Montreal Summer Food Wrap Up

Le Mondial de la Bière Celebrates 20 years

Summer is winding down, yes already, so here are our thoughts. We kicked off the estivale season with The Mondial de la Bière (May 29 – June 2, 2013). As if we needed a reason to celebrate with a beer but the fest did mark their 20^th anniversary. Safe to say with this many notches under their belt the Mondial marks the beginning of Montreal’s summer and slew of events.

Like any big anniversary this is a chance for reflection on the past. Taste evokes memory and beer is no exception. Where and what beer you were drinking 20 years ago might not be the moon landing in terms of significant life events but the old brands and labels do have a certain nostalgia. We remember the big beer companies launching their “dry beer” lines. The promo package for Labatt Dry included an audio cassette featuring a phone sex operator voice describing the sensual new smooth flavour of their beer. Carling Black Label was marketing itself as the alternative cool counter-culture beer. St-Ambrose was starting to appear on the scene only to become the granddaddy of craft brewing in Quebec. If anything the Mondial today illustrates the rise of the microbrewery industry. Come to think of it the first time we tried a St-Ambroise was compliments of Montreal journalist and Boulevardier Nic Auf der Maur who was buying a round of drinks at Grumpy's. Auf der Maur was declaring something to the effect "if I buy you a beer it has to be a Montréal beer." You can switch gears and ask yourself where you might be twenty years from now but also what kind of brews will we be drinking in 2033?

Cold Beer & the great outdoors - Mondial 2013

In honour of their 20th anniversary the Mondial moved from Place Bonaventure to some new digs at Le Palais des Congrès. The venue is a nice contrast to the tomb like atmosphere of Place Bonaventure mainly because the outdoor site is back. No secret beer fest fans missed the open outdoor pub since the fest left Windsor Station three years ago. During our visit this year we were treated to some delicious sunny summer weather. The De La Gauchetière outdoor site, behind the Palais des Congrès, has some great cachet and in addition to the regular beer fest food offerings we found some food trucks. With Chinatown next door, offering bites and respite, from all the excitement and crowds we were glad to discover that The Mondial will be back at the Palais in 2014.  

Déserables Beer Braised Ribs

While beer, memories and sunshine might sound like enough we do have to mention a few faves from the fest. Since it is an Ontario brew, we cannot get it here in La Belle Province, a must stop is Beau’s Brewery who make organic beer made from some rather unique ingredients. Much to our disappointment there were no samples of their kimchi beer so instead we tried their Bog Water made with bog myrtle. The beer has a nice malt taste with some dark fruity notes. Also from Ontario, we enjoyed Crosswind Ale from Lake of Bays Brewery. The bottle boasts “brewed in small batches” and had some nice citrus flavours. Over the past few years we have developed a fondness for beers from Quebec brewery La Grimoire mainly because of the great flavours that pair nicely with food but are also for cooking. This year we had the Déserables maple beer, refreshing, a nice balance of sweet and bitter. Déserables beer makes a great braising liquid for pork ribs – trust us we have tried it. Speaking of favorite beers cherry beer still remains on top of our lists. That’s 2 years in a row Brasseurs de Montreal ran out of their cherry beer at the fest but we did find some sweet solace in a glass of Belgian Kriek (cherry beer). Since our first sip, over 10 years ago, Kriek remains one of our favorite beers of all time.

Food Truck Feeding Frenzy

“We got a great big convoy…” The big Montreal food story this summer is the return of food trucks to our city streets. We know a lot about this subject because we attended all the public consultations on street food at City Hall last year. We have been sampling the food trucks and have only had a couple of let downs. Perhaps our disappointing dishes warrant a second visit before laying the smack down and since the Montreal food truck movement is a new initiative we will hold back on the negative comments. This does have us wondering how many people will decide to continue with their street food endeavors next year. Not sure if it has to do with experience but we have noticed that the food trucks that were around last year seem to offer some of the best food. We have not tried all the trucks and like everything in life a few are ahead of the pack so here are a few items that we think are worth the detour.

Grumman ’78: Order a taco and taste a piece of Montreal street food history. The Grumman crew is the Granddaddy or Mother of food trucks in Montreal having played a major role in bringing food back to the streets. Besides leading the way for food trucks we have noticed restos popping up in Saint-Henri around their H.Q. (restaurant). As influencers of the Montreal culinary scene none of this would have been possible without serving up great food. 

