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Reviews of restaurants from around the city. Select the neighbourhoods on the left side of the page for more specific searches!

Can’t put down at Depanneur Le Pick Up

by Jason September 16, 2009

written by Jason

Autumn in Montreal… it’s 17 degrees and you’re walking around with a jacket and the hot weather lady calls it “chilly”, five months ago, kids would be waiting by the door for these temperatures, itching to get out in tshirts and shorts. I was driving around the other night and couldn’t escape the smell of burning, and realized people are already using their fireplaces. I should have gotten the clue that cold is coming considering Halloween candy has already hit the shelves.

I met a buddy for lunch today who’s in town from B.C. for a week. It was stipulated that when he came back, we’d be going for lunch and trying some place we both haven’t been to before. I’ve read some reviews and decided that I had to check out “Le Pick Up” for myself.

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This place screams down low. Located right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, it’s totally non-descript; and you would probably miss it if it wasn’t for a recycled children’s chalk-board easel sitting in front with the day’s specialty items… and the picnic tables and chairs kind of give it away too. So maybe not THAT inconspicuous really, maybe it’s just that they just don’t have a sign.

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We took a look at the menu which was straight up and simple. We took a seat outside, and being in a residential neighborhood, there’s a certain charm to actually sit in a “backyard” and this one next to the neighbor’s black market satellite dish and balcony they use as storage… yes, they’re located next to THAT neighbor.
Pictured: house blend iced tisane.

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To maximize our gastronomic experience, we split everything. This is the side salad, which I was told was pretty much a Waldorf salad. Really crisp greens, sliced green apples, wild grapes, walnuts and a well cured blue cheese, it was definitely a great surprise.

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The red cabbage coleslaw with parsley and mint.

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We first split the chipotle club sandwich. I was really impressed that the chicken they used wasn’t the same old boiled white meat you’d find in a club sandwich anywhere else. Skillfully grilled, it remained juicy and was served with a spicy mayo. I’ve professed how much I love a good sandwich, and normally I really like thick and chewy and crusty bread. However, they pressed toasted the bread on the griddle, so the idea that my sandwich looked like it was served up on crackers was overlooked due to the fact that the bread soaked up the smell and essence of the flat top.

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This is Le Pick Up’s claim to fame. Slow roasted pulled pork sandwich in barbecue sauce, served with grilled peppers, coleslaw on a Portuguese style bun. REALLY tasty. Straight up. There was a certain zing to the barbecue sauce and it was complimented perfectly with the crunchy slaw directly in the sandwich. All it was missing was fries and they could have called it a “Po’Garçon”.

We thought we were done until something – compelled us to sit at the counter – drew us inside. We decided to split a sandwich. We asked the chef to recommend something and he decided that we were going to have the day’s special, which coincidently he was having as well.

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A capicola sangwich, on country bread, served with arugula, roasted peppers, tomatoes, cheese, mayo and marinated eggplant. If this is the type of sandwich they’re putting out as a “daily special”, then there’s no saying what other wonders of the sandwich world they’re coming up with.

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Not to discredit the name, but they’re really a fully functional depanneur, however I don’t see anyone coming in here for something other than gum, drinks and one kind of booze. Stock resembled inadament props as supporting characters to the main players which are the hearty sandwiches being churned out of the diner counter.

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So for a Tuesday afternoon, Depanneur Le Pick Up was a really great place to go. Great staff, totally friendly, we ended chatting up the chef and he was sharing his culinary experience with us. Service with a great smile, I left the place with a little crush on our waitress…. dawwwwwww shucks. The atmosphere was something to experience; rough around the edges, but this is exactly its charm. With Johnny cash playing in the background, the faux wood finish of the walls accented with Christmas lights complimented the out of place beach print mural. I find it admirable to go through the effort of braising and slow roasting their own pork, and with the ingenuity of unique sandwiches, this will yield Le Pick Up with an edge for many years to come.

Dépanneur Le Pick-Up
7032 Waverly
514.271.8011
http://depanneurlepickup.com/
Notable: All espresso drinks are fair trade and organic.

September 16, 2009 4 comments

Hope it gives you Hellas – Brochetterie Parthenon

by Jason September 7, 2009

written by Jason

Labour day… what does it really mean? People have the day off, procrastinate on the chores they’ve been putting off for the “next long weekend” since Canada day and reschedule for Thanksgiving, catch up on sleep and if you happen to live in Canada, you spell it with a “U”. It always signified the start of school for me, and the depressing ultra sunny JC Penny commercials with kids in new school clothes and crisp backpacks jumping in the air looking way too happy to going back to school.

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I headed to Parthenon, a local mom and pop Greek joint in Cote Des Neiges this afternoon in search of the perfect Sunday lunch. When you know you’re going to be lounging around the house watching old episodes of whatever is showing on tv and consolidate past emails, there’s nothing better than to stank up your breath hardcore with some kick ass, garlic potent tzatziki on a sunny afternoon.

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We started with the calamari. We were on a mission for calamari. Many a times I’ve been standing at their counter waiting for my take out and watched them dredge their fresh calamari before frying them up. So being lightly floured leaves it extra crunchy and does not leave them onion ring like. There’s nothing worse than biting into fried calamari and having it separate, leaving the squid in your mouth and batter on your lap.

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I loves me some Greek salad. You have to be courageous to attempt a full platter Greek salad. I for one, am able to eat an onion whole and there’s nothing I love more than raw onions on everything. Also, Parthenon is not shy with the feta, so if you like cheese, you’ll score with their salad.

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Complimentary pita… lightly oiled and perfectly toasted.

