Authenticity - Examples of Being Yourself

My last post from Montreal featured some new beers we found (our quest when in the city) after a brief explanation of the other elements that frequently draw us there. Unfortunately we’ve been there again since that post, and this time was a final trip of sorts. Margot’s uncle Gerry has passed on and the family spent a weekend in Montreal sharing a rich mix of sadness and joy as we celebrated his life. Gerry’s best friend Eloy and his wife Francoise were there with us, ultimately hosting the last of the family dinners at their house as they now prepare to move to home in France. We laughed, cried and laughed a whole lot more for the days we were together.

Gerry was a teacher and it is in this vocation he continues to teach us useful lessons about life and living it to the fullest. As I interacted with Gerry’s colleagues and friends during the weekend I heard stories over and over that had a common thread. That theme, how real, authentic and comfortable with himself Gerry was wherever he went, struck me in a profound way. How does one develop this comfort, what are the potential considerations and what can I learn from what I heard? It got me thinking about the topic of authenticity for writers, bloggers and everyone in the community I throw my missives out to each week.

( Gerry, in the center in wearing gray, surrounded by family at Christmas. )

You can find some of the hard facts of Gerry’s life in the public obituary, and I do recommend reading it, but it comes down to this. He was a Sulpician priest ordained for over 50 years, travelled the world, had a voracious appetite for knowledge and experience, shared his knowledge far and wide and accepted everyone for who they were wherever he found himself. The examples of his realness are easy to recount.

Example #1

I don’t believe in God. I am not religious in my adult life. I did get a healthy religious immersion (and I enjoyed it) as a child and did some surface studies of several of the major organized religions during my college years. I don’t think there is an almighty being about there that is responsible for all of what we enjoy, who laid down rules for us to follow. I prefer to believe that with an appetite for knowledge and experience I can guide myself through life, making choices that I can both live with and can expect those around me to live with as well. Gerry was a man of faith which is something I highly respected him for. It was his choice to pursue his faith and despite my own personal beliefs, a choice he was free to make and one he made good on many times over. Gerry and I had religious conversations on a number of occasions and when he asked me if I believed in God I was honest and said I did not. I explained my more science based leanings and my own philosophy on getting through life and was pleasantly surprised at the response. Gerry explained that to him we were on the same quest and despite his choice to believe in God he expected that we would both be fruitful in our exploits. He did add that even though I didn’t believe in God that he knew God believed in me. For him this was enough to know that I was a good person and would be rewarded when my life was at end. Gerry was able to be true to himself and accepting of me (in my clear opposition to his own beliefs) in the same place. Over the weekend we came across a photo of Gerry meeting Pope John Paul II to which I made the joke that Gerry had passed the Pope his number in case the Pope found himself in need of counsel. I don’t think that is as much of a joke as it might seem!

Example #2

The value of a good fart. Please don’t think I’ve gone off the rails here, because I haven’t. But I will say that some people like fart jokes, and some people don’t. Gerry had no qualms over letting a good fart go when the need arose. And he didn’t make any special notice of it and always kept moving on with the conversation or meal as if it hadn’t happened. He was confident enough that this bodily function was something we all wrestled with that he wasn’t going to hide it or take any measures for discreteness. That is a bold choice in our current times when I think too many people are fearful of even the possibility. He was being real and didn’t waste any time over it. And idea to live by to be sure.

Example #3

Living in the moment by being in the moment. My sisters-in-law Alice and Celeste recounted a story about Gerry on the streets of Montreal joining in with street musicians. As they walked Gerry heard a song he knew and began to sing (more on this in a bit). As they came across the musicians Gerry stood in with them and did a fitting rendition of the song with the rest of the group. The Sulpicians (I have limited experience with priests) love to sing. This was a high point me for the celebratory mass. They sounded phenomenal and something I hope to experience on different terms another day. There are many stories where Gerry would burst into song with what seemed like little motivation or cue. His passion just flowed I guess.

Example #4

Go out and play. Several of Gerry’s students were also his friend Eloy’s students. The stories of how different the two teachers’ style was were a hoot. Eloy was the stricter one pointing out un-tucked shirts and horseplay. Gerry on the other hand (the one that was a brilliant priest) told the kids to forget tucking in their shirts and get out and play. I am sure there was a dress code and a desire for order, but Gerry was comfortable with the boundaries of that to be able foster a sense of creativity and fun.

So what’s it all supposed to mean? Sure thing is that I don’t know! To me it seems that there is no way to do this without appetite and motivation for knowledge and new experiences. With that maybe you can see a greater denominator for the events around you and act differently because of it. Does that make any sense? We’ll see, because the final lesson is that the joy really is in the journey because there is always another moment to be in and some distance to go to get there.

For me as a blogger the lessons confirm much of what I have heard, experienced and said on my journey. To be real and authentic you have to commit yourself to learning, get out there and connect with others and share. You have to rise to the point of understanding others in a consistent fashion that you can both work and socialize with a diverse group of people without destructive disagreement. You have to both support and be supported by the community you foster and share with. Those aren’t tall orders, per se, but as much as everything is constantly changing maintaining the balance is hard work!

We did find some new beers in Montreal this time as well, something we needed a few of, but I’ll save those for a Montreal beer tasting coming to a (my) house real soon!

Cheers!

Jason

Church & Main – Burlington, VT

Trips back and forth to Montreal take us through the heart of Vermont, along the western border with New York and through Burlington before and after a short stretch to the Canadian Border.

We’ve taken to stopping in Burlington whether it be for gas, a place to sit for a while, or a meal; and Burlington seems to be one of those places to just be. This time as we drove down Main street we got a good glance up Church street and realized we had some new places to check out.

