Brit & Chips Resto Review

For months now, my husband has been bugging me to try Brit & Chips. It is a “chippy” in Old Montreal. He works close by and has gone for lunch a few times. I am nowhere near the place during the week and we are not downtown very often together. So, last Saturday when we were downtown for a matinee presentation of a Cirque du Soleil show, we went there for a late lunch.

I am not very adventurous when it comes to fish, so I went for the simple beer batter cod. They had three other types of fish, each with its own batter. And, they have a monthly special that features a different fish and batter. They have all the things that British “Chippy” would offer. Cloudy lemonade, British beer, pasties, Ice cream cones with a flake and a deep-fried candy bar (differs upon availability).

The fish that I ate was creamy, luscious and delicious. The batter was perfect. It was light coating, and it did not smother the fish in any way. They serve it with a homemade tartar sauce that is flavourful and complements the fish excellently. The tables have salt, pepper and a bottle of malt vinegar. The malt vinegar is mandatory on fish & chips, nothing else will do. Ketchup and mayo are available upon request.

The place is crowded. There are only a few tables in the back and they only seat 2 people, the rest of the place is counter seating and in the summer there is a small terrace. We went in mid-afternoon and the place was almost packed. A few people kept coming in to order take-out. I would so do this if I lived downtown.

If you love fish & chips made the proper, British then you will love this place. It is definitely worth the detour. Here is there website if you want to check it out: http://www.britandchips.com/

Until next time!

Homemade Lasagna

I made homemade lasagna for the first in a decade. I followed the America’s Test Kitchen recipe for lasagna and I made their tomato sauce for lasagna. The whole thing took about 30 minutes to assemble. The recipe called for no-bake noodles, which shortened the prep time considerably. It was the first time that I used no-bake noodles, but I can assure you that it is not the last time.

It turned out wonderful. Although, I would have left it in the oven for another ten minutes as some of the noodles were a little gummy, but not enough to really notice it. I noticed it, but my husband did not, so it is very subjective. The noodles were fine, and I loved that they did not have to be boiled beforehand.

The sauce was fantastic. I made it early in the afternoon and just let it for a couple of hours. It is not necessary do this, but I wanted to clean up between steps to save myself the hassle after the meal. I am going to be making this sauce for all my pastas. It was easy to make, cheap and tasted great. I added a meat mixture to the sauce. It a blend of equal parts ground beef and ground pork. You add this to the sautéed onions (I used shallots because I prefer the taste) and garlic. Then you add a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, a can of crushed tomatoes and some pepper flakes and oregano. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes and you are good to go.

The filling was just as easy. It is just some ricotta cheese, an egg, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and pepper. I mixed it up and let it sit, once again to clean up. When I was ready, I followed the directions of the recipe. They measurements were perfect. I used up all the filling and sauce. It makes a big batch of lasagna, but I froze it and have enough for 3 more suppers or one dinner party.

If you have a chance, try this lasagna recipe. It is well worth it!

Until next time!

Book Review: Deliciously Sinful

I just finished reading "Deliciously Sinful" by Lilli Feisty.  And, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by her third full length novel.  I kept waiting for it and verifying the release date on the web. When it finally arrived at the bookstore, I grabbed it and read it as soon as I got home. I actually read it a few months ago. I was so disappointed that I could not find the energy to write about it.

The story is about a cocky and conceited all-star chef that through his own hubris, manages to lose his prestigious job. He ends accepting a job in an out of the way small town (almost a commune). It is a family legacy and the owner takes her legacy seriously (way too seriously). It becomes boring how she cannot let go of the past. She is running herself into the ground running her business, the restaurant and taking care of her extended family, who are all quite capable of taking care of themselves, but she won’t really let them.

The love affair between the chef and the owner feels forced. The passion is trite as is the lovemaking. The whole story lacks passion and heat. It does not measure up to her first two novels. Although all the proper elements were there, it simply did not deliver.

Here is her website, if you want to take a look: http://www.lillianfeisty.com

Until next time!

Book Review: Sail

I have finally read my first James Patterson book.  Every once and a while, I like to mix it up and try something new.  Sometimes, I discover a new author and sometimes I don't.  In this instance, I have discovered an okay author.

I read "Sail" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan.  It is a suspense novel about a family taking a vacation two years after the death of the father.  They are trying to patch up the family after this tragedy and the mother's remarriage.  Within the first chapter, we know that something terrible has happened to them.  The rest of the novel describes what happened and how they survived and who wanted to hurt them.

