Does anyone else remember 49 cent pizza on St. Mathieu and de Maisonneuve? This has to be about 20 years ago (holy shit, I’m old). It was called 49 cent pizza, because, duh, a slice was 49 cents. You’d be able to buy two questionable slices of pizza and a canned drink for a twoonie and still get change. There was an influx of cheap, by-the-slice pizza shops that opened up through the early 2000s, however not 49 cents, inflation brought up those prices over a dollar a slice. Much of those places have closed up or the lone survivors are not as popular anymore. I recently visited a new player in the pizza game who’s trying to revitalize the scene and bring by-the-slice back into the spot light with a New York twist; Pizzeria La New-Yorkaise.
Griffintown
Hoping everyone had a great holiday. Spent mine the same as every year, breaking resolutions in world record time and eating my weight in things cooked with butter. Reconnecting with friends and family during the holidays is also fun; classic discussion topics, Kardashians, politics, how fast someone filled up gas at the first sight of a price increase and most importantly recent restart discoveries. I’ve discovered that far above a game of Monopoly, or sliding into the DMs of a common crush, what will really test the relationship between you and a loved one are your restaurant opinions. Little did I know that this local brunch hot spot in the plateau (with now a location in Saint-Henri) would be the epicentre of a recent discussion blowout – Restaurant L’Avenue.
Fried chicken is often considered comfort food. Comfort food rarely ever considered fancy food. What’s there to make fancy? A dismembered bird, bathed in its children, floured and deep fried. It’s usually comes with a side of fluorescent coleslaw and served in a bucket. It’s the best kind of food. It’s everything you want it to be; greasy gluttonous comfort food eaten with our hands. Lip smacking, guilt inducing take-along batter pops. It’s perfect. So how does fancy fried chicken even exist? I recently checked out Le Bird Bar, the newest hot spot in Griffintown proving that fancy fried chicken is a real thing, and making fried chicken is their thing.