Well, finally, here it is: the very last, long-overdue, much-awaited (ahem…) blog post about my trip to New York.

Our fourth day began lazily, in spite of our uncontainble excitement at the thought of revisiting our absolute favourite spot in New York: Murray’s Cheese Shop. A cheese shop, you say? Yes, a cheese shop. We had discovered Murray’s the previous year, when we had last visited New York. And every day since, we had dreamed and fantasised about the many glorious grilled cheese sandwiches we had feasted on.

Indeed, Murray’s is no regular cheese shop. It is everything anyone who ever dreams of eating cheese in heaven could ever dream of.

And so, we decided to share three grilled cheese for breakfast.

1. Da Bomb: braised short ribs, taleggio, caramelised onions and arugula
2. The Picnic Melt: pancetta, provolone and a house-made potato salad, served on garlic bread
3. The Solstice: goat cheese, fig spread, pecans and fried sage

I bet you feel full just reading those descriptions. And I also bet you’re pretty jealous of anyone who gets to enjoy these on a regular basis; I know I am.

It was a rainy afternoon in New York and we were on the verge of reaching food coma, so we lazily walked around the Village for the next few hours, taking refuge in the many record and vintage clothing stores that populate Bleecker Street and the surroundings.

Rumi is one of my favourite boutiques in the area — or at least, it’s one of the only shops where I’ve had repeated success in finding clothes I could afford. The many dresses are organised by colour and the store itself is eye-catching and sophisticated, and though you won’t find many bargains here, the prices are refreshing compared to many similar stores in the city. Nearby is another one of my favourite stores: Bleecker Street Records — from which I’ve never come out empty-handed!

It’s a good thing we hadn’t made lunch reservations for that day. We had plans to eat at The Spotted Pig, another culinary institution in the Village, but by the time we got there, we simply couldn’t dare order one of April Bloomfield’s famous burgers. What we did have room for, however, was something sweet. Since the place was relatively empty (it was nearing 4pm, and only the late lunch menu was available), we asked the host if it would be alright to sit down for just a piece of pie and a glass of wine — and he happily indulged us. Even if the rhubarb pie we shared hadn’t been perfect (it was), the atmosphere and decor alone were worth the detour.

We then headed to the Guggenheim Museum for a Francesca Woodman exhibit, a photographer whose work is equally mesmerising, inspiring and haunting.

We had two hours to enjoy between the museum’s closing time and the time of our reservation at a restaurant in SoHo, and two hours is pretty much how long it took for us to walk from one place to the other. Of course, because this is New York, that walk took us through half of Central Park, inside Momofuku Milk Bar for a few treats to bring back home, in front of the beautiful New York Times Building, and through a mass of people gathered in Times Square in the hope of catching a glimpse of Barack Obama, who was in town that day.

And finally, we arrived at Locanda Verde, and it was time to eat again.

We decided to share two plates of pasta: “grandma’s ravioli” and pappardelle with lamb bolognese, ricotta and mint, followed by a dish of scallops in almond gazpacho, served with pancetta and the freshest, crispiest spring peas.

Unfortunately, it’s been too long for me to describe these dishes in detail and do them any justice. Suffice to say that I would’ve eaten a hundred bowlfuls of that ravioli; that rarely have I ever been so delightfully surprised with a dish as I was with the fresh yet hearty pappardelle; and that the scallop dish was our favourite of the entire weekend (I didn’t count, but we must’ve shared a minimum of thirty plates over the course of four days).

Our waiter was so enthusiastic in his praise of their pastry chef, Karen DeMasco, and in his description of their dessert offerings, that we simply couldn’t resist. I chose the carrot cake, iced with a white chococolate mascarpone crema and served with carrot granita, and Kris opted for the chocolate budino (an Italian pudding), served with mint stracciatella gelato. Drooling yet? Both of these were unbelievably delicious, though we were both steadfast in our preference for the dessert we had each ordered. There are two kinds of people in this world: those who’ve embraced the glory of fruits and vegetables in their desserts, and those stubborn chocolate-lovers.

And thus concluded our trip to New York; four days, a dozen restaurants. I hope you enjoyed this series, and I do apologise for letting the suspense drag on this long (you guys were all eagerly awaiting this final post, weren’t you? Please humour me and say you were. Thanks.).

Did you miss DAY 1, DAY 2 or DAY 3?

References

Murray’s Cheese Shop

Bleecker Street Records

The Spotted Pig

Guggenheim

Locanda Verde

Vous aimeriez vous rendre au marché chaque semaine, mais vous n’avez pas le temps? Vous aimeriez consommer des produits locaux et essayer de nouveaux ingrédients, mais vous ne savez pas comment vous y prendre? Vous faites l’épicerie à pied, et vous avez souvent envie de vous écrouler sous le poids de vos achats, ou de pleurer quand il y a une tempête et que votre frigidaire est vide? Vous détestez vous rendre à l’épicerie, et vous ne supportez pas les files d’attente?

Tagada offre une solution à tous ces maux en créant chaque semaine des paniers d’épicerie qui combleront tous vos besoins culinaires, tout en vous permettant de rester en pyjama et de gaspiller votre temps ailleurs qu’à l’épicerie!

Panier Frugal (végétarien) à 130$

Les avantages sont nombreux:

Diversité

En faisant confiance à Tagada, vous recevez une épicerie presque complète: de la viande, du poisson, des produits laitiers, des œufs, des légumes, des fruits, et même du pain et des desserts. Vous recevez parfois même des pâtes fraîches, de la sauce et des plats préparés, comme de la soupe, des empanadas, ou des lentilles.

De semaine en semaine, les paniers varient: vous pouvez recevoir du cerf, du poulet et des pétoncles une semaine, et du porc et de la morue la semaine suivante. De même, vous recevrez des choux de Bruxelles, des poireaux et des tomates une fois, et des betteraves, des topinambours et une courge musquée la fois d’après.