We picked Church and Main based on Margot’s recollections of it being featured on a New England focused restaurant show on one or another of the food channels. As we found a place to park I quickly looked up the establishment and menu. I was left with a sense of joy at finding what looked to be such an interesting place so easily. The menu is as locally focused as it can be, including a house IPA made by Rock Art, one of the preeminent craft brewers in Vermont. Their imbibing menu trends more toward wine and spirits, but if you are looking for beer in Burlington, don’t worry you’ll find it.

Margot ordered the Point Judith Calamari and I snagged the pizza which was newly changed to pesto, goat cheese, grilled corn and shrimp on their grilled pizza crust. You got it!

I also ordered the house IPA, which I was 120% happy with. The aromas were pungent and clean and the smooth texture of the beer was out of sight. The pairing with the pizza was one of the better pairings I have had in a long time. The herbs in the pesto and the hops in the beer were made into a creamy herb soup with the goat cheese. It really was pretty amazing. Margot’s calamari were very tasty, it was seasoned with a spicy and sweet chili sauce that had just the right balance of heat to sweet.

We sat outside and enjoyed our meal. The constant traffic and construction sounds make me sure that Burlington is lot different than it used to be, but for a simple traveler it offered a relaxing place to grab a bite and a beer before pushing on. That’s counts for something.

Cheers!

Jason

New Beers From Montreal

I found myself in Montreal unexpectedly Monday and Tuesday this week. Margot’s uncle Gerry lives in the city making the destination a strong family tie for us. We visit him there at least one or twice per year and despite his failing health (the reason for our spontaneous trip any my shortage of posts and tweets) and its eventual change in our purpose for going to Montreal, we know and love the city and will always want to go back.

We’ve adopted a simple ritual when in Montreal, find new beers. Quebec has its own generation of craft and small batch brewers with a wide range of styles to choose from, and several you can visit in the city. We sampled from the beer selection at the IGA this time, and while we found some interesting beers, the lack of any choices from Dieu du Ciel (a favorite of ours) was disturbing. We’ve gotten them at the market in several other places in the city so location may have played a part.

The slam dunk choice for us was the Noire (oatmeal stout) from St. Ambroise label, produced by a Montreal-based brewery. We discovered their beers on our Montreal Beer Adventure in April so I was happy to see it available to try again. We are going to visit the brewery on an upcoming trip. We’ve had a local confirm their patio overlooking the river is the place to taste some beers! I also saw an Apricot Wheat from the same brewery, and despite not being a huge fan of fruit beers I gambled on it, finding it to be one of the better fruit beers I have ever had. The 3 label mixed pack from Les Brasseurs RJ, a company we tasted new beers from on our last trip as well, offered a white ale, spiced Belgian ale and a spiced buckwheat ale. Interesting and intriguing and the only one with a high alcohol brew in it, so I took it! We bought 3 six packs total assuming at least one bottle of each of the 5 styles would make it home for a second tasting.

I started with the Apricot Wheat. The aromas were solidly fruit and grain driven and well pronounced. After my first sip I immediately was drawn to the length of the apricot flavor and that is doesn’t taste incredible manufactured. The wheat beer is slightly creamy with just the right amount of carbonation. The aromas and flavors don’t fade and the refreshing character of the beer stuck with me to the end of the bottle. I definitely see this is a fine summer beer and one I hope folks get to try when in the area.

The next one I tried was the Cheval Blanc. I really dig hugely aromatic Belgian white ale style beers. The spices, yeast and fermentation aromas are magical to me and make drinking the beers exciting. This beer had a good sized nose on it and delivered in taste very well too. It is a light and cloudy beer true to style. It has a lighter finish than most thought, one that doesn’t last which to me means it isn’t designed to be a dethroner of the more finely crafted versions of this beer.

We headed out to get so dinner at this point. We hadn’t been out to Rueben’s to get smoked meat sandwiches in several visits. This isn’t the absolute best and only place to get smoked meat in the city, but is close the hotel, serves well prepared meals and has great service. We split a sandwich with poutine as a side dish. We also ordered some cereal battered chicken fingers that came with fries and Dijonaise. How freakin’ Canadian is that? Everything was good, despite the heavy emotions surrounding our visit. I didn’t take any photos where I was there so you will just have to imagine the table of food!

Back at the hotel we clicked around on Montreal hotel television looking for something hugely funny (in French) or something relatively mundane and in English, but would likewise make us laugh. Some of our fondest memories of stays in Montreal, outside of visiting with Gerry and his friend Eloy in the city, are of watching Bat Thumb, Fraken Thumb and other hilarious stuff on late night Much Music TV in the early 2000’s.

Next Margot and I split a Noire from St. Ambroise. The beer just smells legit. The malty aromas lift off the surface of the beer. The flavor is bold but not obnoxious with a creamy texture that makes me think that this is what good Guinness used to taste like! Most of these came home with us and we will absolutely be buying a whole case of this on our very next trip.

The next one I tried was the Coup de grisou, a coriander infused buckwheat beer. I didn’t find it to be terribly inspiring, although it was refreshing and does have some merit as a lighter beer with full-character though.

The final taste was the d’Achouffe from RJ. This is a Belgian golden ale infused with spices. I’ve had several of these before and I especially like this when it comes in strong form with significant spices and fermentation aromas in the nose. I actually plan to make something of that ilk in my next round of beermaking in about a month. This beer clocks in at 8%, the only strong one of this tasting for me, and is pretty well nuanced. The aromas and flavors are there, but it felt a bit unpolished, almost rustic. Not having a lot of experience with the style I couldn’t say if this is a good thing or not. I’d definitely drink it again for what that is worth.

