St-Georges: Les Pères Nature

So I'm spending the holidays with my parents at St-Georges in the Beauce region of Quebec. It's a small city near the Maine border, with a modest population of 32 000. I think a greasy meal to start the day at the local brunch place is essential for the Christmas spirit, and Les Pères Nature definitely hit the spot!

Les Pères Nature is actually a local grocery store, with a restaurant section off to the side. In the morning, it's hard to find a spot -- you need to scan the place quickly and grab a table before someone else does. The place looks like a mess of people, but don't worry, a waitress will find you soon enough. 

The breakfast menu is extensive, with both small items and full meals. The waitress rushed us to order, as we came in rather late and it was last call for breakfasts and the start of lunchtime. No problem, just aim for the rightmost third of the menu, where the big plates are.

Dad got the Omelette du Père for 9.95$. It's a large omelet with generous amounts of diced ham, onions, and peppers. Also included are potatoes, the traditional Quebec fèves au lard, melon and orange slices, toast, and orange juice. Yes, all that for under 10 bucks! Cora just can't top a price like that. The omelet was tasty and filling, and the potatoes were delightfully crispy on the bottoms. Nothing like a good homemade brunch. 

Mum had the Menu du Père for 9.75$. Essentially, it's a heap of protein with all the sides I mentioned earlier. Two eggs, ham, bacon, and their homemade sausages. The sausages were well-seasoned and don't taste like your typical breakfast wieners at all. Fun to try!

For 6.95$, I had the Croissant du Père. A wonderfully crispy croissant sandwich with egg, cheese, and your choice of bacon or ham (I had bacon), literally dripping with delicious grease. Oh gosh yes. Instead of melons and orange, this came with a couple of tomato slices and lettuce leaves. 

Did we love it? Absolutely. All our meals came with coffee, but we aren't a family of coffee drinkers so we didn't try that. The pricing is fantastic -- we're practically ripping them off! We came out happily stuffed and full of holiday spirit. Mission accomplished. 

10735, 1re Avenue

St-Georges, G5Y 2B8

(418) 227-4444

Buffet Superstar: Sushi Plus

There is no lack of sushi restaurants in Montreal, be it fast food chains, fancy dining restaurants, or all-you-can-eat buffets. I have visited quite a few of the latter, and I have got to say, Sushi Plus is the cream of the crop. Forget Kanda... This is where it's really at.

Located on Beaumont Avenue, Sushi Plus sits in the middle of a strip mall just a short walk from Acadie station. Lunch will cost you 13.99$ on both weekdays and weekends. The selection is vast, but if you want to go for the red menu items, come for dinner; it's 21.99$ for weekdays, and 23.99$ for weekends. If you are a student, bring your I.D. and get a 10% discount!

We came for lunch to celebrate after finishing all our final exams. The decor is simple and zen, casting a lovely vibe over the murmurs of patrons. You'll see plates of maki left and right as you are led to your table, and the urge to scribble on the order slip will probably nearly overwhelm you.

We started off with some sashimi. The options for lunch are salmon and white tuna, but the nigirizushi section makes up for the lack of variety. Their tamago sushi was lovely, the egg was tender and not starchy, and the rice was firm and well-seasoned. 

The maki are more or less typical. Good rice provides a good base for anything in the roll. One good thing about this restaurant is that they tell you the ingredients for each maki on both the menu and the order slip. Some of the rolls may only contain tempura crumbles and one other ingredient. Unless grease in your sushi is your thing, read the menu! I did find that they cut their rolls thick, and the larger maki may be a challenge to eat. Sometimes, I had to manage with two bites instead of one.

Their tempura is fantastic. Light, fluffy, and cripsy, the batter only accentuates the flavour of the main ingredient. Shrimp and sweet potato are my favourites!

Other than sushi, they also offer donburri (rice bowl with toppings) and udon or soba noodle soups. I tried the seafood udon. It was a cute appetizer-sized bowl of broth with a couple of noodles, a sliced fish ball, a few shreds of imitation crab, sliced green onions, and wakame seaweed.