Des 4 paniers qui sont offerts, vous pouvez choisir celui qui convient le mieux à vos besoins, toujours à prix raisonnable. Il y a 2 paniers pour 4 personnes à 200$: le panier Découverte (trouvailles et coups de cœur) et le panier Terroir (abondant et commode), et 2 paniers pour 2 personnes à 130$: le panier Gourmet (une diversité comparable au panier Découverte, avec des quantités réduites) et le panier Frugal (végétarien et tout aussi valable que les autres).

Chaque fois que vous commanderez un panier, vous découvrirez un ou plusieurs nouveaux produits: une saveur de yaourt inusitée (poire et coriandre), un fromage méconnu, une pièce de viande que vous achetez rarement, ou un légume que vous n’avez jamais appris à cuisiner.

Consommation saine et responsable

Vous recevez toujours des produits qui sont en saison, et parfois, vous recevez aussi des produits de bonne qualité qui ont été congelés pour survivre à l’hiver, comme des mûres ou des têtes de violon.

Vous encouragez des producteurs québécois situés en région et, comme le dit si bien Tagada, vous contribuez à “supprimer les intermédiaires, rapprocher les consommateurs des producteurs, permettre une meilleure rémunération pour les producteurs, renouer avec les produits frais et de saison, participer au maintien du tissu social”. N’est-ce pas magnifique?

Vous encouragez aussi des artisans montréalais, comme Drogheria Fine, une petite boutique de sauces italiennes située dans le Mile-End, La Bête à pain, une boulangerie située dans Ahunstic, la Pâtisserie Rhubarbe, un des endroits les plus charmant du Plateau, et Joe La Croûte, une nouvelle boulangerie artisanale située près du marché Jean-Talon.

De plus, vous consommerez des produits biologiques (pas toujours, mais souvent) et responsables, vous aurez facilement accès à des produits rares et parfois coûteux, et vous bénéficierez d’une alimentation saine et diversifiée.

Comfort et facilité

Vous recevez tout ça à la maison, sans frais de livraison additionnels, à la seule condition de vivre dans un des secteurs montréalais suivants: Westmount, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Côte-des-Neiges, Ville Mont-Royal, Outremont, Plateau Mont-Royal, Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, Parc-Extension, Villeray, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Ville-Marie, Pointe St-Charles, Verdun et l’Île des Sœurs.

Encore mieux, vous n’avez pas besoin de vous abonner. Chaque semaine, vous décidez si vous avez envie de commander le prochain panier. Alors s’il vous reste encore beaucoup d’ingrédients de la dernière commande, s’il y a plusieurs items dans les nouveaux paniers qui ne vous intéressent pas, ou si vous savez que vous ne passerez pas beaucoup de temps à la maison durant la semaine et que vous n’aurez pas le temps de cuisiner, c’est idéal! Vous ne vous retrouverez jamais avec un surplus de produits périssables.

Je ne peux m’arrêter de vanter ce service. Êtes-vous convaincus?

Si oui, faites vite! Il ne vous reste qu’aujourd’hui pour commander le dernier panier de l’année, car Tagada prend une pause du 7 décembre au 7 janvier. C’est par ici.

Mais ça aurait été le pire mensonge de ma vie. Parce que cet endroit est parfait, et la nourriture encore meilleure qu’elle en a l’air en photo, et les prix phénoménalement bas, et le service chaleureux, amical et charmant.

Le menu n’en dit pas long: yogourt à 7,95$, pain doré à 10,95$, grilled cheese à 10,95$, gravlax et focaccia à 12,95$, chèvre chaud à 13,95$, omelette à 14,95$. Il n’y a aucune description, parce que les ingrédients changent au fil des saisons, puisque le chef n’utilise que des produits frais et locaux. Alors, que ce soit la saison de la rhubarbe, des fraises, des bleuets, de l’ananas, des pêches ou du melon, vous pouvez vous attendre à en retrouver partout.

Mais encore, le chef adapte tous ses mets à vos restrictions culinaires. Que vous ayez une intolérance au lactose ou au gluten, que vous soyez allergique aux noix ou aux bananes, que vous soyez végétaliens ou végétariens, le chef est là pour vous gâter.

Le menu réserve encore un autre secret: la “trilogie” du brunch (14,95$). Vous faites part de vos préférences alimentaires au chef, ou vous lui dites de se laisser aller, et il vous ramène 3, 4, parfois 5 petits mets différents. D’après la serveuse, c’est que le chef “ne sait pas compter”…!

Peu importe ce que vous choisissez (que ce soit une assiette simple ou la “trilogie”), vous avez droit au chai à volonté. Celui-ci est préparé avec du lait d’amandes et il est tellement bon et réconfortant.

Lors de mes nombreuses visites, j’ai donc pu goûter à tous les items. Le gravlax est mariné pendant 48 heures avec de l’aneth et du fenouil, et servi avec une tranche de focaccia aux olives et une petite salade verte, ou encore une petite salade de tomates et de noix de pin.

L’omelette est remplie de champignons et débordante de chèvre ou de gruyère. Le yogourt regorge de toutes sortes de céréales et de fruits secs, et est parfois garni d’une confiture aux bleuets, d’autres fois d’un simple miel.

Le chèvre chaud, servi sur un morceau de pain grillé, est délicieux et ultra rassasiant. Dans le grilled cheese, il devait y avoir assez de fromage pour préparer quatre sandwichs, et même la salade qui l’accompagnait, garnie de bleuets et de gros morceaux d’ananas, était généreuse.

Mais c’est avec le pain doré que je suis tombée irrémédiablement en amour. Une fois à la rhubarbe, une autre fois aux pommes, la fois d’après aux bleuets; le pain est trempé dans du lait d’amandes et cuit dans de l’huile de coco, et il est tout simplement hors de ce monde.

