere of this restaurant - a subterranean, cavernous design - every detail of ambiance is intentional. The lounge and bars are sleek, yet lush and enticing. The lighting is dark, yet intimate. The effect is ruined, however, the moment you sit down and see in front of you a pair of stuck-together wooden chopsticks resting on a beautiful stone. The contrast between the wood and the stone is jarring. This is not a wooden chopsticks kind of restaurant.

Second, since Ame is not trying to be a traditional Japanese restaurant, I am not sure how to react to the sushi being served at the beginning of the meal, before the cooked dishes. Normally it would come at the end. The sushi list is even located at the beginning of the dinner menu, seemingly to encourage your sushi selection to come first. Not being Japanese I do not really see a problem with it. Just that if the restaurant is trying to follow the fine-dining Japanese restaurant trend set by Nobu et al in North America (what one may assume from the rest of the menu that features whole fish, ramen, pickled vegetables, seaweed salads and wagyu beef), customers expecting this kind of experience may question the restaurant's expertise. There is, however, nothing else at this restaurant that makes you feel like it's trying to follow another restaurant's example. Perhaps I misunderstand the Chef's intentions.

One fault that can't be overlooked is that the sushi rice was too sweet. Sweet seems to be the theme for most of the meal, and it works in every instance except the sushi. If the sushi were served at the end of the meal it may be less noticeable. With the completely traditional nigiri sushi options, the restaurant's sushi rice must be perfect to rationalize the incredible rating I want to give it. Having read the Chef's recipe for sushi rice on the Made To Order website (the Food Network show that the Rubino brothers host in Ame) it is clear that the rice is intentionally made sweeter and saltier than most versions by added mirin and extra salt, and by cooking the rice directly in a large amount of vinegar and sugar that is traditionally poured over the rice only when it has finished cooking in plain water with just a touch of sake. Since the sweetened rice was intentional, I can only say that I felt it was too much.


Finally, the miso flavouring of the Dungeness crab roll was too salty. This was the only other time (besides the sushi rice) that a flavouring was not perfectly applied and balanced. Though wonderfully free of Japanese mayonnaise, the salty miso mixed directly into the juicy crab flesh made the flavour of the crab itself unidentifiable.

Now I can remember what heaven was like. It got better and better, starting from happiness, moving to wonder, and on to the divine:

The Ontario trout and the mackerel nigiri were very good. Salmon nigiri is not on the menu and the choice to highlight the local trout (a less buttery, but prominent flavour) is impressive. Mackerel can be judged on a scale from "fishy" to "texture without flavour" to "delicious", and the slight pickling of the fish (though there was certainly no taste of vinegar or lemon) placed this version a respectable two-thirds of the way up the scale.


Salmon belly sashimi (not trout, in this case) artfully came with a dot of miso to flavour the fish and a pile of delicately-vinegared noodle-like daikon. The refreshing radish was a good palate cleanser to bring out in each bite the flavour of the salmon. Upon first tasting the salmon I was disappointed, but I had just tasted the trout and found them too similar. After a mouthful of daikon the salmon began to make its case.

The tuna sashimi was not amazing. In fact most average Vancouver sushi restaurants would match or better it, but the miso dashi reduction was incredible. The sweetness of the sauce did not swallow the flavour of the fish, and somehow the tuna ended up with more flavour through the pairing, while the chewier texture (usually a negative point) was needed to isolate both the fish and miso-dashi teriyaki-like flavour in the mouth. Again, the plate featured a mildly-pickled palate cleanser. This time puréed mango held court, and even the tiniest bit of bite was enough to refresh the mouth for another bite of tuna. The sushi chef knew exactly what he was doing, as the mango would have been too sweet on its own, but was tart relative to the miso.

Sake. I have sampled a lot of sake, but the Wakatake Junmai Daigingo "Onikoroshi" was incredible ($125 for a 720mL bottle). Mildly floral, sweet, clean, and smooth, this sake got better and better as the meal progressed, pairing incredibly well with the Chef's sweet sauces and delicate fish. It did not complement the sushi rice (but sake is not meant to be paired with rice since they are made from the same ingredient and therefore compete in the mouth) but a sip with each bite of fish, meat, fruit and vegetable gave a new and eye-opening perspective to the dish.

Eel Ramen was delicious. The broth was mildly bitter which worked so well with the large chunks of sweet eel. Ramen is an art in itself and to receive such a thick, concentrated broth with al dente noodles and tender eel was a pleasure.


Then the robata grill. Apparently the only such grill in Canada. Charcoal is traditionally heated just below the grill rack, and the chef uses salt to encourage the heat and drops of water to settle it. Our server informed us that the restaurant instead used "organic" (it's a tree...) cedar planks, but the rest of the cooking technique remained unchanged. The whole sea bream was cooked slowly until it caramelized, and was served immediately instead of being allowed to cool slightly. In fact, the fish is known to be done when it is cool enough to touch. The sea bream itself was simple, to the point of being plain, despite the aplomb of the cooking technique, but a small dipping bowl of sweet white miso made a believer of those who trusted the chef's recommendation of the dish. Again, the miso was slightly sweet, but more with a slight flavour of apricot, so again not overpowering. An amazing choice of dip by the chef.

Cod rice. This sounds...well, bland. Not when it's made with black cod. It was like taking a cup of rice perfectly cooked in a cod and mirin broth and then stirring in melted butter (black cod, since there was no actual butter in the entire meal). It was sticky and sweet, and with finely-shaved sweet umeboshi (pickled plum) placed on top of the rice tower, for a tangy (as well as a colour) contrast.

Mushrooms with teriyaki were very simple but tender and meaty. The teriyaki sauce was, again, sweet, but rich enough lend a heartiness to the dish.

