Aren't you hungry?

I'm Not Crazy!

2009-06-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Such a good video/song!
Mike is a natural.

Omar Salazar

2009-06-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not the biggest fan of rails and big gaps and all, but this guy straight up shreds! Plus from all the interviews I've read recently, he seems like a dude who's just stoked on skateboarding. Not washed up, no attitude. When he bails at 2:45... gnarly!

Rollerblades... fruit boots... clown shoes... Can we make those illegals at one point?! I think it's a necessity and would make humanity that much better.

PM Restaurant

2009-06-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

I was craving Chinese food last week, big time! After being told to try PM numerous time, I finally cave in. To my surprise, it was pretty effin' good! The main reason I was not really attracted to this restaurant is because of it's location. I've been living on and off in the same block for 8+ years now and the amount of restaurant I've seen open up just to close down a few months later is pretty ridiculous. So to get a good idea of their food, we ordered 3 plates of General Tao tofu, salt and spice shrimp and beef and broccoli stir fry. All had decent portions, meaning 1 plate is enough for 1 person.

General Tao tofu and beef & broccoli stir fry

The tofu was decent. Pretty good sauce but they could've made it a little bit crispier. The beef & broccoli was not that great. Beef was boiled (urgh) and tasteless, the sauce was ok at best but at least the veggies were really crispy, which I'm always down with.

Salt & Spicy shrimp

The salt and spicy shrimp is were it gets really good though. To be honest, I think it beats any other shrimp I had in Chinese establishments. Lightly battered shrimp with a salt and hot peppers mix, served on pan fried veggies. These were so good, I could've had another plate! These alone are worth the trip there. So next time, I think I'll go for the shrimp and veggie stir-fry. A straight up winner combo.

So if you're in the area, I suggest you try it. $34 for the all that food including steamed rice, green tea and sodas is pretty good. Go for the shrimp, you won't regret it!

PM Restaurant
1809 Ste-Catherine West street
Montreal

Lord Finesse Freestyle

2009-06-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Peep a young Big L doing his thing, looking sketch.

The Comfort Wipe?!!

2009-06-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm totally getting this! I mean, it will extend my reach a full 18 inches and I won't get shoulder injuries.

A Mtl Bike Ride in June

2009-06-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Flies - Pollen - Pothole
Flies - Pollen - Pothole
Flies - Pollen - Pothole

Repeat for however long your ride is.

Bryce Harper

2009-06-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

16 years old. Throws a 96 mph fastball. Hit a 570 ft homer out of Tropicana Field. Went 12 for 12 in a game at 12 years old (11 homers, 1 double). I think that kid can crush the ball alright.

That's a monster swing right there!

Chillin In The Country

2009-06-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

Yeah you're drooling...

Cantine Chez Grégoire

2009-06-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Took a trip to a weird place on the South Shore of Mtl a little while back. We (Plus/Minus) played a basement show in Chateaugay, where our guitar player, Simon, and our drummer, Louis, both grew up. Creepy little town. Simon, party machine like no other, had been hyping up this joint Chez Grégoire for quite some times, so we decided to hit it up.

First of all, let me tell you that this is by far the best service I ever had at any restaurant. That dude is so stoked to serve you! No doubt he has a passion for greasy food. So upon recommendation, I went for the poutine (duh...).

The poutine was really good. Fresh, sliced curd cheese (very odd but pretty cool concept) that squeaks in your mouth, delicious fries and decent portion. Only downsides were the the sauce, which is BBQ ala St-Hubert and the plastic bowl. Anyone that knows me knows how much I praise the alumnium container when it comes to poutine. All in all, this baby gets a 8/10 (10 being Chez Ben's poutine).

The burger was pretty ridiculous. I unfortunately can't remember the exact name or fillings due to extreme laziness, but definitely make sure to pick up whatever their special burger is. Totally worth it!

The rest of the night was pretty much some of the weirdest stuff I've ever witnessed, including a party in a grandma's house, serious karaoke and learning Spanish in a bar parking lot.

Restaurant Grégoire
St-Joseph street in Ste-Martine

*Pics by C (aka Si).

Frozen Moment

2009-05-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

Wedsnesday Night

2009-05-22T13:47:00.001-07:00

A crossbar that was against us. Gbeke on fire. Blind refs. A losing cause.

See you in June...

