Chez Ma Tante Visited 1/20/2018 4.5 Forks

Chez Ma Tante  90 Calyer St., Brooklyn, NY 11222

This place is one of THE hottest, most talked about restaurants this year so far.  It's in a random far corner of Greenpoint but it was still packed to the gills on a Saturday.  I got there right when it opened at 11:30 and they were nice enough to seat me before Aarti got there.  By the time she got there 10 mins later, the place was totally full.  So either make a reservation or go right when it opens. 

The food is described as French Canadian but there wasn't any foie gras in sight but apparently the old menu had an emphasis on organ meat and terrines.  But the main reason people come here for brunch is for the pancakes.  They were pretty damn good but so was everything else.  Aarti and I called this meal the meal of aioli because basically everything we had came with a healthy dose of aioli - but who doesn't love aioli?!  We started the meal with chips (fries) and aioli ($7), the pancakes ($9), I got the egg and sausage sandwich ($13) and Aarti got the Spanish Tortilla (with aioli).  The menu online is different than what they are serving (I'm always annoyed when restaurants do that) so just a heads up that what you see may not be offered.  What we ordered was definitely WAY too much food for 2 people but we felt like we had to just go balls to the wall and we hadn't seen each other in a few weeks and had a lot to catch up on. 

The chips were essentially large crispy potato wedges and they were cooked to perfection.  They were almost too large but you can just cut them up if you need.  They were seasoned well and quite addictive with the aioli - I'd recommend them if you have more than 2 people but it was a bit much for us.  The egg sandwich was divine - a fluffy egg base, thick cut homemade sausage patty on a soft delicious bun.  I could barely finish the whole thing because it was so filling but it was an extremely hearty and satisfying sandwich - even if there wasn't any cheese on it.  As for the main attraction, I wish I had more room for it.  The pancake comes with 2 huge flaps so it's more than enough for 2 people.  It's thick and fluffy yet somehow the outside is crunchy and crispy.  I don't know how they do it but it was unlike any type of pancake I've had before.  It was like a toasted pancake.  Sadly, neither of us could finish it and we had to leave an entire flap on the plate which broke my heart. 

Overall, the place has a lovely calming vibe and the waitstaff was super sweet.  I would definitely come back but scale back my order so that I could actually enjoy my experience - not that I didn't but we clearly ordered way to much for 2 people and we walked out of brunch feeling a bit heavy in tummy.  If I lived closer (it was about a 30 min walk for me), I could see myself here all the time and wanting to become a regular.  Or maybe I'll do it anyways.  Total bill:  $45/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

48 Hours in Quebec City - Part 2 - Visited 8/25-8/27/2017 2.5 - 3.5 Forks

Cassis Monna & Filles 721, Chemin Royal, Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île d'Orléans                           3.5 Forks

If you have the time, I would recommend that you rent a car while you are in Quebec City so that you can explore some of the other sites that are a short drive away.  One of the places that's talked about a lot is Ile de Orleans, which is their version of wine country.  But let me be clear, it is absolutely nothing like Sonoma or Nappa but if you set your expectations a bit lower, there are a few nice places to check out here.  It's fairly rural and much more spread out than Holly and I anticipated, so I recommend that you stop by Cassis Monna first to grab a bite to eat as well as to a map to plot out your way around the area.

While Ile de Orleans may not be on the same level of other vineyard towns, Cassis Monna and Filles is definitely unique in its own sense in that it's mainly focused on the black currant.  They have an adorable restaurant and ice cream shop on the first floor as well as a tasting room and small artisanal store down below where you can buy bottles of wine.  There are several picnic benches out back where you can relax and take in the lovely view of the river as well.  It's such a lush and relaxing setting to be surrounded by.