Sushi Plus also offers teppanyaki and teriyaki. Here is my favorite dish on the entire menu: the eggplant teriyaki. We actually had to ask three times before getting our orders of eggplant, but when it came, hallelujah. The edges were crispy and the inside of the eggplant was deliciously tender and juicy, melting in your mouth with the sweet teriyaki sauce. I strongly recommend this! My friend A also recommends the salmon belly teriyaki. I don't eat salmon, but I trust her word!

Usually, the service here is alright, but on this particular day, it was nothing to write home about. The waitress was curt and intimidating, and we had to hold our hands up for someone to take our order slips. We did receive all our food (with the exception of the eggplant, which we had to ask for multiple times). The food, though, was fantastic for the price, and Sushi Plus remains my favourite sushi buffet.

1248 Beaumont Ave,
Montreal, H3P 3E5
(514) 227-3938
Menu: http://www.sushiplus.ca/Images/1.pdf

Bear's Feeling Under the Weather, and Gets Breakfast in Bed.

Lele's New Ball

Sweet Tooth Indulgence: Crème Fraîche Cupcakes

If there is one taste I can never get enough of, it's sweetness. I have all sorts of excuses for it, the main one being how a love for sugar has roots in evolution and as such, is essential to our very survival. I hunger for all things sweet: candy, chocolate, caramelized fruits, you name it. So imagine my delight when last week, I discovered a little cupcake boutique in my very own town!

Crème Fraîche specializes in cupcakes, having 5-6 flavours per day, with a wide selection rotating throughout the week and one additional flavour of the month on weekends. Their prices are 2.75$ per cupcake and 1.25$ per mini-cupcake, with deals if you buy in half-dozens, dozens, etc.

The Mocha didn't quite live up to my expectations. The base is moist and light, made with espresso with a hint of cocoa. However, the frosting did let me down. It had a grainy texture rather than a smooth buttery one, and its overwhelming sweetness was too much for even me to take. The coffee tones also struck me as generic, and not as strong as I'd hoped. Although cream cheese would have muffled the coffee flavour, I would have preferred a creamier frosting than sugar icing. The coffee bean was a nice touch.

I had the Chai before my exam, to satiate pre-test hungers and for a little caffeine kick. For those who aren't aware, masala chai is a type of Indian black tea made with various spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom. This particular cupcake had a denser texture, much like a small muffin, and you could see the little specks of tea. The frosting was simple vanilla dusted with... cinnamon? Although tasty, I found this to be lacking in tea flavour. Perhaps a dash of twice-brewed tea or extra spices would do the trick?

Here's Salted Caramel. From a glance, it is identical to the Chocolate, but notice that little trickle of caramel peeking out? Mm... The frosting has the same grainy texture as the previous ones, but this was rich with the taste of decadent fudge. And the cake, oh my. Two bites in, and it becomes sneakily moist, almost mushy, then you are hit with that salty caramel center of chewy gooey goodness and then it's just impossible not to gulp the entire thing down. And then it's gone. Amazing. I would suggest something to add to the look, perhaps a bit of caramel drizzle on top, or a sprinkle of caramel candy shards.

Key Lime Pie was another delightful surprise. The frosting is toasted, and a curious bite revealed that it is marshmallow fluff frosting! For those who cannot eat regular marshmallows, I believe this does not actually contain marshmallows, though it certainly tastes like one. If you peel away the lining paper, you will discover that the very bottom of the cake is lined with cookie crumb crust, like a real key lime pie! The inside of the cake also contains a deliciously tart key lime filling. I think this one is my favourite yet. 

The shopkeeper was kind enough to give me a sample of Banana Nut, which was an elegant combination of banana cake, chocolate frostng, caramel drizzle, and walnuts on top. I'll definitely be back for that one.

I also got some seasonal treats. The speculoos cookies are crisp and crunchy, warming up your month with rich holiday spices, leaving the aftertaste of Christmas lingering long after the cookie is gone. The shortbread cookies are full of buttery goodness and packed with cranberry, white chocolate, and walnut. They are both 2.75$ per pack, and make for excellent stocking stuffers. I also got a free cake pop, which I've yet to try. Can't wait!

