The Gazette - Westin Hotel - Old Montreal

This is my first negative review - I do not enjoy this.

I know what you're thinking, why when there's so many wonderful restaurants in Montreal would you choose to go to a Hotel Restaurant? Well, I'm getting married soon and was looking into having the reception in one of their beautiful banquet halls. I had to sample the food. I had read some reviews on the restaurant, as a matter of fact the Gazette (newspaper) food critic gave it one star...Uhhh, I was discouraged but I wanted to taste for myself.

I went with Bianca, her boyfriend Alex and of course my fiance Andre.

We shared the cold cut plate to start. The selection of local cheeses was great. I think we've got to have some of the best cheese here in Quebec.  Now that I'm exploring new restaurants I'm excited when I see local foods on the menu or when chefs put a new twist on classic Quebec dishes.
Ok now..back to the Westin. I wish I would have noted the names of the cheeses - but hey! I'm new at this.The cold cuts consisted of a few slices of salami and sopresatta. There was a small pile of olive tapenade and a smear of an unidentifed white sauce :D. It tasted cheesy with a lemony note.

The bread was good..lol

I had the calamari to start. They were small fried rings with a remulade sauce. The breading was cornmeal based. Very crispy and tender.
My sister had the lobster bisque, she really liked it. It was creamy and a beautiful orange color. At the bottom of the bowl, she found a few pieces of Lobster hiding there and a toasted piece of country bread that soaked up the sauce beautifully and was surprisingly still crunchy. Satifying.
Alex had the Tuna sashimi which was a little bland, served with dry crab cakes.
Andre ordered the sausage - too sweet! Alex liked it though, but it was really nothing special.

Mains - I had, I believe, the best thing on that menu. I had the pasta with mushroom sauce and tender braised cubes of meat..It was a thick beefy, mushroom stew with angnoletti pasta.Comforting. I enjoyed this very much. Bianca had the duck. She thought duck leg was good but the breast was tough..It was served with a sweet sauce and fresh figs. The figs were a nice touch and a great match.
Alex and Andre both had the pork because the description on the menu made it sound fabulous. It was pork loin , with chick pea and cider something or other...Anyway, they were both so disappointed. The meat was tough and it wasn't nearly as tasty as it sounded.

Not even the dessert saved the experience..we all had the molten chocolate cake...it was plain Jane.

The wine selection was great! We had a white - Cake Bread from Cali. Must try!
The decor was drab - so corporate lookin and it was too bright. The bar was nice but nobody was sitting at it.

Sorry Westin, I love your Hotels but overall, I didn't like this restaurant enough to go back or to have my reception there. Gotta be honest, eh?

Da Emma

www.daemmarestaurant.com
777, rue de la Commune O corner King
Montreal, Québec, H3C 1Y1

Old Montreal.

514-392-1598

 
How can I possibly start a new blog and not review my all time favorite restaurant, Da Emma

Named after its talented chef, this restaurant was once a woman's prison. Don't worry there isn't any visual indication of it's history. None the less, its an interesting fact...and a little creepy :)

When you walk into this restaurant, the first thing you'll notice next to the entrance are all the celebrity photos on the wall. I found out that this is also Johnny's Depp's favorite restaurant and does not miss an opportunity to drop in when he's in town. I actually saw Brendan Fraser there last year.

The restaurant has a romantic feel but is also hip and lively - never over the top. There are patrons of all ages at Da Emma.  The decor is a mix of modern and rustic, with its sleek stainless steel bar, stone walls and big wooden beams on the ceiling.

You won't get a traditional menu. What you get is a small black board, which is brought to your table with the menu items listed. Even though I'm Italian, I wasn't familiar with some names of the dishes. Ex: I didn't know that Abbacchio was baby lamb. (Maybe that's just me, I don't know). Have the waiter explain the items to you.

There is however a conventional looking wine list. - It is extensive. The waiters are all very knowledgeable about wine and can surely recommend one that you'll enjoy.   No disappointments so far in the past 8-ish years.

Now for the food! My favorite appetizer is , by far, the thinly sliced prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella. Its so simple..its literally a ball of buffalo mozzarella cut in two with the prosciutto draped over it...That's it! No oil , no salt..You can add oil, freshly ground pepper and salt if you wish but you really don't need to. Andre loves that one too but he often orders the Rugetta salad with shavings of parmigiano reggiano. Its on the vinagery side - not a negative thing. The tomato with buffalo mozzarella is great - presentation is nice too.
OOOOH! I forgot to mention the complimentary bruschetta you get! The bread looks like traditional Tuscan bread but with more flavor. The bread is grilled , topped with tasty chopped tomato, salt, pepper and is drenched in olive oil! Lipstick gone!

