He went nuts with the paper wads you get from new shoes and purses

Bear, Post Haircut and Harassed

Dogs on Vacation and Meeting Jeffery

Southern Brunch at Old Port: Le Gros Jambon

A couple of nights ago, I experienced a suddenly frenzy for mac & cheese, in the middle of the night. To my despair, there was not even a box of Kraft Dinner in the house. That night, I went to bed thinking about elbow macaroni drowned in a creamy, cheesy sauce... Mmm. A couple of days later, my craving still had not yet subsided. It soon turned into a good thing, when M and I sought out a famous southern diner in the Old Port: Le Gros Jambon.

Don't be fooled by the name, I saw no large hams for sale anywhere. There were, however, lots of old-school memorabilia such as framed newspaper and magazine clippings, licence plates, and the such all over the restaurant. 

The dining area consisted solely of bar tables: one along the wall, and one along the... well, bar. It seems tiny, but it wasn't crowded nor empty. Patrons sat where they pleased, but there was enough spacing between each person or couple to make everyone comfortable. It's the kind of restaurant you don't want to bring more than two people to -- there just might not be enough room. 

The menu was short and sweet, consisting of two pages. One side featured hearty brunch items, and the other displayed lunch options that sounded just as delectable. It took a little while for the waitress to actually hand out the menus and pour our water, but she seemed flustered by something in the back room, so it's understandable. It bugged me that they served water in plastic glasses, but soon, I heard a crash followed by a shatter, so maybe that's why. 

Naturally, I chose the Macaroni & Cheese ($10). There is an array of items you can choose to put in the lunch dishes, for example, lobster or duck, but I opted for the good old classic mac & cheese, made with four cheeses. Topped with breadcrumbs and crispy cracker bits, this baked dish astounded my taste buds. Elbow and curly macaroni, cooked to a perfect al dente, nestling snugly in a rich and cheesy sauce. My new #1 stress food. Next time I'll add duck to it!

M tried the Chicken and Waffles ($16)! The pieces of chicken were huge, two breasts fried to a lovely golden brown, resting atop a large, thin waffle, then drizzled with maple syrup. The chicken was good quality and had all the skin and fatty bits removed, and was not greasy at all. The only downside was that the batter was not crispy, but it was delicious nonetheless. The waffle was dense and went well with a bite of chicken. This dish also included incredible hash browns. Impossibly soft and creamy, these pillows of potato are made with sage and bits of smoked meat. I'd trek to the Old Port every day for these...

Overall, we had a really good time. We're definitely coming back; there's more than one thing I want to try! I also want to get one of their drinks, they look great on the bar menu and I saw quite a few customers sipping brightly-colored drinks. I can't wait!

286 Notre-Dame Ouest,

Montreal, H2Y 1T6

(514) 508-3872

Bear Gets a Bath

Lele wouldn't leave her alone after. He had his turn soon after. 

First Time Making Wings

So today, I went to the store and bought some chicken wings for dinner. Threw together some sauces and spices, and they turned out great!

I combined Rooster brand chilli garlic sauce and Kraft barbeque sauce, with paprika, chilli flakes, and a touch of cinnamon. After coating the wings, I laid them out on a lined baking sheet and sprinkled them liberally with black pepper and brown sugar. They tasted fantastic! I think next time I will use more of the Rooster sauce and perhaps a squeeze of lime. 

Techie Tables: iBurger

A good restaurant experience is never just about the food. The decor, the atmosphere, and the service all factor into what makes for a fun meal, whether we're talking about up-scale fine dining or a quick bite at the local diner. That being said, a lot of places are bound to try new things that are totally out of the ordinary. iBurger, as the name suggests, is one of those places, going for something of a tech quirk. 

At the intersection of Metcalfe/Cypress, iBurger stands as a sleek restaurant all decked in black at the corner of Dorchester Square (that's the park at Peel, folks). It looks like it's trying to be an iPod. 

And it tries pretty hard, too. Yes, the tables are touchscreen, and you use it to navigate the entire menu, and you can also read the Gazette on it. It either sounds really cool, or really gimmicky, probably a mix of both. To my dismay, it's not exactly a perfect touchscreen, often prompting pokes and prods of all forms to try to get it unstuck from a page. Choosing a meal also takes longer, because you need to go through many pages to see all they have to offer. The pages do offer excellent pictures of each item (although what you get might look nothing like the image shown). The screen can rotate 180ᵒ for the person sitting opposite of you. If you go in a group, your friends also need to use the same screen, and you can finalize the order at the very end. 

Since ordering all takes place on the computer, there isn't a waiter assigned to your table. There is nothing wrong with taking away the server aspect of a restaurant, provided the service doesn't suffer. Unfortunately, it did – it took them more than 20 minutes to provide water. Oh, and while the screen is idle, it goes through advertisements for your viewing pleasure. Distasteful. 

I ordered a glass of sangria, which was okay. It didn't taste as good as it sounded, and definitely wasn't pre-made, but that's not a surprise. 

M chose the spicy beef burger ($15.99), with an addition of caramelized onions ($1.99). The onions were a mistake, as the sweetness didn't mix well with the spicy sauce at all. The burger itself was okay, nothing too impressive but not too bad either. For the price, I wouldn't recommend this ordinary burger. The fries were pretty tasty, and went well with a sauce we got on the side (not the mayo shown on the picture). Note: the sauces come in a tiny container, and they really should be giving more, for the prices of $1.99. 

I felt like I wanted something out of the ordinary, so I went for a favourite food of mine: beef tartare ($22.99). When I received this plate, I did not want to eat it, it looked about as appetizing as, well, a pile of grey meat. The colour really set me off track; it was seriously more grey than pink. When I had a taste though, it wasn't half bad. I would say it is too acidic, which takes away from the rich flavour of the steak, but otherwise it was well spiced. It was served with a crunchy "bun" with fried capers, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was supposed to go with the burger theme of the restaurant. Along with the crunchy bread and the chips I ordered on the side, it was quite a crispy meal. 

With room for dessert, I couldn't say no to my other favourite food, crème brûlée ($4.95). Despite the high prices on everything else, this was really cheap for a dessert, and really good too. The sugar coating had the most perfect crisp, due to the layer being just a bit thicker than other places. The cream was delicious, and was specked indulgently with vanilla bean, not even mentioned on the menu but deserves a shoutout. Respect. I would get this again. 

All being said, I may come back here. I dislike their main attracting feature, the touchscreens, and most of the food I had didn't wow me. However, some of their items like the lamb burger still look interesting, and that crème brûlée is simply divine. 

1237 Metcalfe,

Montreal, H3B 2V5

(514) 903-5799

http://www.iburger.net/home_en.html