Tout ça, et je ne vous ai pas encore parlé des smoothies. Je ne veux surtout pas vous donner l’impression que j’exagère, mais c’est que je n’ai jamais goûté à un meilleur smoothie que ceux auxquels j’ai goûté chez Sainbol.

Ma première fois, c’était un smoothie à la rhubarbe, aux fraises et aux pommes, encore une fois préparé avec du lait d’amandes. J’étais complètement subjuguée: chaque gorgée était meilleure que la première. Plus tard, j’ai aussi goûté à un smoothie à l’ananas et aux bleuets, puis à la rhubarbe et aux bleuets, et chaque fois, ils étaient extraordinaires. Je ne savais même pas qu’un smoothie pouvait goûter aussi bon que ça.

En plus, le chef semble connaître ou reconnaître presque tous ses clients; il nous parle de politique, de famille ou de voyage; il s’installe à notre table pour nous montrer ses ingrédients et nous expliquer telle ou telle recette. Bref, il ne pourrait être plus amical.

Leonard est en amour.

We started off by sharing an “appetiser” of homemade ricotta served with honey, pine nuts, fresh raspberries and sun-dried figs, along with three little merveilles, lightly fried and generously dusted with sugar. I ordered the Eggs Benedict, served with Canadian bacon and a potato rösti (so perfectly crispy), and Kris went for the ultra thick Dutch-style oven-baked blueberry pancake.

Brunch has an unfortunate tendency to be overly dainty, fussy, or just plain snobby, but at Prune it is none of those things: the food is simple, honest, and tasty. There are some unusual elements on the menu (spicy stewed chickpeas and warm flatbread; sausages and oysters), some greatly rendered classics (scrambled eggs; eggs en cocotte), and many hugely satisfying options (triple-decker ham and cheese sandwich with fried eggs and red currant jelly; steak and eggs). And though the restaurant is constantly crowded, with a line-up that never fades, service remains informative, warm, and friendly.

Next door to Prune, we discovered a wonderful little community garden dedicated to “Women Who Change the World”, with gorgeous murals of Dorothy Day, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and Grace Paley, to name just a few. When you inevitably head to Prune, or if you’re ever just strolling in the area or looking for a quiet spot to read or rest, do visit this serene and inspiring garden.

We still had about an hour to stroll through SoHo before heading to DUMBO for a play, and so we browsed the neighbourhood’s streets and exuberantly unaffordable shops, and wandered through a book-sale-turned-street-festival, complete with live music and lemonade stands.

The play we were headed to in DUMBO was part of St. Ann’s Warehouse‘s Labapalooza, a “mini festival of new puppet theatre”. Our program included four short plays: The Radium Play by Emma Wiseman, Event Erasers by Adam Shecter, The Yellow Wallpaper by Elizabeth Ostler, and Mental Hygiene by Lindsay Abromaitis-Smith. The Yellow Wallpaper, originally written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, has been one of my favourite stories for a long time, and it was wonderful to see someone else’s interpretation of it on stage, and as a puppet show, no less!

The Warehouse was being torn down the very next morning (the theatre has now moved to a new address), and it also felt quite special to be in attendance for its penultimate show; the emotion amongst the staff and artists was palpable, and understandably so, considering the multitudes of stars and legends, musicians and actors, who have made their way there: from Karen O and Cillian Murphy, to David Bowie and Lou Reed.

Walking out of the theatre, we stumbled upon Almondine, Jacques Torres’ bakery, often hailed as having the best and most authentic French-style breads and croissants in the city. We picked up a chocolatine and a cup of fresh orange juice and quickly headed to the waterfront to catch the boat that was just arriving. Turns out, this is a pretty common mode of transportation among DUMBO-ites and Williamsburg-ians, as there is no quick way to travel between the two neighbourhoods by subway. I even heard someone explain that he often took the ferry to commute to work in the morning; and if it’s only going to cost you $4, why wouldn’t you travel to work by boat? (Note: this is also a great way to reach the Brooklyn Flea/Smorgasburg, as it drops you off just a few meters away from the entrance).

We didn’t actually have any set dinner plans that night. Heading to wd-50 and trying to score much-coveted bar seats at Wylie Dufresne’s restaurant was an option, but because we wanted to visit some of Williamsburg’s bars that night and attend a comedy show in the neighbourhood, we decided we couldn’t be bothered with the trek to Manhanttan.

We decided on a restaurant called Bozu, a “Japanese tapas lounge” which boasts an impressively long menu and an unusual, confusing and strangely beautiful interior. We had never heard of this place before, which in itself made for a nice change, and it was exactly what we were looking for: intimate and romantic, yet also casual and fairly inexpensive.

I ordered a mango mojito, and we let the staff select our dishes for us (I say staff because there were three or four different people taking care of us at once, since it was quite early and the restaurant still fairly empty). They brought us a plate of “Pork Betty” (thinly sliced pork belly cooked in Sake and sweet soy), rice croquettes (panko-breaded risotto with butternut squash, sage, mozzarella and parmesan), and mushroom rolls (self-explanatory).

There was also a selection of sushi called “Party Bomb”: three “Pink Bombs” (salmon and scallion), three “Mc Low Bombs” (tuna, avocado and wasabi cream sauce), three “Spicy Mc Bombs” (tuna, cucumber, wasabi cream sauce and kataifi), and “Una Bombs” (eel, mint leaves and wasabi cream sauce). The use of kataifi, which I had only seen in pastries before, was a pleasant surprise.

Overall, the restaurant seemed like a fun neighbourhood joint; not necessarily one I would visit often or even recommend to many people, and definitely not the highlight of our four-day restaurant crawl, but it made for a perfectly enjoyable evening. The concept is intriguing, and the patio and decor alone are probably enough to attract the crowds.