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to go again. It is a short walk from the Valois train station, and is on the edge of the charming little Valois Village. I would really like to try some of their more exotic flavours. However, some of their cupcakes would do better with different kinds of frosting; the ole grainy sugar frosting does get on your nerves after a couple of bites.

60A Donegani,
Pointe-Claire, QC
H9R 2V4
http://www.cremefraichecupcakes.com
Crème Fraîche Facebook Page
(514) 505-3222

Fast Food Fancy: Burger Bar Crescent

Ever feel like the typical burger giants like McDonalds and A&W aren't cutting it for you, and you're in the mood for something different, but the same? In Montreal, there are loads of gourmet burger joints for just this purpose. Burger Bar Crescent, one of my favorites, is on the corner of Crescent/Maisonneuve.

The interior of the restaurant has a real casual feel; people munching happily on burgers or sipping drink after drink. We were greeted by a perky and upbeat waitress who handed us our menus and served us water.

The menu, oh my god. So difficult to choose! The entrées page had the usual greasy fries and cheese sticks, but also included multiple varieties of wings and very interesting meal-sized poutines and mac&cheese. The burger section, in all its glory, displayed 16 solid choices, all with fries, slaw or salad on the side with options to upgrade. For quite a while, we simply peered at the ingredients in every burger, imagining the union of exotic and classic flavours in a juicy burger, and mentally screaming, "Hnnnnggggg what do I get!" At least, I was.

M had the Bison Burger for 16.95$. It looks like a mess -- a beautiful mess of butter-sautéed leeks, wild mushrooms, melted Brie cheese, and truffle mayo, adorning the bison patty centerpiece. The meat was manly and flavourful. Really, what else do you expect from bison? According to M, the burger itself lacked a certain kick; perhaps a different sauce would pair better with the ingredients. The coleslaw certainly looked different from other places, and tasted good too, but it's not easy to manage more than a few bites, although that might be because none of us were in the mood for slaw.

JH had the Classic Poutine for 7.95$. It's made with hand-cut fries with the potato skin still attached, and topped with a generous portion of cheese curds and gravy. Although good, it isn't terribly special, and if you're looking for more exotic tastes, try the more complex poutines on their menu.

S got the Baba Burger for 13.95$, topped with grilled red peppers, onions and zucchini, and roasted portabello mushrooms, with babaganoush, garlic mayo, and balsamic reduction. Dare I say girly? The juicy grilled veggies were fantastic with the AAA beef patty, and the babaganoush was certainly a unique touch. The zucchini was S's favourite part; however, she found the patty itself pretty dry. Nevertheless, it was a filling burger and she'd totally order it again!

I had the Wild Shrooms Burger for 16.95$. The juicy beef patty was topped with a bed of arugula so fresh, I'd suspect it were freshly picked from a secret garden if it wasn't frightfully frosty outside. Other topping were caramelized onions and garlic mayo, and of course, the main event: mushrooms! For those who are interested, their mushroom selection changes seasonally, and currently, they are using  a rich mixture of oyster, chikaki, king eryngii (AKA French Horn), beech, and elephant-ear mushrooms. Every bite was flavourful, and the burger was a delight to eat. 

We finished off with a slice of Fried Jack Daniels Pecan Pie, for the special price of 7$ (as opposed to the menu price of 7.95$). It was a surprisingly small portion for the price it came at. First, I'm not quite sure where the fried part went -- it was a regular pie, with a stale crust, no less. The Jack Daniels part also seemed to have been thrown out the window. Rather than using traditional brown sugar, they opted for chocolate filling and chocolate sauce, and although it was an interesting change, the sugar-pie lover in our group was certainly disappointed. Finally, the little scoop of ice creasm, which S identified as heavenly hash (from Nestle?) was too hard.

We had a fantastic time at Burger Bar! I'm already planning what I'm going to get next time I come by, I've got my eye on a couple more I want to try. The desserts aren't impressive, if you ask me, but I really want to try some of their starters, and MORE BURGERS!

1465, rue Crescent,
Montreal, QC, H3G 2B2
(514) 903-5575
http://www.burgerbarcrescent.com/