Post Party Mish Mash

2009-05-22T13:22:00.001-07:00

Nothing to put you back on track the morning after a night of serious boozing like a good, hearty meal. This mish mash is definitely the solution! Pretty easy to make (which is what you need on those rough Saturday morning), you can just throw in whatever's left in the fridge. Here are the ingredients for this version right here:

- Chopped green onions
- Red and orange peppers
- Brocolli
- Sliced mini red potatoes (cooks faster)
- Dry salami
- 4 eggs with a dash of milk and oregano
- Cracked pepper
- Marble cheese (we're fancy like that!)

Put the first 5 ingredients in a pan with olive oil. When cooked to taste, add the egg and milk mixture over the rest. Stir until the eggs are cooked. Cover with cheese and there you have it! You'll feel like a champ after this meal.

Dilallo Burger

2009-05-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry (again...) for the lack of updates! A broken camera and too much time spent finding an apartment and fixing my bike made it hard to update this thing. Hopefully I can keep it up for good this time. And now, the important stuff...

On my way to go meet up with some friends at Burgundy Lion for a few afternoon pints, hunger hit me... hard! Right around the corner from BL there's this little burger joint called Dilallo Burger. It is not the original one, since the first location was opened in Ville-Emard in 1929, but it's definitely a typical, old school, classic Quebec "cantine". So, because burgers are always a good snack, I figured "why not?!".

Dilallo burgers are served upside down, meaning the bottom bun is on top. Complicated physics right there. Went for the #1 Special all-dressed with fries and (urgh) Pepsi. That thing is heavy! The beef patty is real, as opposed to most of those frozen patties they serve in lesser establisments, and must be at least 1/4" thick! Definitely right up my alley. The spices they use give a really unique taste to the burger. Served with your regular toppings, it's definitely enough food to fill you up for the small amount of $6.45 (tax in!). So if you're ever in St-Henri, I suggest you hit up Dilallo Burger and enjoy a good, no frills burger. Cause while those $20 fancy shmancy hamburgers might make you feel like you're someone, they'll never hit the spot like a good 'ole cantine burger.

Dilallo Burger Original 1929
2523 Notre-Dame W.
Montreal

Photo Exhibit

2009-04-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

My good friend Ian has an exhibit going on at Vices & Versa located at 6631, St-Laurent Blvd (a block south of little Italy). Make sure to go check it out. Some realllly nice pieces there. I'm obsessed with his winter series. The bar also has a selection of 32 beers you most likely never heard of. The British Brown Ale was delicious.

A Dope Track

2009-04-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

23

2009-04-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Since Good Friday is tomorrow, I figured discussing God was a good idea.
A 31.6 ppg average, 6 NBA titles, 5 MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs and a NCAA national championship.

"God disguised as Michael Jordan." - Larry Bird, after Jordan scored a playoff record 63 pts in a double overtime loss to the C's.

The Natural Ties Frank Robinson's Record

2009-04-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last night was the Seattle Mariners' home opener. It was also Ken Griffey Jr's first game with the Mariners since 1999. And just like '99, The Kid hit it out of the ballpark to tie Frank Robinson's record of 8 opening game HRs. While this is not the most prestigious record in baseball, I'm assuming it's pretty sweet to have your name mentionned in the same sentence as Mr. Robinson*, one of the most fearless (and feared) hitters of his generation, who also happens to be Jr's adopted son's godfather. Kudos to Ken Griffey Jr! If it wasn't for a career plagued with injury, you'd probably be really close to the HR record. It would be much nicer for you to own this one than the current db who's name won't be mentionned here.

*Great, great ballplayer, horrible manager. I figured I'd throw it out there.

It's That Time Of The Year Again

2009-03-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Around this time of the year for the past 4 years, I start missing the Expos. Yes the Olympic Stadium was like a giant toilet, the Astro Turf was shit (ask Alou and Vlad!) and the hot-dogs weren't the best. But man, was it ever fun to be able to go to ball games on a regular basis. I wish Quebec people wouldn't have been such wussies and actually got behind the downtown Labatt Park plans. Whenever I see the plans, I can only think about how great it would've been to be able to walk from my apartment to the ballpark, beer in hand, just chill. I think Claude Brochu wasn't the man the media paint him out to be. He actually cared about this team and really wanted those plans to go forward. Instead, we sold the team to a certain Jeffrey Loria and, well, the rest is history. No more $10 seats, no more $1 hot-dog nights, no more Les Amours.

