Pairing your wine with the perfect out door Montreal grill:

For the Montrealer, a holiday barbecue means it's beer time. Teetotalers stick with soda, lemonade, or iced tea. Maybe some margaritas; daiquiris don't hurt either. But few people seem to think of wine when they fire up the grill. What a shame! There's something about the outdoor setting, the atavistic pleasure of an open fire, and the masculine image of the grill that, for too many people, says this is no time to be putting on airs and fooling with wine glasses. But wine should never have become associated with pretense in the first place, and wine can be the perfect accompaniment to a Montreal barbecue and not so filling as beer, nor so potentially embarrassing as multiple margaritas. Read more...

For red wine lovers of Montreal:

Anything coated in barbecue sauce, with its smoky, spicy, and typically sweet flavors, admittedly poses a challenge for wine pairings. A young, bold, fruity and spicy red wine, such as Zinfandel, American Syrah or Aussie Shiraz, or a French Côtes du Rhone should stand up to the barbecue flavors--Zinfandel, being from Montreal myself with the French influent maybe a St. Emillion, for Dollard des Arm day. Chianti and Barbera, with their higher acidity, will also handle tomato-based sauces

Grilled meats, like steak, can work with a wider range of reds, including young Cabernets. And hamburgers should be fine with just about any red wine--just pick your favorite (although I wouldn't suggest opening anything too old or complex--the wine's subtleties will probably be lost). Beaujolais, just slightly chilled, is a popular choice.

There's one hitch with red wines, though: come barbecue season, in most of the Canada, it's too hot. In hot weather, red wines lose their aromas, seem flabby on the palate, and aren't refreshing. Moreover, spicy foods cry out for a mouth-cooling beverage, which is one reason beer is so popular.

Two Montreal cool solutions:

Crisp, intensely aromatic high-acid white wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc, work very well with grilled flavors. Sauvignon Blanc (sometimes called Fumé Blanc) is great with grilled vegetables and shrimp, and is the best wine with tomatoes. Off-dry (slightly sweet) Rieslings and Gewurztraminers should pair nicely with spicier and sweeter barbecue flavors. Chardonnay, however, is probably not your best bet.

Or, try my current, all-purpose barbecue favorite: dry rosé, a summertime treat. Good rosés combine the crispness and refreshment of white wine (serve chilled) with unusual and intriguing flavors--some of the red fruits typical of red wine, but also notes of tea, orange rind, strawberries and--aptly--watermelon. Look for rosés from the southern Rhone, Languedoc, and Provence in France, Rioja in Spain, or such American examples as Bonny Doon's Vin Gris de Cigare or Zaca Mesa's Z Gris. Too long out of fashion because of their association with cheap, sweet blush wines, rosés are for me perfect summer wines.

As for those blush wines, if they are what you enjoy, don't let anyone stop you. Some say White Zinfandel is the ultimate wine for hot dogs!

Pairing what works for you?

Texture: Match “power with power;” light-textured food balances better with lighter-bodied wines, while heavier dishes demand fuller-bodied wine. It’s not just the amount of alcohol or kinds of flavors involved; mouthfeel plays an important role.

Cooking methods: Poaching, searing, grilling – each method changes the intensity of the dish and emphasizes different textures and flavors; knee-jerk pairings deserve reconsideration when a different cooking method comes into play.

Complement or Contrast: A contrasting wine – high-acid white with a richer dish – cleanses the palate and invigorates the appetite; a bigger wine which complements the richness makes for a meditation from one bite to the next.

Dominant Flavor: The protein is not always the dominant flavor in a dish; keep the sauce – especially traditional, high-in-fat sauces – in mind when you’re choosing the wine.

Keeping wine in order: Whether alone or with food, you’ll get the most out of your wine drinking if you keep some things in order; otherwise the wines may suffer in comparison of their predecessors. So:

• Dry wine before sweet wine
• Lower alcohol before higher alcohol
• Sparkling wines before still wines
• Younger wines before older wines
• Light wines before full-bodied wines

Finally, when you order a bottle of wine to go with a multi-course meal – or when everyone has ordered something different – keep an eye out for crossover wines – wines that can pair with two or three different dishes. New World Sauvignon Blanc, Indigenous Italian whites, California Pinot Noir, and Southern Italian reds are all good examples of versatility.

I hope this will help on your next culinary adventure!

