Hello all you hungry lovebirds. So it’s that time of year again, Valentines day and this year it falls on a Sunday as an added bonus, so now I feel more pressure to find some suggestions for some romantic and unique places to have brunch. Last year I did a review that covered quiet, cozy, hidden and impressive places but this year I feel like going freestyle and seeing what comes to mind. Basically, I don’t feel like being constrained (kind of like a relationship) - ok, ok my one cheap on Valentines day this year, I promise. Now, the hard thing with this review is that people’s tastes are so different and it’s hard to find the perfect fit for each couple and occasion. So, I will throw out some suggestions that I find kind of romantic based on all the different brunch spots I have been to (kind of comparing them to relationships but only the good ones).
Well, Ladies and Gents, it has been a busy and tasty year with many new places that have been reviewed. In fact, we almost did 50 reviews: some were great and some were awful (which I consider those to be my public service announcements/paying for transgressions in a past life). So, in keeping with last years “Best Of 2008″ posting, I feel it is fair to see what 2009 brought us. I kept most of the same categories from last year but felt that adding some new ones would be interesting. As always, if you feel that I have missed a place that you really like feel free to contact me by clicking on the contact tab up top. (more…)
So after a little more than 1 year of reviewing I felt it was time to change things up and upgrade the site. Over the last few weeks you may have noticed new functionality such as categories listed by rating as well as by location and price. I also included two maps of brunch places sorted by area (one of greater Montreal, the other for the Plateau and Mile end)
As of Sunday evening May 10 2009 I pushed the button and version 2 went online. There are some improvements that will help you navigate the site with more ease and find what you need. I listed the most popular links under the header, added a contact sheet so that people who are not on Twitter or in the Facebook group and don’t find their question relevant to the site posts can email me their questions. You will also note a coffee cup rating section above the “post a comment” section which allows you to chime in and give your own rating as well as comment (this section will get expanded with time).
Aesthetic changes were something else I wanted to improve on. I tried to keep the nice yellow & orange “brunchy” theme from the old page yet I wanted something that looked nicer and displayed more info so people could find it more easily. New additions to this included the “quick summary overview” where you can see the last few posts. They are displayed by showing a quick snap shot of the text and image so you can click to see the (more…)
Valentines day is a special day. It’s that special fake holiday between New Years and Easter (I say fake because unless I get a day off it’s not a real holiday). It’s that day when couples brave the frigid temperature to come out and plan that special romantic day. Now I’m going to avoid complaining on how there are 364 other days in the year (and a bonus one on leap years), nor will I complain on how all my favourite bars and restos get taken over by couples and I can’t even find a spot - I won’t even discuss the excessive PDA’s (public display of affection). Instead, I will be constructive and list some of the most romantic brunch locations in Montreal.
Pour enough milk for one cup into the steam pitcher. Put the steam wand at the bottom of the pitcher. Turn on the steam, and slowly raise the wand until it is near the top of the milk. Lower the pitcher as the milk rises so the steam wand stays 1 cm away from the top of the milk. The milk should not stretch too much nor should there be any big bubbles. Create a smooth, velvety milk as opposed the foam that sits atop most espresso drinks.
Allow the milk to reach 80 ºF (27 ºC), then place the steam wand on the side of the pitcher, deep into the milk, positioning the pitcher to spin counterclockwise. Keep doing this motion until the milk heats to 150 ºF to 160 ºF (65 ºC - 70 ºC). Shut the steam and remove the steam wand and thermometer from the milk. Clean the steam wand with a wet cloth.
Vigorously swirl the milk. If you see any bubbles, pound the pitcher on the counter several times and go back to swirling the milk for 20 to 30 seconds. Do this even while the espresso is pouring.
Start pouring the milk into the espresso. To create a flower pattern, pour the milk into the bottom part of the cup, about an inch (2 cm - 3 cm) away from the bottom. Once the cup is about half filled, shake the pitcher back and forth while slowly moving it backwards. The flower design will move forward, filling the cup. Do this with a shaking motion originating at the wrist instead of moving your hand back and forth.
Once the foam reaches the top, pour the milk up the center of the pattern you created. Use a minimal amount of milk to avoid sinking the flower pattern.
Embellish the design using stencils, powder, and milk foam. This step is optional, as many prefer to limit their latte art to “free form” methods, but you may want to experiment with the possibilities added by “etching.”
To write a word, such as “love” in the picture, melt milk chocolate and using a pin as a paintbrush drag the melting chocolate over the foamed milk. More commonly this is done by dipping said pointy object into the crema of the drink being decorated, and then transfering that crema stained foam to the pure white foam to ‘draw’ a design,
Tips
If you want to pour a heart pattern, shake as before without moving backwards as much. Form a ringed circle then slowly pour milk through the center to make a multi-layered heart.
The espresso must be perfect.
You must use an espresso machine with a proper brew head and boiler and enough steam power to properly froth the milk. These machines can cost at least $500.
Before trying this with milk, try it first with water. While water doesn’t have the same consistency as milk, practicing with water will allow you to get familiar with pouring and shaking at the same time.
Use fresh milk for every cup, even if you have milk left over from the previous cup.
Start with very cold milk — keep the temperature right above freezing. Also, make sure you keep the steam pitchers refrigerated. Cold milk and steam pitchers will give you more time to create the smooth and velvety texture needed for latte art.
Use a cup with a wide mouth. It will allow you to see the developing latte art design more easily.
Instead of using a thermometer, you can keep two fingers at the bottom of the pitcher. When you can’t hold your fingers there without burning them, its usually between 120 and 125 degrees.
Warnings
Do not let the milk heat to over 160 ºF (70 ºC), as this will limit the sweetness of the milk.
The arrival of 2009 marks the completion of Montreal Breakfast and Brunch Review’s exciting first year. Although I started in in the spring of 2008 I felt it would be nice to do a recap for the year end and give an overall review to Montreal’s various brunch venues. I decided to go over all the places I reviewed this year and give some of the best in their fields. So, if you have not been to any of these I strongly suggest you do.
Best New place
Although small in size (seating less than 20) Mckiernan is a heavyweight champion in the food department. The menu items were varied, tasty, fresh and really original; the portions were large and the decor was amazing. This was a big surprise to me and I am really happy I got to add this to the list of places I have eaten brunch.
The following is a map of brunch and breakfast places you can find in the Plateau and Mile End. I defined this area by the political riding from the city of Montreal. The southern most point is Sherbrooke, the west sides are University and Hutchison (once you’re north of Pine) with Iberville on the east end and Bernard at the northern tip. I have also included the McGill ghetto since it is rather close by and small.
The Plateau/Mile End offers many good and well priced options. Two of the main areas of concentration are Mount Royal and Bernard street. In some instances you can walk 10 feet in any direction and find a place to eat brunch. So take a look and see what you feel like. Also, if you feel I missed some places please feel free to comment by posting a reply.
Hello all you hungry lovebirds. So it’s that time of year again, Valentines day and this year it falls on a Sunday as an added bonus, so now I feel more pressure to find some suggestions for some romantic and unique places to have brunch. Last year I did a review that covered quiet, cozy, hidden and impressive places but this year I feel like going freestyle and seeing what comes to mind. Basically, I don’t feel like being constrained (kind of like a relationship) - ok, ok my one cheap on Valentines day this year, I promise. Now, the hard thing with this review is that people’s tastes are so different and it’s hard to find the perfect fit for each couple and occasion. So, I will throw out some suggestions that I find kind of romantic based on all the different brunch spots I have been to (kind of comparing them to relationships but only the good ones).
Romantic Brunch