Being a commando trip there wasn’t anything more of note from the city. We did enjoy walking around a bit in between family visits, but taking time off on short notice had us tied to the hotel and our PCs helping to keep things moving back the office.

Cheers!

Jason

A roundup of past Montreal beer posts:

Montreal Beer Drinker Update - May 2009
Montreal Pub Tour - April 2010
Montreal Food & Drink - April 2010
Montreal Beer Adventure - May 2011

Our Family in Montreal

Whenever we cross the Canadian border the stated purpose of our trip is to visit family, which is true. Margot’s uncle Gerry, a priest ordained for almost 50 years, lives at the Grand Seminary on Sherbrooke right in the heart of downtown. We always have a meal with him when we are in town.

In one of my posts about our trip to France in February I introduced Eloy, Gerry’s friend. Eloy lives in Broussard right outside Montreal. Our custom as long as Eloy is in town has been to dine with he and Gerry either in the city or at Eloy’s house. Several times we have enjoyed dinners with Eloy’s family or friends from Miami. A true pleasure for everyone! Paella has been served more than once, and rum, wine and lots of laughter are always in large supply.

Eloy & Francoise (married during our trip to France) are back in Broussard enjoying some time with Eloy’s local friends and hosting family and friends from France. The goal is to move to France once the house is sold, but I am sure having fun in the meantime is high on the list. As luck would have it everyone was available for a Saturday meal, and Eloy offered to host. We were also lucky enough to have caught Marc (a friend of Eloy’s that we made on the France trip) free and he joined us as well. What a family!

We talked, laughed, looked at pictures and enjoyed snacks and wine for quite a while. Gerry was making us laugh with stories of watching the Royal Wedding the day before. It reminded Margot of her Mom, a fact that Gerry takes as a quite an honor. One this whole group shares is a fondness for enjoying difference kinds of wines. You know how happy that makes me! For snacks we brought a couple different whites and gave hosts choice to what was opened. The option on the Willm Pinot Blanc was exercised. I hadn’t had this particular Pinot Blanc before, but was fully expecting a nice subtle wine to meld with a variety of different food based on recent experiences with the style. We were rewarded with very fruity aromas, a wonderfully balanced medium to light wine with citrus on the way out. Francoise made guacamole and the creamy avocado with the wine was a great match. I could see Francoise savoring her sips with a smile

Dinner was a special request for Gerry. He didn’t make the trip to France on the count of his ongoing battle with cancer. We all were heartbroken, but went with a greater sense of purpose because of it. Since he missed the trip he requested a Provencal style dish with pork in it. Having had this prepared by Francoise in her home and knew what he was going for and clearly was looking forward to what she came up with. She made a Pork Tenderloin en Croute or something akin to it. She actually made two. She clearly has known all of the people involved here either in this life or a past one! The pork was perfectly cooked with puff pastry, onions, seasonings, mushrooms working together all over the place.

For dinner we went Cotes du Rhone to whole way. Francoise was gracious enough to share it with us and her family when we were there and when she cooks as she does the wine must live up! We found the 2008 Parallel 45 from Paul Jaboulet Aine. Eloy actually came and asked me where I got it for future reference. It was a slam dunk with a bit of pork, pastry and mushrooms, just like being back at Le Petit Trentin (Francoise’s house). The wine is very hearty with complex flavors and that hit of acidity to make the flavors pop. Francoise and Eloy opened a bottle of Chataeau de Grezels 2008 Cahors, a Malbec/Merlot style. The wine was good but seemed to be missing its edge. Francoise was the first to notice it though, it became Cahors with the food. And indeed the same bite from above brought this wine out to the place I expected to find it. Very nice!

The red wines were enjoyed through the cheese course which Margot and I were honored to have been asked to bring. We loved participating in this facet of family meals in Provence, and couldn’t imagine not recreating it here at home.

For dessert Francoise served berry sorbet with fresh cut strawberries on top. Marc shared a bottle of Peller Estates 2006 Late Harvest Riesling. What a great glass of wine. My love for sweet and dessert wines is no secret, and this one was certainly an overachiever! A very perfumed nose with honey, dried fruit sand a profound sweetness in the center. It went fast, but great minds think alike!

We talked again for a while before everyone needed to head on back to their homes for the night. Margot and I would be getting up early the next day to head home, and although I would be staying up for a while at the hotel, it is nice to be able to kick back with a beer after driving home.

We look forward to our next trip to Montreal. We can never really get there enough on the count of all the other adventures we end up in the middle of. Till then, we have the memories.

Cheers!

Jason

Saturday Afternoon at Atwater Market

Returning to Montreal again this spring brought us back to several of our favorite ways to enjoy the city and the greater-Montreal area. In my last post I shared our 3rd annual pub crawl and beer tasting adventures. We had a lot of fun and tried a bunch of beers that were new to us and made to please!

On Saturday afternoon we walked down Rene Levesque and made our lunch stop at Buffet Maharaja (near the Guy crossing) for Indian lunch. We definitely recommend it and were told that Saturday night is even better because of a different chef cooking. The food was hot, well cooked and there were dozens of selections. The Butter Chicken seems to be what they are known for, and it didn’t disappoint. The fresh Naan bread was soft and made for a great fork!

During lunch Margot asked where we should go next. It was one of the most beautiful days we have had yet this spring, so I suggested we keep walking down to the Atwater Market. As we walked we came upon an architecture-laden public park. The reason was a celebration of local architects and artists by a trade organization that acquired the land. We had fun walking around and checking out each of the exhibits.

