[RESTAURANTS] Diablos BBQ: Southern food in the heart of Montreal x contest

Two weeks ago, we tried Diablos BBQ and we absolutely loved it! 

Restaurant review & Contest + rules after the break!

Just before the holidays, I attended the Notable awards...Ok I didn't really attend the awards but instead, the after party #DontJudgeMe. There, I met a few Twitter followers, had drinks with them, interacted, laughed etc.  After a couple of martinis, I started rambling to Raphael514 about how we don't have Southern food in Montreal and how was craving for chicken'n'waffles and other fried foods. He laughed and just said: "Why don't you come to my restaurant then? We have chicken'n'waffles on Sundays".

He couldn't be serious. 

My sister and I were so shocked and pleased at the same time that we simultaneously started laughing nervously.

Southern food...in Montreal? No!!! It couldn't be!

Indeed, he was right and I did not hallucinate the words that came out of his mouth. Diablos BBQ is located in the heart of the Latin Quarter and
serves Southern inspired food and drinks. I just had to try this spot.

So after eating some yummy Southern food in Atlanta at Gladys last January, I came back to Montreal with that same craving I had in December for fried stuff. I immediately messaged Raphael and asked him when I should come to try Diablos...I couldn't wait any longer. He replied that Mondays are usually a good day because it's "All you can eat ribs". Did you read this well? ALL YOU CAN EAT RIBS! So Fabi (my sister from another mother) and I went last Monday and absolutely loved it

The Restaurant

Diablos is a baby in the Montreal restaurant scene as it only opened 8 months ago in April 2012. What inspired them to bring a Southern Flavour to Montreal? Well in the past, the partners/owners

Recipe of the week: Creamy pasta and honey-mustard-garlic grilled shrimp

You know when you've had a long day at work and don't want to spend more than 30 minutes cooking stuff in the kitchen?

Yeah. That was me last night. I originally wanted to make

Sass was there: Toqué book launch at L'Arsenal

When I think of the restaurant Toqué, I think of three things:

-Extreme class

-French cuisine 

-The renowned chef Normand Laprise.

It was impossible for me to decline the invitation to their gastronomical book launch at l'Arsenal. Toqué is one of the top restaurants in Montreal: Zagat's first edition of their Guide to Montreal put Toqué at the top of their list and the restaurant was awarded the Five Diamonds rating (the highest rating) by the Canadian Automobile Association and the American Automobile Association, to name a few distinctions. And when I said "Damn the book is 70$! That's not a joke!" the restaurant's chef, Marc-Antoine Crête replied (well it was more like screamed): "DEUX ANS DE TRAVAIL QUE TU VOIS LÀ!! DEUX ANS DE TRAVAIL MA CHERE!!!!" (translation: This is two years of work! Two years of work lady!!!). Okay. He was right. Cool guy though.  

Now back to the event.

I did not know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to enter the beautiful room and see a fresh oyster bar on my left, a wine bar in the middle, people serving horse tartar & tataki on my right (you read that right) and...food trucks. Yes. They brought food trucks inside of L'Arsenal. Wine tasting, good music, food, good looking people and the "crème de la crème" of Montreal's gastronomical scene. This "5 à 7" (our term for Happy Hour) was more like a 5 à 10 as this event turned into a party. 

Charles Antoine Crête, the chef at Toqué, having a drink.
while signing a book. 

One thing that got my attention was the "Ouache Bar"...Let me explain something: "Ouache is a word that naturally comes out of a French Quebecor's mouth following a reaction of disgust: It's our "Ew". So this Ouache bar had a bunch of disgusting shots. When I asked the bartender (dressed as a cow girl, by the way) what the drink was, she told me it was a bunch of stuff mixed together. I had a shot and...Ouache!!! Really gross. I'm sure many people still enjoyed them after a couple of wine glasses. Ha. 

Check out more pics and an interesting video after the break!

Sassou's Montreal faves: Food, Markets + Going out

Why hello my loves! It's September already and it's starting to get cold! I don't really mind because I do love my leather jackets and blazers. September is also the month where I notice how many people have decided to come live in our beautiful city, Montreal. 