Photo credit: Bozu

We skipped dessert at the restaurant, and instead trekked to Momofuku’s Milk Bar, where we enjoyed a cereal milkshake (it tasted quite exactly like a bowl of Special K — in a good way, but I just found out that they now have a blueberry pancake option, and that just makes me want to cry from envy) and two kinds of cake truffles: birthday, and mint cookies ‘n’ cream. Again, these did not disappoint (see Day 2 for more on Momofuku’s desserts).

After a wander and a few drinks, we made our way to The Knitting Factory for a comedy night hosted by Hannibal Buress, a standup comedian and 30 Rock writer. Around seven comics performed short sets, and I gave plenty of material for them to mock me with by inexplicably telling everyone what I wanted to do with the rest of my life: eat.

DAY 4: We spend much of the day in the Village and revisit the absolute best place in the world (hi, Murray’s!), check out one of the city’s most famous museums, and have one last fantastic meal (really, really, really fantastic).

Click here to read all about DAY 1 and click here for DAY 2!

References

Prune
54 East 1st Street
Manhattan
(212) 677-6221
(no brunch reservations)

St Ann’s Warehouse
(new address)
29 Jay Street
Brooklyn
(718) 834-8794

Bozu
296 Grand Street
(718) 384-7770

Momofuku Milk Bar
382 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn
(347) 577-9504
(multiple locations)

Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn
(347) 529-6696
Comedy Night with Hannibal Buress

C’est au Souk Gastronomique, dans le cadre du Festival Juste Pour Rire, que tout ça se retrouve. Sur la rue Sainte-Catherine, entre la rue Saint-Urbain et la rue Jeanne-Mance, de 12h à 23h, tous les jours jusqu’au 28 juillet, les Montréalais peuvent goûter aux concoctions de plus de 20 restaurants ambulants.

Lors de ma première visite au Souk, un mardi soir pluvieux, l’endroit était presque désert, ce qui était idéal pour explorer le territoire, appréhender les nouveaux arrivés, et bien examiner leurs menus.

Cette soirée-là, ma première découverte fut l’incontournable, le très délicieux, et le très, très généreux sandwich de porc effiloché du camion Pas d’cochon dans mon salon. Pour un overdose de viande, c’est exactement le genre de truc qu’il vous faut.

Sandwich de porc effiloché

Et pour bien étancher votre soif, il faut absolument essayer le jus d’hibiscus de Grumman 78; très honnêtement, je ne pense plus pouvoir vivre sans ce jus. Il est parfait.

En fait, avant l’arrivée du Souk, j’avais déjà essayé plusieurs des concoctions de Grumman 78, le camion de bouffe le plus populaire à Montréal. Présent un peu partout depuis l’été dernier (aux marchés Puces Pop organisés par Pop Montréal, au Nouveau Palais, au Festival de Jazz et aux Francos, entre autres), ce camion vert lime a révolutionné la culture culinaire de notre ville. Maintenant installée à leur kiosque permanent au Faubourg Sainte-Catherine, l’équipe de Grumman continue tout de même à satisfaire nos papilles là où elle le peut. Le taco à l’agneau, avec ses tranches de mangue et de pomme verte, demeure mon préféré. Il est tout petit, et à 7$, il n’est pas donné du tout, mais il est vraiment succulent.

Taco à l'agneau, patates douces et queso fresco, et limonade à la framboise

Lors du Festival Folk sur le canal, j’avais aussi goûté au sandwich de homard (avec mayo maison, mangues et tomates cerise) du Lucky’s Truck, et plus tard, lors d’un Pop-up culinaire à la Place Emilie-Gamelin, j’avais essayé leur sandwich de canard confit (avec oignons caramélisés et salade d’oranges et d’avocats), ainsi que leur poutine avec porc effiloché.

Sandwich de homard, avec mayo maison, mangues et tomates cerises

Je suis retournée au Souk à l’heure du lunch un jeudi et là, je me suis vraiment gâtée. Avec ma collègue, j’ai partagé des petites boules japonaises à la pieuvre et aux champignons, une tourtière australienne au poulet au beurre, un cheeseburger, des pierogi au fromage, et deux revellos!

Les Takoyaki sont superbes; ils sont faits d’une pâte similaire à celle d’une crêpe, farçis de pieuvre ou de champignons, cuits sur commande et recouverts d’une sauce sucrée, d’une mayo crémeuse, de copeaux de bonite et de flocons d’algues aonori.

Préparation des Takoyaki

Takoyaki à la pieuvre et aux champignons

Ensuite, comme ça faisait déjà longtemps que j’avais envie de visiter TA, j’ai décider de goûter à une de leurs tourtières australiennes. Les saveurs sont variées et peut-être surprenantes pour ceux qui, comme moi, ne connaissent pas tant la culture culinaire de l’Australie: cari de légumes et patates douces, cari d’agneau roganjosh, paté chinois, ou bifteck, bacon et fromage, entre autres. La tourtière au poulet au beurre est savoureuse, mais l’élément le plus important dans une tourtière restera toujours le même: la pâte. Celle-ci est mince et croustillante, elle est délicate mais elle ne s’effrite pas à la première venue d’une fourchette; elle passe donc le test haut la main.

Le cheeseburger du Nouveau Palais, par contre, est décevant. Mis à part le pain, tout est ordinaire et fade; la viande est bien cuite mais sans goût, et le fromage n’ajoute rien.

Cheeseburger

Chez EuroPolonia, les pierogi sont superbes! Au coût de 6$ pour une petite portion (3 pierogi), et 9$ pour une grande portion (6 pierogi), ils sont assez dispendieux,  mais ils en valent certainement la peine! Ils sont tendres et tout à fait délectables. À bien y penser, ce met polonais prend toutes les apparences du comfort food idéal: patate, fromage, crème sure – tout ce qu’il y a de plus satisfaisant!