A few blocks later we met up with Atwater Ave and headed down the hill and right past where Margot’s maternal family is from. The streets were busy as we got closer, it would seem like we had a pretty popular idea. We arrived to the bustle of the market and leisurely walked around. We have stopped in here going back 5 years now and relish finding treats to share with friends while we are in town or to take home for us and others.

I bought some Fee Brother’s bitters and an Elderflower cordial mixer to play around with at the home bar. We also picked up several items for a nice Mother’s day gift, but since Mom reads my blog I can’t tell you what just yet.

I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story.

Cheers!

Jason

( Fresh Gnocci )

( Can't beat pre-marinated meats of all kinds! )

( My favorite market stop! )

( Sausage anyone? )

( A stop at Premiere Moison is always a good idea! )

( Like a kid in a candy shop I tell ya! )

( We have bought flowers here more than once. )

( The fruit sellers were very busy this day. )

( You can't have a Montreal market without maple! )

Montreal Beer Adventure 2011

This year marked the third annual Montreal pub crawl and beer quest for Margot and I. A few years before we started formally doing this we had remarked that Quebecers love their beer and celebrate it in a very local way with small brewpubs in neighborhoods all over the city. The pub crawl we created is pretty simple. I pick several pubs with Metro access and we pop in to sample their beers. Many of the pubs serve beer brewed on site, and others serve a combination of local & regional brews along with foreign imports that are not the typical that we get at home.

This year we visited Bar Barouf on St. Denis and Dieu du Ciel! on Laurier.

Our stop at Bar Barouf was random after not walking quite far enough to find Le Saint Bock, also on St. Denis. The place was almost completely full and quite noisy. This is typical for bars almost any night of the week in Montreal, but a guarantee on a Friday night. The décor is very modern and the long bar has taps along a significant portion of it. The beer selection was a combination of local brews and imports presented in European fashion by style (blanc, rouge, noir, etc.) Margot has determined she is a stout girl and requested something dark and chocolately. The St. Ambroise Noir fit that request nicely. St. Ambroise is a Montreal-based brewery that has been steadily growing since they came on the scene in the first generation of craft breweries in Quebec. The St. Ambroise brewery and brewpub are not far from the city center and will make for a great stop on a future crawl. I opted for the Grimbergen Abbey Ale. Grimbergen is an old Belgian line of beers first brewed by monks who became known for their hospitality and beers.

St. Ambroise Noire
Black in color with a huge Guinness like head.
Lots of dark chocolate flavors with a smooth finish

Grimbergen Abbey Ale
Reddish brown in color with a short head
Sweet and malty with fruit and spice flavors
Not a lot of obvious hop influence

Our next stop was Dieu du Ciel! Dieu du Ciel! represents the new generation of Montreal craft brewers offering a range of styles and beers with unique ingredients. We are familiar with some of their beers from Montreal grocery stores, but not all of their styles make it into the bottle and sampling them fresh from the tap is ideal.

The menu in the photo above greets you when you arrive. You can’t really go wrong starting off like that! The place was jam packed with a small amount of room near the bar to stand and wait for a table to free up. The first two styles we tried were the Grande Noirceur and the Gaelique.

Grande Noirceur (Imperial Stout)
This beer had lots of roasted malt flavor in it and living up to its Imperial name, lots of alcohol. It was smooth and enjoyable but not the kind you could sit around (or not at least I) drinking all night.

Gaelique
After a long car trip, walking back and forth to the grocery store and her first beer, Margot was praying for a second wind at this point. Because of that she only offered “it’s good” for this beer. It is a red (Irish perhaps?) ale with a good deal of earthiness. It enjoyed a few sips, but didn’t pay it much mind.

A table opened up and we grabbed it as soon as we could. We queued up tastings (6 oz each) of 5 additional beers, including the Saison St. Louis, Aphrodisiaque, Clef De Champs, Resurrection and Peche Mortel.

Saison St. Louis
Gold/orange in color and not as "funky" as I would have expected. The bitterness and citrus in the body were refreshing, but I thought it was only ok.

Aphrodisiaque
This was the highlight of the visit to Dieu du Ciel for both of us. A chocolate and vanilla stout. It SO lives up to its name. The flavors are captivating and taste like the real deal. Margot suggested it tasted like real chocolate pudding, and not the fake Jello stuff. This is a beer I hope to have the opportunity to try again. There was just a hint of sweetness to make the flavors pop and shift you to a dessert frame of mind, and a good match for a chocolate dessert as the finishing course of a great meal.

Clef de Champs
I picked this beer solely from the description, a rye beer made with herbs. I picked up the aroma of cannabis while I was giving it a good smell. I am sure there were other herbs in there but that one stuck out. It was interesting and made me think of a beer pairing with salad that included field greens. I wouldn’t consider it an everyday drinker, but was a fun left field selection to throw into the mix.

Resurrection
This was listed as a porter and I was looking for that signature smokiness which I definitely found. It is very dry and black in color. My notes say “it stands up” and my vague recollection is that this beer is no slouch and demands your attention when drinking it. The hour was getting late for us and I had been putting them back for about 4 hours already so what can I say!
Our final beer while at Dieu du Ciel was the Peche Mortel, and one we were familiar with from the 6 pack we took home with us in 2010.

Peche Mortel
Black in color with pungent coffee and chocolate aromas. This is their best stout (an Imperial Coffee Stout with fair trade coffee infused into it) and a beer of uncompromised character. It is far better fresh from the tap than from the bottle, but I’ll take either whenever and wherever I can get it. The depth of the flavors and how smooth they go down is a testament to passion in the process of crafting this beer.

The sign above was just outside the brew room at Dieu du Ciel! What a tease, since I won’t be back soon enough to try them!

