Dining Outside of Taste Camp: Montreal's Culinary Delights

A beautiful view of Kaniatarowanenneh, the "big waterway" which is more commonly known as the St. Lawrence River. This is one of the sights I viewed during TasteCamp, a three day visit to Quebec, tasting wines, ciders, beers and local foods. However, this view was not on our itinerary and was discovered during a detour to eat some poutine. Outside of the official Taste Camp events, I used my free time to explore some of the other culinary offerings of Quebec and Montreal.

I found much that was worthy of mention, from excellent restaurants to a killer food market. However, I didn't take many photos of these extracurricular activities as I chose more to relax and savor the food. I still want to rave about them though, to provide some recommendations for anyone traveling to Quebec and Montreal.

I arrived in Montreal on Thursday night, a day early for Taste Camp, so I had some extra time to explore the city. For dinner, I went to Kaizen, a Japanese sushi bar and restaurant located on St. Catherine's Street. This is a sleek and rather large restaurant, divided into several different rooms. The main dining area has a high ceiling, and possess a nice elegance though without being stuffy. However, the background music was a bit disconcerting, making it seem more like a lounge than a restaurant.

The menu was extensive, including lots of intriguing selections, and includes much sushi, which you can get with brown rice instead of white if you so desire. We ordered some sushi, all which was fresh, large and delicious. The tamago, the omelet, was especially tasty, one of the best I have had. The organic salmon sashimi was also very good. For hot dishes, the fried calamari was some of the best I have tasted, small and tender rectangular pieces with a delightfully crisp batter. The sweet potato fries came with a curry-like dipping sauce topped by thin slices of foie gras. The crisp, plump fries went well with the dipping sauce and the foie was heavenly. A large bowl of mussels were prepared in a savory Sake broth, and they were addictive. Everything we ate was fantastic.

I was disappointed with the tiny number of Sakes on their wine list, and the only one that appealed to me cost over $600, which is not within reach of my wallet. The list though had a superb collection of wines, albeit pricey which is a common issue with most restaurants in Montreal. The wines came from all over the world, and included plenty of quirky and interesting wines. Wine lovers will certainly love perusing this list and will be sure to find something of interest. We ordered a Priorat white wine and an Austrian Blaufrankisch, both which I enjoyed.

Service was impressive, including the sommelier. We had to send back the first wine we ordered as it was flawed, and the sommelier took it right back without question. The food was reasonably priced and we left the restaurant very satisfied. Kaizen receives a strong recommendation.

On Friday morning, Taste Camp began with a late morning winery visit. I and my traveling companions, including Adam of Wine Zag, were a bit early so we drove around exploring the area. We stumbled upon the above roadside restaurant, drawn by the fact that they served poutine. I later learned that this restaurant has been around for many years and is a bit of a landmark. Poutine was likely invented in the 1950s in Quebec and essentially consists of french fries topped by brown gravy and cheese curds. There are plenty of variations, but the basic form is quite satisfying.

Adam had never had poutine before so this was his opportunity to taste this decadent and fattening dish. A Poutine Virgin. We all, including Adam, enjoyed the poutine, while sitting looking out over the St. Lawrence River and you can see our view at the top of this post. A perfect way to start the morning.

Our hotel was on the border of Chinatown and I spent some time exploring the streets of this small neighborhood. There were dozens of restaurants, bakeries, tea shops, souvenir stores, and more, ranging from Chinese to Vietnamese, Japanese to Thai. One of my first stops was to My Cup Of Tea, a bit of a high end tea shop, selling tea, cups, kettles and other tea-related items. It has a great collection of different teas, mostly loose leaf teas, and the quality seems high. I bought some Silver Needle White tea.

There was a tiny stall selling Dragon Beard Candy, a candy supposedly once reserved for only the Emperor. It is essentially strands of sugar surrounding a mixture of nuts, sesame seeds, coconut, chocolate, and sugar. The candy is made by hand, where a disk of corn starch and sugar is pulled continually until you get many thin strands. When completed, the candy resembles an insect cocoon and has some of the stickiness and texture of cotton candy. The inner mixture is very pleasant, a melange of sweet flavors and textures. A must stop in Chinatown for this unique treat.

One evening, we sought out a place for a late dinner and we were nearly overwhelmed by the myriad choices. We sought a place that wasn't a tourist trap, a place where locals dined. After some consideration, we selected Keung Kee Restaurant, which was hidden away on a second floor and it turned out to be a winner.

It is a medium-sized spot, with plenty of large round tables, with lazy susans, for big parties. It isn't fancy or elegant, more just a serviceable restaurant. The menu, which is in both Chinese and English, is lengthy and the dishes are reasonably priced, nearly everything under $15. The choices include Thai, Chinese and Americanized-Chinese dishes, a variety from Chow Mein to Jellyfish, from Thai Style Fried Shrimp to Pork Chop with Peking Sauce.

The Deep Fried Wontons ($4.25) were crunchy, filled with shrimp and quite tasty with a sweet sauce for dipping. A nice way to start our meal. The Fried Rice Noodles with Beef ($8.95) consisted of a large dish of flat noodles, with lots of tender beef and veggies, topped by a delicious brown gravy. The Half Crispy Chicken ($10.95) was exactly that, with moist meat covered by crisp and tasty skin. That skin was addictive! The BBQ Pork ($9.95) was a large dish of thin sliced BBQ pork, tender and tasty. The dishes seemed fresher than you get at some places, and the flavors were balanced. Definitely a place food lovers should check out.