This article is for the newbies and also for my fellow readers as I have decided to share my all time favorite spots in this multi-cultural city. This first edition will solely be dedicated to Food spots and Bars/clubs & the next editions will include beauty and fashion spots. I was born and raised in Montreal and although I have a love/hate relationship with my city, I still think it is one of the most beautiful in the world mohstly for cultural reasons. Think of this article as my own version of Mirror's "Montreal's Best" (R.I.P., Mirror, I will miss you). If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave a comment! These are my favorite spots and I am sure there are more places for me to discover.

Legend

Prices
$ Very affordable
$$ Moderately priced
$$$ Expensive, but worth it

Notoriety
C = Classic
N = New
W = Can't go wrong
F = Fun (usually has good music or a DJ)
D = Good for a date

FOOD & GOING OUT

As a self proclaimed foodie, I admit I am the type that would  go out to eat and then might end up at a bar or sometimes, I'll prefer going to a bar that serves food. So this kind of explains why I put these two together in one category. 

Breakfast/Brunch

I'm a bruch gal. You can catch me almost any Saturday or Sunday at one of these spots.

-L'Avenue, 922 Mont Royal East. 
Metro Mont Royal
$, C, F, W 
I know, I know, the lineup sucks but the vibe is great and the food is good and not too expensive. If you can, go there during the week to avoid waiting too long.

Classic breakfast but with even better potatoes

-Folies, 701 Mont Royal East
Metro Mont Royal
$, C
I usually go there when the lineup at L'Avenue is too intense. Just as good, minus the ambiance. I  suggest their crepes!

-Ben & Florentine, multiple locations
$, C, W
Can't go wrong with them.

-Le Pois Penché, 1230 de Maisonneuve West
Metro Guy ou Peel
$$$, W
Fancy fancy, yummy yummy. They don't

Easy marinade recipe, perfect for grilling seafood on the BBQ

Okay so over the past few years, I've came up with different marinades both for meat and seafood. They were usually created randomly, with no recipe and using whatever was left in the fridge.

My 3 "must haves" for a perfect marinade: Acid (lemon, lime), an oil (usually EVOO) and spices. The rest depends on your taste! Options for a yummy marinade include: honey, BBQ sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cilantro, avocado oil etc.

The other day, I was craving seafood and when I looked in my fridge, I had EVERYTHING I needed for the perfect marinade!! This doesn't happen often at all so let me share this easy recipe with you guys. Hopefully, you will have all of these ingredients but if you don't, you can remix this recipe.

YOU WILL NEED

-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

-1 tablespoon mustard

-1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar (optional, but makes a BIG difference)

-The juice of 1/2 a lime

-1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

-1 tablespoon of your favorite herbs: I like to use a mix of fresh flat leave Italian parley and basil

-1 garlic clove, minced very very very thinly

-Spices of your choice: I used salt and freshly grounded pepper

SO!

Whip everything together. 

If you want to

Keepin' it real with Sass + Recipe of the week: Macaroni salad with a twist

Hey Sass

It's BBQ season and I am out of ideas for side dishes! I think my husband will stop talking to me if I make another Caesar salad! Any ideas?

Helen

********

Hey! Thanks Helen for actually writing your name and allowing me to use it!


I made a macaroni salad the other day that was a little different than the ones I make usually. Why?


-I used fresh herbs from my garden. Yes. I have a garden. Fresh herbs are 34893287492374 times better in a macaroni salad than dried herbs.
-I wanted to add a little teeny tiny bit of champagne vinegar but ended up putting too much and it was pretty good! Sometimes, the mistakes you make in the kitchen are the base of an awesome, creative recipe. Champagne vinegar can be found in specialty grocery stores like at Marché Jean Talon in Montreal. I got mine at Chelsea Market in NYC at a store called "The Filling Station"
-Lemon juice made a difference eh?

YOU WILL NEED

Day 8: What you ate today

30 Day Blogging Challenge: Day 8


Before I write this post, I want to be clear on something: I am not the healthiest eater and I do not really believe in diets. I love food too much! The only thing is, except for Haitian food, I'm rarely able to eat large quantities at once. So don't be surprised if my list of food consumed includes a bunch of crap. Since I am not trying to write this post at 11:59, I will talk about what I ate yesterday. 


This 30 Day Blogging Challenge asks me to do the most random posts but I love it! Here it goes:

Breakfast

-McDonald's oatmeal. It was my first time tasting it and it was really good! It had fruits (wow, good job McDo #progress) and brow sugar. Not bad, not bad.