So who am I left rooting for? Ever since Pedro was traded to the Red Sox I've been following them. I've watched my favorite player have the best back-to-back seasons ('99 and '00) of any pitchers from this era. I've seen 'em reverse the curse and come back from a 0-3 deficit to beat The Evil Empire in the ALCS. Probably one of the best Championship Series I've ever seen. When Pedro sent a shout out to Montreal fans after the World Series victory, I couldn't help but think "What if 1994 never happened?". But since then, management has been trying to turn them into the whitest team in pro sports, I kinda have a hard time with them. Trading Manny, one of the best right-handed hitters of this generation, for "clubhouse guys" aka "boring white dudes" doesn't impress me. But I guess it works well with the South Boston fanbase. Without a doubt, I'm a big fan of Dominican players.

I've been kinda following the Brewers as well. Especially when they picked up CC "Black" Sabathia last year, probably the most dominant pitcher in the bigs right now. Unfortunately, the Yankees offered him the most lucrative contract ever given to a pitcher and he jetted to the dark side. I guess there's no recession in Yankeeland. Cool thing they still have Prince Fielder, son of ball crusher Cecil, and a couple of young players who could make it work. Small market NL teams are more natural to me I guess.

The only constant is that I still despise the Yankees, no matter what, and my Expos are still dearly missed.

BBQ Sauce x Streetwear?!!

2009-03-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Yup! Stubb's, my favorite sauce, made a collab with Supra and Spin Magazine for this year's edition of SXSW. Considering that I do believe BBQ sauce to be the king of all condiments, I think this is somewhat cool. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of either Spin Magazine (horrible music rag) or Supra (not a diss to people liking or related to that brand, just not my steez). So no, I won't cop those kicks, but whenever I see that bottle it makes me happy.

Seen on Highsnobiety via The Cupcake Chronicles.

Guy Mariano - Epicly Later'd

2009-03-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Watch the new episode of Epicly Later'd featuring Guy Mariano here. One of my favorites (along with pretty much all the older dudes on Girl/Chocolate) as a teen, it's pretty cool to see him back on top after being out of the game trying to get his life back together for a long time. Style and technicality all rolled into one. It's like the Mini Wheats of skateboarding. Ever since his Blind days, I pretty much always followed his career. His part in Girl's Mouse was ridiculous, but I think the footage from Fully Flared is even more phenomenal. Maybe it's the epic songs, maybe it's the fact that it was his first part since coming out of retirement, but whenver I watch it I get pumped.

I'll be back with some more food blogging when I get my lazy ass to the camera store to get my shitty Panasonic fixed.

Bat Fight Friday

2009-03-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah I know, everyone and their mother blogged about this, but I love Will Ferrell and this is pretty ridiculous so I had to share it. I can't decide whether I like Ferrell's hair or the ending better.

The Best Pizza In Town

2009-02-24T17:06:00.000-08:00

Everyone that knows me knows how much I love pizza. Unfortunately, Montreal isn't really known for it's pizza. Actually, finding really good pies like the ones you'd find in the Tri-State area is pretty much impossible. I've tried many a pizza place only to come out of there saying "It's good... for a Montreal joint". The closest thing to the real deal here so far is Amelio's.

Located in the McGill Ghetto, Amelio's serves pies made with fresh products. The crust is delicious, crispy on the outside, quite flaky actually and yet chewy on the inside. The tomato sauce taste of garlic and fresh tomatoes. It has the perfect balance of sweet and acid, something most places here seem to think is not that important. The cheese taste fresh and it's laid on thick. Actually, if I'd have one complaint to make, it'd be that there's a bit too much cheese on the margherita pie. I'd have to try one with more toppings so see if it's still the case.

The pizza is a bit on the expensive side. Prepare to drop around $20 to $25 for a large. But to be honest, you can only eat so many crappy $1 pizza slices so treat yourself to something good for a change. They don't take reservations so get there ahead of time since waiting lines tend to happen. It's also B.Y.O.B. so you know the deal...

Amelio's Pizza
201 Milton street
514 845-8396

Is Tiger Coming Back Next Week?!!

2009-02-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

The G.O.A.T.

So Mark O'Meara, Tiger's longtime friend, says that the greatest golfer, scratch that, greatest athlete of all time is ready to make a comeback. He didn't mention that he'd play in Arizona for the MPC, but everyone everywhere is speculating that he will.

Peep the golf.com article here.

And in case some forgot about last year's US Open...

Bar Cafe Gentile

2009-02-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

Went to Gentile for lunch this weekend for the 1st time and let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed. Gentile is this typical little sandwich shop located corner Park Ave and Chabanel. Mostly renowned for their coffee, their food is actually really good too.

Their ice tea is ridiculous! I don't think I've ever had anything quite like this. It's a mix of ice tea, granita and lemon, but I swear, there has to be a secret ingredient in there. Make sure to take the G (gallon) size cause anything else is not enough.