The last time I went, I saw that one of their appetizers came with figs. I'm crazy about figs but I wanted them with my mozzarella and prosciutto. When I made my request the waiter gave me a smile and a look that said.."oooh , I don't know"...But he said he'd do it ...like it was going to be a tough one..lol
He came back with my figs in one dish and my appetizer in another. He said , "Emma said , Whatever you do, no mixa da figs witha da cheese, OK?" Don't do it"!! (yes, my waiter had a thick Italian accent) I was surprised and laughed. He was so adamant about it!
Honestly, I didn't care, I was in heaven!!!! (by the way, I ate a piece of cheese with some fig and I did not spontaneously combust )

Meatballs are great- you must try.

For our main, I like to change things up whenever I go but my favs include the gnocci with meat sauce, pasta with porcini mushrooms, and the stacetti (sliced steak) on a bed of arugula salad. the heat from the meat wilts the arugula, its so great.
Andre has one of the most poupular items on the menu, the Maialino (slow roasted baby pork), I know, sounds sad but its sooooooooo good, you'll get over it. All mains, except for the pasta, are served with either pasta or veggies. Veggies again are simple, olive oil, salt and pepper. That's the key at this restaurant, you can actually taste the food!

Bianca had ordered sausage with lentils once and was not impressed although its not something I've seen on the menu often.

Dessert, the best Tiramisu EVER - sorry ma'.

STK - Meatpacking District

 www.stkhouse.com
26th Little West, 12th street, New York
NY 10014

Hey Everyone!

As a Montrealer, I have to say that we are spoiled here. We have great food in our city.
In New York, which I call Montreal on steroids, there are some GREAT high-end restaurants. In my opinion where Montreal wins out over NYC, is in its Moderately priced restaurants..When in New York , I'm always so disappointed with these restaurants. And on the low-end, meaning Diners and Fast food, we're about the same....ok..maybe we're still better! No smoked meat?? What's up with that!!??

With that said, I thought I'd review a new favorite of mine. If you're planning a trip to NYC and are looking for fun times with great food and service - STK is the place for you! This fantastic Supper Club is located in the trendy Meatpacking District, at 26 Little 12th street, New York 646.624.2444

First, I have to say that the DJ was amazing. I love the 80's and he was playing THE best of the 80's - songs I forgot about, songs that make you wanna dance. From dance to rock , they even played the Stones! I was dancing in my seat the whole night- singing along. The music was on the loud side but you have to expect that with this place. This was Saturday, Sept 19th 2009.

The atmosphere is modern and chic. The bar was striking and very unique. The wall behind it was covered in what looked like elephant tusks. It was definitely the focal point of the restaurant. The people are beautiful.

Ok now for the food! The bread... individually baked, served in its baking dish, piping hot, soft with course salt sprinkled over it..The herbed oil that it was served with was so light but tasty. I couldn't quite identify what herbs were used but I plan to begin testing, to make it myself. Honestly, I would have been satisfied with just that as my meal. My sister, Bianca agrees. She'd go back just for the bread!

André ordered the fois gras french toast, with green apple and almond brioche as a starter. He was blown away by the flavor, the texture. He said it is the best he's had in his life! Now that's saying something. He still talks about it. My sister and I had the Lil' Big Macs with Japanese wagyu special sauce on a sesame seed bun! They were incredible and the presentation was great too, complete with McDonald's style sliced pickles :) I crave this all the time!

I had tried the Rice Crispy Shrimp. Tiger prawns - shrimp bisque - cilantro. The dish was really interesting. Dry rice crispies topped with Shrimp, then the waiter pours the sauce over and of course the rice crispies start to snap, crackle and pop! Cute..The taste was great with the cilantro and the sauce and all but the rice crispies got soggy fast :( boo-hoo.

As my main I had the filet mignon and so did André. The meat was cooked to perfection. Medium for me - Medium rare for André. The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth- out of this world.

Last but not least, STK has a variety of exciting and uncommon desserts. They have Cotton Candy - flavors vary. I had pink cotton candy with sour sprinkles. It was served with a candied apple. Fair food! Made me feel like a kid again but it had an elegant twist. I also had warm chocolate s'more - peanut butter - marshmallow - graham. Totally decadent!!! Like heaven in your mouth..lol... Next time I'm going to try the peanut butter & jelly sundae with nutella - caramelized banana - grape preserves.

My usual Martini with olives - a little dirty was so well done! YAY!

I can't wait to go back!

Watch out for my next NYC restaurant review - David Burke Townhouse!