Bar Le Senateur @ The Marriott Chateau Champlain, 1050 de la Gauchetiere West, Montreal, Quebec

" A Relaxing repasts"

"Bar Le Senateur is an intimate gathering spot located on the lobby level, warmed by rich-hued woods and comfortable seating. A favourite of visitors and business people in downtown Montréal for its wide choice of beverages, friendly staff and selection of daily lunch specials." -Montréal Marriott Château Champlain Hotel

Photo Credit: Marriott Chateau Champlain

The handsome Chef Richard has been the Executive Chef at Bar Le Senateur for 6 months and was excited to share his plans for updating the tapas menu which will be showcased soon. 
He offered me a bit of insight on what's to come: Snow crab Mac n cheese topped with Doritos!  How fabulous!

Me & Chef Richard

I really enjoyed the stuffed (cheese, onion, bell peppers, etc) portabello mushroom caps and the duck confit spring roll with cherry demi glace!  Both were served with a fresh arugula salad!

I was spoiled just a tad bit more when Chef Richard insisted I try the Nanaimo bar for dessert!  It was sinfully delicious!  Named after Nanaimo, British Columbia, this traditional west coast Canadian dessert was described as "fried cake batter/custard". 

Its was super sweetness was cut with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!  The crunchy funnel-cake-like coating was brilliant and was filled with both vanilla and chocolate "cake batter".  This dessert would quell any sweet-tooth's desire!

The dessert will be on the menu soon!

The staff at Bar Le Senateur are consistently pleasant and friendly and the service great!

I am definitely looking forward to sampling the new menu this fall upon my annual visit to the region during the foliage season!  I am sure Chef Richard has many more appealing tricks up his sleeve!

M&M Ribs Truck, Tuesdays @ City Hall Plaza, Boston

So I finally made my way to the famous M&M Ribs truck now that they have a coveted spot on City Hall Plaza on Tuesdays for lunch!

I love a tender, meat-falling-off-the-bone rib with lots of delicious sauce that's finger licking worthy!  M&M serves just that...and more!

You can order beef or pork ribs by the slab, half slab, or tray (pictured below).  The tray was enough to share for a taste among four adults.

The fried chicken wings were seasoned nicely and crisp!

I found the mac n' cheese to be too sweet for my taste and a bit on the dry side.

My family visiting from Florida really enjoyed the ribs!

Also on the menu:
BBQ chicken, Pulled pork, Brisket, Collard greens, Candied yams, Spicy rice & beans and much, much more!

Visit M&M Ribs at one of their locations soon!

Battle of the Poutine, Montreal, Quebec (various locations)

I absolutely adore poutine and have never had any worth a dime outside of Quebec!  I decided to taste the poutine at a number of places in Montreal to compare to my favorite Montreal chain's vegetarian poutine at La Belle Province (Rue Sainte-Catherine @ Rue Amherst in The Village). 

So I sampled the poutine at one chain restaurant (La Belle Province), one 'Mom & Pop's" restaurant (Green Spot Restaurant), and one fine dining establishment (Au Pied de Cochon)

La Belle Province's gravy is the best, it's light without being watered down and has a mild beefy, peppery flavor and topped with a generous portion of cheddar cheese curds!

Vegetarian poutine. La Belle Province Restaurant chain

Vegetarian poutine. La Belle Province Restaurant chain

On the recommendation of Chantal Martineau, food writer for Food Republic, I had to try the poutine at Green Spot Restaurant (3041 Rue Notre-Dame O Montréal, QC H4C 1N9).

Green Spot offers a vast variety of poutine toppings in addition to the classic.  

 I tried the classic and the bacon and found the gravy to be a bit heavy and the bacon poutine was much more salty.  Overall, they were both just ok.  The portions were massive and they were served piping hot!

Classic poutine. Green Spot Restaurant

Poutine w/ bacon. Green Spot Restaurant

 Au Pied de Cochon

 (536 Duluth Est., Montreal, Quebec) 

 Way to class up poutine!  Chef Picard's foie gras poutine was a show stopper!  Its rich, creamy layers of pan-seared foie gras, cheese curds, and fries cooked in duck fat is a must try!  So is the restaurant's namesake dish (reviewed in another post).

 

Ceiling Candy @ Au Pied de Cochon

I love Montreal for many reasons...one is the amazing food that I simply cannot get enough of on any visit!  I am looking forward to my Autumn visit so that I can continue on my foodie journeys through Canadia!