The miso black cod was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. I am not new to black cod. I have eaten it at other respectable Japanese restaurants, and cooked it several times myself. Most of these times it has been served with a sweet miso sauce. I thought I knew what to expect from Ame's version - a perfectly-cooked, sweet and a little salty pool of butter-less butter - but somehow they made what is naturally good, sublime. Served on a hot plate so the bottom skin sizzled, this dish went from rare to medium-rare at our table, but disappeared before it could reach a blackened skin. Since the fish was cured in the marinating process by mirin and miso, it could be barely cooked and still be perfectly tender and safe to eat. The skin should have been a delicacy, and was for the first few bites until it became obvious that it was over-salted. The sweet miso on top of the cod soaked down through the lusciously soft flakes of flesh, however, and quickly made you forget the skin...until the flesh was gone and your chopsticks screamed for more, only to find the salty remains of what it craved. It's possible that the skin was only lightly salted before it was placed on the hot plate, but the salt of the miso that descended the flesh and combined with the initial salt at the bottom made it too much. Still, it was heaven.

You can taste heaven.


The Wagyu short-ribs ended the meal on another high note. I was not the table's wagyu beef expert. The man to whom that title fell said it wasn't the best he's had, but that's compared with imported Japanese wagyu at various Nobu's, it was just very good...but I thought it was amazing. This was a local organic wagyu-style beef and it was not fall from the bones (it was not supposed to be) and it was not chewy (again, it is not supposed to be). What made it incredible was that the game-y flavour intensified in the first three chews of each bite. It tasted wild and every mouthful challenged you to find more subtleties in the meat. The green plate garnish that appears in every picture is a cilantro-scallion oil, but with the Wagyu beef another garnish was present - an umeboshi fluid gel. What is a fluid gel? Yes, I asked too. It's a combination of a liquid base with agar-agar. Agar agar acts like gelatin but is made from seaweed. The cilantro-scallion oil was more colour than flavour, but the sweet umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) was probably made with Japanese sweet plum wine (like a port or dessert wine), so intense was each drop. The sweet and sour effect of the plum worked very well with the jus of the short ribs. Beautifully plated, small miso balls the size of pebbles matched toasted buckwheat for crunch and a nutty flavour to complement the sweetness of the sauce and plum, as well as the strength of the meat.

This was one of the best meals I have eaten. I am also thrilled to see that an entire list of recipes is available on the Chef's website. The recipes were used as part of the Food Network show, Made To Order, in which the two Rubino brothers star and, of course, cook.

This means that despite the high price tag of the meal, heaven is accessible. While dining in the restaurant was a true experience, rather than simply a very good meal, the food itself is innovative yet based on tradition.

Wondrous flavour. Seductive atmosphere. Would I could return to heaven.

Ame Sushi
Expect to Pay: $345 with sake, tax and tip.
Hours:Wed 5:30pm-11pm, Thurs-Sun 5:30pm-midnight
416-599-7246
www.amecuisine.com
info@amecuisine.com

Da Gianni e Maria, March 2010

Da Gianni e Maria Trattoria

796 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, ON

●●●●●●●●☺○○

8 1/2 out of 10

Italian

A lot of things have changed along the uprooted sidewalks of St. Clair West. For years the neighbourhood wasted away while pedestrians and cars avoided the disaster of a street. Stores closed, people moved away, and finally, a new day dawned on the desolate strip. The streetcar right-of-way private lane became operational and the roads were re-paved. New tenants, owners and shops wandered in, and Torontonians peeped their heads out of the St. Clair and St. Clair West subway stations. After years of lawsuits, injunctions and delayed construction, a bit of hope came back to the neighbourhood.

One restaurant that didn't quite make it through the lost years is Da Gianni e Maria. Before the upheaval, this gem of a restaurant was one of the most authentic Italian dining experiences in the St. Clair Corso Italia and all of Toronto. The restaurant website used to feature a picture of the chef, Gianni, and his father making gnocchi in the kitchen, showing the passing on of traditions that the restaurant embodied. Like the website says, first generation recipes, second generation "passion and creativity". Well I thought that meant Gianni's father's recipes and Gianni's passion and creativity. As it turns out, the restaurant didn't make it through the St. Clair upheaval as unscathed as I thought. Turns out Gianni is no longer at the restaurant and the ownership has changed hands, despite the name remaining the same.

Before the changeover, the food was beautiful. The menu was sectioned into antipasti, an enormous list of pasta primi, meat and fish secondi, simple contorni side dishes, and desserts that went far beyond the ubiquitous tiramisu (though the restaurant's home-made version was not to be missed). You would never feel bad about ordering something from all the menu sections, because that's what Italians would do, and you were certainly among Italians here. The portions were appropriately sized, seemingly a touch small, until you realize how many courses are coming. Bread, dips, soup, salads, pasta, fish, meat, vegetables, dessert, and liqueurs or espresso. The restaurant focused on traditional gourmet - ranging from simple and traditional mozzarella di bufalo to exotic wild boar, duck, deer and pheasant. While it was difficult to choose an appetizer (antipasto) and a main course (secondi), it was almost impossible to choose from all the pasta selections (primi).

2 years had passed since I last experienced Italy like this in Toronto. Stepping back into the restaurant I wondered if it could possibly live up to my expectations, if it was really as good as I had remembered, and if financial pressure from the decline of the neighbourhood would influence the menu or the food itself. On first glance, very little had changed, but not even this place could make it through 2 lean years in the proverbial rabbit hole of construction without coming out a little differently on the other side.

Most importantly, Gianni is no longer in the kitchen. There is a new owner and a new executive chef. The menu has remained mostly the same, though there are fewer selections (most noticeably in the baked pasta) to cut prep work, and they have eliminated some of the more expensive creations (mostly the wild game and seafood). The menu may be leaner, but what is left is a concentration of what the restaurant does best.

The meal started with fresh, warm bread and three complimentary toppings - puréed vegetable dip (mostly red pepper), diced chili peppers, and whole, fresh olives with anise. the whole olives were a nice touch (instead of a tapenade), but the chili peppers had no flavour and only a touch of heat that came on a few seconds after swallowing. The puréed vegetables were slightly sweet, but didn't feel like they served a purpose besides distracting from the beautiful bread. In fact, the three toppings were a nice gesture, a simple offering, but the good olive oil and balsamic with the bread proved a much better choice.

Then came the Antipasto Italiano ($16.75) - a selection of cured meats (prosciutto, bresaola, and two types of salame, the names of which were unknown to the server), more olives, Italian boccocini, and simple marinated mushrooms that cut through the salt of the meats and olives.

