The House of Jazz – A feast for all your senses

As the name might give it away, the House of Jazz is all about the sophisticated side of jazz, down to the last detail. From the moment you walk in, you will notice the meticulous New Orleans’ interior decoration covering every square inch of the room.

The tables are placed in an auditorium-style arrangement, converging towards the stage as the focal point of the restaurant. I highly suggest you grab a seat facing towards the stage, because as beautiful as the music sounds, half the excitement is watching some of the most talented artists play this intricate music with such ease.

With daily performances, it’s no wonder their clients stick around for many hours at a time. The Taurrey Butle Trio, a band I had the pleasure of watching, blew my mind. As a musician, I’ve always had the utmost admiration for jazz performers for it is the hardest style of music to play.  I couldn’t take my eyes off the pianist’s fingers, which seemed to be moving at a speed of a thousand miles an hour.

These men share a chemistry that is reflected in their music; they play as if they’re the only ones in the room. The pianist raced his fingers up and down the keys with agility, the bassist held up some of the best tempo I’ve ever head, and the drummer jammed away like only someone with ADHD can.

Aside from the music, The House of Jazz serves an array of dishes you can easily enjoy while watching the show. I highly suggest ordering the plate of ribs if you don’t mind getting your fingers dirty.

Montreal’s lucky to be home of such an authentic jazz establishment, with amazing toe-taping beats and a service reflecting the New Orleans hospitality.

Peter’s Cape Cod – ‘Any fresher and the fish would be swimming to you’

Having grown up in the West Island suburbs, the originality of restaurants around there was limited. What has especially bothered me was the lack of seafood places at affordable prices. When thinking about fresh seafood joints, La Sirene and Pêche Pêche generally comes to mind, along with the image of dollar signs.

However, Peter’s Cape Cod in Ste-Anne de Bellevue has been open for years and, despite the area’s seasonal wave of clientele, has managed to stay open through the vacancy in the winter times. The portions are generous and the freshness of their product is taken seriously. The Fish N’ Chips platter is definitely a favorite. I suggest you don’t try to be too health conscious and skip out on the fries, they’re some of the best I’ve tried!

Peter’s Cape Cod has a look that doesn’t scream overpriced. As good as the food may be, I highly discourage taking a romantic date there. The décor would make you believe a fisherman’s ship threw up all over the walls, but the tacky objects are worth putting up with for the giant terrace and view over the water.

http://www.bar-resto.com/peterscapecod

Montreal Needs Some Street Food

Can anybody explain the reasoning behind the ban of street food vending in the city? Even Ottawa, which sees the most action during its annual Tulip Festival, has hot dog vendors on street corners, serving wieners to the busloads of Montreal retirees. Come to think of it, I have this odd suspicion that our local old people are using the tulip festival as an excuse to go eat some greasy wieners off these carts.

The arguments against street vending are always the same: they are not hygienic, it would create even more trash in the city and the carts would eventually be taken over by the local mob to launder drug money. These arguments are all well founded and actually make a lot of common sense, but the drunken teens coming out of the clubs at 3 am need more than just common sense to understand why there are no hot dogs or giros ready to quench the alcohol in their system.

And then we wonder why the Americans coming into town are always yelling in the middle of the streets once they leave the clubs. These people are driving all the way up from Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire for some under 21 drinking and partying, only to realize that there are no Hot dogs on the sidewalks after they leave the clubs. This typically comes as a shock to them, and as you might have noticed that is usually when all hell breaks loose. Mr. Mayor, these are our guests and the Montreal Tourism board should at least provide them with a ’sorry no street dog’ disclaimer on the home page of its website, as well as any Montreal ad campaigns run in other cities.

In all, Street food vending will probably cause some inconveniences to the city from all the dirt and loitering it would generate. But all it takes is a bite of some real street food in New York and yes, even Ottawa, to realize that even with all its restaurants, Montreal is still not perfect from a culinary perspective. We have one more step my friends, one more step to reach perfection. And no, that fake shit with the Canadian Tire barbecue sets at the Jazz Festival is not real Street Food.

