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

New jewelry available!

As you guys must already know, my sister and I are selling many bracelets, paintings and more on our shopping website.

Some bracelets are still available and we now have a new batch of jewelry! Turquoise, coral, real pearl necklaces on top of our new bracelets . Check them out!

Since we only have them in limited quantities, email us at info@versass.com to inquire about specific prices and if you would like more information or pictures. Please write "Jewelry" in the subject box.

Our jewelry is handmade and make great gifts! Pair your favorite necklace with a gorgeous bracelet to get a discount. 


We offer FREE shipping in Canada an in the U.S. 

Real pearls

Best selling bracelets now available in other colors

xoxo

Sass and Patou

30 Day Blogging challenge. Day 5: Things you want to say to an ex

Oh oh.

What would I want to say to an ex? A few things, actually.

Thank you

 for being an ass,

 for the good times,
 for making me who I am,

 for not being my better half. Thanks

 for making me think twice before opening my heart,

 for making me grow up without wanting to grow up and even 
 for the bad times. I am now more careful. Grateful. And thank you   

 for this relationship. Although it did not quite work out, I am now ready 

 for someone who can accomplish, love me, teach me, want me, stand by me  the way you couldn't. Wouldn't.

I wouldn't be who I am today without experiencing...You. Thank you.

Sarah

30 Day Blogging challenge. Day 3: A book you love

DAY 3: A BOOK YOU LOVE

I have read a lot of amazing books in my life but my absolute favorite, the one I read at least two times a year and whose cover is MISSING since I read it so many times is.........."drum rolls".............

What Sassou wore: Cream colors

I got a lot of compliments for this outfit! There is actually nothing new, except for my wife beater.

-Wedges: Aldo

-Skirt: 25 year old vintage skirt from God knows where

-Wife beater: Le Garage. They have great, affordable, long-lasting wife beaters. I bought it with the 25$ gift card I got in the gift bag at the opening of the Garage/Dynamite store on Ste-Catherine and Peel.

-Chain: My own, my favorite, my lucky charm and it has no brand. It was a Sweegt 16 gift. 

-Watch: Marc Jacobs

-Hoop earrings: Aldo. 

If you don't count my watch, I think my whole outfit isn't even worth 50$ since I got the wedges on sale. But the style and the elegance of the skirt and ensemble in general...PRICELESS!

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

30 Day Blogging challenge. Day 1: 5 ways to win my heart

You guys. I will be blogging everyday during the month of June :) Not only it will be a new hobby (gosh), but you will also get to know me better! I read a few of these in the past month but it was too late for me to start. I'm on it now and I found this particular one quite interesting. 

So here it goes!

DAY 1: Five ways to win your heart

Okay this is a good one! Since you guys already know my opinions on the single life (and I'm still single), here are 5 ways to win my heart when it comes to "LOVE", among other things.

1. Be my friend before my lover

I'm a goof, a dork and I like to chill and play sports. If what we have is just physical, it

Shop for some jewelry!

Check out some new items available on our shopping section!

Oh by the way, we offer FREE shipping in North America for a limited time. How cool is this?

Gold bangles, multicolored bracelets, original handmade straw bag and more! Click here to directly access our jewelry, which are all 15$ and under. We also have some exclusive paintings up for sale:They are not laminated, so you can decide on the framing! 

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter!

xoxo

Sassou and Patou 

Keepin' it real with Sass: Yummy steak in 3 easy steps!

No offense to my vegetarian babes, but I admit that I am an accomplished carnivore: I love to eat meat, I can't deny it! And the worst part is, I like RED meat the most (I know I know...) and one of my favorite things to eat is a good, HOMEMADE yummy steak! 

It's so easy to make! You don't have to be a chef to achieve a perfectly cooked and tasty steak. It's not BBQ season yet so I'll give you my easy 3 steps for the pan seared method! I personally like buying my steak from the butcher; it is fresh and you can be more specific with the cut and thickness that you prefer. Boucherie Magnan is my favorite on the South Shore. 

For two people, you will need:

-Two steaks: I prefer

Keepin' it real with Sass: How to know when your chicken is ready

I got this email and I felt it needed to be written about immediately. Here it goes:

Hey Sass

I've been reading your blog for a few months and I really like it: I just started cooking and it is helping me a lot. I kind of have a very stupid question though: Everytime I make chicken, it's never cooked! It looks ready, sometimes it even looks burnt, but the inside is always gooey and sometimes even has blood in it! How do I know if it is ready without cutting out a piece?

Thank you in advance,

Stephanie T.

Oh my.

Hey Steph! I could personally relate to this one, since I had the same problem when I started cooking. By the way, this is not a stupid question. I mean, the chicken can look super yummy on the outside but uncooked and weird on the inside. That's just how chicken is! And unlike beef, chicken is NOT GOOD when it is not fully cooked, it can also give you food poisoning. There is no such thing as "medium-rare" chicken. No. No...no.

Here are a few tricks!

BOIL IT!

-If you are baking your chicken or intend on grilling it on the BBQ or whatnot, BOIL IT before! With a knife or fork, poke the chicken after a few minutes. If there is blood still gushing out, it's not ready. If there isn't, you can bake it or put it on the grill. I like to boil it in chicken broth with some herbs like thyme.