A more rustic and filling antipasto choice was the Riso e Lenticchie ($10.95). Warm and comforting, the soup was as simple as its name described (rice and lentils), but bespoke the home-style cooking of the restaurant. Normally a drizzling of olive oil is a visual more so than a gustatory garnish. Not in this case. A single droplet of gold pleasantly took over entire mouthfuls of soup. Gourmet this was not, but wonderful it was. Not too salty, a balanced broth, and perfectly-cooked lentils.

A respite, and then pasta. Fettucine Verdi al pesto con pollo ($19.95 - green fettucini with pesto and chicken) Fettucine Gianni e Maria ($22.95 - diced salmon and shrimp in a rosé sauce, topped with tiger shrimp) or one of four (there used to be six) choices of gnocchi ($18.95 - creamy porcini mushroom, gorgonzola, meat sauce or tomato). The pesto was kept out of the food processor (the oine nuts were whole), thick with basil, and was'nt overwhelmingly oily. The chicken was flavourful and hand-cut into well-sized mouthfuls instead of machine-efficient slices. The shrimp in rosé sauce were abundant and succulent, but the gnocchi break my heart because that was Gianni's signature dish.

Another breath. Then the meat and fish. Somehow risotti have made their way from the primi menu to the secondi menu, but the Risotto alla Pescatora is so full of shrimp, clams, mussels and calamari that there is certainly enough meat to call it a main. Traditionally rice or pasta would not be served on the same plate as a secondi - it would be just meat or fish, except in the case of osso buco which is served with polenta, or perhaps a simple risotto. The seafood risotto here is served with a tomato or cream sauce, and even the less traditional tomato version is executed well. It uses three types of tomatoes, slow-cooked and combined with fresh parsley for a nice finish.


From the choices of veal scallopine, the mushroom sauce version ($20.95) boasts a thick coating, pleasing to the mouth, if not the eyes.

The lighter grilled seafood options highlight the new chef's delicate touch. Flambéd in brandy, the salmon ($20.95) was tender on the inside and nicely charred on the outside. The success of the dish depended on the high quality of the salmon since the flavouring was so mild, so for a stronger, sweeter option go for the grilled shrimp and calamari with both brandy and balsamic. If you appreciate the fish on its own, you have a difficult decision to make.

Sadly, cut from the menu was the whole fish, a true Italian specialty. There is nothing like watching a good server de-bone a fish at your table in mere minutes. There are moments when I hate streetcars.

Wine. The evening's chef did not drink, and the server did not know the wine list. So she offered to check with the executive chef to get a recommendation of an appropriate bottle to go with all our meals. An impossible task, I know, since the food selections ranged from tomato sauces with seafood, to creamy sauces with veal, not to mention the simple salmon. We also stubbornly wanted a red. I realize I show my youth when I see a wine list featuring Barolos and Brunellos...but I just can't seem to go with a white when these heroes of wine are tempting me. After inconveniencing the executive chef, a Barbera d'Asti 2006 Piemont Marenco was recommended. It was very dry, and a very intelligent choice on the part of the chef to not overwhelm any of the ordered plates, though I admit that I should have gone with white. For $43, it was a bargain on the exquisite all-Italian wine menu. Grouped by region, Piedmont, Venezia and Tuscany are certainly highlighted, and some unique bottles are offered. Another rare and exceptional option is a Barolo by the glass ($10).

Not to be disrespected are the side dishes. The arugula in the pomodori e rughetta is a savoury and refreshing break to the sweetness of the risotto and salmon. The cherry and roma tomatoes were lack-lustre, but it is not tomato season, so they should be forgiven...or not served.

We ordered the roasted portobello mushrooms, but when they did not come at the same time as the arugula, we requested they stay away, as there was certainly no more room in our bodies.

There was, of course, room for dessert. A simple poached pear in red wine. Fine, I thought. This will be mediocre. Wine, sugar, maybe a little lemon juice, and pear.

I beg forgiveness.

The pear had been cooked for an hour at a very low temperature in marsala wine. Then it had been left to soak overnight into the heady alcohol, intensifying the flavour. Served cold, this was an exquisite end to the meal. Basta. Enough.

As we were the only party in the restaurant on a Tuesday evening, there was no way to even consider that food had been sitting around waiting to be served. It was made fresh to order, and deserves a loyal clientele, even without Gianni heading up the kitchen. Three hours slipped away without our having noticed. Just like Italy, La Dolce Vita. Still a beautiful atmosphere and good food. Even with a few menu changes, a new non-Italian owner, and a lot of work ahead to re-make a name for itself in the self-renewing St. Clair West neighbourhood, this Trattoria deserves to be successful. Dear Gianni, wherever you are, how I wish I could again taste your gnocchi pillows of heaven.

Expect to Pay: $20-$35 at lunch, $40-$70 per person, with tax, tip and a glass of wine.
Hours: Tues-Sun 9:30am-12pm, 12:30pm-3:30pm, 5pm-10pm
416-652-3982
dagianniemaria@rogers.com

Alex's Kitchenware Supply

Alex's Kitchenware Supply

160 Baldwin Street
Kensington Market
Toronto, ON

It all started when my brother over-slept. I had gone on a mission to stock his kitchen. He doesn't cook a whole lot, it's true, but there are some things that everyone definitely needs.

Knives.

He had pots and pans, but I could have gotten those too at Alex's Kitchenware Supply, a shop in Kensington Market that I stumbled into while I waited for my brother to drag himself out of bed in the middle of the afternoon.

Looking in the window of this shop on Baldwin, you immediately notice the wall of knives. You also see a sign for a bridal registry. If it has a registry, it's got to be fancy, I figure, never having been married. Upon wandering into the small shop, I discover a wall of beautiful Berghoff knives, pots, pans, flatware and other kitchenware. I certainly can't afford this. I was wrong. I was looking for good quality knives, not too expensive, since my brother really doesn't cook that much, but something that would last. I think I stumbled into the perfect shop.