Lucky’s Food Truck: “I know what you’re thinking, punk did I eat six poutines or only five?” Do you feel Lucky Punk? The duck confit poutine is pure pleasure and the only dish sampled at Lucky’s because that is all that we want. Needless to say we love duck so we actively sought out this dish last year when food trucks made casual city appearances. With a couple of food trucks offering poutines Lucky's was the only one with squeaky cheese curds. As poutine purists insist it is not a real poutine if there is no squeak when you bite into your cheese. We also always seem to find ourselves scrapping our dish to get every drop of the sauce.

Lucky's Duck Confit Poutine

Nouveau Palais Winneburger: A little side note, Nouveau Palais Chef and co-owner Gita Seaton has become a bit of a star on the Omnivore Young Chef World Tour (see our listing below). The Winneburger does one dish and they do it right. No easy feat considering they make the ubiquitous hamburger. We have always been of the opinion that a good homemade burger is the best way to go but the Winneburger has us challenging our beliefs. The bun, Challaleujah, egg bread. Perfect size patties we like the small size because it leaves you wanting more. Our burger is usually gone in sixty seconds. We recently caved and bought the double burger and all we can say is nobody does it better.

Pas D'Cochon Dans Mon Salon: We have tried the pulled pork sandwich but more importantly we have seen them do a cooking demo. Anybody that breaks down an entire pig as part of their process knows what good food is about. We have heard complaints about the cost of Montreal street food trucks but this is a perfect example of why it is worth the money when done right. You might also want to consider that some of the big sandwich shop chains, offering industrial made pulled pork, charge roughly the same amount.

Pas D'Cochon: This is how we pull our pork

Chaud Dogs: To quote one of our colleagues “I paid $7 for a hot dog and it was the best hot dog I have ever tasted in my life.” No secret we love cooking and eating all things Korean so we were more than excited to try the Chaud Dog Bibimbap. Our dog was topped with rows of Korean pickles (kale kimchi was amazing) offering different flavours as you chow down. The grilled buttery bread, more baguette than bun, was just a bonus.

Best in show: Bibimbap chez Chaud Dogs

Dispatch Coffee: Another thing we love, in addition to summer, beer, duck and Korean food is espresso. We will never forget our first double espresso from Dispatch because it knocks the cockles off. Deep tasting and robust flavours we love the way it made our back teeth tingle with caffeine excitement for the afternoon. If we had hair it would have been standing up on the back of our neck. We have also tried the Dispatch espresso and ice cream based drinks (affogato and Vietnamese style coffee) that are great summer treats. If you see the ricotta and spinach pop tart on menu get at least one.

P.A. & Gargantua: “You know, I've always liked that word, ‘gargantuan’… I so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence.” When we first started our summer foray into food trucks we kept running into P.A. & Gargantua. We were run over rather early with springtime fiddlehead salad and later impressed with a caramelized cheddar, strawberry rhubarb grilled cheese. Anyone that uses seasonal items, appreciates fiddleheads and make a grilled cheese with rhubarb work is ok in our books. 

Caramelized grilled cheddar cheese with strawberry & rhubarb

Le Super Truck: Reading the menu online we could see that Le Super Truck is on the right track. The fact they had a duck dish, with poached amaretto apples, and another with fried cheese also helped. The whole grain wrap, part of their cornet de verdures canard, had a really nice light texture, a perfect package to the dish.

Au Pied de Cochon Food Truck: Martin Picard, Le Roi du Foie Gras, seems to be vying for top spot as King of The Road. What can we say about Picard’s food? So much has been written about Picard’s cuisine we think all the words have been used up. We also wish to avoid getting into the whole gentrification of poutine debate. We do want to mention PDC’s homemade maple soda and how much we love it only because it must get overlooked when compared to the other crowd pleasing plates. 

King of The Road: Smoked Meat Pied de Cochon Style

For the locations of food trucks and individual contact info check out this website. 

The good news is that summer is still over yet so there is still plenty of time to enjoy food trucks and events.