I never really thought of black currant very much but it's delicious.  The tasting we did was great and the store is something you would find in Brooklyn - lots of jams and other mason jar preservatives that I seriously contemplated buying.  As expected, the menu in the restaurant focuses on the black currant.   You can get salad with black currant, quiche with black currant, sandwiches with a black currant jam or a pulled pork sandwich with black current wine in it.  Holly and I opted for the popcorn chicken with black currant honey ($8 CAD).  It's essentially fried chicken bites and lots fries on the side - so it was a lot of fried action.  They were salty and addictive and I couldn't stop popping them in my mouth.  I felt like a kid again eating chicken fingers or nuggets for lunch.  It was served with salad that had black currant dressing but it was a bit too sticky and sweet for me.  I would have preferred a basic oil/vinegar dressing but I guess that's not what you go at a place like this.

Overall, the food was basically bar food with a cute twist to it.  The food isn't amazing by any stretch but the surrounding area is a lovely respite from the all the tourists (and yes, there are plenty of tourists here too) and it's worth trying out some of the sweet delicious wines. It's 3 forks for the food but 4 forks for the scenery and overall cuteness.  Total bill:  $20/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Le Moine Echanson  585 Rue Saint-jean, Quebec City                                                             2.5 Forks

This review really breaks my heart because all the reviews online were so positive.  It's less of a full blown restaurant and more of a wine bar that serves tapas style food.  But the Yelp pictures and other blogs called it inventive and super creative.  Sadly when we went, it was a really suboptimal experience.  

As with most places in Quebec, the menu seemed to change daily based on what they have but for some reason the night we went they had practically nothing on the menu.  The menu looked a bit small to begin with but they only told us that they were out of 2 of the 4 entrees only after we sat down and ordered some wine.  When your menu only has 4 entrees and you're out of half of them, you should either say something before your guests sit down or go down to the market and figure something out asap.  It's not like we came at 11pm at night, we were there at 8pm on a Saturday when it should have been prime time but the place was barely full (should have been a sign) and the waiter had said that they had a unusually busy Friday so they were left with few options for Saturday.  That sounds like really poor planning to me.  

Similar to L'Affaire Est Ketchup, this place looks like its run by 3 guys in total but that's still not an excuse.  While it's mainly a wine bar, if you're going to have a food menu, you should ensure it's enough food to carry you through the night.  Since we had ordered wine we felt guilty getting up and leaving, so we ordered a few snacks to nibble on.  Unfortunately, we were so annoyed that nothing really sounded all that great.  I opted to get a half dozen oysters and then we also got the fried eggplant appetizer.  Holly asked if they had a meat and cheese plate since we saw it online and they said they could put something together (why not put that on the menu?!). 

I will say that the oysters were quite good and that's what carried this review.  I would have preferred them to have been chilled instead of at room temperature oysters but they were plump, briney and shucked well.  If I knew my night was going to consist of only oysters and wine, I probably would have had a much more favorable opinion of this place.  Next we got the fried eggplant which turned out to be steamed eggplant with no seasoning or flavor to it.  Even though I love eggplant, this was totally void of anything on it - a little soy sauce, sesame oil and scallion would have made a huge difference. What was even sadder was the meat and cheese plate - it only consisted of some sliced hard sausage and goat cheese with some soft bread.  It's hard to call it a plate when you only had 1 of each.  The waiter was really nice and kept asking us if we were ok but we felt really bad expressing any disappointment.  I wanted to give him some feedback but in the end, we just paid our bill and left.  

If expectations were set in the beginning that they didn't have much food, I probably would have had a much different opinion of our experience.  If you're looking for a funky organic wine bar, this is your place but if you're looking for a culinary wonderland, definitely ask before sitting down. Total bill:  $33/pp with tax, tip and wine

Photo Credit:  Yelp

Sapristi  1001 Rue Saint-Jean, Quebec City                                                                                 3 Forks

Since our flight back to NYC wasn't until 3pm, we were able to squeeze in one more meal before we left and honestly, I wasn't all that jazzed about it.  It's not that the food in Quebec City was terrible (it wasn't), it just wasn't as exciting or innovative as I thought.  At the end of our 48 hours there, we didn't want many more fried food or frankly disappointing experiences.  We wanted something simple and reliable. What's more reliable than Italian food?