A $34 German stainless steel chef's knife. This was the promotional price for the next few months on the beautifully balanced knife. How could it be so affordable? Turns out the whole new line of Frederick Aerts (a Berghoff designer) is always ridiculously affordable, even when it's not a promotional price. "Affordable luxury," it's called, says the Berghoff catalogue, and Alex (Sasha) Chernishov, the Kitchenware Supply shop owner, agrees. These are not handmade, one of a kind knives, but the value for the high quality is amazing. Mr. Chernishov insists that the hundreds of dollars you save on these knives make them a very attractive option. Stick the shop in the middle of money-saving Kensingon Market, in the middle of over-priced Toronto, and you've got yourself a winning business plan.

With 25%-off sales on high-quality flatware, cookingware and knife sets, this is definitely the right place to go for a bargain while avoiding Chinatown, and keeping your tail firmly out of between your financially-challenged legs. There are lots of options to choose from, ranging from the incredible $32 chef knife to the top of the Berghoff line $66 version.

And it is a good bridal registry shop. The flatware is beautiful. It's the kind you take out for special occasions that you always wished you had (maybe it's just me who always wished I had). Surgical-grade stainless steel will certainly not bend at the touch of over-cooked meat. I dare you to cook a tough enough steak to do that. The worst chef suddenly has his work cut out for him to keep that title.

Fondue pots (it's a Belgian company, Berghoff. Maybe they do a lot of their neighbour's fondue?), teapots, sauce pans, strainers. All amazing quality for the price.


And the service? The kindness fits right into the friendly market mentality.

Whether you're getting your knives sharpened and you're a vegan chef who does a little butchering on the side, you're looking for a simple paring knife, or you work for the Food Network, you'll be happy with what you get from Alex's Kitchenware Supply. Good people, good prices, good merchandise. My brother will have a good kitchen whether he oversleeps or not. Fortunately meals don't have fixed hours when you make them yourself...

Expect to Pay: $34-$66 for an individual chef knife, similarly good pricing on all other types of knives (less for a paring knife, more for beautiful Japanese knives), $125-$350 for a good to amazing knife set (no bad sets here. Some sets come with their own knife sharpener, or you can bring your knives back to the shop to be sharpened), $125 for flatware you'll keep forever, various amounts for pots, pans and other kitchenware.

Hours: Mon-Fri 12:30pm-7pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 12pm-5pm
416-595-9530
www.berghoffcookwaretoronto.ca

Oyster Boy

Oyster Boy
872 Queen West
Toronto, ON
●●●●●●●●●○
9 out of 10 (for the oysters)
●●●●●●●○○○
7 out of 10 (for cooked food)

Oysters, just oysters

These are good oysters...I didn't want to look at the price, but these were very, very good oysters.
American Blue Point and Kumamoto, New Brunswick Caraquet, skip the Beaujolais and Malpeque because they're so standard (thus overpriced here). Best was the other pacific kind that I can't remember the name of. The oysters change all the time, though, so some will always be there and others you'll have to get lucky to find. Try a variety. You can order them invidually, by the half dozen, or by the dozen. they come with three sauces - red wine vinegar and shallots, a ketchup-like sweet tomato sauce, and a spicy sweet chili sauce. Try them all on their own first. Nice touch with the freshly shaved horseradish in the middle of the platter. Fresh lemon slices too, but, hy would you want that? The oysters don't need it. Maybe as a palette cleanser. 3 dozen oysters were the highlight of the meal. Yes, they serve other food, but again, why would you want that? It's not bad, but it's not oysters.

I tried the arctic char that came with fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat and spinach sautéed in white wine. The spinach was very good. The potatoes were just potatoes. The char was simply seared, and just didn't sing. The potatoes were better with the ketchup-like sauce for the oysters, and the char was better with the chili sauce. So much duck fat this week....Sturgeon ceviche? No. If sturgeon tasted like lemon, this would have been good ceviche. 2 pieces of roasted beets, 2 walnuts and 2 slices of nice pear in a green salad with red wine vinaigrette? Sure, but leave room for more oysters.

Well shucked, boy. Well shucked.

Expect to Pay: $50-$70 per person, including tax and tip
Hours: Mon-Wed 5pm-10pm, Thu-Fri 5pm-11pm, Sat 3pm-11pm, Sun 3pm-10pm
(416) 534-3432
www.oysterboy.ca

Nunu Ethiopian Fusion

Nunu Ethiopian Fusion

1178 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
●●●●●●○○○○
6 out of 10

This place was voted Toronto's Best Date Restaurant 2009 by NOW Magazine. Having been there, I'd be inclined to say no to a proposed date here...

Reasons to go to this restaurant (Note: these only work when they are all applicable)
1. You live in the area and do not like transportation, public or otherwise
2. You've never had Ethiopian food before
3. You don't like spicy food
4. You like 'accessible' ethnic food
5. You know nothing about wine
6. You think a good date is one where you sit very, very far apart from each other, separated by a tacky candle centre-piece
7. You think the idea of watching your date stuffing dripping, oil-based stew into his/her own mouth (or your mouth, God forbid) is romantic
8. You like to share...

It should be noted that this is supposedly not a fusion restaurant. For the most part this is accurate. The main dishes are beef tibbs, stewed chicken, and "spicy" lentils. These are served on injera (teff-based sponge bread). This is not gourmet food. So when you make it "fusion" by putting it in a more formal setting, I'm not fooled. The whole concept of Ethiopian food is you share with the people at your table, and I find it sad that when you order a dish just for yourself it comes on a cute, rectangular, long plate, and pieces of injera are wrapped up like cinnamon buns on one side. When you order a platter to share, it comes out more traditionally, on a giant pizza-like plate, where the stews are served directly onto the pieces of injera lining the bottom. The individual dishes are much more attractive, and the traditional dishes look sloppy. This encourages not sharing, sucking all the good qualities of traditions out of th restaurant.

I also just need to take this opportunity to laugh at a comment on another review of this restaurant. Someone who had obviously never had Ethiopian food before said everything was so good and once they'd had this magical dessert made of fresh fruit, custard and whipped cream, they were convinced the kitchen was amazing, and they'd definitely go back again.

This is trifle. Trifle is British. Or Russian, apparently. The French have a version they call "British Soup". Congratulations on being completely food culturally unaware, commenter.

I will stop being such a jerk now. I will not stop laughing.