Had the chef's salad for an appetizer. It's a mixed green salad with endives, carrots, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes and bocconcini cheese, topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. Simple but really good. Decent size enough for 2 if you're having a sandwich.

For the main meal, I opted for the sausage sandwich on white baguette. This thing was really good. It has mozzarella, sauteed onions, lettuce and mustard, everything pressed under the panini grill. Opted for the spicy option which wasn't all that spicy but still had a decent kick. All sandwiches are around $5 and are definitely worth it. Finished my meal with delicious coffee. It was a perfect lunch.

Check em out if you're in that area or just feel like taking a ride there. I hear they have amazing pasta on week days so if you work on Chabanel I suggest you hit it. Service is friendly and quick. It's a good spot, you won't be let down.

Cafe Bar Gentile
9299, avenue du Parc (corner Chabanel)
514 383-9299

Blaq Poet - Ain't Nuthin' Changed

2009-02-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

That's some real good Primo beat right there. I'm officially obsessed with this track!

The Boys In Blue Are At It Again...

2009-02-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Apparently things will never change. But I guess that's what happens when you hire jocks to "protect & serve" the civilians. In the words of the mighty N.W.A., FUCK DA POLICE!!!

Braised Short Ribs

2009-02-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

My buddy Simon and I tried this recipe a little while back. Never blogged about it cause I didn't have photos, but since it was something from Bon Appétit magazine, I figured I should just find it and post it.

It definitely was one of the best meals I had in a while. The meat was ultra tender and falling right off the bone. The flavors and aromas were pretty intense. The recipe calls for beef short-ribs and I feel its pretty important to stick to it even though it's a bit expensive. It's a fatty meat that has a lot of taste (fat and taste, see the link here?) and I think a lesser cut would probably not fare as well in this one. The recipe also suggest to serve with a good crusty bread, which really works fine. But I think a nice serving of parsnips mashed with basil, cracked pepper, butter and cream would do wonderful with it too.

So instead of going out for dinner, do yourself a favor and have this one with a nice bottle of Penfold's shiraz/cabernet. It's gonna be better than a night at the restaurant where you'll drop essentially the same amount of dough for a lesser meal.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

4 1/2 pounds 3-inch-long beef short ribs
Coarse kosher salt
2 cups dry red wine
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 6-ounce package sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, peeled
6 fresh Italian parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
Crusty bread

Preparation

Sprinkle ribs with coarse salt and pepper. Place in even layer in slow cooker. Add next 7 ingredients, cover, and cook on low heat until meat is tender, about 8 hours
Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to serving bowl. Discard parsley and bay leaves. Spoon fat off top of sauce and pour sauce over ribs. Serve with bread.

Here's the link to the article on the Bon Appétit website.

Enjoy!

*Picture was taken from the website.

Homemade Cookies

2009-02-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

I really like cookies. They rank as my 3rd favorite dessert behind ice cream and pie. But what's better than a bag of Chips Ahoy is a batch of homemade cookies. Not the store bought mix! I'm talking about the ones made from scratch.

These bad boys were filled with chocolate chips & chunks, almonds and M&M's. Helllloooo sweetness! I've been told that the trick is to take them out of the oven before they're actually cooked so that they stay chewy. And chewy they were. I'll try to keep that in mind if I ever try my hand at baking.

Shout out to the girls from downstairs (M, T and C) for baking these last night.

Now that you're drooling, here's the track of the day. Oh it's not much, only the best MC of all-time showing us a thing or two about rapping. I love the bass line in this one. So hard! Modern day MC's might wanna take note. Skills > production.

If You Like Photography

2009-02-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

Peep my boy Ian's blog here. I love his stuff. Not just cause I'm friends with him, but cause I think he always comes up with interesting ideas and even more interesting results. Plus, unless I'm mistaken, he's keeping it real by still shooting on film. Check it out and give some love.

The Best Blog On Da Interweb?

2009-02-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

If you're into late 80's, early 90's hip-hop, make sure to check out The Meaning of Dope. Definitely one of the best blogs out there. It's cool to see heads actually research footage and come up with stuff not so easy to find. Peep the rare Raekwon interview right now. Dude is on some next level shit.

Speaking of The Chef, how blown was your mind when Only Built came out? Yeah that's right, you just couldn't believe it. The bass was so grimey I almost blew my headphones.

Ghost rappin' in a Tommy Hill bathrobe?! No one else could pull that shit and still look cool.