Upcoming Food Events

 

Cooking Under the Dome: Omnivore World Tour (August 14 – 10, 2013)

The uber cool European food event, that makes stops in Istanbul, Brussels, Moscow, Shanghai, New York, San Francisco, Rio and Sydney, is coming to Montreal for a second year at the Société des Arts Technologiques. Last year we attended 3 days of cooking demos, featuring local and international Chefs with outstanding examples of Master classes and the culinary arts. If you are unsure of the difference between a cook and a Chef then look no further to this event. The platings alone often looked like masterpieces. Should you wish to sample the food you can attend the Omnivorous cocktail party. Also on the menu are "The F*cking Dinners,” four handed dinners, collaborative menus featuring Omnivore’s lineup of international and local Chefs at their respective restaurants.

For Omnivore ticket info click here.

Channeling Chagall: Culinary Arts with Chef John Horne - MTL Omnivore 2012

Burger Week (September 1-7, 2013)

In case you did not get your fill this summer Burger Week is just around the corner. A perfect reason to justify eating at least one burger a day for an entire week. We had fun last year sampling the signature burgers created exclusively for the occasion but also getting out to some restos that we have never tried.

For information on Burger Week click here.

Oyster Fest (September 8, 2013)

Thumbs Up for Oyster Fest: Bob Le Chef - Oyster Fest 2012

Oyster Fest was our favorite food event of 2012. Great food means great fun and we were amazed with the food offerings last year. Need we say more? For information click here.

Seeing Food at Oyster Fest - Oyster Fest 2012

To purchase tickets for oyster fest click here.

Street Food à La Montréalaise

The City of Montreal's permanent commission sur le développement économique et urbain et l'habitation was mandated in June 2012 to study the sale of food in our public spaces (a.k.a. the sale of street food and food trucks). The commission presented their report on October 29, 2012 at City Hall in the first part of a series of public consultations. The report concludes with the questions: “do we want street food in Montreal? If the answer is yesthen under what conditions?”

For our tasting notes on MTL's Food Trucks click here.

For a copy of the City report and info on the next series of public consultations click here.

For our previous post on street food "The Montreal Public Street Food Consultation Primer" click here.

Muffin Man?

The commission's report acknowledges the North American street food trend pointing to such cities as Boston, Calgary and Vancouver who have only recently authorized the sale of street food. New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles play hosts tothe Vendy Awards a competition and fund raiser for street vendors. According to their website the food festival is:

“an intense cook-off ... afestival of respect and gratitude for all vendors and everything they provide us – the best sidewalk chefs vendors and everything they provide us–from your morning coffee (half-and-half, two sugars) to the $2 umbrella when you get caught in the thunderstorm

Profits from the Vendy Awards go tothe Street Vendor Project that is "a membership-based non-profit organization that stands up for vendors’ rights."

How Other Cities Roll:

As Montreal considers its street food future and culture the report looks for inspiration from other urban eating experiences.

Vancouver's street food test-project started in 2010 with the issuing of 17 renewable permits. In 2012 this number increased to 103 permits. The cost of an annual permit in a park ranges from $5000 to$15 000 with street permits going for $1050. The Vancouver permits are issued by a selection committee (that includes bloggers...yes!) and makes sure certain requirements are met. The committee considers factors like menu, business plan,quality of food, cleanliness, appearance, accident insurance and hygiene. Rules governing the sale of street food state that units cannot be stationed lessthan 60 meters from a business offering similar items.

The Calgary food truck pilot project was launched in 2011 in collaboration with the an organization know as the Business Revitalization Zones (BRZ). According totheir website the BRZ is "a self-help program by which businesses in an area can jointly raise and administer funds to improve and promote their businesses."The annual cost of a permitis $646 dollars. The city determines "roll zones" and "no roll zones" in collaboration with the BRZ and a mobile food unit cannot occupy onespot for more than 4 hours.

Toronto launched their À la Cart project in 2009 issuing 8 permits. The following year 6 permits were granted with only 2 vendors finishing the season. According to the City of Montreal Commission factors contributing to the failure of the project included it being top heavy from the administrative level. It seems that there was little consultation between the admin. and street food merchants. The mobile units themselves were problematic; the design was heavy to move and required a towing vehicle resulting in additional costs to vendors. The food carts were designated to areas that were not easily accessible and visible to pedestrian traffic. A work group was implemented in 2011 to re-examine the legislation governing street food.