EuroPolonia

Finalement, on décide de se sucrer le bec avant de rentrer au bureau: un revello à la framboise et au chocolat blanc pour moi, et un autre au fruit de la passion et au chocolat au lait pour ma collègue. Ses petites gâteries doivent être dégustées très rapidement: à peine le temps de croquer, qu’on se retrouve déjà avec un dégât de mousse au chocolat et de gelée au fruit (et c’est tout ce que ça nous prend pour retomber en enfance).

Mais c’est pas fini! Le lendemain, je suis retournée au Souk pour me goinfrer un peu avant d’assister à un show d’humour (c’est tout de même ça l’attraction principale du Festival Juste Pour Rire… non?).

J’ai choisi un cône de tataki concocté par Daren Bergeron (camion
Dada). Rempli de patates, de petits pois croquants et de maïs sucré, et recouvert d’une mayonnaise “aux épices montréalaises”, ce petit cornet regorge d’originalité. Il en existe bien sûr plusieurs variétés, dont plusieurs options végétariennes.

Cornet de tataki, petits pois, maïs et patates

Mon compagnon, pour sa part, a choisi une Flammeküche, cette ”pizza” traditionnelle de l’Alsace préparée par le restaurant Flammée. Garnie de champignons et de lardons, et gratinée au gruyère, il s’agit là d’un autre incontournable du festival!

Flammeküche avec lardons, champignons et gruyère

Et parce que c’est l’été et il fait chaud (et parce qu’on est gourmands), on a clôturé le tout avec deux paletas du camion La Catrina: le premier au chocolat blanc et à la noix de coco, le deuxième au tamarin et à la goyave. Pas convaincus? Ils en ont aussi au kiwi et à la rhubarbe, au maïs et au bleuet, au caramel et à la pacane, à l’ananas et au jalapeño, et j’en passe!

Paletas au chocolat blanc et à la noix de coco, et au tamarin et à la goyave

Tout ça, et il me reste encore plusieurs mets à découvrir: le sandwich au beurre d’arachides, au Nutella et au bacon de la Mangeoire, le lobster roll du Marché 27, le Philly Cheesesteak du Death Grill, et la crème molle à l’érable du Pastaga!

Dépêchez-vous, il vous reste moins d’une semaine!

Le site du Souk Gastronomique

For me, like for many others, Bob Dylan is a quintessential, omnipresent New York figure; having his tunes soundtrack our time at Vinegar Hill House only accentuated the peaceful and happy atmosphere of the restaurant.

The brunch menu is everything but boring or straightforward: from “Peach Duck” (a concoction of peach schnapps, wonder bread and duck), to fried oysters in a Creole sauce, all the way to an octopus and zucchini omelet (made with salsa negra and pumpkin seeds), you’d be hard pressed to call this menu unoriginal.

Our waitress suggested I try one of their specials of the day: bacon, peanut butter and orange marmalade, sandwiched between two English muffins. I was of course a little sceptical, but the morning felt easy and breezy, and I decided not to overthink it and just let somebody else make the decisions for me; just to be safe, I also ordered a side of potatoes.

When I queried about the milkshake options, the waitress rummaged behind the bar and returned with an amusing suggestion: “The closest thing we have to a milkshake is Irish coffee”!

Surprisingly, the combination of flavours in my sandwich wasn’t at all troublesome. What did bother me was the shocking amount of fat on the bacon. The potatoes however, roasted to perfection and served with a generous dollop of sour cream, were phenomenal — I’m still craving them to this day.

But don’t worry if these extravagant food experiments don’t sound too appealing to you; like Kris, you can play it safe and opt for one of the more typical breakfast dishes on their menu, be it blueberry pancakes, poached eggs on toast, or Eggs Benedict.

We spent the best part of our afternoon in DUMBO browsing through shops like West Elm (surprisingly affordable); Baxter & Liebchen, a one-of-a-kind showroom for vintage Danish furniture that would bring any design enthusiast to tears; and an organic chocolate shop called Chocolate Earth, where owner Conrad Miller let us sample a few of his favourite delicacies.

We walked alongside the waterfront and discovered the majestic Bridge Park, from which the views of the three bridges — Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg — are simply magnificent.

Thinking we’d get to see a little more of Brooklyn this way, we opted for a bus to Williamsburg, rather than heading underground to the subway. We got off on Bedford Avenue, the neighbourhood’s hip and pulsating main artery.

Our prime destination was Smorgasburg, an open-air food market/food lover’s paradise — but we couldn’t resist the many boutiques that populate the area: PinkyOtto, Red Pearl, Ugly Luggage… before I knew it, I had tried on a dozen dresses, admired thrice as many pieces of vintage dinnerware, and sniffed an innumerable amount of candles — because, from my understanding, that’s just what you do in Brooklyn, and also because, as you may have noticed by now, I’m a little obsessed with those three things.

We finally got to Smorgasburg around 4 in the afternoon, but it was already too late for many of the most popular foods, and most tragically, too late for the lobster rolls. Fortunately, there were more than 50 stalls in the ginormous lot (Baby Got Back Ribs, Bon Chovie, Milk Truck Grilled Cheese, Solber Pupusas, Taste of Ethiopia to name just a few), and we were quick to find a lamb burger and a fish sandwich to feed ourselves. We also indulged in a chocolate, pretzel and dulce de leche graham pie, and a truly delectable plum and sour cherry popsicle from People’s Pops. In passing, we also picked up ultra-delicious jams from Anarchy in a Jar.

We headed to the Brooklyn Museum for the Keith Haring exhibition, another powerful, innovative, politically minded and practically unavoidable New York figure. We were also eager to explore the Center for Feminist Art on the 4th floor of the museum, where The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago is a permanent installation. This was perhaps the most impressive, humbling and memorable non-food-related experience of the whole trip for me.

