I felt like I was giving my son’s adopted city, Montreal, short culinary shrift by writing only about Gibeau Orange Julep. So here is a roster of culinary venues we love and know—so far! Prices are in CAD$, which, at this posting are $.74USD. Some do not fall within my snack budget of “$10.00 and under,” but in the interest of completeness and being a truly helpful guide for a trip to Montreal (which you must take!) I’m including all price ranges.
Read MoreSure, it’s a pain to steam artichokes—from clipping the thorny ends of the bud’s bracts to waiting an hour or so for them to be soft enough to scrape with your teeth and for the heart to turn tender. But oh, the reward of this subtle, luxurious flavor! So I’m going to contradict my Condiment-o-Mania blog post, in which I suggested that I had only three go-to sandwich condiments, because I’ve found a winner in Trader Joe’s Artichoke Antipasto. And, I have used it to create yet another Perfect Sandwich.
Read MoreFrom the sublime to the sublimely ridiculous: looking out from the viewing deck of the grand Oratoire Saint Jospeph du Mont Royal, I saw the giant orange orb beckoning in the distance. The retro fast food Gibeau Orange Julep looked like one of the remnants of Expo 67 strewn around Montreal, which we have come to know through three years of visits to our son, a McGill University student. We had walked five miles and it would be another three miles to reach Orange Julep along a bleak stretch of the Décairie Expressway.
Read MoreA perfect bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is an American classic, five ingredients in perfect harmony.A good theme when creating a great BLT: more is better! More bacon, more mayo, more lettuce. Bread perfectly toasted, lettuce crisp, tomato sliced thin. It's a return to childhood, a happy dream. Let's walk through the ingredients one by one.
Read MoreBefore we shared Bodrum's artichoke pizza, layered generously with thin artichoke slices, and the small, refreshing shepherd’s salad ($8.50), Miss Mingle and I chose a sweet and savory b’stila djej ($7.50). Confectioners sugar dusts three plump triangular pillows of phyllo dough, but you bite in to find a unique, addicting concoction of chopped chicken, almonds, herbs and cinnamon. Truly the most interesting mezze on the menu, which includes favorites like babaganoush, sigara borek, labne and Turkish patlican.
Read MoreThere are no fussy tricks to Izakaya Nomad’s offerings. The grilled vegetables are just that. My bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms—those delicate sprays that look like bean sprouts—packed the flavor entirely in the smoked pork, but wow, what flavor.
Read MoreIt's always a bonus for me when the Chef buys a little more than a pound of salmon and our daughter announces she's not showing up for dinner. I know I'll have just enough the next day to layer on a ciabatta. Here are recipes for salmon three ways--seared, baked, and poached--favorites from the Chef to use in your own salmon sammie the next day....
Read MoreThis week I'm giving the gut a break, so I thought I'd put up some "oldies but goodies," food columns from when I first started Snack Attack at the West Side Spirit. It was a wonderfully fun gig, eating snacks and writing them up in 200 word columns every week for four years. The discipline of the 200 word count is something I miss now that I've moved online. I am prone to ramble (have you noticed?).
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