We went back to the Petite Champlain area an if you go even further down the steps toward the river there are several outdoor cafes with a nice view.  We ended up randomly picking this place based on Yelp feedback.  It was honestly a fine meal and like the rest of our trip, nothing incredible but a very solid option.  Unlike our last dinner, the menu here was quite extensive.  They had a wide variety of pizzas, pastas, salads, flatbreads and other entrees.  Since I had essentially eaten my weight in fries on this trip, I went for the beef tartare ($20 CAD) and a french onion soup ($8.50 CAD).

The french onion soup was tasty but over salted a bit and could have used more cheese (but then again, you can never have enough cheese).  The beer tartare was a nice respite from all the fried food and it was served with chopped up fillet of beef, shallots, dijon mustard and pine nuts along with some thin toasted bread.  I was disappointed by the lack of egg but eating this felt much cleaner and healthier than any of the food I had consumed in the past 36 hours which was pretty much cheese and fries.

The pastas and pizzas looked great and I would say those are probably their stronger suits - but there are literally tons of other restaurants that look and feel exactly the same as this place on the same side street.  I'm bummed that our culinary adventures stalled a bit on this city but it's still a lovely place to visit and everyone there was very friendly and kind.  I would recommend it as a relaxing weekend getaway from the city and hopefully as time goes by, there will be more going on in the food scene. Total bill:  $ 30/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

48 Hours in Quebec City - Part 1 - Visited 8/25-8/27/2017 3.5-4 Forks

Le Lapin Saute  52 Rue du Petit-Champlain, Quebec City, QC G1K 4H4, Canada             4 Forks

When you think of Canada, Montreal and Vancouver are usually the darlings for the Great White North but Quebec City also has gotten some buzz with its quaint European charm and winter wonderland feel during Christmas time.  There's been no better time to visit Canada than in the last few years with the US dollar doing really well, so when my friend Holly expressed interest in checking out Quebec, I was on board with that even though it was in the summer time.

In term of Canada, I've only been to Montreal before and while I would still say that Montreal is more hip and happening, Quebec City has it's own appeal too.  It's only a 1.5 hour plane ride away from NYC but quite a world of difference.  It's predominantly a French speaking city but everyone also speak English.  But it's that French sensibility that makes it so adorable.  In the center of town is the touristy but super cute Petite Champlain area which is their Old Town section.  It's a small section of the city that's got cobblestone streets and adorable flower boxes outside each of the buildings - adorable.  It kind of make you feel like you're in Europe.  The city is a decent size that I think 48 hours is plenty of time to hit the highlights and then some.  The only big bummer is that I didn't think the food scene was all that.  Of course poutine is everywhere and because it's so far up North there is a lot of heavy meats like bison but it wasn't really a go-to food destination for me.  That's where it's neighbor Montreal has it beat.  It's possible that I didn't go to the right places but nothing during the whole weekend felt like a home run to me.  Our meal at Le Lapin Saute - while in the most touristy part of town was probably the most satisfying for me.

It's in the heart of the Petite Champlain and it surrounded by cute stores.  If it's nice outside, I'd recommend getting a table outside so that you can people watch.  If you know any French, you know that the star of the menu is le lapin, or rabbit.  While they have several non-rabbit dishes, it is the focus on the menu and rabbit comes in many forms here:  poutine, rillettes, confit, braised, or in a puff pastry.  It's kind of sad to think about but I tried to block it out of my mind.  We came for a light lunch since we had dinner reservations at 8pm, so we didn't go totally nuts.  We started with an appetizer of smoked duck breast ($8 CAD) and I got the half size portion of rabbit poutine ($9 CAD) and Holly got the grilled cheese ($17 CAD).  The smoked duck breast was served cold and sliced thinly, almost like a charcuterie plate.  It came on soft pieces of toast and sour but tasty cornichons.  It was a simple but solid way to start the meal.  Since I was in Canada, I had to get the poutine.  It felt wrong not to get it at least once on the trip.  For those of you who don't know what it is, it's basically fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.  It's the most perfect drunk food but it's not something I would necessarily endorse eating regularly.  But it's a Qubecois specialty and I figured why not get it with rabbit?  The rabbit was light and almost shredded in texture and was actually a nice touch. What I liked about this dish was that it wasn't drowning in gravy so it kept the fries a bit crispy.  I'm really glad I got a half size because that was the right amount of food.