Neither of us tend to stay out very late so I buy some beers to have back at the hotel while we wind down and otherwise hang out. I picked up two different selections, a Maple Scotch Ale from Dieu du Ciel and a mixed pack (Cannon, Loch Ness and Titanic) of strong beers from Les Brasseurs RJ Inc, also from Montreal.

Cannon
This is a Dopplebock and true to the style it is a rich brown color, heavily malted, with a sweetness right in the center. At 7.6% ABV you could make a pretty good go of an evening with these!

Titanic
This was presented as a strong beer aged on the lees. It was lighter brown in color with a nose full of yeast, bananas, cloves and other spices. Margot said the aromas for too pungent and would turn some folks off. I’d bet she is right. The flavors were very well developed and rich from the sur lie aging. I definitely enjoyed this beer and will gladly drink the one bottle I brought home real soon!

Loch Ness
This was labeled as a Scotch Ale. It poured red/brown with yeasty aromas and some malt and spicy aromas. I did find some of the characteristic acidity and bit to the style, but not as much as I would have expected. This drank well, but didn’t really impress.

Dieu du Ciel Equinoxe de Printemps
(Maple Scotch Ale)

This was my favorite of the beers I tried back at the hotel. It poured hazy with a solid brown color. The head stuck around for a while and was off-white in color. The maple flavor was subtle and restrained and the beer finishes with a good deal of acidity. The hops leave a little bite in the finish. It reminded me of my own homemade maple brown ale where it was just ever so slightly sweet and a little earthy, but not far away from the beer of the same style without the maple.

Don De Dieu

The very last beer I tried while in the city was the Don De Dieu made by Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec. I purchased a bomber (22 oz) of it at a local 24 hr convenience store on my way back to the hotel from dinner with family and friends. It was billed as a strong bottle conditioned Belgian style pale ale. I’d suggest that was correct, although with a lot less of the spice and malt than I would have expected. I may have picked up a bad one or have been fatigued after the prior day’s events, I’m not sure! I enjoyed it, and I slept well after drinking it, but I am not sure it was 100% correct.

So as you can see we take this quest quite seriously. After trying 14 beers (13 of them new to us) from several new-to-us brewers, we have to once again say: “Quebecers Love Their Beer!” And we love them for it.

Cheers!

Jason

Poutine Is For Lovers

Valentine’s Day has always been about simple pleasures for Margot and I. We met as college kids with very little money and had to be creative to celebrate. After we got married, although we found increasing success in our jobs, we still retained simplicity for Valentine’s Day. No big trips away, no crazy-expensive restaurants. Simple gifts, flowers and often homemade food.

This year we did go out, but we did so in search of a classic only locally available on the West Side of Manchester, NH. Poutine. For those that don’t know of it, and you are excused as it a French-Canadian creation, it is composed of French fries, cheese curds and gravy.

Chez Vachon is situated on Kelley Street on Manchester’s west side. This is a neighborhood that has been called “Little Canada.” The neighborhood was established by immigrants from Quebec that were recruited to work in the mills along the Merrimack River that bisects the city. Margot comes from French-Canadian heritage and her family were long time residents of Manchester, although on east of the river. Margot’s uncle lives on Montreal, whom we visit on our annual (or more) trips to the city. Poutine is familiar to us as you can imagine.

Chez Vachon is a small place styled like a typical diner that is only open for breakfast and lunch. The service was quick and attentive and the restaurant was clean. They offer a dense menu of breakfast and lunch foods, all of which are available throughout their open hours. We told our server that “we came for one thing”, to which we got a knowing smile in response.

We asked our server what people considered traditional or classic Poutine, something we were especially interested in because of our past musings about the type of gravy used. A peppery chicken gravy is considered the classic topper for the fries and cheese curds. This makes sense because the best examples of this dish we have had, in Montreal of course, had a gravy that we didn’t think was beef when considering the milder flavor. The dark color of those gravies left us puzzled though. We ordered a classic and also one made with bacon and beef gravy. You can also order it with vegetables and all manner of meats on it and you have a third option for sauce, spaghetti sauce. Neither Margot or I understand that option but our waitress indicated the shop owner likes it that way. We’ll trust that judgment, but we passed on the taste just the same!

While we waited we noticed the wall of fame (or shame I guess for the losers) for the Grand Poutine Challenge. This challenge was debuted in October of 2010 and has seen a handful of entrants. The challenge is to eat 5 pounds of classic Poutine in 1 hour with no bathroom breaks. There are two photos hanging for folks that have finished it successfully and quite a few more who have raised the white flag short of 5 pound goal. I am not a competitive eater so you won’t see a blog entry from me taking on this challenge! Our server was gracious enough to let us take a photo of the back of her t-shirt that advertises the challenge. Thanks Christine!

Both of our plates of Poutine arrived with steam coming off of them. Margot bristled at the idea I was going to make her wait even 1 second to snap a few photos. Patience, grasshopper!

The classic had light to medium brown colored gravy poured over top a generous helping of cheese curds and crispy French fries. The aromas emanating from the dish reminded us of what we came for.

The cheese curds were soft and chewy, and the gravy is peppery but not spicy. The gravy has a hearty chicken flavor, well now that we know it’s chicken, that would work well in a lot of ways. The gravy wasn’t overly salty which we found to be a delightful surprise. The fries were cooked very well retaining a nice crispy outside with soft potato inside, and no grease. We were offered some white vinegar that is used by many people as a garnish. We both tried it and found the acidity from vinegar amped up the flavors in the whole dish. Pretty smart!