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My friend’s chicken souvlaki in a pita ordered without tomatoes. That was due to preference, but I strongly believe in tomatoes in my souvlaki pita, otherwise it isn’t souvlaki. It’s like fries without ketchup, or ice cream without Bailey’s, one is synonymous with each other, like you’d never see Bert without Ernie or Kanye without Amber.

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I had the one stick chicken souvlaki plate. Let’s get serious for a second. Have you ever seen that show on The Food Network, “In Search for Perfection”? If Heston Blumenthal was ever looking for the perfect Chicken Souvlaki Plate, he would find himself on the corner of Cote des Neiges and Van Horn in Montreal.

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The chicken was perfectly grilled and remained juicy with the right amount of char on the outside. The rice was fragrant and fluffy, just the way I like it.

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The dressing on the green salad that came on my plate was a mix of a vinegarette and Big Mac sauce. GOOD. Needless to say, the lethal combination of the onion explosion from the Greek salad and spicy garlicy tzatziki, it was a stipulation that I was going to spend the rest of the afternoon alone and very far away from people.

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Might I add, this place is bring your own wine. I know right, a bring your own wine place in Cote des neiges? They exist, you just have to know where to look.

Parthenon’s dining room features an “indoor terasse” covered in vines and faux grapes and walls of murals of ancient Greek architecture, deities, and monuments. It’s a great place for an intimate table for two or a rowdy table for 10, but please, no breaking plates! This place has been around for a while and the fact that it’s family run, makes the food taste extra good. Parthenon is simple and honest, run by great people, the ultimate doctrine of delicious food!

Yiamas!

Bouchetterie Parthenon
3543 Van Horne
514.738.5758
http://www.brochetterieparthenon.com/

p.s. Put away your whites… <./summer>

September 7, 2009 4 comments

Downtown Reviews

Pick Picks

by Jason August 31, 2009

written by Jason

When I first heard about Picks, I was sold the moment I heard about kimchi on a burger. Just the idea of it sounds like it’s either some avant guard chef trying to be cutting edge, or a bunch of guys daring each other while under the influence, or something so simple and honest that in some strange way makes sense, and questions the idea of not having done it sooner. That’s right, the same delicious foul mixture of chili powder, fish sauce, pickled Korean cabbage topped on a thick home-made hamburger patty.

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Located on St. Marc around the corner from St. Catherine, Picks is a tiny hole in the wall joint specializing in burgers and “Kogos” (which I will explain later). Picks has a staggering seating capacity for three adults, but no one really cares because the lack of chairs is made up by with the food. You could tell me that the seating is squatting over an open fire wearing a grass skirt only and I my only concern would probably be if i have enough napkins to wipe off the burger sweat.

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The way you order is you pick your burger, then pick your toppings and then pick your optional sides or drinks – the system in which Picks gets its namesake… duh. Since it was my first time, I let the chef do the ordering for me. Normally you’d pick up an ordering slip and highlight the items you want. And this is what he decided what we wanted.

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This burger DID.NOT.MESS.AROUND. A steak patty, with provalone, lettuce, tomatoes and onions, slathered in a sun-dried tomato mayonnaise and topped with KIMCHI. Kimchi on a friggin burger makes as much sense as wrapping cantaloupe with prosciutto. Sounds weird but tastes delicious! The funny thing is that the kimchi ‘pick’ isn’t on the menu and is one of those back-alley, sliding peep-hole options where you only know about it by word of mouth.

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Speaking to the owner, I find out that he makes all the meat patties fresh, never frozen and he bakes the bread as well. Which might I add were thick enough to sop up all the drippy goodness, chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

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The second burger was with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, caramelized onions, and ONION RINGS and a spicy garlic and chili aioli mayonnaise. This burger as an entity has the power to end civil wars and right injustices in the world.

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I’m being straight up honest here… I want this burger to have my children.

When I first asked the owner for help in ordering, he really took the time to make sure the prospect burger was going to be a good one. He meticulously picked the toppings to ensure maximum burger enjoyment satisfaction – made sure to not pick the spicy mayo with the steak burger in fear of it taking away from the taste of the kimchi – this guy knows what he’s doing.

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The KOGO. Ok, let’s get serious for a minute. A Korean twist on the corn dog (I’m so hesitant to disgrace this gift from the heavens by comparing it to its ugly little American version). A hot dog, covered in a dough (not corn flour) encrusted with potatoes (fries) then battered and deep fried.

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Seriously, I’m sure that at one point they’ve dug up some sort of ancient Mayan ruins and the Kogo was atop of some altar to Atlantis, because the human brain does not have the capacity of such genius to think of something like this, trust me, I was the one that thought that cream glazed grill salmon was a good idea. I went with the sun-dried tomato mayo dipping sauce.

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Remember kids, a cool mouth is a happy mouth. As with all deep fried foods, take your time, the skin in your mouth takes 2 days to grow back.

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Mission accomplished. Nothing says a delicious meal like a beat up and defeated napkin that’s been to hell and back.

Of all the burger joints around town, Picks is one that you are NOT ALLOWED to pass up. It’s simple, straight forward, and honest food. With so may options of toppings, the mathematical combinations are endless; there’s no such thing as a regular burger here. The food here is so good. So good, that I left here angry… I wanted to spit on people and hit things as a result of the food being THAT good.

Labeled as “street food” by other reviews, I think it’s a circumstance rather than category that renders Picks as “street food”. The fact that they only have three seats and people only have the option of crowding around the counter – if the three seats are already taken – or take their food on the road… which let’s face it, aside from gum, food tastes better when you’re walking and eating anyways.

Sidenote: the Kogo is a total legit Korean street food.

Picks
1407 St. Marc / St. Catherine – Next to the shark mural
514.758.4665
CASH ONLY

August 31, 2009 5 comments

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