Another evening, we went to Chinatown just for soup dumplings! While driving through Chinatown, I saw a large sign for the soup dumplings and knew I had to check it out. We went to Qing Hua Dumpling and were almost disappointed. They were preparing to close for the evening, but we convinced them to stay open for just a bit longer so we could have some soup dumplings. We didn't even really get to peruse the menu. We ordered a couple of basic pork soup dumplings, and our server recommended we also order lamb and coriander soup dumplings.

It seems their menu doesn't offer much beyond dumplings, though they have several varieties, including chicken, lamb, and uni. The dumplings were excellent, with a savory broth and plenty of nicely spiced meat. The lamb dumplings were a different style than the pork, but it seemed more a cosmetic issue than anything else. They filled my need and I would return again another time to try more of their soup dumplings. An uni soup dumpling sounds intriguing.

One of the afternoons, we decided to stop at the Jean-Talon Market, one of the largest and most popular food markets in Montreal. Within the main building, you will find a huge amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as plenty of plants. You will also find on the outskirts, and on the streets surrounding the market, a diverse amount of food & drink stalls and shops. Meat, seafood, cheese, mushrooms, wine, olive oils, spices, bread, bakeries, crepes, chocolate, ice cream and more. What a superb collection of shops that will appeal to any food lover.

I had a great time in the La Fromagerie Hamel, a cheese and gourmet food shop, and I purchased numerous local Quebec cheeses. In other shops, I bought wine to take home and a crusty baguette to eat while walking around. I probably could have spent much more money here and filled my trunk with plenty of foods to take home. A must visit for any food and wine lover.

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Taste Camp Quebec: How I Survived A Beer Tasting

The Fifth Annual TasteCamp is now over, a three day visit to Quebec, tasting wines, ciders, beers and local foods. Approximately twenty five of us, bloggers and their significant others, journeyed to Montreal, our base for the trip. During the next couple weeks, I will be providing my thoughts about what I tasted in Quebec, both as part of TasteCamp and also what I did on my own. I have been to Montreal before, and think it is a great destination for those who love good food and drink, but I haven't previously explored much of the rest of Quebec.

For the first time, TasteCamp conducted a beer tasting, a walk around event where eight Quebec microbreweries presented a selection of their beers. For two hours, we got to sample what were probably at least 40 beers, and then there was an eight course meal afterward, each course paired with a different beer. Not my usual idea of fun as I have disliked about 99% of the beers I have previously tasted. I dislike the bitterness I find in beer, which seems due to the use of hops.

However, I bravely took my empty glass and went to the various tables, seeking a beer that I might like. Surprisingly, the results were much better than my usual average. I found two beers which were ok, which I might drink a glass or so under the right circumstances, such as with the proper meal. Then, I found two beers which I would drink on their own, including one which might be my most favorite beer ever. What a monumental discovery!

My discovery is illustrative of a greater principle, one which I have advocated for before, that you should continually taste wines, beers and spirits, even in categories which you might think you dislike. You should not write off an entire category, such as Chardonnay or Tequila, because you have disliked most of the items you have tasted. There is so much diversity in the alcohol world, that even if you dislike many items in a category, that doesn't mean you will dislike all of them. I have disliked a huge number of beers that I have previously tasted, but I keep trying them, and have found a few that I like. TasteCamp's beer tasting led me to find a couple more beers I liked. One should never give up on an alcohol category.

Le Castor is a microbrewery that produces organic beers. Their Grande Reserve Wee Heavy Bourbon is a Scottish ale, with an 11% ABV, that was aged in bourbon barrels. It had a prominent bourbon flavor as well as elements of malt, caramel and spice. On the finish, there was a touch of the beer bitterness I generally dislike, but it was mild enough that I could enjoy a glass with dinner. I know numerous other attendees who really enjoyed this brew.

The Brasseur de Montreal is a brewery and restaurant that produces about seven beers plus several seasonal ones. Their Chi is an unfiltered pale beer, with a 4.5% ABV, that is made from barley, wheat and rice malt and is also flavored with ginger, citronella and citrus. There was plenty of ginger flavor up front and then more citrus notes on the finish. It was light and crisp, though you better enjoy the taste of ginger. I would probably enjoy a glass of this with Asian food, maybe some spicy Thai.

One of the most popular tables at the tasting, as well as the one with the most beers, belonged to Trou du Diable, roughly translated as "The Devil's Hole." I loved the look of their labels, which showed very cool artwork. They also seem to have a diverse portfolio, with beers that will appeal to almost any palate. The Dulcis Succubus is a Saison, with a 7% ABV, that was aged for six months in botrytis dessert wine oak barrels. It is an intriguing and complex beer with floral, citrus, vanilla and spice notes. Like the legendary succubus, it is an alluring brew, one sure to captivate you with its sensual pleasures. This is a beer I could drink on a nice, summer day..

The overall best beer of my night was their La Grivoise de Noel, which roughly translates as "Ribald Christmas." This is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, with a 7.5% ABV, and it is a seasonal beer, made for the Christmas season. However, it may actually taste better with some aging. This beer is a melange of alluring spices, from cinnamon to cardamom, with notes of caramel, dried fruit and nuts. There is a slight sweetness to this silky smooth brew, and none of the bitterness I dislike. In some ways, it reminded me of an aged Sherry. I drank a few glasses of this beer, and enjoyed each and every sip. This jumps to the top of my favorite beer list, which is rather small. For beer lovers, I think you would greatly enjoy the products of Trou du Diable. Their beers received many raves from the other attendees as well.

If you are not a big fan of beer, what beers have you enjoyed?

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