I would forgive all this (con)fusion if the food stood up for itself, but it just doesn't. I respect the restaurant for sourcing local vegetables, using high-quality products where they can, and even using only olive oil (a ton of it, but no peanut, vegetable, or cheap canola) but the dishes were just lacklustre. Maybe a little less oil and a little more flavour would have helped.


The collard greens were bland and so was the cabbage. Kudos for not using iceberg lettuce in the salad, but it was way too sweet. The yellow split peas were mild, and the spicy ones were too salty, and definitely wimpy heat-wise. The black lentils were the only interesting flavour - mustard - but interesting does not mean good. I wouldn't want more than a few bites of it. The roasted beets were the highlight of the vegetarian platter. They were chewy and dense, and somehow had a meat-like texture. Not too sweet. Oh, and the carrots were also very tasty. Real flavour (hurray local).


Then the meat. The only thing that stood out were the chicken legs with hard-boiled eggs. the berbere spicing was luscious. All the rest of the meat was tough and chewy. I know, I know, it's not supposed to be tender. It's a different tradition, steak-heavy, but it was just not tasty enough to forgive. The lamb had layers of fat, and when you only get a few tablespoons of the dish, it's just not enough meat. The chicken breast was bland. I think the kitchen is scared of adding too much heat. They don't want Ethiopian food novitiates to be overwhelmed. Especially on a date (now that they're the top date place). Well here's some advice: Cut the garlic in the salad and up the chili peppers. Chili peppers will release endorphins, so when you're disappointed by a mediocre meal you can at least enjoy your company.

Then there's the wine list. This is not a date restaurant with a list like this. $8 for Fuzion? Is that a joke? No, really, I mean is it a play on the name of the restaurant?

The prices are also confusing. You can get a vegetarian platter for $13, a meat platter for $15, but you get a mixed platter for $17...This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. the vegetables cost less than the meat, so adding them to the meat should make the whole dish cost less. As in $14. It didn't take an hour to cook the food, so it's not a labour issue since you're making more dishes. In fact you can order, say, a two-person meat platter and a one-person vegetable platter and end up with just about the same thing. All the same dishes (in fact, all the dishes on the entire menu...) for less than if you order a three-person mixed platter. Figure that one out...

So, don't go here if you want the best Ethiopian food in the city. Don't go here if you like tender meat. Don't go here if you like your water glass re-filled promptly when you're thirsty from all the salt. Don't go here if you are a romantic.

Go here if you appreciate good intentions enough to support a couple of restauranteurs who are simply trying to share the basics (not the best) of Ethiopian cooking with a city that appreciates fake upscale dining. Oh, and word to the wise: On a date, some like it hot...

Best Bet: Doro Wat (Chicken legs), Roasted Beets
Expect to Pay: $11-$16 for individual orders, $16-$21 each for a mixed platter, including tax and tip
Hours: Daily, 11am-12pm
(647) 351-6868
www.nunuethiopian.com

Distribution Alimentaire Aubut

Distribution Alimentaire aubut
3975, rue Saint-Ambroise
Montreal, QC

This place makes me uneasy. It’s a big warehouse, open to the public, but mostly serving restaurants, caterers and other food service industry people. For the most part things come in bulk, like the huge containers of pickled peppers you see at Shawarma places (or hot dog carts, for all you Torontonians). My least favourite company has its products everywhere in this store; CLIC canned and dried beans are everywhere. This is a representation of what this entire store is to me. Nothing is particularly good, but it’s all very, very convenient and relatively affordable. There aren’t really sales. Things might be priced slightly lower than retail, and when you buy in bulk that may make a difference for a restaurant, but this place is not about quality. There is actually a section of the store that sells only specialty products. A small selection of organics, honeys, mustards, paté, cutely wrapped up in Grandma-style packaging. But you turn around and there’s 10 times as much powdered soup base. I’m thinking those get bought a whole lot more often. There is also absolutely zero mark-down on any specialty items.

It gives me the creeps. Like walking into a place where food goes to die. To think that all these enormous packages of processed junk goes into people’s stomachs, and they pay for it! Okay, so you can get enormous blocks of cheese, imports, frozen fish and meat at the lowest prices in town, but that blue marlin someone just bought is endangered, and the duck legs were pulled from an overfed, extremely reluctant duck.

On the one hand, this is a magical store; it forms the beginning of delicious recipes at many of the city’s respected establishments. On the other hand, I never want to eat anything pickled that comes in a jar or can or plastic container again. Ever. I will walk to my neighbourhood Atwater Market with a re-usable grocery bag, instead of driving up to the warehouse, placing a bulk order, and having it packed promptly into my gas-guzzler. Keep your spreads, your sauces, and your preservative-laden fake food. Keep, even, your pesticide-sprayed ‘fresh’ produce. There are greater evils, and lots of other places are just as bad, but when you get slapped in the face with a place like this, you don’t just stand there and not react. This place is the best justification for the entire local food movement. It should go the way of the blue marlin. See how it feels to be bullied.

Distribution Alimentaire Aubut

514-933-0939

From Montreal With Love: A Gourmet Toronto Homecoming

I'm going back to Toronto today! And of course, I have grand eating plans. To give you an idea what I'll be writing about for the next while, here's a list of the places I want to review. There's a running theme of what restaurants and neighbourhoods have changed, what food trends are growing, and how the Toronto dinig scene compares to Montreal. Not so much a competition between the cities. Mostly a love story. Call me a romantic.

1. A comparison review of Hiro Sushi and Ame Sushi. Ame Sushi has taken over the space where the restaurant Rain used to be. The owners have not changed, but they are presenting a very different kind of culinary experience. I never went to Rain but I knew it was one of the swankiest places in town. It'll be fun to compare both the high quality of fish and the different styles of Japanese cuisine at both Ame and Hiro. These two restaurants stand in firm opposition to the growing trend of Japanese fusion and mediocre sushi restaurants in the city. It's disappointing to see that Montreal has even lower sushi standards and fusion is picking up here as well. Toronto can maybe start to feel a little proud of its Japanese restaurants, which are slowly catching up to Vancouver in terms of quality options.