Our waiter was this adorable French speaking guy who looked like he couldn't have been older than college age.  He was super sweet and recommended a delicious local rose where I could have had an entire bottle but settled for 2 delicious glasses instead.  The place was packed the whole time we were there and since it's right on the main strip of the busy street, it's a prime place to sit down for a snack and people watch.  I'd definitely recommend this place even if you don't like or want rabbit but don't knock it til you try it!  Total bill:  $33/pp with tax, tip and drinks

Photo Credit:  Yelp

L'Affaire Est Ketchup  46 Rue Saint-Joseph E, Quebec City, QC G1K 3A7, Canada              3.5 Forks

This was my eagerly awaited dinner reservation of the trip - mostly because it was on Anthony Bourdain's show and he really liked what was going on with it.  It's in the hipster part of town that's called Saint Roch - it's a bit away from the touristy center which is always a good sign in my book. Basically it's their version of Brooklyn.  The name of the restaurant translates into a local saying of essentially, "everything is ok!"  

When you walk in, I could tell this was a unique "restaurant".  I use restaurant in quotes because it's run by basically 4 guys and the kitchen is essentially like a kitchen you'd find in someone's home. It's by no means a full service facility that's got a host, waiter, bus boy, runner, sous chef, chef, etc.  It's 4 guys doing everything - so I admire them for that.  But with that comes a lot of operational challenges even though they did everything with a smile.  The decor is super dark and cozy.  The menu is on a chalkboard (that seems to be a bit theme with restaurants in Quebec City) and rotates everyday depending on what they have and want to cook.  Unfortunately since it was so dim, the poor waiter came around and read out loud the entire menu to each and every table - sometimes in both French and English.  Holly and I tried to listen to what he was telling other tables so that he didn't have to repeat himself but inevitably we needed him to review some of the dishes.  We settled for the scallop ceviche ($16 CAD) and mushroom with goat ($15 CAD) to start and we each got the bison steak for our entree ($28 CAD) - I mean when in Rome or in this case Quebec City.  

Their wine system is a bit unique - they have a giant bookcase stacked with different wine and you can review them and then point to the bottle you want.  It's a bit confusing and as someone who isn't an expert in wine, not helpful because you still end up having to ask for help.  

The scallop dish came out first and it was less of a ceviche and more of a carpaccio.  It was several thinly sliced pieces of raw scallops which were nice and refreshing.  The mushrooms on the other hand, were not as refreshing.  It was a bunch of sauteed mushrooms with diced goat meat in it and it was overly salted and the goat meat overcooked.  It tasted like something I could have made at home by throwing some mushrooms in a pain and heating them over a hot flame.  

After this we waited quite a while for our entree.   It'll give them a pass since it was 4 guys working the whole restaurant but it makes you realize how painfully slow it can be without a full service staff. At first glance, the bison steak was beautiful - it looked juicy and meaty. To be fair, the waiter warned us that there was a nerve that ran down the middle of the piece of bison, so we should cut with caution.  I really did try my best to cut around it but the nerve made it really hard to cut and maneuver around.  The meat around it was tender and cooked medium rare but the immediate area around the nerve was super chewy and very difficult to eat.  It came with your standard offering of roasted vegetables and potatoes, which I could take or leave but I guess you have to have something besides just a piece of meat on a plate.

We were pretty full by this point and should have stopped there but I'm a sucker for a good cheese plate (especially after my trip to France) and Quebec City supposedly has a good cheese scene too, so we ended the night with a cheese plate.   It was a pretty solid cheese plate with a stinky but yummy blue cheese, a triple cream cheese, mild goat cheese and another kind of mild hard cheese.

