The Modern

I realize there are about 4 months worth of food to write about, so let's take a trip back in time to July 24, 2009 when the boyfriend and I tried The Modern (MoMA) for Restaurant Week. For $35, you get a 3 course prix-fixe dinner at the beautiful Bar Room. While I think most museums are notorious for overpricing their cafeteria menu of sandwiches/wraps/soups and think most restaurant week prix-fixe dinners are a rip-off (smaller portions, not the best choices for menu and rude waitresses at Butter, etc.), The Modern has chef Gabriel Kreuther who won the James Beard award for best NYC chef. (For the record, Tom "did not see why he won best NYC chef", while I think I've had better fare elsewhere, I think his creativity and experimentation should be recognized and respected.)

I read the reviews beforehand and the Tarte Flambée Alsatian thin crust tart with crème fraîche, onion and applewood smoked bacon was recommended as the appetizer. I decided to order that and the Duck Confit with shishito pepper hash, passion fruit and natural jus as my second course. I forgot what Tom ordered as an appetizer, but he decided on the Saffron Tagliatelle with cider braised rabbit, wild mushrooms and baby zucchini.

Since I assumed portions were going to be small, I was pleasantly surprised when the Tarte Flambée came out. It was about the size of a personal pan pizza- which is basically what it turned out to be; albeit a fancy pizza. I admit I ended up just picking slices up to eat it instead of a fork and knife but I don't care; it was gooood.



The duck confit was cooked perfectly with a slightly crispy skin and fatty tender duck meat underneath.

For dessert, he ordered the Pistachio Dark Chocolate Dome with pistachio ice cream and amaretto gelée


and I got the Hazelnut Dacquoise with milk chocolate chantilly


I didn't know what chantilly was, but according to wikipedia, it is "a sweetened whipped cream". From now on, I will refer to whipped cream as "crème Chantilly".

and here's us!

Reuben's Delicatessen

On our first walk around Montreal, Stephen, Bobby and I found ourselves with a pocketful of Canadian money and hungry stomachs. We were on Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, a busy street full of stores and restaurants and had passed by Reuben's and it just so happened to be recommended by my aunt. It is a meatlover's heaven... which is 'funny' because Stephen is a vegetarian but the three of us went inside. It's a large bustling restaurant, totally the epitome of a delicatessen.

Again, lucky for the guys, a very cute hostess was working that day and sat us at a booth by the window. Also lucky, they had a few vegetarian dishes on the menu.

I ordered their French Onion Soup which was really delectable. I remember my mom always ordering it whenever it was offered, and I couldn't understand the appeal of onions in broth. But as I've gotten older and wiser, I know the reason why it, when made right, can be the perfect thing to satiate your hunger. The cheese was gooey, and the crouton was still crispy even submerged in the soup. I got a side order of their Poutine (also recommended by my aunt). When it came out, I fully regretted it. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but the french fries were laden with shredded meat, gravy and cheese; I couldn't finish the whole thing. Aside from traveling with a vegetarian. I was also with a lactose-free eater (Practically everything I ordered this past weekend, unconsciously, was for me and me alone). Bobby got the beef teriyaki salad: and Stephen a good-lookin' eggplant, pepper and whathaveyou sandwich. He generously gave me his cole slaw which was a nice balance to the salty and heavy Poutine. Next time I go there, I'm getting the onion rings which come with a side of Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce (Because I heard good things... and come on, how does that not sound amazing to you??)


Bobby and his impressive Beef Teriyaki Salad


Steph's sandwich


my soupe de l'oignon

I'd post a picture of my Poutine, but when Stephen saw it, he said "That looks really disgusting". and he's right...

Une Grenouille Dans La Théière (A Frog in the Teapot)

Our Friday in Montreal consisted of "getting lost" and getting food, which I think is a wonderful way to explore a city, as experienced a couple of weekends ago with Mike and Saela. Another way I like to see a new city (with public transportation), is to pick a stop on a transit map, go there and look around. It worked quite well in Vienna and I got a really good sense of 'Wein' in the day and a half I was there.

So in Montreal, Stephen, Bobby and I rode the Metro and chose Jean-Talon, a random spot north of where we were. It was also a station where you could transfer to another line, which made me think it might be a busy part of town, albeit less-touristy. Where we ended up was more like Steinway St in Queens, and less like Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. However, there was a silver lining:

Une Grenouille dans la Théière (or Salon de Thé, if you will) is a calm albeit adorable little shop, that is serious about tea. The menu book is about 8 pages long (not one word in English) that list various types of tea (astray from the usual Earl Grey or Oolong, but they are included as well).

menu book, actually bound like a book

Stephen, Bobby and I were thankful for this little shop on rue Saint-Hubert because we had just walked down blocks and blocks of clothing stores- the kind you may find in Chelsea, or the garment district of NY, but with no way out. If we were looking for wedding dresses or cheap bags, then this may have been a goldmine, however neither of us are brides-to-be. Nevertheless, the Salon de Thé was quiet and cozy. We had a very pretty server/cashier who spoke some English. I ordered a Chai, though I wish I ordered a thé blanc (white tea) because then I would've gotten a little teapot of my own (which they sold in dozens of colors, and I was tempted to get.) They also sold tea leaves/blooms, jam, books and gorgeous ceramics.



We also got scones. I ordered un scone de fromage (cheese scone, which was like a rich man's version of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits), Steph- a scone de canneberge (cranberry) and Bobby- a scone aux épices (Spice). Luckily for us, we went at the right time because there is apparently a tea & scone special for $6.50 from 4-6:30pm -which we only found out when we paid our l'additions (checks).

scone de fromage

Then Steph broke the bathroom sink and we jetted out of that place faster than you can say Bon Appétit.