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

 

Back for More: 19e Mondial de la Bière

Last year was our first outing to Montreal’s annual Mondial de la Bière in a long time. We remember attending the fest,  now celebrating its 19^th year, in its early inception in the mid-90’s when it was held on the paved area behind Place des Arts, now the beautifully landscaped Quartier des Spectacles. There were about 12 tents with the highlight being Peter McAuslan in a kilt. Also at that time we had a job that involved a lot of free beer. This might sound like a great perk but it was generally in lieu of any real monetary payment. Our free beer was also not of the exotic variety, as now found at the Mondial de la Bière, except maybe the odd hemp beer in Whistler, B.C. After several years of drinking too much of the big label brands we definitely had our fill and just stopped drinking beer. We decided to attend the beer fest last year for the food but we did end up staying for the beer. Besides enjoying some amazing beers and flavors we love the fact that it is great place to meet lots of interesting characters.

Beer Buffalo

Last year we were lucky enough to speak with Mondial Judge Gary Lohin who happens to be brewmaster at B.C.’s Red Racer brewery. During our discussion we informed Lohin of our preference for wine over beer. Lohin explained to us how beer can be just as enjoyable with food and there was no reason for our dislike of beer. If you love food and flavors then why not enjoy a great-tasting beer. Based on Lohin’s advice we took it upon ourselves to spend the year doing gallons of research for our next Mondial. Our homework has definitely paid off because we have rediscovered the enjoyment of a great beer. Our dislike of beer for so many years came from drinking too much of the bad big label stuff.

Brazilian Beer Barons: Samuel & Paulo Cavalcanti from Boderbrown

During our past year of intensive research we have come to the realization that we are perhaps lightweights in the beer department. We are not big beer drinkers, the kind that play Edward Beer Can Hands, and we still have not done enough research in order to be full blown beer snobs. Where does that leave us? Our favorite beers seem to be white, like Hoegaarden and fruit, like Kriek- Cherry beer. Why are we mentioning this? It would seem to us that the type of beer you drink says a lot about the type of person you are. Think about it, Pabst Blue Ribbon seems synonymous with hipsters. How about the world’s most interesting man? We all know what he drinks even though he was not at the beer fest this year. And who drinks Labatt Blue? Given all the characters at the beer fest it only makes sense to us to look around at people and their beer because we think we need a new beer and image.

Denis Caciuc & Friends

We were a bit disappointed because last year we saw Captain Jack Sparrow and Al Capone at the Sleeman space. Considering the number of breweries which use serving wenches at their kiosques we suppose the Jester of Tortuga was in the right place. Captain Sparrow may have stayed away this year because the beach area was limited to a tiny patch of sand with no volleyball courts. We thought he might be at Microbrasserie Le Naufrageur's kiosque but no luck. Besides the regular festival parade of serving wenches we did run into a few familiar faces. Denis Caciuc, who teaches Restauration Services at the École Hôtelerie de Laval, once-again gets the Coolest Teacher award because he brings his class to the beer fest. Talk about your fun field trips. We also saw the beer fest mascot who last year looked yellow but this year sported a cool brass finish. Maybe they are going to change his color every year. How about a nice stout or rousse finish? In terms of dressing up we did notice this year a few people sporting fun T-shirts with slogans like I'm Drunk and Beer Gut. We also spotted funny hats. It seems that putting your beer fest tote-bag on your head is becoming a Montreal festival fashion phenomenon especially when visiting the bar after opening night. Since the Mondial is part of our summer festival calendar why not dress up for the occasion? The staff at the kiosques dress up in costume so why not the public? The organizers could give prizes for best costumes, T-shirts and they could tap into the whole cosplay / Comic-Con market. Keeping in step with the vampire trend we'll go as Beercula. 

New Look?