It is a very quick read.  The chapters are wonderfully short.  The pace is maintained and it flows properly.  There are a lot of characters, but little description about them.  There is no in-depth analysis of their motives, their desires or their feelings.  It was clearly not written by a female author.  I thought that a little romance between the Coast Guard and FBI agent would have been a nice addition to the story.  But, then again, I love a good romance :)

All in all, I would read James Patterson again if the book is given to me or really cheap, but I would not necessarily buy one of his books.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great vacation read, but I could not read a steady diet of him.

Until next time!

Resto Review: Madisons

One of our go to places is Madisons NY grill and bar.  We have never had a disappointing meal there.  We prefer to sit in the bar area, because children are not allowed there and surprisingly, it is much quieter even with the TV's.

We went a few days ago for supper as neither one of us wanted to cook :)  I decided to do something I have never done at Madisons before.  I ordered completely from the appetizer menu.  I usually order the Madisons burger or the prime rib (I love beef!), but this time I was craving fried calamari.  I love fried calamari and not every place does it properly.  They do.  It has a crunchy exterior and the calamari is chewy but tender.  It is a little greasy, but I like it that way.  They serve it with a tomato dipping sauce, lemon wedges and spicy pickled peppers.  Yum!

We also ordered the chicken tenders and ceasar salads from the appetizer menu.  We also got a side order of onion rings as hubby was hungry.   The tenders are crispy and served with their creamy dijonnaise dip.  The ceasar salads have lots of dressing and the bacon bits are real!  The onion rings are crispy and flavorful and also come with the dijonnaise dip.

A word to the wise, the chicken tenders come with fries.  It is not on the menu, but it should be, otherwise we would not have ordered the onion rings.  Oh, and the appetizer size salad is pretty big.  One is ample to share between two people.  We had enough french fries & onion rings leftover to get a doggy bag.

I will definitely order exclusively from the appetizer menu again and share it with hubby.  I tried something new and I enjoyed it, which is what the new year is all about!

Here is the website if you want to check it out:  http://www.madisonsnyc.com/

Book Review: Rees

I downloaded a novel from Ellora's Cave and I finally found some time to read it.  It is called "Rees" by Allyson James.  It is the first book in her "Tales of the Shareem" series.

The Shareem are men that were created in a lab for the pleasure of women, as the men from the planet were almost eradicated in a war.  This story is about a celibate young woman who is about to commit her life to intellectual pursuits, when she sees a Shareem make enter a hologram suite and she follows him into the room.  She is curious about the Shareem on an intellectual level and after meeting, she is stimulated on a physical level.  She convinces her guardian to get him for her, and so begins her sexual adventure with a special Shareem.

It is a quick tale and it moves at an nice, steady pace.  It rarely lags and the dialog is not too flowery.  It sets up the world effectively as it is the first book in the series.  Hopefully, the next books won't have as much description in them, which can detract from the characters.  I enjoyed it.  Will I get the other books in the series?  Only if they go on sale.  I liked the story but was not riveted by it.

Here is the link to her website, if you want to check her out:  http://www.allysonjames.com/index.html

Resto Review: Carlos & Pepes

Hubby and I went out for dinner a few days ago and we decided that we were in the mood for Mexican food.  We rarely have a chance to have it as there are no Mexican restaurants in our neighborhood.

We went to Carlos & Pepes in downtown Montreal.  We were seated right away (which I love), and got the complimentary nacho chips and salsa.  I have been there before and the salsa was mildly spicy and flavorful.  This time is was sweet and flavorless.  It was quite disappointing.

As usual, I ordered a strawberry daiquiri (non-alcoholic as I was driving), Mexican restos are the only places that you can get a decent daiquiri or margarita.  It was delicious, but too big!  I was unable to finish it :(

I ordered the roasted vegetable quesadillas and hubby ordered the beef chimichanga.  They both came with a green salad and Mexican rice.  The plates are huge!  The vegetables in my quesadilla were not roasted.  There was no char on them and they were very moist.  The rest of the meal was enjoyable.  Hubby enjoyed his chimichanga.  It was flavored properly.  He was unable to finish it though as he does not have my appetite and the plates are huge.

They would do well to reduce the portion size a little and reduce the prices in accordance.  They would have a lot less waste and save money on the take-out packages.

Here is the website, if you want to check it out:  http://www.carlosandpepes.com/en/

Until next time!