Montreal restaurants ins and outs

To keep up with Montreal restaurant-goers fickle palettes and dining demands, the restaurant industry has had to continuously adapt to meet customer’s changing needs. As a result, new Montreal restaurant trends are constantly emerging and changing the dining landscape. Below are some trends that are emerging in 2009.

Faster Fast-Food?

Speed is no longer for just fast-food restaurants. Customers want their orders ready five minutes ago! Many customers already call ahead to restaurants for pick-up to eliminate any waiting. Some Montreal restaurants are taking speed to the next level by enabling customers to place orders via text-messaging and web-enabled payment methods. Some table-service restaurants, not wanting to lose out because of speed, have started packaging orders and delivering it to their customers.

Niche Markets

Niche Montreal restaurants focus on a particular food and develop different and unique ways of serving it while simultaneously creating a brand around the specific product. While some of the food might seem ordinary, how these restaurants differentiate the product is by reinventing it. Upcoming niche concepts include–

• Frozen yogurt –
• Cupcakes – decadent flavors and assorted icings
• Hot chocolate – infused with chilies or other spices
• Raw seafood bars – serving rare delicacies
• Cheese – specialty flavors from around the world paired with wines
• Beer – brewed in-house or internationally imported
• Healthy and Ethical Products

Government regulation and consumer advocacy are driving forces behind the shift in the industry towards healthy eating. Since this trend has emerged, changes already in progress include eliminating trans fats, artificial colors, excessive salt and anything ‘unnatural’ out of ingredient lists for both quick service and table service establishments. Some Montreal restaurants are also opting to use local and ethically sourced foods in menu items, favoring ingredients which are certified organic and touting this on menus. In addition, some Montreal restaurants are providing its patrons with biodegradable and recyclable products as part of the dining experience.

Restaurant kid menus

The push for healthy eating at Montreal restaurants is not just for adults. Parents want kid-sized portions of regular menu items available, instead of the current greasy options found on kids-menus. With more families dining out, offering a kid-sized option might determine which establishments will dominate the family dining segment of the industry.

One size doesn’t fit all

In addition to kids-sized portions, adults also want to choose their own portion size. Since not everyone has the same appetite, many Montreal restaurants are starting to offer entrees in a range of sizes – small, medium or large.

Chocolate with Your Fries?

With so many restaurants in the market, owners and chefs alike are looking to differentiate themselves and offer their patrons a unique eating experience. As a result, many restaurants are experiencing concept overhauls where chefs are redesigning their food and menu offering, pairing unlikely ingredients together like sweet and savory. How does foie gras and chocolate ice cream sound? Does chocolate infused duck wet your appetite?

The price and availability of prime real-estate is forcing many restaurant owners in the quick and table service industry to open shop outside the traditional venues of downtown or in tourist areas. Quick service restaurants are opening in unexpected locations like airports, campuses, or office buildings. Table-service restaurants are opening off the main streets and in developing neighborhoods. While traffic might be slower in these locations, owners can focus on developing the brand while saving on rent and having reduced competition.

Only time will tell how these emerging trends fair in the restaurant industry. One certainty is if customers don’t like anything, they’ll take their business and money elsewhere forcing restaurant owners to seek out new trends.

Food for thought
put down the coffee and try a tea after dinner while dining out at a Montreal restaurants.

Tea is the most popular drink in the world. Tea comes from an evergreen shrub which grows in subtropical climates. The Chinese have been drinking ‘cha’ for more than 2000 years and was introduced into the UK in 1644 and followed there after to North America.

Most Montreal restaurants boast a good selection of teas from around the world,

And it is worth exploring the varies frangrances and tastes.

In the past few years, it has been said that drinking cups of tea was unhealthy. Now scientists believe that drinking four to six cups of tea could help protect our bodies from a host of illnesses.

They have discovered that tea has an abundance of phytonutrients, also found in fruit and vegetables, which are antioxidants that defend against cell damage that leads to ageing and diseases such as diabetes, cataracts, heart disease and cancer. The antioxidant activity of tea is more powerful than that found in most fruit and vegetables.

Facts

• The Ancient Greeks used tea to treat asthma, colds and bronchitis.
• In 19th century Russia, tea was prescribed to strengthen the digestive and nervous system, blood vessels and heart.
• In the 1940’s, American researchers discovered that tannin compounds in tea had antibacterial and anti-viral properties.
• Tea supplies almost half of an average person’s intake of mangaese, a mineral necessary for healthy joints.
• Teas are rich in fluorides which may help prevent tooth decay.
• A cup of tea after lunch could help digestion.

So get brewing!