The first step to improve our beer drinking image was choosing a new weapon. What better way to get in touch with your inner Ninja than the BBbarfly bottle opener. The guys behind BBbarfly told us they had made the trip from Toronto by renting an RV in order to transport their stock  to the beer fest and also to have a place to sleep. We are glad they came because we love kitchen gadgets and this is just about as cool as it gets. The BBbarfly opener is almost as awesome as our kitchen blowtorch. The opener uses the same design as a Balisong or Butterfly knife but without the sharp danger because it only opens beer bottles. You also get to chose your own artwork and color to fully accessorize your weapon. We of course chose the Tiki Idol motif because we love retro inspired designs. Cosplayers take note that the BBbarfly is the perfect accessory for a Hit Girl costume from the movie Kick Ass. 

For ordering and additional information visit the BBbarfly website here.
 

One stand immediately caught our eye with their copy of François Chartier’s book Papilles & Molécules (Taste Buds & Molecules). Brasseurs Sans Gluten (Gluten Free Brewers) are obviously up to some interesting things besides making gluten free beer with ingredients like millet, buckwheat and brown rice. Papilles & Molécules is about the science of wine pairing and food so why not apply his theories to beer? Chartier’s methodology and research (some of which was carried out at ElBulli) is to look at food ingredients (herbs, spices...) and their aromatics at the molecular level. By isolating these individual composites Chartier is able to find relationships, "chains of flavor", to the same composites found in wine. Aromatics (smell) is one of our senses and plays a major role in how we taste food. Inspired by Chartier’s research, the brewers at Brasseurs Sans Gluten (BSG) have made a beer using sotolon, a compound that when concentrated has the smell of fennugrec or curry powder. The chemical compound can also smell like molasses, caramel and maple syrup at lower concentrations. Sotolon also appears in highly fermented (brown and black) beers. The Brasseurs Sans Gluten beer, Sotolon Impériale, features all the above mentioned tasting notes giving it a unique flavor profile.  As cool as molecular brewing might be, we are not sure if this is the type of beer we want to drink as part of our new image. A bottle of gluten-free beer with sotolon would certainly be a great conversation starter at a party but our only worry is that all this science talk might make us sound even nerdier, no matter how many BBbarfly tricks we learn.  A fine sipping beer that should not be rushed.

The Face of L'Alchimiste's La Métropole

 Our next stop was a little side booth next to L'Alchimiste’s main stand and featuring their Métropole (5.14% alcohol get it? 514 = MTL) that is the official beer of the Montreal XV Rugby Club. A golden Pilsner that is very smooth and easy to drink, the beer branded with the image of rugby players is definitely tough looking. Right away we imagined ourselves hanging out at the Rover’s Return pub with our mates after a game and everybody speaking the Queen’s English. We turned around to find two guys from Dubai wearing kilts, Burberry and Fred Perry sampling the Métropole confirming our fantasy. Our one problem with this picture is that it might involve playing rugby. Given the rugby games we have seen and our low threshold for pain, and tendency to break into tears, we doubt we would be much of an asset to any team no matter how much we enjoyed their beer.

Two Guys from Dubai avec La Métropole

 Feeling a bit lost and disoriented in the foray of so many beer stands, or perhaps tastings, we did decide to go into some familiar territory at Brasseur de Montreal (BdM). Since tasting their beers, BdM has become a favorite. Each beer offers a distinctive flavor and taste. Of course we were immediately drawn to their fruit beers and fell in love with their Cherry Ô Fruit from our first sip. This light tasting beer (4% alcohol) reminded us of a watery melted cherry Popsicle – we meant this in a good way. After an inquiry we were told at the Mondial that cherry is no longer available. Fruit beers often come across as heavy and syrupy but this is not the case with the Brasseur. These beers often taste more like beer than fruit. BdM's balance of beer to fruit is perfect. We tried their apple and cranberry fruit beers that were both excellent with similar light and refreshing tastes. We could not resist taking a sample of our personal favorite the Chi Orientale because we love the strong ginger taste of this pale beer. The Ghost Town stout with absinthe flavor is another winner as its dark taste plays well with the anise flavor of absinthe. We are not sure what drinking these beers says about your personality as a beer drinker but they sure are tasty with their wide array of flavors. We guess there is something for everybody so you could say this is a democratic choice.