Ottawa iscurrently reviewing the issuing of their permits. Due to a moratorium on the issuing of new permits the number has decreased from 100 to 32 over the past twenty years. In addition to the monetary value of a permit current consideration include looking at the diversity of foods being offered, nutritional value, commercial competition, and co-existence.

Boston has identified 21 sites for vendors that operate with fixed schedules for vendors. New York holds reoccurring events in parks (once a month) so thatcitizens take advantage and use their parks. Portland uses vacant lots to revitalize sectors and neighborhoods creating street food boroughs.

Street Food Chez Nous:

The report gives a brief history of street food in Montreal - we were surprised to learn that the prohibition against street food in 1947 and not 1967 as we previously heard. According to newspapers from this time the prohibition had to do with quality control of food, the blocking of public arteries, competition and sanitary conditions. In 1997, after a public study, the City of Montreal Commission of Finance and Economic Development restated the prohibition of selling ice cream on public spaces primarily because of competition and the extra costs associated withthe use of public spaces (example: garbage).

In 2002 a public study from a municipal consulting committee from Ville-Marie recommended the prohibition against selling food in public spaces but to allow permanent installations in 4 parks. In 2003 the municipal riding of Verdun adopted aruling allowing the sale of street food.

Despite rulings against street food there have been some recent street food events in Montreal thanks to the pioneering efforts of the Grumman'78 truck and crew and other organizations. The Food Lab market from the Société des Arts Technologiques at the Place de Paix. The Souk Gastronomiqueas part of the Just for Laughs Fest site. The first Friday of every month at the Olympic esplanade. The culinary pop up at parc Émilie-Gamelin. The Mucvbox & Porchetta stands at the Old Port and Food trucks on the Lachine Canal because they are federal lands.

Laws that need to be taken in consideration in Montreal with regards to the sale of street food include peace and public order (example: crowds and noise) in public spaces and parks. Other considerations include noise, pollution (city rules against smoke emissions) security, accident protocols, food smells, parking blocking roads, signage etc.

Nouveau Palais Winneburger

Economic considerations include fiscal equality, it is important to guarantee equality between existing sedentary restaurants versus street food vendors. Note: it waspointed out at the consultation that the Association des Restaurateurs de Ruedu Québec (ARRQ) that all its members operate with production kitchens meaning that they pay property taxes. Concurrence, a balance has to be reached between what is being offered and the demand. Street Food can also be a way of encouraging entrepreneurship; people who cannot necessarily afford to open a restaurant can start their own business. Streetfood also provides an option for existing restaurant owners to diversify their business and gain visibility in new areas.

Looking at the street food experience in other cities gives us an idea of the possibilities in terms of the occupation of public spaces and how the permits are given. Some examples include permanent spaces, temporary and designated sites, public areas, predetermined routes, private lots vs. public parking, permits issued on an annual, seasonal, weekly and daily basis. The type of products sold: fruits and vegetables, pre-prepared food or cooked on the spot. Cleanliness, restaurant owners are responsible for managing the garbage they produce are factors that need to be taken in consideration with street food. Hygiene, food inspectors have been doing occasional spot checks on festival sites where street food is being sold. If street food is permitted then inspectors should have the right to inspect vehicles during operation and without notice.

Street Cred: 

Omnivore Host Sébastien Demorand loving his Nouveau Palais Winneburger

Since 2011 Tourisme Montréal, as part of their strategic marketing plan, has been promoting Montreal’srestaurants and gastronomy in the hopes of making our city a destination in the world food scene. We have seen some notable effects of these efforts with Anthony Bourdain's Layover and the Omnivore inaugural world tour (from France) making a stop in our city. According to the report, Montreal does have its own culinary style so if street food is permitted then it should reflect our city’s unique character.

Food For Thought:

The report concludes with some considerations in determining our city’s street food policy. The ideas for reflection include fiscal equality with current business owners. Coexistence with citizens. Potential for entrepreneurs and businesses that are also part a sustainable development plan. Nutritional quality, creativity, variety and rotation of the food being offered. The effects on our urban landscape both positive and negative. That the system put into place, permits, health inspections etc, are easy to administer.

