Monday, April 30, 2012

Not as GOOD as I wanted it to be

Ever since I first saw a food truck on tv (was it on triple D or Eat Steet?) I wanted to try this super cool way of dining out.
Unfortunately in Montreal, Qc there's this outdated/assholesque/moronic by-law that you can't operate a food cart or a food truck unless you have a bathroom; courtesy of Mayor Jean Drapeau.

(Mayor Jean Drapeau was considered a visionary: He brought Expo 67 and the Olympic games to Montreal, and I musn't forget the Metro. People remember his grand accomplishements but are quick to forget that he expropriated entire neighborhoods and left Montreal in DEEP debt for the Olympics and that stupid stadium and it's flimsy roof; FYI the roof is still not fixed after 30 something years).

So when I heard that we had our own food truck, and a taco truck , OH MY! WHAT A TREAT!

So the truck is Grumman 78. It's been around for a couple of years now. They park the truck over the weekend and serve food out of a bar. Since I don't go out much at night....I haven't tried their tacos.....

until a couple of weeks ago, I saw an article saying that they had a brick and mortar location and not too far from where I worked!!!

So I get on the phone to book my co-worker M. who's always ready to try weird,strange,amazing food.

These pics were taken 2 days before my visit and I was impressed by the line...Just like triple D!

So on D day, M. is fidgetty and super hungry, I get phone calls...like what time, I'm famished! Hurry I'm waiting downstairs.
First thing I know is we're at the counter at 11:15 AM and it's still closed and I ask a girl behind the counter what time they open, and she looks annoyed (NOT GOOD! DEFINITELY NOT GOOD FOR MY FOOD TRUCK FANTASY)

So we walk and talk and come back 15 minutes later.

I take a lamb curry taco and a bahn mi taco (like a vietnamese sandwhich).
The lamb curry was sooooo good, it was topped with slivered green apple and raisins but I felt it was too expensive at $7. The banh mi was $4 but the meat felt like mush, like a was eating a taco with baby food inside, and the flavour wasn't quite there.

M. had a lamb curry taco and a chili taco, the later wasn't spot on either.

We both felt that it was expensive for a not that satisfying experience but would be back if the lamb taco was less expensive.


And please people LOOSE the attitude!

I can't wait to eat from a real food truck! I want a triple D moment!
Did you read that Guy?

I too want my triple D moment where it's just as wonderful as on TV!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Food For Thought


I read my tea tag and went whoa. I guess this is what
Oprah calls an AHAH moments.
This little tag definitely started things going in my mind.
I gave no idea what will be my epiphany but I know it's on it's way.

Thermos Sanrio Chococat mug .99cents at Sally Ann's.

Monday, April 16, 2012

More Lake Placid Joy!

Just some updates first. I did not aske the price for the Shiny Brites because the box smelled terrible, i.e:  humidity, mice pee,dust) lots of things I'm allergic to and I didn't want to wash the ornements. I did once and removed most of the paint (NOT GOOD).

I didn't forget about the 15$ bread. I'm trying to rile myself up to go there. I' definitely more justice hungry when my hormones are raging. I will go and conquer!

This is where we stayed. The Best Western Adirondack Inn.
Very clean rooms,amazing beds, a mini fridg included.
Breakfast was included and I don't mean plastic wrapped day old muffins. We got cheese omelettes, sausauges one morning and pancakes and bacon the next; plus cereal,oatmeal,fruits,bagels,pastries,yogurt,juice and coffee.

2 downsides: The view; there was NONE.
The WIFI, let's face it there was NONE. We had to go in the dining room to use our gadgets (much to my dad's dismay who was trying to get used to his Ipad).

It is sad that the view didn't translate well. The mountains are stunning!


The food wasn't really great; we ate at 3 restaurants and the best (for me) was the Downtown Diner. I had a great reuben.

We ate somewhere called Generations; that restaurant was supposed to have a real executive chef, but he sure didn't check the quality of the food coming out of his kitchen!
We also went to a chinese/vietnamese/japanese restaurant with a crazy menu. No scratch that the menu was soooooo huge that they had 2!
They even had sushi and that didn't seem right in a village in the middle of the mountains...Just how fresh can the fish be?
The shopping was fantastic! To my surprise a couple of outlets were to be found (IZOD, VanHeusen, Bass, The Gap)
I LOVE BASS! I always find shoes I like; that fit me and are wallet friendly.

This time I found a shirt, a cuteT-Shirt, a pair of red/coral capris and a pair of sandals.
At VanHeusen I found 2 shirts and 2 T-Shirts. I love their sizes!

In Montreal I'm in a no man's land of sizes. XXL is too small and 1X is too large!

Now I actualy bought size XL. Everything fits GREAT and I feel like a million bucks!