Robot + Beau's = Le Robeau

Speaking of great beers, last year we were really impressed with Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company from Vankleek Hill, Ontario. Once-again Beau’s delivered the goods. Given our addiction to caffeine we liked the strong coffee taste of their Collabrrrewator. We also sampled their Winter Brew, also with coffee notes, and found it a bit more smooth and lighter than the Collabrrrewator. These beers are great tasting and good looking with some of the coolest artwork you will see on any label. The genuine quality of these products makes it hard for us to decide what type of image they convey. We think they say, I’m a cool original. Our major problem with this beer is that it is not available in Quebec. We heard that Beau's is launching a kimchi beer and we really hope to see it at the Mondial next year.

Crazy Rabbit: This is what we look like after the Mondial

Staying with the the familiar, we headed over to Le Grimoire’s stand because we sometimes use La Noire Soeur (The Black Nun) in our cooking. The holy sister beer has a strong chocolate and coffee taste that is really not sweet and makes amazing spiced nuts. At the Mondial we sampled Desérables, a maple beer that we were told by the Grimoire staff makes great braised ribs. We also tried Vie de Chateau, a rum beer with a very pleasant caramel aftertaste. Despite these sweet sounding flavors with all three beers they are very subtle and not overpowering. The flavors are dark rather than sweet.

Soul Sister

Being creatures of habit we could not resist trying Levrette’s White Cherry beer. Also the beer has a picture of a bunny on the bottle. In fact, after this many beers we were starting to look like the rabbit on the label. This beer did offer a nice contrast to all the dark beers we kept finding at the Mondial and was a nice palate cleanser. On the topic of fruit beers we discovered that Boréale now offers fruit beers as part of their lineup. The Cuvée Boréale beers feature the local flavors of Quebec. The apple/cranberry beer is obviously a very tasty combination. We were very impressed with the wild blueberry beer with a deep and royal taste of wild blueberries. The beer tasted like a fizzy watered down version of the deep tasting liquid that seeps out of homemade blueberry pie. The two drinks have some of the most beautiful colors that we have seen in a beer. The apple cranberry is amber and the wild blueberry a deep purple.

Proper Beer Fest Attire

 Obviously we were right back where we started when we arrived at the Mondial still drinking fruit beers. This leaves us another year for more research before the next edition of the Mondial. There are a few other beers that we sampled and think are worth mentioning. The Broadway Pub located in Shawinigan served up the Memorial and it is not the beer commemorating Jean Chrétien's famous handshake. The dark brew is a Bock made in the traditional manner. We also enjoyed the Pilsner from Tcheque beer. It's made in Contrecoeur (Québec) by brewers from the Czech Republic using ingredients imported from their homeland. Paying our respects we tried Gary Lohin's Red Racer White Ale and it was definitely one of our faves of the fest.

Painting the Town Red

Next year the Mondial de la Bière will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary. Amazing to think how much the Québec micro-brewing industry has grown in this time and the festival itself featuring over 30 Québec breweries. The Mondial will also be leaving the cavernous concrete walls of Place Bonaventure and setting up camp at the Palais des Congrès. We are excited about the idea of going for some early morning Dim Sum in Chinatown before the Mondial so if you would like to joins us we will be at La Maison Kam Fung.

Top Chef Canada Season 2: episode 13: Chef Carl Cuts Compettion

We know that you know that Chef Carl Heinrich took the title of Top Chef Canada but we just wanted to point out that we did kind of call it some time ago. Everyone is talking about self-promotion in social media these days so we are also going to point out that we also called it last year when Chef Dale McKay took the title. We said it before, the skills competition is a really good gauge of who would make it to the final. With Carl taking the skills challenge and a steady performance throughout we kept saying he was the safe bet even though it did seem like anyone’s game going into the final. Heinrich might not have been the flashiest Chef in the kitchen but he was certainly steadiest with 5 wins and only two bottom finishes towards the end of the series when the field is so narrow bottom finishes seem inevitable. We also think the Producers like to throw the top contenders in the bottom a few times just to put a bee in their bonnet. Remember how pissed off Dale McKay looked when it would happen to him? 