If you don't feel like boiling it first...or just can't because you can't fry chicken after boiling it...anyways you get the point! Hehe.

-If baking it, make sure you don't cook it at a high temperature, 350 degrees Fahrenheit is usually fine. Cover your plate and cook it for about 30 minutes, poke it to verify if it is still bloody. If it isn't, uncover it and bake it (at a higher temperature if you want) until you get the desired crisp. If it is still bloody, cover it and cook it until it isn't.

-If you want to grill it...same thing! Cook it on LOW!! No one wants burnt and black chicken that is uncooked inside. Such a disspointment. You can put it in foil paper and cook it on the bbq until it's less bloody then grill it on high, or you can just cook it on low, with the BBQ top closed.  Don't forget to turn it often.

-If you want some gooood fried chicken that is actually fully cooked, put it in the oven for a bit after frying it. Not only you will get rid of a lot of the oil and fat, but you will also ensure that the inside is well cooked.

Hey. You can always have a "Testing Piece of Chicken". It's simply a little piece of chicken that will not be served (duh): You simply use it to evaluate if it is cooked, if the taste is good, if there is anything you should add etc. It helps! It's always better to test and taste your food instead impatiently waiting for everyone's reaction at the table.

I hope this helped!! Thank you for the question!

Check out this epic BBQ chicken recipe!

xoxo

Sass

First photo from http://ahungerartist.bobdelgrosso.com/2008/10/bloody-chicken-hypothesis.html

Color blocking is back: Get 10 outfits by mixing and matching the old & new!

I wrote about it and appreciated it but I never really got into it last year. I don't know... it seemed nice on OTHER people but I was scared to try it myself: I didn't mind wearing ONE colored item but you know me and my black...I had to wear my black...

But now.....NOW!!! I'm loving the whole color blocking idea to the fullest! And I'm not talking colored pants a black top and beige shoes: I'm talkin' colored pants, top, shoes and purse! All the way! Yes. Sarah is going to wear lots of colors! It was about time! 

Since I am a rookie to this trend, I went shopping last Friday and when I came back home, I decided to mix and match my new items with some older one to experiment this interesting fashion forward yet risky trend. See my new items, my old items, my even older items and finally, check out the outfits I came up with! Tell me what you think about them! Would you rock all of these colors at once?

THE NEW

Two new pairs of pants. Both of them are actually kind of sexy. 

These flats were only 8$ at Sirens so I got 4 pairs! They have other colors too. 

THE OLD

Clocksise: The blue shoes I wore at Miami's Funkshion Fashion Week in 2011, my sister's yellow suede Aldo shoes from the Spring-Summer 2011 collection, yellow Aldo platforms I got at their outlet back in 2009 and finally, my bronze birthday shoes from Aldo's Spring-Summer 2011 collection.

Red pants from Zara, an orange clutch from God knows where (from last year) and a vintage green clutch I got at ADS

THE VERY, VERY OLD: The "I can't believe I still have this" kind of old

I bought this orange t-shirt when I started working at Le Château...9 years ago! I bought the pink shoes at Aldo back in 2006 and the pink clutch I've had since high school: I have a picture where I have this clutch in my hands at a club called Groove Society. Groove Society does not exist anymore. 

See the TEN outfits I came up with after the jump! What do you think?

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

Shopping is now available on Versass!

I'm obsessed with food and fashion, which is why I started this blog. Furthermore, it was only a matter of time before I would have a shopping section!

******drum rolls******

http://www.shopversass.com/ is now official!!!

You can access it directly by typing it in your address bar or simply by clicking the "Store" tab on top of this page for the link.

Okay, I know. Another shopping website right? See, I'm not trying to make you bankrupt! Here are a few of the advantages you get by shopping on our site:

-FREE SHIPPING in Canada and the U.S. (for a limited time only), no minimal amount required.
-FLAT RATE of 15$ CDN for international shipping
-Personal delivery in downtown Montreal is available.
-Although I have a wide range of products, I only put the best of the best aka my favorite items (that me, my mom or sister actually own) on the shopping website.
-You can contact me by email at ANY TIME for questions or concerns about the products. No business hours. I usually reply within 2-3 hours max, unless I am sleeping (which you understand, right?)
-The payments are easy with PayPal. Click here to create a free account using your credit card or bank account. Also, I take cash payments through personal deliveries.


Currently, there are beauty products (makeup, skin care etc.), clothing items, home items and art. Soon there will be:

 -Even MORE beauty items: Lots of makeup, creams, brushes, hair products (including hair extensions) etc.
-MY OWN BRAND OF NATURAL SHEA BUTTER, straight from Africa. I will leave you guys in suspense for the name. Hehehehehe.
-More home & kitchen stuff. The secret is out now, you all know I love food but I'm pretty sure you didn't know about my love for home deco.
-Imported art: Paintings and sculptures.


When it comes to the Avon and Mark products on the website, I only put my favorite items. Click on the image below or email be to have access to the full e-catalogue.

Happy shopping!
xoxo
Sass