This is my second installment burger recipe that I’m writing in celebration of Montreal’s burger week. If you haven’t already guessed by the picture, it’s my version of McDonald’s own Quarter Pounder with Cheese… I’m joking, but you knew that. It’s the burger that has sparked a cult like following and devotion that can only be paralleled by Beliebers and One Directioners. As far as I know, this place is the only one in the entire city making and selling this burger… until now. Now you can make it at home! Mouhahaha…
There are a handful of places in the city that formidable locals will consider “institutions”; flying under the tourist radar and that Montrealers are proud to call their own. Be it restaurants like Moishe’s, Schwartz’s or the Orange Julep, or spots like the Tam tams on Sunday, that corner of the Guy Concordia metro underpass that always smells like pee, or spending a good part of your Saturday afternoon trying to cross the Champlain bridge; the city has packed with unique Montreal experiences that are unrivalled by any other city.
Unless you live under a rock or somewhere where technology and print media hasn’t been invented yet like Chibougamau, then you would have gone through the entire first week of September not knowing it’s Burger week. So consider this the morse code beeping telegram to inform you that in less than a week, rheumatologists around the city will be swamped with appointments and gout medication will skyrocket at your local pharmacy. In honor of this week of beefy gluttony, I’m putting out a couple of awesome burger recipes that not only can you make at home, but flood Instagram with food porny pictures of your creations.
Do you ever cravings? If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I often crave sweets; actually, desserts in general. More often than not, I’ll bitch and complain about wanting cake or ice cream to the point of being belligerent. When a child gets cranky there are two options, give them what they want or deal with the fallout. Sometimes it’s not possible to get dessert when you want it, but I found a place that serves up sweet treats to order; I hit up this tiny spot in NDG for churros.
The last time I believed “the hype”, I was left with a Razor scooter, a mini disc player, acid washed overalls and the shame of being a 30 year old with a banker box filled with limited edition Beanie Babies. I’ve been hearing good things about this burger spot downtown that’s been making waves in the wake of its burger joint predecessor. At first I was skeptical; how are you going to open a restaurant selling hamburgers in a location that was famous for selling hamburgers? It’s like when my local Chinese chop shop, Soup and Noodles, was sold and then reopened as, “Super Noodle”.
Countries in south east asia are relatively small share many common boarders, so it goes without saying that there’s a lot of mingling and sharing of cuisines. Some countries may borrow or appropriate elements from a neighbouring country’s cuisine and incorporate it in their own; unlike how my mother strangely develops a Jamaican accent when she comes home after talking to our new neighbours for a while. I mean subtle similarities, I’m not talking spring roll pho or crispy fried bbq pork noodle dumplings (but oh my God, how awesome would that be though?!).
What is MSG and why am I supposed to hate it? Ever walk past a Chinese restaurant with a “NO MSG” sign hanging on the window and wondered what it meant? Is this mom and pop shop so picky about people using their phones at the table that their strict rules manifest themselves as delicious Engrish signage? Or do they hate the Montreal Society of Geologist so much that they refuse to serve them? Today, I’m going to give you the straight up about Monosodium Glutamate and tell you why you should love it.
There are a few famous Montreal icons that are synonymous with our great city. For example; smoked meat sandwiches, Caleche rides in Old Montreal, the Spoon Man in front of Olgilvy’s, our vibrant night and cultural scene, summer festivals, eclectic neighborhoods, and full contact titty bars. Then there are the not so glamorous things that lend themselves to Montreal’s notoriety but we take credit for and are just as proud of; the deteriorating eyesore of an Olympic stadium, corruption, collusion and the revolving door at city hall (Toronto has nothing on us, in the time their mayoral drug tape tried to surface, the GMA has gone through three mayors and a city bankruptcy; T dot, step your game up), failing infrastructure, and when Celine Dion curls her lips and pounds her chest in a dramatic and cheesy gesture during a crescendo of an adult contemporary pop ballad.
If you’ve been following the crazy world of confectionaries, you’ll know that the latest global obsession is the “Cronut” – the hybrid love child between a croissant and donut. Staking controversial and debated claims to its conception and creation, the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York has seen day long line-ups at their SOHO location for the product of sordid pastry love affair. Fuelled by a mix of demands and curiosity, sales have been skyrocketing to the point of cronuts being listed on eBay, Criagslist and even in-line scalping – there was even a listing of trading a daily cronut in exchange for sexual favours… but they’ve since made me take that ad down.
I was talking to a friend last night and he mentioned how he missed snowboarding. He accidentally walked out of my house with a black eye and I was less one friend. This kind of weather makes me not want to do anything other than sit in front of a fan and bitch about the heat. More seriously, it diminishes my appetite (imagine that!) and I find myself looking for lighter meal alternatives. Trying to wrap my head about the concept of light-eating, something in particular came to mind.