2. A review of Da Gianni e Maria, an Italian restaurant I reviewed just before leaving Toronto two years ago. At the time it was the most authentic Italian experience I found in the city. Now with the new and improved St. Clair area, which was under construction the entire time I lived in the city, I'm looking forward to seeing what's changed in the restaurant, if anything. Hopefully it's stayed exactly as old-school Italian as it always was.

3. A review of Cruda Cafe, a new raw restaurant in St. Lawrence Market, a shocking change to the mainly meat-centric market takeaways. I've been to Live Organic food bar in Toronto and Montreal's Crudessence, and Montreal definitely wins the raw battle...until now?

4. A comparison review of Nunu's Ethiopian Fusion, a new Ethiopian restaurant outside of the Bloorcourt Village, and Zembaba's, a much more casual Ethiopian bar/restaurant in Bloorcourt Village that I reviewed before I left. Basically I want an excuse to rant about the upscale swing of Ethiopian in the city that now makes it very similar to the Ethiopian restaurant options of Montreal, like Le Nil Bleu.

6. A review of restaurant Loire (I will mention Gilead Bistro, where Jamie Kennedy has taken back over the kitchen helm, but not review it since it has recently been reviewed by the Globe). Loire opened just after I moved to Montreal. This restaurant seems to be what half the good restaurants in Montreal are - authentic - and so it's worthy of a comparison to some of the French restaurants I've tried in Montreal since my move (Au Petit Extra, Aix Cuisine du Terroir).

Pakerna

Pekarna
2313 Rue Sainte Catherine Ouest
Montreal, QC
●●●●●●●●○○
8 out of 10

I swear I will eat more salad...

It was brought to my attention that in my great Montreal Desserts adventure, I had overlooked a Slovenian shop just up the road from my house. I don't know how I missed a wall of cakes. I walk past the shop all the time. Anyway, when I was told that it was better than a lot of the places on my top 10 list, my heart fell, my sugar headache intensified, and I resigned myself to another dessert excursion. Oh God. So much cake. Don't get me wrong, I love cake, but there's a healthy intake and then there's just way too much. That "way too much" level comes a lot faster when you can't digest butter-cream icing, and oh God I love ganache, and butterscotch, and mousse.

...and the commenter was right. This place is very, very good. Pure refined sugar. Nothing good for you. Ignore the lunch counter. You come here for dessert, pure and simple. It's open late every day, weekdays until 11, midnight on Friday/Saturday, and 10 on Sundays. Right next to a movie theatre, it fit perfectly with my line about getting a piece of cake after a movie. I was skeptical at first because there were so many cakes in displays. Surely you couldn't buy them all by the slice, but you could! Then surely they must come from a factory. They don't. The café is owned by a Slovenian woman who bakes most of the cakes in a big, big kitchen on the south shore of Montreal. Her two daughters run the café and bake a few more cakes, cookies and squares in-store. No preservatives, real butter, real cream. Lots and lots of butter-cream.


There's an oreo cake AND and an oreo cheesecake! Three kinds of chocolate cake including mocha, brownie (layers and layers of actual brownie separated by rich icing and called cake) and tiramisu cake (the ladyfingers are on the outside. I think one of the layers is also soaked in rum).


Or you can try a truffle. You can tell they're home-made because they're huge and they don't look perfect.


Truffles are hard to make absolutely spherical and these are lopsided and coated in nuts or chocolate.


Then there are the "chubby nuns"...also called "Réligieuses". Cream puff pastry filled with thick, intensely sweet maple cream, topped with maple glaze, and assembled in layers that look like a church with steeples, or nuns who have eaten too many pastries. Everyone deserves something that makes them happy. If it isn't your vocation, there are worse things than sweets to fall back on...

Blasphemy aside, this is a shop full of (sinfully) sweet concoctions, and will bump a whole lot of Montreal desserts down the Top 10 list. Apparently you should try the apple pie, but with 4 lengths of counters filled with three-tiers of cake each, you have a tough choice ahead of you.

Oh, and the prices are low. Huge piece of flan for $2.99. Cakes around $4.25-$4.75. Big pieces of pie with flaky crust, even cheaper. Sounds too good to be true.

Pakerna
(514) 228-5222
Hours: Mon: 8am - 10pm, Tues-Thurs: 8am - 10:30pm, Fri: 8am - 11:30pm, Sat: 9am - 12am, Sun: 9:30am - 10pm

Montreal's Best Desserts Results!

Thanks to everyone who got in touch with me about their favourite Montreal dessert places, and especially thanks to the special people who ate a ton of cake with/for me. There are still half-pieces of maybe 8 desserts in my fridge, so my roommate has his breakfast work cut out for him for awhile. He was a great second opinion on the Brulerie St-Denis cakes, using wonderful adjectives, and discerning the hint of vanilla in the icing of the carrot cake that I had missed(!).

10 or so pieces of baklava and syrup-soaked pastries, 3 carrot cakes, 2 chocolate mousses, a chocolate cake, a chocolate swirl cheesecake, a key lime pie, a banana cake and a raspberry almond cake later, I think I'm done with cake for awhile. I did sneak leftovers of my favourites today and my stomach is currently wreaking havoc on the rest of my body. It doesn't quite understand that, try as it might, I'm not letting it escape. There are so many more things with which to fill it. Savoury things. Like vegetables. And lemon. And salad. So, so much salad. To see the whole article summarizing last week's adventures, check out Midnight Poutine.

Here's a list of the winners:
Top 10 Dessert Places in Montreal
1. La Croissanterie Figaro
2. Crudessence
3. Aux Deux Marie
4. Le Cagibi
5. Brocante Baleze
6. Brulerie St-Denis
7. Aux Vivres
8. Au Festin De Babette
9. Calories
10. Rockaberry

And here's the inside scoop for those who read here as well:
The best cakes were definitely at La Croissanterie Figaro, the reasons for which I explain in the Midnight Poutine post, but when you're craving cake, you're maybe not thinking about the best quality cakes. The Croissanterie Figaro cakes were light and beautiful and art in cake-form - chocolate mousse success like I've never achieved myself - but when I get a cake craving I will probably end up going to Aux Deux Marie for their chocolate mousse or carrot cake instead. Kind of like you know you'd be better off with the guy who has a house, a steady income, and a responsible four-door sedan, but instead you go out with the guy with the motorcycle and a mickey of gin. You know it's not the 'best' choice for you, but you do it anyway. Fortunately I don't often have this problem, as I would not want to combine a motorcycle with a mickey of gin. See? This is a responsible blog. Maybe even all-ages, what with the celebration of cake. It's important to teach kids good decision-making skills while they're young, I hear. I also digress...