We were really glad that David Chrystian was brought back for the final competition. Any Chef that can make  and win a challenge with duck liver ice cream with cherries and wild rice is obviously a brilliant and creative mind. In the final, Chrystian’s dessert also drew praises from the judges. The dish, an homage to Toronto’s Kensington market, was a candy coated Al Waxman Ham, seriously, Chystian made a sweet corn pudding (he dish used corn instead of cream) with sage and dark chocolate truffles and raw chocolate nibs. The idea for corn pudding came from the Restaurant Wars episode when judge Susur Lee criticized his corn soup for being too sweet. Chrystian took the criticism and came up with the idea for the dish as a dessert. Just another example of how enjoyable it was to watch his mind at work in the kitchen.

Trevor Bird seems reborn with his appearance on Top Chef Canada. The show seemed to re-kindle his passion, creativity and inspiration as the Chef rocked out some top dishes on the show. Professionally, Bird left his “corporate” job as a hotel Chef to open his own restaurant. “Regardless of what happens today [final competition] I’m quitting my job.” 

David Korecki, the passionate bandana sporting Chef with fierce Asian chops looks the part of a star. Considering he is an Ottawa based Chef with a top 4 finish on Top Chef Canad he is already big fish in our Nation's capital.

We are of course already looking forward to the next season of Top Chef Canada but in the meantime we have lots to write about with Montreal's summer swinging into high gear. Also keep in mind that your Top Chef Canada season 3 application has to be received by June 19^th

Top Chef Canada Season 2: Episode 12: Judges nail Chrystian

We are sad that Chef David Chrystian is gone and will not be around for the finale because it has been one wild ride. Chrsystian showed a rather unique crash and burn style in the Top Chef kitchen. Amazing and on top with one dish or bad and on the bottom with another. Some great dishes of late included his Chicken Soup Terrine, a Fire Roasted Fish (he is allergic to fish) and a Kraft Dinner Grilled Cheese. Chrystian may not have earned the title of Top Chef but he did take the KD crown. . Once again if you have missed his Top Chef Canada audition video it is worth watching. Chef Chrystian makes a Turducken Tower, inspired by the CN Tower, and really shows off his unique style and approach to cooking. We also liked the fact he says his favorite Chef is Martin Picard. We think a culinary pilgrimage to his restaurant at the Drake Hotel in Toronto seems rather inevitable.

With the show going into the finale we think it will be very exciting because it is really anyone’s game. Here are our impressions of the remaining Chefs going into the finale.

Trevor Bird (2 Quickfire wins): Regardless of the outcome of Top Chef his post show endeavors has Bird following his lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant: Fable. His kitchen staff includes fellow competitor Curtis Luk. The concept of Fable is from farm to table and the concept was born during this season’s episode of Restaurant Wars. The Top Chef experience has definitely been an inspiration to the Chef who really seems to be enjoying the cooking challenges. This new found enthusiasm and passion in the kitchen might be the added advantage in taking the Top Chef title.

Jonathan Korecki (2 Quickfire & 2 elimination wins): Korecki's soup has not become Connie DeSousa’s sausage because the judges have not yet tired of what seems to have become his signature item or secret weapon. Will he serve up soup in the finale? We found it a bit odd that his plating was so off in last week’s fashion challenge only because his platings have been so creative to date.

Carl Heinrich (2 Quickfire & 3 elimination wins): The quiet Chef seems to have come under the radar but slow and steady just might win the race. Also given he is only 26 years-old we can only imagine what his future culinary career will be like. We know we are starting to sound like a broken record by repeating ourselves but he is the safe bet in choosing a winner. Heinrich seemed to be beating himself up about his 2 bottom finishes of late but he is also hot off two back to back wins.