-Coffee from McDo. Not bad either.

Lunch + Snacks during the day

-Sushi: Salmon and kamikaze. 

-Melba toast with butter. 

-Strawberries

-Kashi cereal in a ziploc bag

Dinner

Me and my friend Fabiani went to "Usine a Spaghetti", a pasta restaurant in the Old Port. We decided to go there not for its gastronomical aspect , but 1. For the free salad bar and 2. It was very close to Terrasses Bonsecours which is where we had to meet people after dinner. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but it did the job! The waitress was very nice, the salad bar was good and I tasted a Quebec wine for the first time! I ate:

-Lots of

30 Day Blogging Challenge. Day 2

DAY 2: SOMETHING YOU FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT

This is a tough one since I feel strongly about a lot of things. However, there is one thing I have discovered the hard way:

Following your passion is the way to happiness. 

For me, it speaks for itself although I keep realizing it during the most random moments (The numbers of Déjà Vus I have are intense). Lord knows I've done a lot of changes in my life when it comes to school and career. From law to finance to marketing to working in retail then telemarketing and now mortgages, I've seen it all. But at the end of the day, I've looked back in at my life and understood that there are three things I absolutely love and that are always a part of my life, no matter how busy I am. 

1. Writing

You must be thinking "Well obviously!!!", but sometimes something is so natural that you don't even realize it is a passion or a talent. When I was a kid, I learned how to read and write at a very young age and I remember just sitting in my room, writing stories. Unlike other kids, I hated drawing and preferred reading and especially writing. This trend followed me throughout my life... And I am not limited to writing stories, I also love writing poetry but it is very personal to me and I rarely share it....I think I shared poems only 3 times in my life: The first time in school during an oral presentation, the second time I recited a poem I wrote on Haitian women as my talent during the Miss Citronnelle Canada pageant and the last time in 2008 on Facebook, when I was going through very rough times. I don't know...I'm shy. Can't share my poetry..yet. Maybe one day I will! 

Check out my book collection and Barbie notebook (where I used to write my stuff).  With my signature high bun :D

8th grade: Won the first prize in my Reading and Writing class at Jean de la Mennais

When it comes to writing in general, I love it with all of my heart. It is the most healing thing for me, it is also

Restaurant review: Osteria Venti is my new Italian lover

The thing about being obsessed with food and traveling is that I become extremely picky when it comes to certain types of food. Remember when I ate that quiche in Paris at Angela's? Yeah, I cannot eat quiche anymore unless it's from Gascogne or some similar amazing bakery. This is what happens when you eat the best local food.

Inside the restaurant (website pic)

Did you know that my favorite country in the world is Italy? Yes it is! I have been there a few times, went around the whole country on a tour when I was 15 years old and during the years after, I have stayed in villages (we were once in a villa overlooking Tuscany...beautiful) and even stayed in an apartment in Rome near the Piramide metro station. Furthermore, when it comes to Italian food...I've had food that was beyond heavenly and gained about 5 pounds each time I went. This is why when I am back in Montreal, I have a lot of trouble accepting Italian food that is not authentic: Up to now, I've only appreciated the food at Graziella and Da Emma. Thankfully, I just discoverd this restaurant with food that made me experience multiple foodgasms (see definition on the right of the blog). I mean, just the wine was like WHOA so imagine the food.

The restaurant

Osteria Venti is located in the heart of the Old Port and I was quickly attracted by its cozy decor. Brick walls and dimmed lights automatically made me feel warm and at home...just like in Italy :) I loved how the wine selection of the night and the deserts were written on a chalkboard. Their menu is more about QUALITY than about QUANTITY, which is something you do not find often in Montreal with the endless menu pages of many popular restaurants. This particular menu is consisted of different items showcasing regional Italian dishes at their best, with a maximum of 5 well selected choices per course.

The entrance (website pic)

Crostini & Antipasti

I started with a "Baccala mantecato" which is a crostini with salted cod spread (Crostini is Italian for "Little Toast). In comparison to your usual crostini, the bread was not that crunchy but it was actually a good thing, in my opinion. I cannot even find the worlds to describe the taste...it was impeccable and not too much; a perfect start. Afterwards, we had the braised octopus with fennel and capers "Insalata Di Polipo". This delicious dish reminded me a lot of the South of Italy where they eat a lot of yummy seafood. By the way, I said "we" but actually, I did not order this. My friend did but I ate most of it...sorry! I couldn't help it: The tangy octupus tasted way too good.  