Hopps Skateboards

2009-02-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hopps is a new skateboard company that is 100% skater owned. Like most small skateboard companies, creativity, having fun and the love of skateboarding seems to be the driving force behind this brand. Not sure about who's on the team though. So far it seems to be only owner/creative director Jahmal Williams. Watch him get reckless in the streets of NY and peep the website.

Update: Upon further research, Hopps have been around for at least a year. I've been caught sleeping!

http://www.hoppsskateboards.com/

New Cappadonna Track

2009-01-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

What's Really Up

The Wackness

2009-01-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

The weekend has been rough. Lots of late nights and traveling in less than preferable weather conditions. So after a nice afternoon of running around with my girl Rudy on Sunday, we set out to watch this movie called The Wackness (on DVD at your favorite Movie Land location). Definitely a cool flick in the vein of Kids (albeit a lot less degenerate).

The movie takes place in the summer of '94 when the NYC rap game was on top and Giuliani (the evil Rudy, as opposed to my favorite bitch. What up Fred and C!) was on a mission to get rid of the characters that defined NYC. It tells the story of Luke Shapiro's summer, a teenage pot dealer who forge a friendship with his client/shrink who's having a midlife crisis. The story and dialogues are good, but what really caught me is the soundtrack. Besides working perfectly with the story and different scenes, every song is a banger. From Biggie to Nas to Tribe, my head was bopping the whole time. Ben Knightley (Sir?) is also hilarious in the role of the bong-hitting psychiatrist. Definitely worth watching. Really good drama.

Now excuse while I go watch old mid-90's skate vids while listening to Illmatic. People can say what they want but '92 to '96 was the golden era for hip hop in my book.

Billie Holiday - Strange Fruits

2009-01-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of Billie Holiday singing Strange Fruits. The lyrics to this song were originally a poem written by Abel Meeropol, who was a schoolteacher from the Bronx. After hearing about it from a friend, Mrs. Holiday first performed it in a Greenwich Village club in 1939. This makes it one of the first song about racism. For a black woman to sing about lynching & racism in the late 30's, it takes a set of balls the size of America and I think it speaks volume on how tough a person she was. She later talked about how the lyrics reminded her of her father's death, which is one of the reasons why she wanted to record it. Considering that Mr. Obama is now the 44th President of the USA, I think this is a fitting jam this morning.

They really don't make artists like this anymore. I'll trade all your Kanyes, Britneys, Pussycat Dolls and other overproduced, overhyped, robot crap for something with soul like this. Music should come from the heart, not the control board.

While I'm at it, check out Nina Simone if you don't already know her.

1923 Mills Avenue

2009-01-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

I've been following this blog for a bit now and I figured I'd share it. Definitely an interesting one for me since I've been wanting to buy an old barn and turn it into a livable area for quite some times. This couple (Sara and a guy who's name I still haven't figured out) bought an old brake repair shop and did some kind of step by step of how they turned it into their new home. Really cool and the results are just awesome. I suggest you start from the beginning to see how much work went into this. Tip of the hat to them.

http://1923mills.blogspot.com/

Because you can't always eat crap...

2009-01-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog, I had the idea to post about healthy homemade food once in a while. It obviously never happened. Why? Well cause greasy food and beer go hand in hand, and I like beer. So on Monday, I decided to go healthy (which also means no beer... booo). Here's what was on the menu:

- Salmon filet, oven baked with black pepper, green onions and lemon.
- Brown rice (a lot more flavor than his white counterpart)
- Steamed yellow waxed beans
- Spinach salad with red, yellow and orange peppers, oranges and a dijon, balsamic and oil dressing.

Easy to make, delicious and full of nutrients. After the meal, my body said thanks so I shut it up with a nice slice of pecan pie.

Don't listen to PETA, eat more sea kittens!

Low Sodium Low Fun?

2009-01-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

The doctors have recently put me on a low-sodium diet due to some blood pressure issues. The thing is, everything good as a ridiculous amount of sodium in it. Considering that my daily intake shouldn't be over 2000 mg, there's no way I can have such delicious food as a chow-mein, which usually have around 1300 mg for a portion (I'm guessing most restaurant portions count as 2). So, because I've finally decided to try and stick with it and allow myself one cheat meal a week (which will be blogged about), here's the list of what will be dearly missed.

Cape Cod chips

Hot-dogs (especially from Decarie Hot Dog)
Salted cashews
Chinese food
Cold cuts like salami
Bacon (the best cure for hangovers...)

Luckily, I can still have sweets. So pies and cookies, better watch out! I'm coming for you.

On this note, here's one of my favorite songs/videos from a band that is easily in my top 10, if not top 5.