Sidenote: every first Saturday of the month, the Brooklyn Museum is open until 11 pm and admission is free. Though this seemed exciting at first, it was a definite mistake. We had seen packed museums on free-admission nights before, but we’d never seen anything quite like this. The museum was overflowing with people and obnoxiously loud, the line-ups for the restrooms and for the elevators were unbearable, and the parking lot was an unmanageable street party. Take it from me — if you want to visit the Brooklyn Museum, do it on a different day.

After that exhausting time at the museum, we were glad (and admittedly surprised) to find no line-up at Momofuku Noodle Bar. We had read that this restaurant was extremely popular at any given time, but especially among the late-night crowd, since, yes!, it stays open until 2 am every Friday and Saturday night.

The mood was ultra casual, the service ultra friendly, and the music ultra cool.

We shared a plate of pork buns, a bowl of Momofuku ramen (with pork belly, pork shoulder and a poached egg), and a side of roasted potatoes (with beurre blanc, shiso and fried ramps) which were absolutely exquisite (you may be under the impression by now that potatoes are always our favourite dish of any meal… and you may be right).

For dessert, we enjoyed a spiral of peach and burnt honey soft serve, and some strawberry and lemon cake truffles. What are cake truffles? Little balls of tangy lemon cheesecake coated in sweet, crunchy strawberry milk crumbs; bite-sized pieces of soft, doughy, buttery perfection. The ice cream was pretty great too… but man, those cake truffles were incredible.

DAY 3: We brunch at one of my most anticipated restaurants of the trip, witness an experimental/punk rock/feminist puppet show in a soon-to-be demolished warehouse, spontaneously jump on a boat, dine on Japanese “tapas”, and are publicly embarrassed in a crowded bar.

Click here to read all about DAY 1 and here for DAY 3.

References

Vinegar Hill House
72 Hudson Avenue
Brooklyn
(718) 522-1018

Smorgasburg
Between North 6th and 7th Streets on the East River
Brooklyn
(718) 928-6603

Brooklyn Museum / Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn
(718) 638-5000

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Avenue
Manhattan
(reservations are only for fried chicken meals, and are online-only)

However, dear friends, we accomplished more than simply stuff ourselves full of pancakes, potatoes, grilled cheese, and cookies. To prove that, this series of blog posts will detail our itinerary, including museum visits, shopping escapades, puppet plays, and lazy strolls.

And so, we rolled into New York on a Friday morning, and within an hour of our arrival, we were sitting at Balthazar, a busy, fast-paced, French-inspired bistro.

We ordered bowls of hot chocolate and café au lait, and as we scrutinised the menu, my eyes immediately landed on the sour cream and hazelnut waffles. Served with warm berries and maple syrup, these were a very happy welcome to the city of my gluttonous dreams.

Kris opted for something a little more traditional: an English breakfast of fried bread and eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes, along with bacon and sausage. It was a hearty dish, though it was certainly made better with some liberal dollops of stolen maple (but then again, isn’t everything?).

After breakfast, we walked around SoHo for a few hours, discovering new boutiques and revisiting old favourites. Most notably, at Anthropologie, my guiltiest of all guilty pleasures, I spent a considerable amount of time agonising over some of my favourite things this world has to offer: dresses, candles and coasters. I had no luck revamping my wardrobe here, but I did leave with a quirky and irresistible octopus plate; a uniquely-designed citrus press; two perfectly-shaped bowls; four colourful, shimmering, and overall dazzling coasters; an exhilarating mint and avocado candle; and a shameless grin on my face.

We also ventured inside Vosges, feasting our eyes on all kinds of luxurious, innovative and mouth-watering chocolates, from the organic, vegan, sugar- and gluten-free varieties, to the champagne-, flower-, chilli-, and bacon-flavoured persuasion. The possibilities seem endless in this shop, the different gift ideas are absolutely adorable (mini candy bar library? I’m sold!), and the store itself — with its many purple accents, vases and vintage frames — is gorgeous.

And just like that, it was already time for our second meal of the day: lunch at Aquavit. The sober exterior and ultra-corporate interior was somewhat off-putting at first, but the warmth and charisma of our waiter, and the menu itself, quickly won us over. And if we weren’t already charmed, three different kinds of freshly baked breads were quickly brought over to us, along with an attractive slab of butter. I’m aware that I’m romanticising ordinary butter here, but really, it was beautiful.

We shared an appetizer of marinated baby beets, goat cheese, crispy potatoes, hazelnuts and truffle ice cream, which we agreed was fresh, delicate and unusual, yet surprisingly not memorable. I continued with a plate of Swedish meatballs, served in a cream sauce alongside lingonberries and a potato purée. The gravy was noticeably thick, the potatoes satisfyingly rich, and the berries sweeter than expected, and yet the dish in its entirety felt neither heavy nor overwhelming; without a shade of doubt, these were the best Swedish meatballs we’ve tasted.

As for Kris, he chose an Amish chicken salad composed of beluga lentils, fresh tomatoes and English peas, a perfectly cooked soft-boiled egg, sprinkles of crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a warm vinaigrette atop a bed of greens. It was light, nutritious and highly flavourful.

We finished things off with a dessert of strawberry mousse, lemon meringue and blueberry sorbet.

With some time to kill, we decided to walk our meal off and took to Central Park. Our healthy intentions were easily disrupted when we spotted a Wafels & Dinges truck. I was eager to sample their famous speculoos spread, with which they vanquished none other than Bobby Flay during a waffle-off on the Food Network, and thus we tucked into two mini wafels — speculoos and strawberry, and chocolate and banana. You’ll remember that I’d already eaten my fair share of waffles just a few hours prior, making this day a true test of my dedication to the art of eating. But was it worth it? Yes, yes it was.