Montréal une ville à croquer: The MTL Food Truck / Street Food public consultation primer

For a complete listing of the upcoming Montreal municipal public consultations on Bouffe de rue (Street Food) click here.

Pas D'Cochon Dans Mon Salon

If you would like to read our tasting notes on MTL's food trucks click here.

These are our notes and impressions after attending a panel discussion organized by Projet Montréal on street food in late August 2012. We have done our best to sum up what was said by the speakers but if we misinterpreted anybody in our paraphrasing, or perhaps made you sound less eloquent, all we can say is Gabba Gabba Hey sorry for the mistake.

The panel moderator was Food Blogger Clarah Germain and on the panel we have: Gaëlle Cerf from Grumman '78, Marie Marquis a Professor from the Nutrition Department l’Université de Montréal, Peter Katsoudas owner and restaurateur of Rib’n Reef steakhouse and François William Croteau borough mayor of Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie. 

It is no secret that food trucks are all rage these days and judging from the turn out at the Projet Montreal panel discussion (we counted at least 75 people) their popularity is evident. Not sure how many of you have attended political meetings but big turn outs tend to be a rarity. Projet Montréal might what to consider finishing all their meetings with food trucks as attendees at the discussion were given the chance to have a few bites the Grumman'78 truck and Nouveau Palais Winneburger. Projet Montreal Party leader Richard Bergeron was caught front and centre chowing down on a Grumman taco before the panel discussion even began. Clarah Germain called attention to Bergeron saying he must have used his VIP status to get food before the end of the discussion. 

Ask & You shall Receive: Street Food Consultations

The reason given for the municipal bylaw against street and food trucks in Montreal was hygiene. In our research, we have heard stories that Mayor Jean Drapeau who got rid of food trucks in 1967, coincidentally the same year as Montreal's world fair, was because he thought they were an eye sore. Imagine an old run down rusty food truck and you get the idea. Mayor Drapeau wanted the city to look nice given its appearance on the world stage. We have also heard the story that Mayor Drapeau, as a restaurant owner, did not like the competition from food trucks. Whatever reasons: hygiene, quality of life in the city (visual, nutrition...) and competition against sedentary restaurants was all addressed in this panel discussion.

Free Smiles at Grumman'78

Gaëlle Cerf: The Grumman'78 truck is celebrating its second year this summer (2012). The green taco truck is leading the way in bringing street food back to Montreal. They have also created an association with other local food truckers called L'Association des Restaurateurs de Rue du Québec (ARRQ). Cerf explained the Grumman modus operandi in food service consists of a production kitchen where the food is made. The food is then reheated prior to being served from their truck thus ensuring high quality of food but also ideal temperature. Cerf made the point that you can get a good hot dog on the cheap all over town so why should food trucks offer the same service? Grumman is trying to offer something different.  In explaining their quality control and standards Cerf stated that they are the same as any other restaurant and given their use of a production kitchen they are really no different than any regular (sedentary) restaurant. 

Grumman Production Kitchen

Because of the municipal bylaws prohibit food trucks the Grumman gang has had to be creative in serving the public. Private lands are allowed as long as a food truck is a certain distance from the sidewalk (public area). In 2011, the Grumman'78 truck started making appearances on summer festival sites and in true Canadian style the Grumman crew braved have also the elements at Igloofest and Montréal en Lumière's, Nuit Blanche. During the Q & A session that followed it was asked whether winter posed a problem to food trucks and the joke was made that for some of the cooks it was the first time they were not hot in the kitchen. The Grumman production (H.Q.) kitchen has restaurant status meaning the space can be used for private events (they are now open to the public 3 days a week) and are licensed to sell alcohol. They also hold the occasional open to the public events. The Grumman events at their H.Q. helps their business survive during the winter months.

This summer, Cerf said they there are new players in the food truck scene who have partnered up in their association (ARRQ). In all cases these trucks have production kitchens. Because these businesses are managed by experienced restaurant professionals they can meet the same health standards that govern restaurants. Besides hygiene Cerf outlined other criteria for the ARR including no pre packaged foods,  the promotion of fresh and local food products, environmentally friendly protocols (examples: recycling and composting) and a fixed calendar prepared in advanced. Recent examples include the first Fridays at the Olympic Park and specific dates at Place Émilie Gamelin and the Just For Laughs Festival sight. 