The bacon & beef gravy version was something we wanted to try to cement the difference in the gravy but also to add meat to mix. We found the gravy only slightly saltier, thumbs up, and having a much richer flavor as we would have expected. The fries and cheese curds were as we found them in classic. The bacon pulled this dish together. The bacon they serve at Chez Vachon is meaty with a huge smoky flavor that really mixed well with the cheese, fries and gravy. That said, the classic is still what you crave when you crave Poutine and will always be my favorite.

Margot had a great quote to sum up our Chez Vachon Poutine experience. “It is a perfect example of taking something simple and doing it really well.”

We finished up our Valentine’s Day celebration with a trip to the Currier Art Museum, also located in Manchester. Margot and I had been their together quite a number of years ago, but not since they had re-opened after a major renovation. Margot visited in 2010 as part of leadership program and raved about how much nicer it was and how much larger their collection could be. I’ll leave you with a favorite work from each of us.

( Allen B. Hall, Remember When , 2011 )

The piece above was part of the New Hampshire Art Association’s 62nd Currier Exhibition, the current special collection on display at the Currier.

( Claude Monet, The Seine at Bougival, 1869 )

I have always been a fan on Monet and outdoor scenes. Thinking about my upcoming trip to France was easy looking at this.

Margot and I hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day in your own special way this year.

Cheers!

Jason

Canadian Martini

Whiskey has never been one of my preferred spirits. Well, to be honest I did not like it all. The thing about whiskey is that I always felt like it did a bait and switch. The smell was so sweet and it always reminded me of butterscotch candy. Then I would take a sip and hooooo MAMA that is NOT what my nose conveyed to my taste buds!

Like any good sommelier/husband Jay has been trying to get me to expand my horizons in the beverage department. He has helped me make strides, even to the point of really enjoying and appreciating red wine. But whiskey, I just did not think that would ever happen. Then one a night like any other it happened, my awakening, and it came in the form of a Canadian Martini.

For some time Jay had been perusing a multitude of “bartender bibles” and spirit recipe books. While flipping through the pages he would talk about what he was seeing, recipes that caught his eye. Truthfully I think that he mentioned the Canadian Martini because we love Montreal and I am very much a Canadian-American. We chuckled at the name as it reminded us of the dive Martini bar we frequented in Canada. I love martinis so I was interested in what the Canadian twist would be.

Canadian Martini
Ginger Ale (preferably Canada Dry, of course)
Crown Royal

That’s right….Canadian whiskey. At first I felt betrayed again, calling something a martini and having it contain whiskey! That is no martini. But Jay prevailed in convincing me to try one.

That sweet whiskey smell was there, like brown sugar, molasses and caramel, but this time with a hint of ginger. I took a sip…waiting for the deception to occur again. But wait! This time the smell delivered with the flavor. The sweetness of the ginger ale brought out all those flavors I had always smelled in whiskey and the whiskey heat brought out the spiciness of the ginger in the ginger ale.

So like many of life’s surprises this has now become my favorite drink, my go to after a long hard day. I am not sure if I will ever become an “on the rocks” or “straight up” whiskey drinker but I am a Canadian martini fan for life. I never should have doubted my fellow Canadians…or my personal sommelier.

Drink Up!

Margot

Montreal's Food & Drink - April 2010

From the last post you can get a feel for the mission we were on to experience some of the distinctive beverage offerings found in Montreal. That mission is continued here.

Before I left for the trip I was reading a recent issue of Imbibe magazine that did a lineup of coffee stouts including the Imperial version from Dieu Du Ciel! based in Montreal. I planned to seek it out, try it and bring some home. Oddly I had forgotten when I organized the pub tour that this brewer does have a downtown location, as well as retail distribution, but had chosen locations closer to the hotel so we missed a visit. We did end up finding the beer at the IGA.

We also picked up the Rosee d’Hibiscus at the same time and sampled both at the hotel and brought the remainder home for future tastings.

Peche Mortel Imperial Coffee Stout ( 9.5% ABV)
6 pack for $14 CAD + tax

Smells like a Starbucks mocha!
Tastes like high cacao (85%+) dark chocolate
Strong smoke and coffee tastes
Triple chocolate cake with espresso dark chocolate sauce
Small sharp bubbles, but not overpowering
Will enjoy the remaining ones of these for sure!

Rosee d’Hibiscus ( unfiltered what beer infused with Hibiscus and spices, 5.9% ABV)

Pale red color
Strong floral and citrus nose
Tastes of flowers, spice and orange
Tastes like a hoppy/grainy rose wine

Next up was dinner...

Le Milsa
1445 Bishop St.
(514) 985-0777

Le Milsa is a churrascaria style restaurant with rodizio service. In Portuguese churrascaria is roughly translated as “barbeque”. Rodizio represents a fixed price offering where “meat waiters” bring various grilled meat offerings to the table until patrons signify they are full/done.

Le Milsa does not disappoint in the above definition. With ten meat offerings including, chicken, chicken sausage, pork, lamb, filet mignon, rib roast, sirloin, prime rib, strip steak, and turkey wrapped in bacon, you can be sure your cholesterol and salt numbers are going to go in the wrong direction! Served along with salad, bread, rice, sweet potato and spicy mushrooms many flavor combinations are possible.

All four of us, Margot, Gerry, Eloy and I, went with the standard menu and paired our meal with the following wines.

Bodega Norton Malbec Mendoza (vintage not acquired)
Errazuriz Estate Shiraz 2008 from Chile

The strategy I had for the wine was to have two different reds. For the first I looked for a subtle and focused wine to complement the richness of the grilled meats for which the Malbec did performed nicely. For the other I wanted a wine with more fruit and a bit of spice to counter balance the seasonings and take the flavors in another direction. The original choice was a California Zinfandel, which was not available, so the Shiraz was selected and played the part well. All of us agreed that both wines paired with the different meats differently and that all pairings were enjoyable.