We jumped on a bus and headed towards the International Photography Center, perhaps my favourite museum in New York and surely one of the most underrated. While Weegee: Murder Is My Business was explicitly entertaining, and President in Petticoat! Civil War Propaganda in Photographs defiantly confusing, the most inspiring, touching and striking collection by far was Christer Strömholm: Les Amies de Place Blanche.

We knew in advance that we’d have two hours between the museum’s closing time and our evening reservation, and… this is where we scheduled our visit to Eataly, Mario Batali‘s shrine to Italian food. How foolish we were, thinking we could spend two long hours admiring rows after rows of freshly-prepared, exclusively-imported Italian produce and resist touching and smelling and tasting everything we could get our paws on.

Truer words were never spoken, Mr. Batali.

Inevitably, we took a table at one of the twelve mini restaurants and ordered a platter of salumi & formaggi, marinated figs and apricots, and, low and behold, Amaretto-flavoured honey. Wait, did I put enough emphasis on that last part? Please read it again: Amaretto-flavoured honey. Seriously, as if the fresh mozzarella (made in-house daily) wasn’t enough.

And so, alarmingly full of cheese and charcuterie, we headed to Dirt Candy, Amanda Cohen‘s entirely vegetarian East Village restaurant.

Upon entering the tiny orange-hued space, we were feeling a little defeated and not very peckish, and therefore had no choice but to ignore the appetizer menu, as enticing as everyone else’s jalapeno hush puppies and maple butter snacks looked. I opted for a plate of chard gnocchi, grilled chard, garlic granola and drunken fig jam (I swear, figs follow me around), and Kris chose a concoction of grits, corn cream, pickled shiitakes, and a tempura poached egg.

We marvelled at the ingenious ways these simple vegetables were turned into original, exciting dishes, with a surprising number of distinct flavours and textures. Meat shmeat, these plates were satisfying and filling. And though we considered the eggplant tiramisù and the sweet pea and mint nanaimo bar for dessert, we finally swayed towards the chocolate beet lava cake, served with a pear sorbet and beet and pear leather, which was truly magical.

At the end of the night, when all the other patrons had left, we struck a conversation with our friendly waitress, who seemed thoroughly impressed by our itinerary, and with whom we gladly swapped some insider knowledge on Montreal’s and New York’s food scenes. And as sleepy as we now were, the conversation fuelled our anticipation for the next day.

DAY 2: We spend the day in Brooklyn, eat the afternoon away at an open-air food market, are humbled and amazed by world-renowned art at the Brooklyn Museum, and pay a visit to one of New York’s trendiest late-night restaurants.

Click here for DAY 2 and here for DAY 3.

References

Balthazar
80 Spring Street
(212) 965-1414

Vosges
132 Spring Street
(212) 625-2929
Manhattan
(multiple locations)

Anthropologie
375 West Broadway
(212) 343-7070
Manhattan
(multiple locations)

Aquavit
65 East 55th Street
(212) 307-7311
Manhattan
reservations recommended
(ours were made approximately one month in advance)

Wafels & Dinges
(866) 429-7329
(multiple locations)

International Photography Center
1133 Avenue of the Americas
(212) 857-0000
Manhattan

Eataly
200 5th Avenue
(212) 229-2560
Manhattan

Dirt Candy
430 East 9th Street
(212) 228-7732
Manhattan
reservations recommended
(ours were made approximately one month in advance)

Les scones, au fromage et aux herbes, sont tendres et moelleux, et notre repas débute donc très bien.

Je choisis les oeufs brouillés à l’huile de truffe, servis avec une petite salade et deux tranches de pain; pour mon amie, la brioche perdue, accompagnée d’une tartinade choco-noisette et d’une salade de pomme à l’érable (la troisième option cette journée-là: des gaufres avec salade d’ananas et sirop de rhum).

Les deux plats sont délicieux et très riches (fallait s’y attendre, quand même).  Les oeufs sont savoureux et ils ont une texture parfaite, et même le pain est étonnamment bon. La brioche aussi est superbe, et j’adore la présentation.

Le yogourt, servi avec granola et raisins secs,  est hyper riche et crémeux, et la mini portion est donc suffisante!

Puis, pour me gâter lors de cette journée froide et maussade (comme s’il me fallait vraiment une excuse…), je me suis aussi permis un mille feuilles au caramel et à la vanille (4,50$). À la fois délicat et imposant, onctueux et croustillant, ce dessert est vraiment incontournable.

Bien sûr, la facture est un peu plus élevée ici qu’elle ne le serait ailleurs, mais tout en vaut la peine. Je vous conseille donc fortement la Pâtisserie Rhubarbe… et si vous ne vous y rendez pas pour le brunch, de grâce, essayez au moins un de leurs desserts (ou cinq, à vous de voir!).

Leonard est satisfait.

Officina
Formerly known as Beniamino, this unassuming trattoria offers an impressive variety of sandwiches, along with a variety of salads, roasted vegetables and a few plated dishes of pasta, meat or fish. They’ve just recently redecorated and I love their homely-yet-industrial look. Service here is always lovely – the staff is friendly and patient, even when your decision-making process is unusually slow, and even when you sit in front of them shamelessly stuffing your face with their wondrous brownies… and yes, I am speaking from experience.

455 Viger Ouest
514-861-7770

Safran et Cannelle
Safran et Cannelle is a family-owned, quaint Moroccan restaurant. I’ve had their lamb and apricot tajine, as well as their rabbit, raison and onion one, and both were soul-warming, sweet and sticky. Included with any main course are just-out-of-the-oven pieces of bread and a salad, along with an absolutely beautiful, crave-worthy cup of Moroccan tea (green tea + mint tea + a lot of sugar). Prices are decent (especially considering the perks!), portions are generous, and service, although it can be a little slow, is charming.