So now I'm proud to say I know the best desserts in Montreal and am more than capable of recommending a place from a long list of sweet options. Feel free to disagree with me, though. In fact, please do! Let me know if I forgot somewhere. For instance, I hear tell that Beauty's has good home-made chocolate cake, but I could not physically handle another sampling of chocolate cake when I heard this, thus it got left off the list. Not good investigative journalism, I admit, but there is a line, and that would have passed it. To thine own self be true. Know your cake limits. Shakespeare knew about this stuff...

Montreal Desserts: Brulerie St-Denis

Brulerie St-Denis
3967 St-Denis
●●●●●☺○○○○○
5 1/2 out of 10

On the first eating stop of my Montreal dessert adventure, I decided to check out Au Festin de Babette, but as I'm a thorough investigator, I decided to look in every café window on my way up St-Denis in search of cakes. I was first stopped at Brulerie St-Denis by a three-tiered cake display. A million questions later, I had two pieces of cake (BMOT - brought my own tupperware) and a whole lot of answers.

I think the only reason I particularly cared about the Brulerie was because the carrot cake (bottom right of photo) was not beautifully glazed. Instead, the icing was smoothed simply around the whole body of the cake. Home made???

It turns out all the desserts at Brulerie St-Denis are bought from two Montreal companies:
Dawns Desserts and Fous Desserts.

Dawns Desserts doesn't have a shop, but delivers relatively freshly-made cakes and pies to certain Montreal cafés and restaurants, as well as doing private cake orders (by phone or email). Fous Desserts has a flagship store on Laurier, but also delivers (frozen cakes) to local businesses. Both websites say they are made with real whipped cream and the finest quality ingredients. Fous Desserts explicitly states it uses no preservatives and only the "richest butters and creams". I have a feeling Dawn Desserts skimps on the butter, though, because I know butter. When you don't eat a lot of butter, you really taste it and in Dawn's chocolate icing I did not taste butter. If it was there, it was not a particularly good butter.


The cakes: I went with Dawn's cakes because Fous Desserts had all been pre-frozen so I figured fresher would be better (but maybe you can get Fous Desserts' cakes fresh at the shop on Laurier?). Fous Desserts only had mousses and cheesecakes, kinds of cakes that can get away with freezing without people caring, but Dawn valiantly offered a two-layer Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake and a two-layer carrot cake (the colossal one with 6 layers you see at JavaU sometimes wasn't in attendance that day). If you're not like me, and are only getting one piece of cake, there's no question that you go with the carrot cake. The chocolate cake tasted like just about nothing. Non-buttery icing aside, it was a decent dense texture, though a bit dry from being refrigerated. It almost found a saving grace in a bit of espresso flavour in the icing, but it couldn't make up for the rest of the bland slice.

The carrot cake fared much better. The first of the two layers being a white cake with strands of carrot. Definitely not overly carrot-y, very moist, but the bottom layer had more of a gingerbread colour and taste, with more walnuts and dried fruit pieces, while staying just as fluffy and deceptively light as the top. The real cream cheese icing tasted respectable and was melt-in-your mouth smooth. Not the best carrot cake ever (Aux Vivres wins hands-down when theirs is fresh, despite the orange, grainy icing) but definitely not bad. If you're a cheesecake fan, try Fous
Dessert's Green Tea version, and for mousse, try the popular Phénix. I think these cakes get brownie points for trying to be wholesome and pure, but just don't make you feel like you walked into a Grandmother's kitchen. Definitely come back to these companies when you're craving that insanely bad-for-you piece of Oreo Mousse or Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake like you'd expect from a Cheesecake Factory.

Oh, so I got to Au Festin de Babette but the only cake they had was a small Chestnut Cream cake, which looked nice, and probably home made, but not exactly what I was hoping for cake-wise. It's cheaper at $3.75 a slice (a smaller slice) but I'd hold out on Au Festin de Babette for summer when you'll be craving their selection of soft ice cream, or go now for a rich, creamy hot chocolate.

Expect to Pay: $6.00-$7.50 with tax and tip

Brulerie St-Denis: 3967 St-Denis, 514-286-9158
5252 Cote-des-Neiges, 514 -731-9158
1587 St-Denis, 514-286-9159
Maison Alcan, 1188 Sherbrooke West, 514-985-9159
10 rue King, 514-397-9866
Ste-Justine Hospital, 3175 Cote-Ste-Catherine, 514-738-4900
Ptomenade Masson, 3039 Masson, 514-750-6259
Fousdesserts: 809 avenue Laurier Est, 514-273-9335, Tue-Wed 8am-7pm, Thu-Fri 7:30am-7:30pm, Sat 7:30am-6pm

Best Montreal Desserts

Help! I need suggestions! It's true, I love dessert and I often don't have it. There's nothing as bitterly disappointing as a fruit cup at a good restaurant. I don't care what kind of sorbet you serve with it. A half cup of mango purée with ice and sugar is a punishment (optimistic people would say a "torturous lesson in self-discipline) when the person sitting across from you is allowed a veritable mountain of Pain Perdu dripping in luxurious vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. If over half the world's inhabitants are at least slightly lactose-intolerant, then the dessert chefs are not catching up to the times. So there are very few places in this city where my stomach and head get along. Example:

Stomach says, "Cream! Butter! Sugar!"

Head says "Foolish child. You know you can't digest that."

So Stomach and Head have a tea and a dairy-free dry biscuit and weigh the short-term gain versus the long term pain. All very rational. But sometimes things don't go as smoothly, and Head says:

"How can you possibly be so head-strong when I disagree?" but promptly quiets down when it tastes the first bite of warm fleur de sel caramel brownie topped with old-style Vanilla ice cream from Juliette et Chocolat...Some days when this type of conversation happens, I go to bed with Head shaking itself, saying "I told you so!" and Stomach meekly admitting defeat and regretting every moment of chocolate-eating, except the first bite. Never the first bite.