Overall, I liked the vibe of this place and I respect and appreciate any kind of small business trying to make it on their own.  The staff was super friendly and you could tell very crazed.  I can't say it was a meal that was worthy of 4 forks but you could tell they cooked with heart and for that I'm a fan, I just wished the food was a bit more solid.  Total bill:  $78/pp with tax, tip and wine

Schwartz's Deli Visited 9/4/2011 3 Forks

Schwart's Deli 3895 St-Laurent Blvd., Montreal, QC H2W 1X9

Alright, the other famous place in Montreal that everyone talks about outside of Au Pied Cochon is Schwartz's.  Montreal is famous for its smoked meat (I did see it everywhere) and this is apparently THE place to go for it.  Dan and I lazily strolled by this place on Sunday around 2:30pm and the line was wrapped around the block.  Luckily, we weren't starving (as we had a few snacks at the Marche Jean-Talon) so we were ok with just waiting in line.  We probably waited about 30 minutes and once we walked inside my immediate thought was: Katz's Deli in New York City but on a much smaller scale.

The actual size of Schwartz's only seats about 20-25 people inside which is why the lines were so long. We sat down at a long communal table with 2 other couples, so forget about having a nice private conversation with the person next to you. It's got this old school look and feel to it...it looks like it's kept the original Jewish deli decor from the 50's.    The menu is essentially 1 thing: smoked meat (as a sandwich or just as sliced meat) and then a bunch of sides.  We ordered 2 smoked meat sandwiches and 1 order of fries.  I was waiting for the waiter to ask me how I would like my sandwich: fat, medium (which is what everyone told me to get), or lean, but he never did. So I was a bit worried that we would get something  we wouldn't like.  But luckily, apparently if you don't say anything they automatically assume medium.

The sandwich looked a bit small at first glance but after looking at all the meat in between, Dan and I probably could have split 1 sandwich.  The meat comes on 2 regular pieces of bread with a smear of yellow mustard.  I was expecting a heavenly bite of meat, but I didn't reach heaven. While it was definitely good, it didn't blow my mind. I would have preferred it to be a bit more moist and fatty but it was drier than I like.  I ended up putting a lot more mustard (which I generally don't even like) on my plate and dipping the meat into it.  Meanwhile, I actually really liked the fries.  They were crisp and tasted like they were fried in peanut oil, so it has this slightly different taste to it.   I had read on Yelp that many people encountered rude service but my waiter was actually incredibly nice and sweet, so I guess we might have lucked out.

All in all, I can see why this is a bit tourist draw and I can appreciate it for what it is, but it's like how I feel about Katz's....which is it has it's reason for being what it is, but there's no reason to rush there.  I probably would have also enjoyed it a lot more if I wasn't full from my snacking at the farmer's market and now I'm actually dreaming about the sandwich how I wish I could try it all over again.  They are cash only (and you know how I feel about that).  Total bill:  $24 for 2 people

Le Hachoir Visited 9/3/2011 4 Forks

Le Hachoir 4177 Boul Saint-Denis., Montréal, QC H2W 2M5

The one place I really wanted to go to while I was in Montreal was Au Pied Cochon, but alas they didn't have any openings during the busy long weekend.  So we decided to walk around the Plateau area of Montreal and see what we could find.  I did peek inside L'Express, a highly touted authentic French bistro on St. Denis Blvd but after looking at the menu there wasn't anything that really "spoke" to me.  So we just walked around for another 45 minutes...and the area is great!  There were so many different places to eat and hang out.  Finally at 10pm, we decided that we should probably pick at place to eat.  We had walked past Le Hachoir earlier and it had this young, hip vibe, so we came back to it.  Now, I had visions of having sidewalk cafe, bistro meals but this place was very similar to a New York City restaurant.  It's loud, full of young beautiful trendy people and had a very sleek look to it (I didn't notice it at first but later Dan pointed out that it had a surgery theme with large over the head lights like you would find in at dentist or in an operating room).  It's a burger joint which is not something I was really thinking of when I was planning my trip to Montreal but who doesn't love a good burger?

