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

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

4 things I like about Méchant Boeuf

Last month, I went to Méchant Boeuf with my family and we all loved it! Mind you, my Dad is pretty picky about the food and he enjoyed each bite. Since then, I went back a couple of times either just for drinks, dinner or drinks and bread & butter (don't ask). 

Pic found on  mrlewburger.com

Here are four of my favorite things about this place

1. Their foie gras poêlé

It MELTS in your mouth. The waitress made a mistake and brought us the foie gras torchon at the beginning and it is not comparable to the warm version. One of the best I've tasted in Montreal.

2. The staff

Excellent service. Cute waiters. Jason at the oyster bar is very sociable. Everyone there is fun, friendly yet professional

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

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.