If there was a ‘Do Not Discover’ section on montrealing.com, then I would have posted this under that category, but I guess the ‘Discover’ section will have to do for now. If you are planning on visiting Montreal for the first time, consider this as your only disclaimer. We apologize on our city’s behalf.

La Banquise: 25 variations on a heart attack

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard of those two beautiful words that, when uttered, are sure to induce instant drooling to any young Montrealer. It’s one of those joints that make me wish I wasn’t writing this review on an empty stomach. Of course, I’m referring to La Banquise; the product of some crazy mastermind who one day decided to open a joint that serves almost exclusively Quebec’s pride and joy: the poutine.

If you’ve never heard of it, shame on you and go get some friends, but let me give you a quick recap:

The place first opened in 1968 as a dairy bar, also serving hot dogs and fries. By the 1980’s, the poutine started to gain popularity across Quebec and as a result, was added to the menu. When more and more people were introduced to this glorious artery-clogging dish, it hit a peak in the 1990’s and by 1999, La Banquise’s menu already listed 23 different kinds of poutine.

Now I bet you’re thinking: “Silly girl, how the hell can you make the ingenuous mix of fries, cheese curds and gravy any better??” Although you can never go wrong with the classic recipe, La Banquise offers 25 variations that are sure to especially satisfy the meat lovers. You can find combinations of ground beef, sautéed onions, merguez sausage, bacon… The list goes on, and I assure you that the choice is never an easy or quick one to make when seated in front of the menu.

Their poutine is only half the excitement. Since they’re open 24/7,  it’s no wonder that their peak hours are usually when the clubs shut down and a swarm of drunken party-goes, overcome with the munchies, invade the place. Don’t be surprised to find a lineup at 3:30am on a Saturday night. The place isn’t huge but trust me, the food is definitely worth the wait. Call me cheesy (pun!), but you always remember your first time at La Banquise, where a special moment is shared with the people you’re with.

Prices range from 6$ to 12$ for generous portions.

Gym memberships not included.

Upstairs – It’s Jazztastic!

Just a few steps below the street level on Mackay, you will find a quaint little hidden gem called Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill. This place caught my eyes from the moment I glimpsed in through the window and saw an upright bass musician jamming away. As an avid jazz fan, I squealed like a little girl and excitedly walked in.

The place: dimly lit room. Very jazz-y and intimate. The Chicago 1950’s feel, complete with brick walls covered with an array of frames, takes you away from the downtown Montreal feel the moment you walk in. All that’s missing is the cloud of smoke hanging in the room (damn this ban!). The food is simple yet tasty and the staff is remarkably friendly. The ditsy, large breasted blonde bimbos you’d find as a nightclub bartender working for tips would not fit in to this classy, old-fashioned joint. Surprisingly, the prices are extremely fair. This place has a vibe I haven’t seen in a long time in Montreal, which is always a bonus since it seems that so many places follow the same template nowadays. A generally older crowd (30+) can appreciate this cozy, laid-back feel where people can share their passion for music.

Several times a week, you will find live performances by jazz artists. For that alone, it’s worth to check out Upstairs. Don’t get me wrong; you don’t have to adore jazz to go. When the performances are done for the night (roughly by midnight), the crowd gets back to it’s lively pace.

I fell in love with this place the moment I walked in. There’s a certain warmth in the personal interactions you can never find in a nightclub.

Their wine list isn’t too extensive, so I’d stick with the drinks. If you’re in the mood for a quick bite, get the Antipasti for 2, you can’t go wrong with calamari, smoked salmon, grilled chicken and a few other ingredients to pleasure your taste buds.

Bonus: Check out their website for scheduled performances as well as special recipes with step-by-step instructions.
www.upstairsjazz.com