Are You Feeling Lucky?

According to Cerf most restos have been supportive of their endeavor and their is no need to be near other restaurants. The Association des Restaurateurs de Québec (ARQ) publicly denounced food trucks but at the same time Normand Laprise form Toqué came out in favor of food trucks. Cerf also once again emphasized the importance of quality food rather than selling hot dogs and .99 cent pizza. Food trucks should offer something better and need to disassociate themselves from fast food. Cerf says our street food should be better than in other cities so that it becomes a reason to visit Montreal. 

Peter Katsoudas: pointed out that any new restaurant represents competition for an existing resto. Food trucks are therefore no different than any other restaurant opening near your restaurant. There are no rules governing the opening of a restaurant near another, provided the proper permits and forms are filled out, so why is there a differentiation and prohibition against food trucks that are really no different in terms of  competition.

Katsoudas pointed out that if there is equality in the laws between food trucks and restos then the same existing standards that govern restos can apply to both (examples: food hygiene and inspections) Control over street food begins with creating rules and regulations. A differentiation between food trucks and hot dog carts should be made. In the restaurant business competition has always existed and it is quality that wins out. But how can the city control what you sell? Is this even possible because no rules govern what food products a restaurant can sell.

 

No Local Bakery, No worries : Baked Goods Coming Your Way

Cerf intervened and pointed out that restos are now required to issue receipts from their POS with a bar code. This law does not apply to food trucks but a few trucks have taken the initiative like Pas D'Cochon Dans Mon Salon and this is another example how food trucks can follow this same legislations that govern restos. Katsoudas pointed out that the recent regulation concerning barcodes on receipts (created to prevent tax fraud) represents one of many changes that has affected the the restaurant industry. Other examples include tax increases and no smoking laws. Restaurant owners have gotten used to dealing with these changes, adaptability is part of the game, so why not face the food trucks?

Marie Marquis: Pointed out that Montreal is onto something with its food culture. In her talk, Marquis introduced the word “truckavore” - def. as a person that eats at a food trucks. It is person who likes talks about their eating experiences rather than just saying they ate a restaurant they specify what they ate. They are open to try new foods and take risks in eating. They are extroverts because they are able and like to eat in public.

As a nutritionist Marquis points did point out that food trucks could mean access to more junk food (example: fatty and salty). Marquis recalled getting fries from a truck as a delicious childhood memory, the brown paper bag wet with grease, vinegar and salt. Marquis pointed out that these type of memories play into the stereotype that food trucks are unhealthy. Marquis pointed out that healthy food trucks are an option worth exploring. The city of Vancouver regulates their food trucks so that there is an emphasis on local foods and so that it is environmentally friendly. Trucks can be out in places that need quality food at a good price (example: areas with no restaurants). Marquis also pointed out that food trucks could be used to help with food education and imagined partnerships with agricultural and government groups. In terms of health issues there is the fact that food trucks represent more chances of getting food so possible to over eat and eat additional meals. 

Nouveau Palais Winneburger

François William Croteau: Is responsible for allowing people to have urban chickens in his borough. In addition he has been working on greenification projects of alleyways. The issue is about managing public spaces so that they are equitable and raises questions of taxes. Restaurant owners pay property taxes. In Vancouver, trucks are far from restos and in industrial areas. Regulation should ensure that trucks are serving good quality and healthy food. Food trucks should also be set up in areas where proper hygiene can be carried out. Increased garbage caused by food trucks could be problematic for residents. In other words food trucks could create new problems that have to be considered. In Vancouver trucks are approved before being allowed to roll on the streets. In Montreal trucks could be set up in areas that do not have many commercial zones and restaurants. There is also a social aspect of food trucks as people congregate around the vehicles and get to know one another (community building). Croteau pointed to green alleys and how people told him people they were starting to get to know their neighbors in caring for their green spaces. Croteau also mentioned the Fruixi bicycle, that delivers market fresh produce to local residents, as another type of option of street food and their role in the community.

Fruixi: Sure looks sweet coming down the street