Some days Stomach wins and Head shrugs, "Go figure? You should be sick now...and yet..." So it's a gamble and this seems to run in my family. The lactose-intolerance and the gambling, I mean.

...and I had a point...hmm...

Oh yes, I remember. I don't eat as much dessert as I would if I could, and I review food, and I want to do a review of the best desserts in Montreal. This is a conundrum. I am actually willing to sample small amounts of dairy-laden desserts for the good of Montreal readers, but since I've only been here two years, I haven't had enough opportunities to go after forbidden fruit. So I don't know all the hidden gems of the city's sweet-tooth. This is where you, the facilitator, comes in. I need recommendations, stories, addresses and names. The more information the better. When you think cake in Montreal, what do you envision?

In addition, I'm being particular. Here are my criteria:
1. A place that serves an individual piece of cake or pie or cheesecake (not little individual pastries, mille-feuilles, croissants and danishes like Première Moisson)
2. Not a counter patisserie. There must be somewhere to sit to enjoy this piece of cake. Even Cocoa Locale, who's renowned as the best cake-maker in the city, shouldn't really count as you can't sit and enjoy a single piece. You must buy a whole cake and take it to go. Though some cakes are smaller, they are still not meant to be eaten in a single sitting.
3. Preferably it should be open in the evening to have dessert after dinner. This is just to eliminate the bakery-style places and focus on café-style locations.
4. Somewhere you would go to celebrate a special occasion, but could also walk in on your own, and would certainly walk in because the place is known for its desserts
5. Not a fine dining restaurant with a ridiculously good pastry chef (a dessert sampling platter is not the kind of semi-casual indulgence I'm looking for)
6. Home made! Not factory-made. I'm on the fence about places like Rockaberry, Calories and Cheaters Dessert Bar. Definitely not worthy of the top of the list.


Here's what I have so far:

1. Le Figaro (Croissanterie)
2. Le Cagibi
3. Mamie Clafoutis
4. Crudessence
5. Cocoa Locale
6. Bilboquet
7. Cafe Beleze
8. Au Festin De Babette
8. Juliette et Chocolat
9. Calories
10. Cheaters Premium Dessert Bar
11. Rockaberry Tart

Le Figaro: I thought this was just a croissant and pastry place, but no, it makes its own beautiful cakes, is open late, encourages lingering, has a beautiful atmosphere (and terrasse in summer) and, well, is perfect if you can/choose to digest cream. You should eat their chocolate mousse cake. Three layers of...oh just eat it. Everything made fresh. All delicious.

Le Cagibi: Great atmosphere and great home-made desserts. They have a beautiful glass cake container that sits prominently on the end of their counter. It's not made there...but it is obviously home made (you can tell by the shape of the icing) and often the chili-laced brownies are brought in from Cocoa Locale.

Mamie Clafoutis: This is the sunniest, quietest, warmest place to hang out with dessert and a coffee, alone or in a group. Somewhere between a café and a take-out patisserie (I didn't know they had an upstairs full of plush chairs and games nights until a few days ago), this place won't sell you a piece of cake, but the Clafoutis are so unique and the atmosphere is so conducive to sitting and enjoying your dessert that I had to count it. Besides, it's open into the evening, meaning it's more than a place to pick up a sweet or loaf of bread and go. Definitely worth an after-dinner trip.

Cocoa Locale: Amazing date cake. Everyone seems to love the Valhora Chocolate cake, but I'm not sold on it. The chili brownies you can often find at Le Cagibi, your only option if you want to sit to eat that piece of dense chocolate. Since there's no actual place to eat in the shop, I only include it because you can buy her desserts at other places that think chairs are good ideas. Probably it's a good idea to keep nosy patrons out of your store post-purchase if your tiny kitchen is also your sales counter and you have a million cakes to bake by the end of the day. Let somewhere else encourage sitting.

Cafe Beleze: The owner here can be very rude...but even if he can't tell you what's in the cakes and loaves, and tells a lactose-intolerant person that maybe she should buy a piece of cake and see what it's like instead of asking so many annoying questions (very not okay), the cake shouts "home-made". One answer he did give was that the chocolate layer cake was made by a friend. No factory involved in this one, and it again showed in the roughly-applied icing. Way more love went into that cake than a cookie-cutter cake from Rockaberry...now if only the owner weren't so mean.

Bilboquet: Known for incredible ice cream (the original store on Bernard in Outremont serves bigger scoops than the one in Westmount or what you'll get at Java U...), the other desserts here are not to be missed. Though you're not going to walk in and start sharing an ice cream cake between a group of friends (hmm...), you get a beautiful choice of baked goods large enough to qualify as a dessert indulgence equivalent to a piece of cake. They may even have a cake that day.

Crudessence: Pop in any time of day for mousse, key lime pie or blueberry cheesecake (or whatever the chef has created) and enjoy a very different kind of guilty pleasure. Their desserts are refined sugar-free and are all vegan, but you'd never know the cheesecake was made with macademia and cashew nut purée until you're done and instead of feeling gittery from a sugar high, you feel full for the next 5 hours. Very full, and glowing.

Honourable mention:
Best Baklava: Afroditi Bakery. Not the Middle Eastern kind you find all over the city from take-out places to grocery stores, this baklava is the Greek version and comes swimming in honey syrup. More like a gooey pouding chomeur than a dry Christmas cake. If you live more downtown, you can also find their baklava at the PA Supermarket on rue du Fort. (I've heard tell that Ambrosia actually has the best baklava, but it's in Laval, not Montreal, so doesn't quite qualify for the competition. It definitely shouldn't be ignored, though). So baklava isn't cake, obviously, but you really can go to Afroditi and sit in a great space to enjoy your dessert of choice. The cakes you need to buy whole, putting this more in line with Première Moisson in terms of a place for buying and eating pastry with your Grandmother, but Première Moisson has nothing on the baklava, AND these guys are open late, encouraging a post-dinner excursion.