One of the other experiences I was hoping for at Le Milsa was to try cachaca or a drink made from it. Without fail the Brazilian national drink, Caipirinha, similar to a traditional white rum daiquiri from the Carribean was on the menu. This drink contains cachaca, muddled lime and sugar served over ice. Somewhat sweet with good lime flavors, this drink was very pleasing and made for a great post-meal digestif.


We weren’t quite finished. With dessert, which was a choice of ice cream or grilled pineapple, we all also tried a strong coffee drink that included Gran Marnier and Crème de Cacao. Though I was originally worried that the coffee and pineapple flavors would not pair well, Margot was surprised by the perfect match due to the cinnamon coating on the pineapple. The flavors of the coffee were fantastic and its ability to promote laughter all around propelled us out on to the streets of Montreal for a brisk walk home.

Now that is making memories!

I did try a couple of other beers during the trip that are also worth mentioning.

Unibroue Ephemere - a tribtue to the green apple.

The green apple aroma was present right away and was unmistakable. It faded fast however, something I do believe to be a flaw. As for flavors I would say that my taste buds were still working, but were not picking up the fruit. It tasted like a typical light unfiltered ale without any other tangible flavors or aromas. This was not terribly memorable, but Unibroue makes many other styles I do like and will return to frequently.

We stopped at the Vermont Pub & Brewery in Burlington Vermont for lunch on the way home. I tried two of their house brewed beers that had unique descriptions on the menu.

Tulach Leis

Flemish style sour red ale
Fermented with Brett (also used in the Saison at Le Cheval Blanc)
Complex beer with pronounced aromas and flavors
Definitely sour and a bit yeasts
Not an everyday drinker unless this is your bag
Paired well with sweet potato fries and onion rings

Forbidden Fruit

This is big beer competition winner for them
Brewed with 500 lbs of local raspberries
Strong beer – no ABV determined
Sour mashed and oak aged
The fruit is unmistakable in the nose and flavors
Good on its own and would be good with fruit pie
No real pairing attempt was made, just enjoyed it solo

It was a drag coming home from such a whirlwind tour, but there was little choice. We have already started scheming up where we will go the next time.

Cheers!

--Jason

Montreal Pub Tour - April 2010

Our first Montreal pub tour was back in May of 2009. Here is the link to that entry and the fun we had.

http://ancientfirewineblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/beer-drinker-update-for-montreal.html

The plan this time was to hit a few new places and of course try some new beers. We ended up choosing 3 places, including Brutopia from the first trip, and tasted 12 styles of beer before the night was through.

809 Rue Ontario Est
(514) 522-0211
Sherbooke Metro Stop (Orange Line)

Le Cheval Blanc offers a combination of house brewed and unique import beers. All selections written on floor to ceiling chalkboard adjacent to the bar. The pub was nearly ½ full when we arrived around 5 PM, new patrons at a pretty good clip.

Euro feel / dark with a punk edge. Maroon and green color palette with funky feel, café or diner like with an eclectic collection of musician pictures hanging on the wall. We could not help feeling like Kerouac could start reciting at any time while the crowd snaps their fingers in approval. Our waitress with her bright red hair and combat boots made us feel surprisingly at home. Though her English was spotty and our French limited we managed to speak the language of beer quite easily!

Cream Ale ( 5.4% ABV )
Creamy – bitter + strong after taste
Smells like warm butter
“Repeat favorite in the making”
Would be great with hot buttered popcorn

Cask Drawn Warrior IPA ( 6.4% ABV )
Yeasty and hoppy nose
Served at cellar temp
Smoky, rich and strong

Margot – ”A serious beer drinkers beer; not for the faint of heart.”

A contemplative customer enters and walks right to the chalkboard
and thinks, “Maybe I will try something I have not had.”


Blonde Lager ( 5% ABV )

Sharp and refreshing
Neutral aroma
Slight citrus taste in the finish
Would be good with a slice of orange/lemon
This feels like a classic “I wanna drink beer” beer

Noire ( stout, 4.1% ABV)

Strong mocha nose
Low carbonation
Margot – “I never like dark beer, but could drink a pint or two of this”
Tastes like a dark chocolate latte
This feels like an “experience beer”

Saison Blanc ( 6% ABV)

This beer is re-fermented with the while yeast Brettanomyces
Perfect for fish, fried or not
Clove and banana nose reminiscent of other Belgian styles
This is a “pairing or food” beer
Very dry, not as rich as Belgian dubble and tripel style

245 Sherbrooke West
(514) 543-9750
Place-des-Arts Metro Stop (Green Line)

Benelux is located in an old bank with the vault used to create a more private space in the back. Definitely a place to see and be seen with a very different clientele, think younger and hipper, than Le Cheval Blanc. Busy on a Friday night after work.
We added some food to the mix here.

Tex-Mex Chicken Panini (contained mushrooms and a spicy sauce which was light). Green olives on the plate as well – it was good with crunchy bread, but not super-special. Hit the spot with and after the beers

Chips (didn’t find out if they are made on site or not). Kind of like Cape Code plain chips

Bock ( 6% ABV )
Mild nose and medium body
Somewhat earthy, a little chocolate flavor
Bitter

Olives and mushrooms paired very well with it

Lux Rouse ( Red Ale, 5% ABV)
Standard red ale.
Good but not memorable, we both agreed
Did not pair well with panini

Moonboot ( Belgian, 9% ABV )

Very clean, served in snifter so good aromas were very accessible.
Aromas and flavors were on par with typical Belgian double/triple fermented styles
Metallic smell from the glass was a little weird
The alcohol was not perceptible, but did not take long to make itself known!