   Here I am celebrating the fab shopping by posing in a bobsleigh

Yes Dad I'm tacky get used to it| LOL
Like Dan kept saying: we didn't drive alllll this way to skip this! We will regret it!

I kept some pictures of my favorite store for another time....

Must go! DWTS is starting soon :) 

Friday, April 13, 2012

ROAD TRIP!!!

Friday  April 5th, bright and early, we packed the car, picked up my dad and headed south to Lake Placid!

We had never visited Lake Placid, but my dad had as a child. Before crossing the border we had to eat breakfast and we stopped at Les Coteaux (west of Montreal). Le Petit Casseau du Fort is a classic Québec diner in a new building but still has the same great food. Their hamburger steak plate is fantastic!


     After we headed to Valleyfield whre my dad lived as a child. I was really surprised (him too) to see both his childhood houses still standing. Dad would reminisce and tell us who lived in what house.

We took the long way to the border passing St-Anicet, Cazaville (where everybody seems to be called Caza) and other villages quaint but nameless.

Lake Placid is not that far from Montreal about 2 1/2 hours from my neck of the woods. We stopped for lunch in Saranac Lake, a real pretty village. The best part? There was this HUGE antique store, you know the kind, large,rambling with displays and stuff everywhere.....Even a basement with everything thrown all over with nearly no lighting. I had to use the flashlight app!


Yes I spotted the sad little fridgie :(


A sweet piece of Pyrex

More Pyrex? Well YES, YES, YES!
I nearly cried when I saw those ornements.
Shiny Brites! The stuff of dreams.


My dad remembers them from the 40's.

The only thing we didn't like was that nothing was priced! So I didn't buy anything.
My dad toyed with the idea of buying a samovar but after a good night's sleep decided against it.


Next post: More on this lovely road trip!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I'll Have a Side of Cream Corn with....

With my FIFTEEN DOLLAR bread!

First I want to thank warmly all of you great gals who commented on yesterday's post! I had great fun reading your views.

For my long time reader Grunge Queen: I'll take the dare and go back next week and ask: Why is the bread soooo expensive and how come they don't bake the bread on the premises and I'll try to take picture before they throw me out; because real french people get real weirded out if you diss what they do (and I've been thrown out by crazy french people before)
By the way if you find realy expensive bread in the UK do share please!

On my way to work I passed La Queue de Cheval Steak House (the Pony Tail) and saw this....

What stikes at first glance is the price and then my eye drifts to the actual side....

24$ for the mushroom trio; if you buy those fresh at the supermarket you spend let's say 6$ and make a couple of plates.....


 All the sides are super expensive when you consider that you already paid at least 50S for a steak and if you want a veggie the cheapest is.... Either a plain baked potato or a pickles for SIX DOLLARS!

Do you want to see what we got for less than a bread and a side of cream corn?

Okay this picture looks totally white trash! The dead leaves, the pack of cats,
the blowmolds in limbo (before they make it to the shed), the above ground pool and the 20$ avocado vintage chair for our 60's living room!

It was quickly adopted by the cats. It will be cleaned and de-crappyfied before entering the home.

So let's do the math! FIFTEEN DOLLARS for a bread, TWELVE DOLLARS for cream corn equals TWENTY SEVEN DOLLARS. Substract the price of the chair (20$) and I have SEVEN DOLLARS  left over to buy a box of Kraft Diner and some ground chuck for a lovely un-complicated lunch.

Mind you it's not gourmet.....but it will do nicely for us until we feel the urge to slurge!

Have a great night and watch out for EIGHT DOLLAR broccoli!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

I Beg your Pardon?

Last week I noticed a new pastry/bakery shop on Sherbrooke street: Olivier Potier . I just had to go and sniff around!

I did today and I got quite a surprise! A couple of surprises to be more precise:

1) the place doesn't look like a bakery at all
2) They didn't have a lot of bread (as much I like sweet stuff, I'm a total nut for really good bread)
3) Their baguette is said to have won 2nd place in a french baguette competition

Now what really freaked me out was Le Pain du Peuple (the people's bread). It was a pretty big bread , 12 or 14 inches long. You can tell it's an artisan bread, with good whole grains.

The price 14.95$

Yep you read that right a freaking fifteen dollar bread! A FIFTEEN DOLLAR BREAD!

A FIFTEEN DOLLAR BREAD!

Okay one last time

All together now

A FIFTEEN DOLLAR BREAD!!!

You can get half for 7.95$. At that point I just turned and left. That is definitely one thing that is wrong with the world!

Just what do they do to the bread to make us swallow that price tag? Did the Pope bless it? A greecian virgin goddess knead it?
Was it touch by a Kardashian (ew!) or a Bieber(ew!) ? 

A couple of minutes ago while perusing their web site I came accross what I find is the ultimate no no for a bakery......

They don't even bake the bread on premises! They go pick it up at another bakery up north of Montreal!

That deserves a huge WTF!