My crostini

The yummy octopus

Primi

As a Primi, I ordered the

New night for foodies at my favorite bar in Montreal: I'll House You

The bar

L'Ecurie Bar et Table, a resto-bar located in the heart of Montreal's trendy Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood, has continued to increase in popularity since its opening in the summer of 2011. Since then, it has been talked about in newspapers including Montreal's Journal Métro and in other popular media. It is my favorite bar in the city because of a few things: Great music (the popular, the hip hop, the old school...just how I like it), good vibe, trendy decor, friendly bartenders and even better.....GOOD FOOD! This shouldn't really be a surprise since one of its co-owners, my good friend and Facebook/local celebrity Jeremie Anfossi Trepanier, is one of the biggest food lovers I know. When I think of him, I automatically think of all of his gastronomical pictures and restaurant "Check In's" on Facebook! Great food and drinks such as the house favorite, the Nouski (a combination of vodka and Orangina) are a great combination to an entertaining night!

The event

Buddha and his sausages

On top of "Les Mardis Pouliches" which is French for "Tuesday's Chicks Night", L'Ecurie Bar et Table added another fun night for my family of foodies: "I'll House You" Wednesdays in collaboration with Felipe St-Laurent and his homemade crafted delicatessen and high end processed meat catering company "Ils en fument du bon" (Google translate that. You will smile :P). Felipe is an unforgettable character: His sparkling and hyperactive personality add an interesting twist to his cooking talents. With all of his experience in the gastronomical and catering industries, he decided to launch his own delicastessen company 6 months ago. Now, on Wednesdays, the customers at L'Ecurie will be able to taste his products & eat some good food, all of that while jamming to some soulful, funky-fresh hip house music. I went to the premiere last Wednesday and had a blast! I felt bad for my friend that is currently in lent  until Easter(good intentions though) because she could not taste the yummy yummy homemade sausages. Oh well. More for me!...muhahahaha Some sausages had cheese in them, some of them were made with Guiness beer and stuffed with mint (yum!) but my favorites were definitely the ones with the black garlic or as Felipe described it best:

Keepin it real with Sass: Basic techniques/recipes

Hey guys!

So you know I have only started cooking about 5-6 years ago, so really, I had to start off SOMEWHERE! I find that sometimes people are shy to ask for recipes or techniques for the meals that are considered "easy". Let me tell you, I did NOT know how to poach an egg back in 2006, and definitely always over cooked my pasta back then. I had no idea how to make pesto or even how to cut an onion the right way! Although it was often humiliating, I had to ask, google it or spend entire days watching the Food Network (especially Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals, which is a very useful show). Can you imagine that I recently had to google "How to boil an egg" because I could never get it right?  We're human, we mess up, and we're not perfect. However, practice makes perfect: We can always get better by asking questions and helping each other :)

SO! I want you guys to let me know the basic things you want to learn in the kitchen. A couple of ideas I had in mind:

-How to know if your chicken is ready
-How to slice an onion
-Different meanings in the kitchen (for exemple: Julienne, chop v.s. slice, roast, bake etc.)
-How to make your own bread crumbs (when you run out)
-How to make eggs perfectly (scrambled, over easy, mirror, poached, omelet)
-How to make french toast and homemade pancakes when you have no more Aunt Jemimah mix.
-How to make sure your gravy, creamy sauce or bechamel has no clumps in it (ughhh I hate clumps)
-How to not overcook fish
-AND MORE!!!

Guys don't be shy! Please send me your recipe/technique requests at info@versass.com or if you want, ask me on Twitter! Don't forget to follow me @iLoveSassou! Also, if you have any requests of ANY KIND, I will be really happy to make an article about it!

I love food. I hope you do too :)

xoxo

Sassou

Recipes in styyyyle (continued)-The easy 30 minutes to make recipes

I did those the same day, about 30 minutes before serving em (Hello Rachael Ray!)

YUMMY MACARONI

There is a story behind that one! The other day, I was hungry. Did I have anything but my leftover taco meat? No! So basically I made macaroni, added a can of cream of mushrooms, onions and that leftover meat and it was a KILLER! And you know, in haitian parties, there is always some type of "macaroni gratiné" so I decided to add my own touch to this tradition. 