1215 Rue Crescent
(514) 393-9277
Lucien-L'Allier Metro Stop (Orange Line)

Bruopia was the only stop that was a return visit. This choice was based on the solid selection from prior visits and close proximity to our hotel. It turned out that, with the exception of the Raspberry Blonde, the beers didn’t impress as much this time which might mean we would only come here to drink the selections which we know and could expect to be safe. Those are good and are worth it.

Smoked Porter
Subtle flavors, mildly bitter
Woody, reminds a bit of maple sap (not sugar)
Lighter smoke than expected
Didn’t pop, I actually didn’t finish it

Raspberry Blonde
This is our current and continued favorite in Montreal
“Will it beat the Noire?”
Smells like raspberries
Tastes of raspberries and citrus
“Raspberry lemonade OR iced tea?”
Grain and malt flavors are very perceptible and in balance

Gingembre
Smells like ginger sautéed with butter
Mild/low carbonation
Smells better than it tastes, not spicy and no perceptible sweetness
Medium dry
Better as a late drinker when unique tastes are not as crucial
Needs a little sweet and a little citrus

One observation is that the lighter beers made for better night drinking, which makes sense but was obvious in practice.

We weren't finished yet, but I'll save that for my next posting.
Cheers!
--Jason

Beer Drinker Update for Montreal

We just got back from 3 days in Montreal and part of plan was to sample the local and big brand Canadian brews. We sampled a decent selection of styles and from one perspective they can be categorized into two classes, local microbrews and microbrew styles distributed by the big brand companies we all know.

On the local microbrew front we found two locations that craft the beer on site and serve it from the bar and in the restaurant in the same location. Both are on Crescent Street which is where the food and drink action is based on our experience. We have eaten on St. Denis as well, but the scene on Crescent was more lively.

Brutopia has been around since the mid-90's and has a straightforward location from which to serve their excellent brews. We tried the Raspberry Blond, Belgian 9% and the Java Stout. Margot clearly preferred the Raspberry Blond, but could appreciate the Belgian as well. The Belgian was the best beer I had all weekend and I had several to confirm this finding. A full bodied beer with a good head and strong aromas, it would be tough competition for many carefully crafted beers. The Java Stout was very good, with strong aromas of chocolate and coffee, but I felt it would be better served with a second fermentation and paired with a rich chocolate cake. The complement there is subtle, but I stand by it. The Raspberry Blond was a typical blond ale with a strong assertive berry aroma and hint of fruit acids in the finish. There were a whole bunch more we could have tried, but we need to check in elsewhere so time was short. We will be back and I would recommend this as a must go for anyone wanting to check out the Montreal microbrew scene.

Les 3 Brasseurs on Crescent is one of the Canadian locations of a French chain which is well known for good handcrafted beers and tasty pub food to go with. We tried the sample which includes their white, blond, red and brown ales in cute little snifters that amplify the aromas. All of the beers were tasty, with the white and red being the consistent favorites. Belgian white style beers seem to be of new popularity in Montreal (I might have missed this on past visits, please don't take offense) and the lot of them are pretty similar, unfiltered, with strong spice and citrus aromas and served with a slice of orange. The red tasted a bit of honey and had medium body and a clean finish. The blond and brown weren't uniquely notable, but worth the sampler size. The food in this joint was very good as well and the service was fast, although they weren't busy. We would recommend a stop here as well.

Another local item was the Du Minot sweet cider. I ordered this after dinner at Hurley's (see my next blog post for more info on where we ate) and very much enjoyed it. Du Minot is produced in Quebec about an hour south of Montreal. If you are a cider drinker and can find it on the menu or in store it is worth the time.

Now on to the beers from Molson, Unibroue and Anheuser-Busch. Molson, as you may well be experienced, makes a whole bunch of beers with wide distribution and great quantities. I didn't have any of those this time around. I do like the Molson XXX mostly because it is 7.3% alcohol and has some character for a big production item. Rickards is a microbrew styled line produced by Molson and is worth a look. We tried drafts of the White and the Honey Brown and found both quite pleasing. Neither was as good as the local items above, but that is to be expected. If you are in town and want something more than Molson Export or Molson Ice, Rickards might be the choice. They make a Red and Brown as well. Molson also has an interesting offering called Molson Dry which appears to be 10.1% alcohol, but it appears to be a kicked up version of their standard beer and I couldn't bring myself to try it.

Unibroue is well known for their strong beers, with several at or above 8-10% alcohol. These were the first of the strong Canadian beers I ever had and in some ways is what keeps me coming back. We can get these in the states, but it wasn't until recently I started seeing them show up in the places I normally bought beer. I only tried one selection of theirs this time, the Blance de Chambly, another white ale. Once again this was unfiltered, with good aromas and flavors making a nice paring for a bacon cheese burger. If you are looking for something to give you a good kick try Fin du Mond or Maudite, both of which are 9% and remind you they are in the room.

Anheuser-Busch is the importer of a Belgian brown ale named Leffe which I found in the grocery store and thought I would give it a try. If you like Belgian brown ales or want to appreciate strong aromas and flavors in something new try and find Leffe. I haven't seen it in NH so far, but it may be out there.

All in all we achieved what we set out to do, but we are very sure we only scratched the surface based on the recommendations we got as to where else we should go and what else we should try. Montreal, we will be back, be ready...

Cheers!

--Jason
http://www.les3brasseurs.ca/eng/our_famous_beers.php
http://www.duminot.com/cider-mill.htm
http://www.brutopia.net/brutopia.htm
http://www.unibroue.com/products/bieres.cfm