Wish I was there...

2009-01-12T09:46:00.001-08:00

Here's the new Burton AK promo video (part 1) directed by Neil Hartmann. If I could ride in these kind of conditions all the time, I'd be a snow bum for sure.

[ak]-Movie from Neil Hartmann on Vimeo.

Poutine: The Real Deal

2009-01-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Finally went riding last week. It was about freakin time! And after a great, sunny day at Bromont (shout out to Mira for the ticket!), Simon had the good idea to hit Chez Ben (on s'bourre la bédaine) for some fine poutine. Actually, this poutine is straight up fine art.

First, it comes in an alumnium container with cheese on top and at the bottom. This deserves a 10/10 since it's the only way a poutine should ever be served, as it keeps the warmth and melts the cheese perfectly. Sauce hits every single fries, that way you don't get dry potatoes. The cheese squeaks, the sauce is a perfect blend of spicy/sweet and a perfect texture. You don't want some weird, thick gravy on your poutine. The fries are of the classic Quebec cantine type, which is perfect for a poutine. Also note worthy, this is the fastest service you'll ever get. Expect your beautiful lunch served in a matter of seconds, no matter what. McDonald's, please take note.

I know I'm totally biased, but this is THE best poutine. If you're ever visiting the Zoo (other fine Granby attraction) make sure to hit this spot.

All rain and no ridin' makes Benbass go sumthin sumthin...

2008-12-27T10:55:00.001-08:00

Alright, so once again, Mother Nature is against me. Haven't been able to go ride cause of crappy weather / shitty tourist in jeans and bomber jackets. So, instead I've spent time on youtube and made my powder shreddin' playlist. Here it is.

Note that the High On Fire video makes me want to buy a Duster and a bottle of JD.

VIP! VIP! VIP!

2008-12-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

The old Apt X crew (later era) and I got together for a little feast at a Mtl hardcore staple, VIP. Anyone who's been there often has a love/hate relationship with that restaurant, has most likely had a rough night of digestive problems at least once and has seen something really weird happening there in the wee hours of the night. I personally hadn't been in almost a year and the last few times was quite disappointed. Luckily, last Friday fell on a good VIP night and the food was really good.

Tea was served...

Food was ordered...

(This is one person's bill by the way.)

Chinese broccoli was delicious.
Crispy, a little spicy and just enough oyster sauce.

My main man, General Tao.

Unfortunately, the Gen. Tao showed up a little late, making the tofu not as crispy as I would've liked it. But hey, it's VIP so you gotta expect those kinda things. The sauce was good and just spicy enough and it's not like the tofu was soggy so it was alllll good.. I was way stoked on my food and ate too much. Definitely my favorite restaurant in the Quartier Chinois not just for the food, but for everything that comes with it. Shout out to the waiter that loves Iron Maiden.

Hmmmmm... coffee

2008-12-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

This is definitely one of my favorite coffee in Mtl. Beats Starbucks and other annoying chains by a mile. If you're in the Notre-Dame/Atwater area, make sure to check out Toi, Moi et Café. They also have some pretty good and fairly priced food like sandwiches, salads and soups. The names of the meals are really pretentious though, which can be kinda annoying. Especially considering that it's not gourmet stuff, but rather above average cafe food. Still worht it though, especially for their wide selection of coffee which are all really good so far.

2695 rue Notre-Dame Ouest

2008: The Big Picture

2008-12-19T07:13:00.001-08:00

I'm a big fan of photography, especially photo-journalism. It takes a set of cajones the size of Canada to get in the line of fire everyday to report the messed up stuff around the world... or you just have to be completely insane. Check out the James Nachtwey documentary or just google the name if you want proof.

Anyway, the Boston Globe put out it's 2008's The Year in Pictures. Some really dope stuff in there. Some of it is kinda gore so you might want to put aside your strawberry jam toast while watching.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/12/the_year_2008_in_photographs_p.html

ps: I didn't eat anything noteworthy in the past little while so I'll resume the food stuff after Christmas. I'll have good material like pet bunny, Bambi and other cute animals that will end up in the graveyard aka my belly.

Tis the season to be merry.

2008-12-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

"That's my name."
"No shit!"

2nd best Christmas movie ever made.

Tonight, 8PM on ABC

2008-12-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS!
Best Christmas movie. Best Christmas soundtrack. Best Christmas dance. Can't be missed.

Polish Pizza?!