420 Notre-Dame Ouest
514-985-3030

Brit & Chips
What? You haven’t heard about this place yet? Unpossible! Fish ‘n’ Chips at its best – not too greasy and not too salty, yet defiantly satisfying. I love their Haddock in Maple batter, but I am especially grateful to them for importing one of my favourite British chocolate bars – the Curly Wurly. And rest assured, they also have a vegetarian option: Haloumi in a Chipotle batter. You can read my full-length review here.

433 McGill
514-840-1001

Le Gros Jambon
Lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, duck grilled cheese, sticky toffee pudding – if you’re in need of a temporary pick-me-up, this is the place for you. I say “temporary”, because this food will undoubtedly make you sleepy for the rest of the day. Le Gros Jambon is a small diner (no tables – just counters and stools here) with a lot of attitude. It’s a fun and boisterous place, from the menu to the pig-shaped plates, the staff, the music, and the decor! I also love their cinnamon-infused poutine and their homemade spiced doughnuts.  And I’m told they have fabulous drinks, but I’m in no way encouraging you to get drunk in the middle of a workday.

286 Notre-Dame Ouest
514-508-3872

Café Pavé

Café Pavé has an impressive array of sandwiches on offer. There’s chicken, prosciutto, striploin, homemade sausage, 18-hour-braised pulled pork, and maple-flavoured bacon. There’s artichoke spread, creamy pesto, aioli, tzatziki, and goat cheese. Hungry yet? I’ve tried the Monterey (pulled pork, spinach, red onion, peppers and artichoke spread) and the Praha (sausage, spinach, tomatoes and pesto spread) and they were both delicious; served on a warm and soft ciabatta, they were flavourful and very generous. Plus, for 13$ each time, I got a sandwich, a soup (you can also choose a salad or a bowl of chips), a drink and a cookie! Thanks to This is Why We’re Fat for the tip.

Olive and Gourmando

Like Brit ‘n’ Chips, if not more so, this is sort of an obvious suggestion, in that it is featured in every tourist guide for Montreal. My favourite sandwich here is the Gustavo: grain-fed chicken, Portobello mushrooms, red onions, maple dijonnaise and Havarti cheese, but I’ve also enjoyed the Cubain (ham, roasted pork, Gruyère and a homemade pickle-y mayo) and the homemade ricotta plate (I’ve yet to try their mac ‘n’ cheese, but I want to, I want to, I want to!). There are plenty of vegetarian options here, and great drink options (their homemade raspberry lemonade and their hot chocolate spring to mind), but the real draw for me is their dessert counter. I just can’t resist their Not A Red Velvet beet and dark chocolate cupcakes, but I’m also thoroughly enticed by their “extraordinary” brownies, raspberry cheesecake brioche, fig scones, or turtle bars – a shortbread cookie topped with salty caramel, pecans and a chocolate ganache. Prices are a little steep and the place is always packed, but it is definitely worth it, once in a while!

351 Saint-Paul Ouest
514-350-1083

Sésame

This an attractive, spacious restaurant with a huge menu – there are dumplings and spring rolls; Korean chicken wings and salmon tartare; fried rice and pad thaï; chicken, beef, shrimp and vegetarian dishes with orange, lemongrass, peanut or sweet and sour sauces; as well as sushi and… poutine: General Tao poutine, Thaï poutine, or Indian chicken poutine. I haven’t tried any of them but I’m sure they’re… interesting! The ingredients are fresh and everything is cooked in front of you, but the food was disappointing upon my last two visits here, and I’m not sure I’ll return. Still, I love their tea samples and big pitchers of flavoured water (watermelon, cucumber, orange, lemon, you name it!).

380 Saint-Jacques Ouest
514-439-4576

(What?! No Urbanspoon page?!)

Places I’ve yet to try:
Five Guys
Cluny Art Bar
Thé Mon Café

Any other spots I’ve yet to discover? Let me know! Especially if you can recommend an Indian restaurant nearby!

My hot chocolate (3,50$) arrived minutes after I’d passed my order; unctuous, elegant, perfectly balanced in sweetness. The marshmallows, evidently not the packaged kind, were particularly fluffy and only added to my satisfaction.

I ordered the Eggs Royale (15$) – poached eggs perched on crispy English muffins and buttered spinach, topped with a silky Hollandaise sauce and strips of Arctic Char. The dish was packed with flavour and the different textures complemented one another perfectly. I didn’t even need to add the dollop of maple syrup I usually drop on my Eggs Benedict (don’t judge!). Since it was served sans side, I was afraid I would be left with an unfulfilled hunger, so I also ordered a plate of Bubble and Squeak (4$) – creamy potatoes mixed with cabbage. Oh, so surprising! So delicious! Particularly the slightly burnt, crispy bits… but also the creamy bits… mmm!

The English breakfast (15$) consisted of sausage, (ultra thick and chewy) bacon, a slice of blood sausage, a fried egg, beans, toast, and a small portion of Bubble and Squeak. The plate was generous and authentic, and for whatever it’s worth, it was consumed by an approving Scotsman.

And then the doughnuts arrived, and they were warm and pretty and delicious. The lemon one was surely my favourite, closely followed by the chocolate offering. The custard one was the least memorable for me, but only because I don’t really like custard-filled doughnuts in general, and also, because I was really expecting the third one to be filled with caramel, and was sorely disappointed when faced with the harsh reality. But I digress – the doughnuts were beautifully executed and I highly recommend you try them (and if someone from Lawrence is reading this: could you please, please, please make a caramel one? Thank you muchly!).

My brunch at Lawrence was one of the most enjoyable I’ve had in quite some time. The food was delightful, as was the service. I plan to become a regular, and I kinda hope Pretend Plummer is one too.

Christopher Plummer is thoroughly satisfied.