I love eating hot and spicy foods. But what’s even better is eating hot and spicy foods in the summer. In the thick of summer, there’s something to be said about eating foods that make you sweat like a 16 year old when someone asks to use their bedroom computer. Hot and sweltering weather paired with a frosty glass of something fizzy, inhaling a plate that hopefully was cooked by fire… the best. Word got to me that there was a new Caribbean place in the Plateau that I had to check out. So I hit up the newest and hottest jerk shack east of The Main, Local Jerk.
I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that we’ve all celebrated something at a Baton Rouge restaurant at one point in our lives. A birthday, Mother’s or Father’s day, any occasion that was an excuse to dine out in a group, we’ve all done so at a Baton Rouge. I remember, back in the day, it was a favourite go-to spot for many reasons. The place was casual, affordable, and the food was always delicious and consistent. Founded in Montreal in 1992, Baton Rouge now has 31 restaurants across Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia and they recently opened their new location at Place Ste-Foy (at 2450 Laurier Boulevard) in Quebec City. I was invited to the grand opening festivities as well as to guest judge their inaugural Iron Chef BR competition!
One of the things I love about writing restaurant reviews are the unsolicited restaurant recommendations I get. Doing what I do, I’m always on the lookout for new restaurants that either appear practically overnight on the restaurant radar or finally getting the opportunity to check out a spot that has been buzzing for a while. So naturally when I’m approached with a “hey, have you checked out that new place…” or “I just had the best… at…” I’m taking notes. Recently, the proliferation of pizza shops around town have definitely upped the city’s pizza game by offering pies that run the gamut of styles. From rustic Neapolitan style pizza to Roman al taglio slabs or even Montreal-style grease-wheels with smoked meat and bacon, we’ve got them all. I recently checked out this new pizza spot in Outremont that has been spoken highly of by a lot of people around me, Pizzeria No.900.