This place was really great.  We sat at the bar and the bartender was this adorable, floppy haired guy and was nice to us even though most people in this area of Montreal speak mostly French.  This place is famous for its tartate and burgers and they have tons of super creative burgers. It was a bit hard to understand because the menu was entirely in French so I did my best to try to translate.  I got the Le Westside ($18) because I managed to understand the words Bison and blue cheese.  Dan got the Le Hachoir ($18) because I thought it said pork and shrimp and mayo sriracha.  The burgers came out on these cute cutting boards with a small side salad and fries.  The burgers were fairly hefty in size and had to be kept together with a toothpick.  The "salad" was literally just a bunch of fresh lettuce in a cup with dressing, so nothing amazing but you could tell it was fresh crisp lettuce.  While they didn't ask how I liked my burger, they cooked it just right: medium rare.  The bun was soft and brioche-like and the whole burger was just amazing.  All the flavors just hit you all at once and even though it was late and I wasn't really hungry I managed to down the entire thing.  The combination of bison and blue cheese packed quite a punch.  I also had a bite of Dan's burger and it was much more shrimp focused but it was different and really tasty too.  For dessert, we split the mango crisp ($8) and it was perfectly baked on the outside and the mango made of a different twist.

Even when we were done with our meal, the place was still pretty bumpin and packed.  It was a great late Saturday night outing and it was fun to hang out where "all the kids" go since it's been a while since I've been out like this.  The prices were a bit steep for just burgers, but I've been to many places in New York that charge the same if not more...it's still a bit hard to swallow paying high double digits for a burger.  Total bill with multiple drinks, dessert and tip for 2: $92   

Photo credit: Yelp

Eggspectation Visited 9/3/2011 2.5 Forks

Eggspectation 1313 De Maisonneuve West, (corner Montagne), Montreal, Quebec H3G 2R9

It was my first full day in Montreal and I was excited to try out a cute French-like bistro for brunch.  Eggspectation was not a cute bistro, but it was within walking distance and packed full of locals and tourists with a cute name.  I mean with a name like Eggspectation, it has to be good with egg dishes right?

The place is cute in the sense that it tries to look like a country house on the inside but then it's also got this weird industrial vibe with exposed pipes and concrete floors, so I'm not sure what sort of look they were going for.  Once we sat down, we realized that it's a chain (surprisingly with other locations in Maryland) restaurant, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but not what I really wanted.  The menu is, as expected, full of a million different kinds of egg dishes with "witty" eggy names like eggstreme, egg-chilada, and yoke around the clock.  As someone who loves eggs, it was so hard to decide what to try.  I thought I would be "healthy" and go for the California Benedict ($13) and Dan got the Breton Benedict ($11).  Before we order, I notice the beginning of what was some serious lacking service.  I realize it's busy and I do feel bad that they have to deal with a million things at once, but we literally waited forever to order.

When we did order, it took forever just to get our water and coffee.  And when she brought Dan's coffee, she literally swiped the sugar and cream for the table next to us without asking the couple sitting at the table.  It was a bit funny and shocking at the same time.  The couple was actually pretty pissed and said that they thought our waitress so rude for doing that.  When our food came, both of our dishes weren't really what we expected.  While I know that the menu said that my dish came with smoke salmon, spinach, asparagus on wheat bread, I didn't expect it to literally come on a tossed bed of wheat bread.  Usually benedict comes on english muffins, but all of these ingredients were scattered on 4-5 pieces of thin toast.  The eggs, veggies, and hollandaise sauce (there was tons of it) were all fine but it was just the fact that it was literally on randomly placed regular wheat bread was weird. Dan's dish was not what we thought either and to be honest we didn't know what it was supposed to be but it came out as 2 poached eggs inside of crepes filled with ham and covered in hollandaise sauce.  It was really different and not something either of us had seen before.  It had a definite sweet and salty combination that I like, it was just the fact that the crepe was covered with hollandaise sauce that was a bit bizarre.  When it came time to get our check, we waited and waited and then when we got our check we had to wait to get change.  Meanwhile, she took the ketchup off our table and gave it to another table, which we thought was amusing. Why don't they just have enough condiments for all the tables?!

Overall the meal was fine and the place was cute enough but the service was so slow and the food was not amazing enough to make up for it.  If it was local place and in NYC, I would consider coming back every now and then, but it's not a destination meal to go out of your way for.  Total bill $34 with tip.