2008-12-05T10:02:00.001-08:00

I know pizza purists would probably be offended by this, but this pizza is actually good! I talked about Charcuterie Wayne before in my apple turnover post. Well they also do this little personal pizza with a bunch of random cured meats (I don't care what they are really, it's salty and I like it) for $3.50. This is cheaper than a frozen meal at the grocery store and sooo much better. The sauce is surprisingly pretty good too, which is always an important factor when eating pizza. Not too acid, not sweet, just the right amount. The cheese used is ordinary but it still beats by a mile that sketchy looking stuff they put on dollar slices at most spots on St-Catherine. Dough is ok, not great, but still decent. The strong point of this bad boy is definitely the meats used. This little deli owns when it comes to that stuff. They also put a pickle slice in the middle, which is questionable but still kinda cool in a weird, weird way.

Compared to pizzas in this price range, this gets a 9/10. For the area (PSC), this is definitely a winner when it comes to pizza and lunchtime hunger.

Cool DVS spot

2008-12-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a pretty cool DVS spot featuring one of my favorite riders growing up, Keith Hufnagel. I remember watching his part in one of the FTC tapes thinking "Man, that guy can rip and he still has style!". Anyway, I really like the lighting and general feel of this ad. Check it out.

Also, here's the FTC part that I mentioned before. The last sequence is just madness.

Riiiiibbbbssss!

2008-11-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

Before the Habs-Wings game, Simon (party dude extraordinaire / fan of everything unhealthy) suggested we try this new spot by our apt called Kansas Cité BBQ Smokehouse (4006, Ste-Catherine W.) for our pre-game feast. After having seen the menu and craving ribs for a bit, I obliged and off we were.

First of all, the decor of the shady looking joint is absolutely unbelievable for Habs fans like us. The walls are covered in old school pictures of some of the Greats like the Pocket Rocket, Fergie (not the singer), Dryden, The Rocket, Flower and many more. There's also a wall dedicated to Nos Amours, which brought a little tear to my eyes. RIP.

On to the food. You can get 2 full racks of baby back ribs with fries, coleslaw and a hamburger bun (?!) for $34, tax in. Not bad at all says this customer. There's a variety of 5 different sauces for the ribs. Being a fan of BBQ sauce, I opted for the Memphis Mesquite, which was pretty good, albeit maybe a bit too sweet. I might go with the Tex Mex one next time, to get a bit more kick. Ribs are smoked on the premises and are really tender. Good portions of everything and super satisfiying. To top if off, service was really quick. We waited no more than 10 minutes for our order to be ready, wich sure beats McDonald's (what ever happened to FAST food?!).

Were they the best ribs available in Montreal? I doubt it, but for my money, they were definitely better than Cage Aux Sports. Well worth it and will hit that spot again.

Not food but...

2008-11-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

My goal with this blog was to talk about and show pictures of food and maybe have a little blurb here and there about random stuff. But I had to post about this singer/songwritter guy Damien Jurado. If you like folk music, do yourself a favor and check out his records. He has a bunch of records mostly on Sub Pop and Secretly Canadian (his current home). I highly recommend picking up And Now That I'm In Your Shadow. It's some of the best/saddest music I've heard in a long time.

http://www.damienjurado.com/
http://www.secretlycanadian.com/artist.php?name=juradodamien

Video for Caskets, which I think is dope. Looks like it could be a movie.

Coming soon: Stubb's BBQ sauce review.

Rainy Saturday & hockey

2008-11-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

So it's a rainy Saturday and you got no plan? Just invite a bunch of people over, bust out a plate of warm nachos and get smashed while watching hockey. Your evening will be just as good as any. Just ask this guy:
Kinda of a budget post but I didn't go out to eat last weekend. Will be back in action this weekend.

PS: Got a great tip from a friend last week. Dip your grilled cheese sandwich in BBQ sauce (ideally Stubb's). It's a perfect combination.

Sam Adams Winter Lager

2008-11-13T09:06:00.001-08:00

I'm not gonna pretend to be an expert on beer, but I like it a lot (especially in a 4L format) and drink enough (read a lot) of it to get a good idea of what a good beer is. Well this is definitely one of 'em. Sam Adams is a brewing company from Boston that makes some really good stuff. Their seasonal beers are usually on point and once again, they didn't disappoint with the Winter Lager.

It's a spicy amber lager that has hints of cinnamon, ginger and citrus, similar to a witbier, but with more of a malt flavor than you'd expect from it. Definitely some good stuff to keep you warm and happy (yes, beer makes people happy) during the long cold months of winter. And you know they're coming so stack up while you can.

So if you live in New England or have a connection that can hook it up and you like tasty beer (as opposed to, let's say, Coors Light) definitely put your hands on some.