You will need:
-Ground beef
-One BIG onion, thinly chopped
-The little taco spice bag (maximum 1$)
-1 can of cream of mushroom
-Penne, rigatoni or macaroni
-1 pack of cheese (I used mozzarella), grated
-Spices


SOOO...
-Pre-heat the oven on BROIL, about 400 degrees. 
-Cook your beef on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Don't forget to add the chopped onion and the taco mix and other spices and mix it well with the meat before cooking!
-While the beef is cooking, boil your pack of pasta with about a tablespoon of salt. 
-When both are ready, drain the pasta, put it back in the same pot and add the meat. Stir.
-Add the cream of mushrooms and half of the grated pack of cheese. Stir.
-Add some water, to make it a bit more creamy. Then add some spices to your taste. 
-Add HALF of the grated cheese, stir. plate
-Put all of the pasta in a plate going in the oven...I bought the foil, Dollarama square plate thingy (pardon me, I don't know the word in english...)
-Add the rest of the cheese on top. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes, or until brownish on top. 
ENJOY!! mmmmm

EASY COUSCOUS

This litteraly takes 10 minutes to make. 

You will need:
-2 cups of medium couscous
-1 cup of boiled water
-Fresh flat leave parsley, chopped.
-One small onion, chopped very very very thinly.
-1 can of "salad mix" beans, drained.
-Veggies of your choice (I literally steamed one cup of mixed frozen asian veggies and chopped them roughly)
-Olive oil and lime juice (quantity according to your taste)


SO!
-Put couscous in a big bowl. Add water. Cover for about 5 minutes, let it puff a little. 
-Then, add all of the other ingredients. If you find that the couscous is still a bit crunch, add more hot water or olive oil. My boyfriend is a big lime fan so he kept adding tablespoons of fresh lime juice.
-Serve!! Can also be refrigerated :)

RecipeS of the week...with an S because I had a CRAZY dinner party!

And it all cost me 60 bucks! 


So i'm leaving this apartment that I love and I decided to have a cool dinner party for my family and close friends. 


I had an 80$ budget for ALL THE FOOD (:O) and the Dollarama stuff (plastic plates, foil etc.). But the dinner party turned out great! How do I know? There was nothing left! And I got compliments! Enough to make me smile and continue having those lil dinner parties :) The things that I did to save money: I asked everyone to bring the wine, and I went to Maxi instead of Metro (LOTS of savings!). And thanks to my wonderful friend Jeanne for bringing the baguette and the meat pâté :)


Since I love you guys so much (thank you so much for following my blog, it means so much to me), I will share with you my menu and the recipes! P.S. The food dissapeared so quickly that I don't have pictures of everything!

The menu:

-Shrimp in puff pastry

-Sausage and bacon rolls

-Mini veal burgers 

-Asian chicken brochettes (Everyone's favorite!)

-Macaroni "au gratin" haitian/sassou style

-Couscous

-Toblerone chocolate fondue with asian fried bananas and fresh fruit

SHRIMP IN PUFF PASTRY

I love shrimp and I love garlic, so imagine combining the two for an amazing apetizer!!! The pack of shrimp was on special at Maxi for 5$! heheheh

You will need:
-Shrimp (the frozen pack...please please remove the tail when you unfreeze them...i'm just sayin)

Restaurant style...at home! Sassou's fancy tuna burgers

You can impress people with this!! So tasty!
The whole thing cost me maybe 2$! And it takes less than 10 minutes to make. 


Serves: 2 people


You will need:
-One can of tuna
-One egg
-Bread crumbs (if you don't have any, just wet a slice of bread and put it in...same thing)
-A little bit of onions..I used half a small onion: cut into very little pieces
-A spoon of mayo
-Spices of your choice (I used garlic powder, salt and pepper)
-A frying pan with oil or butter, for cooking.


Directions:
-Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. 
-Make burger patties (I did it with my hands, way easier)
-Put the pan on the stove. Drop some oil/butter in it. Open the stove on medium/high
-Fry patties about 2 minutes on each side.
-Serve! 
-Enjoy.


That's it! Beautiful! See how I made it all nice for you to see? :D


P.S. This is a picture of the actual meal, taken by ME! 
P.P.S. You can eat it with or without the bun, and without the fancy spinach. I sometimes make those burgers to eat on the side of my eggs in the morning.