And while we're talking about the greatest beverage known to man, here's a fun video on the joys of making beer.

DigiCam + Moe's Deli & Bar

2008-11-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

I finally got a digital camera (I'm a late bloomer when it comes to technology) so I can get this thing rolling... again. Hopefully I don't go all lazy again and actually start posting more often. On to the real stuff now.

We decided to hit Moe's Deli & Bar on Sherbrooke E., right by the home of the Expos (RIP, much love to Pedro). Because we are hungry people, we decided to warm-up with a plate of nachos. Unfortunately, they were not all that good. I'm pretty sure they're putting Cheez Whiz® instead of actual Monterey Jack or Cheddar. Quite the bummer to be honnest. So after that I was definitely looking forward to my burger.

For the main course, I opted for the Western Burger*. This thing comes loaded with fried onions, bacon, smothered in BBQ sauce (very important) and covered by a thick layer of mozzarella on a poppy seed bun. This thing is big and the sweet yet tangy BBQ sauce is definitely all over the place, which is always a positive in my book. Make sure to ask for extra napkins/wetnaps if you get one of those. Honnestly, this has everything to be one of the best burger in town, except for one thing: frozen beef patty. If they were to switch this to a fresh, homemade beef patty this monster could easily score a 9/10. Unfortunately, I have to drop it down to a 7.5/10 for that crucial mistake. $11 with a side of thick cut french fries. Still worth it and they have Rickards on tap to wash everything down and hockey on when Les Glorieux are playing.

*In a drunken haze the actual name of the burger was erased from my brain. Just look for the one with a western sounding name.

Lester's smoked meat sandwich

2008-06-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Smoked meat sandwiches are a classic Montreal delicacy. In fact, I'll go as far as saying that a Montreal smoked meat sandwich is the best cured meat sandwich you can get on this continent. That's right, NY! It's better than a Reuben. The debate over which spot offers the best on the island is a raging one. But because I'm a peaceful guy, I'm not gonna get into this and try to give a shout out to all the classic Montreal establishments.

First on the list is Lester's located at 1057 Bernard St in Outremont. They've been at the same location for over 50 years and walking into this place is like walking into a diner from another era (in a cool way). Piled high on rye bread and mustard, the salty meat is delicious and tender. You can't eat a smoked meat sandwich without a pickle and coleslaw, so make sure to get these as well. Get the old-style lean meat sliced thin and you'll be thankful you went.

On a side note, how cool was this last night?!
I'm not really a C's fan, but I always liked Paul Pierce and thought that surrounded with the right guys (aka Garnett), he could be lethal. If you didn't get shivers when he came back on the court, you either don't like sports or you're simply cooolllld blooodeeddd. ***Picture obviously not by me***

Aux Vivres - BLT sandwich

2008-05-30T13:20:00.002-07:00

I've been really busy with both work and personal projects so I didn't have time to update this the way I wanted to. So I fell in the category of "dude who has a blog but doesn't update it" right after my 1st posts. Not cool. I'll try to get it going for real this time. The lack of a digi camera doesn't help either but I'll find a solution. The important stuff now...

Aux Vivres is a vegan restaurant located on 4631, St-Laurent blvd in Montreal. One of my favorites to be honest. They have a really good selection of raw and cooked vegan food that can appeal to the meat eaters as well. I suggest the BLT sandwich. The "bacon" is made with coconut and the sandwich is filled with tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts and some kind of white sauce to replace the mayo. Served either on chapati or regular whole wheat bread. The portions are big and you'll definitely be full for around $10. I also suggest trying their home made thick fries. Well worth the extra cash.

During summertime they have a nice terrace open in the back. I hear they also serve a mean brunch on the weekends. Try it! The only downfall would be the sometimes slow service.

Wayne's apple turnover

2008-03-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Charcuterie Wayne is this little Polish deli in PSC. Their apple turnover is slowly becoming a staple of my diet. This thing is pretty thick and the crust is flaky and crispy. There's a good amount of filling and I love the spices they put in there. Not too much cinnamon, which I find to kill the flavour when overused. For 1.50$, I can't be more satisfied.

If you stop by, I suggest also trying their dry and semi-dry sausages.

WE LOVE TO EAT!

2008-03-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

This blog will mostly be about food in and around Montreal. Sometimes from restaurants, sometimes home-made, sometimes healthy, sometimes straight up junk. I'll try to update weekly.

I might sometimes dabble into the world of sports, music and other random stuff, but I'll try to keep it to what I love most, which is food.

Pictures by me unless noted.