Taste drive

Where Montreal’s would-be foodies can go to
learn more about their favourite drinks and grub

BAG IT: Tea tasting at Camellia Sinensis

by AURORA FLEWWELLINGSKUP
and ERIN MACLEOD

Sometimes, contemplating the food scene in Montreal can be a little intimidating. Sure, we all know where to go for the best bagels in the world, and most of us can chuckle about New York’s recent fascination with Montreal-style deli food and all things poutine (we’ve made the New York Times in recent months), but Montreal has a deserved and growing reputation as the place to be for all that’s delicious. Contemplating a meal at one of our high-end establishments—think Toqué or Milos—is, in restaurant terms, like thinking about buying a fancy, expensive car. It seems like it would be a lot of fun, you know it’s going to look nice, but you want to know if it’s really going to be worth it. Will you get your money’s worth? Will you know how to drive it properly? Will you embarrass yourself at the dealership when you ask silly questions?

Luckily, Montreal has a growing line-up of establishments offering tastings—the test drive of the foodie world. From wine and cheese to coffee and wild mushrooms, this city offers a veritable driver’s ed of food and beverage tasting.

No point in driving the car if you can’t keep it going. Tim’s makes us feel Canadian, and Starbucks has mainstreamed espresso and steamed milk, but how many of us can really say that we understand what goes into a good cup of coffee? Fuel up on knowledge at Café Myriade (1432 Mackay, (514) 939-1717, cafemyriade.com), where they’re planning on demonstrating three new Colombian coffees in the upcoming month. With their mad scientist’s array of brewing machines and a passion for coffee, Myriade offers both an entry point for the coffee-curious as well as more advanced tastings that focus on the finer points of coffee roasting and extraction. As Myriade’s Anthony Benda explains, “We’ll brew the same coffee in four different brewing methods to highlight the changes in flavour and body.”

For something a little less high octane but equally rich and nuanced, there’s tea. Camellia Sinensis (351 Emery, (514) 286-4002 and 7010 Casgrain, (514) 271-4002, camellia-sinensis.com) specializes in the traditions of tea and offers a full range of workshops from introductory courses on up to professional tastings. A spring tasting event is due to take place on Saturday, June 19 at the Cinerobothèque (1564 St-Denis). Contact them quickly as the $10 tickets are going fast! Café Myriade, along with their coffee, has a less formal schedule of tastings to try out their changing line of teas. David’s Tea (various locations, 1-888-873-0006, davidstea.com) has a “tea of the day” you can try while you spend some time sniffing their wild mixtures straight from the big metal canisters they are stored in. But be careful—a casual walk around the showroom can quickly turn into an all out obsession.

Quebec cheeses are world renowned, but that just makes it worse when you find yourself unable to navigate your way around a cheese plate. Need some help developing that palate or just learning the names of some of the models? Fear not. Montreal’s two biggest names in cheese will help you out. Fromagerie Atwater (1751 Richardson, (514) 932-4953, fromagerieatwater.ca) can help you to prepare your own cheese and beer “event,” and Hamel (various locations, (514) 272-1161, fromageriehamel.com) offers customized wine and cheese platters ranging from an entry level model through to one with a little more going on under the hood. If you’d prefer to keep the options more focused, the ever-so-welcoming Maison du Cheddar (1311 Van Horne, (514) 904-0011, maisonducheddar.com) focuses on just one type of cheese. You can snack from a paper cone filled with fresh-from-the-fromagerie squeaking cheese curds or sample a grilled cheese and coffee combination. Check their website for upcoming cheese and dairy themed visits from experts from around the province.

Of course, there are a number of wine bars in the city that are worth the trip, but your friendly neighbourhood SAQ (Sélection locations, saq.com) might be just the ticket. With their increasing numbers of newly installed tasting stations that keep wines at ideal temperatures, it’s possible to take a tipple of some incredible wines at bargain prices. On a recent visit, wines in the $80–$100 bracket were offered for $4–$8 a try. If you’re interested, purchase a card (they range from $5–$20), grab a tasting glass—no plastic cup here—and just ask for suggestions from any of the conseilliers. Both wines and spirits will be available for tasting and they will rotate regularly.

The 17th annual Mondial de la Bière at the Windsor Station wrapped up last weekend, but St-Hubert’s Institut de la Bière (institutdelabiere.com, info@insitutdelabiere) keeps the festival going all year round, with more than enough events (including the second annual Journée québécoise de la bière on Aug. 14) throughout the summer. It’s a $35 membership fee for the year—but membership has its privileges, as the Institut does not limit itself to run-of-the-mill options. Friday tastings showcase particular types (sometimes imported specially for members), and weekend visits to beer-related destinations are also on the menu. “There are many good beers in Québec,” reports Insitut president François Dézainde, “and people must be informed.”

In the mood for something a little different? Thinking it might be time to test things off-road? Les Jardins Sauvage (17 Chemin Martin, St-Roch de l’Achigan, (450) 588-5125, jardinsauvages.com) operates a stall at the Jean Talon market where you can pick up some wild mushrooms or a bit of sea lettuce, but for something more unusual, you can visit their country restaurant situated in a cottage in St-Roch de l’Achigan, just outside the city. During the growing season, you can attend a short lecture on foraging and then settle in for a five-course menu featuring ingredients foraged from the wilds of Quebec. Once a month, there is an opportunity to go on an outing to forage before dinner.

FUNGUS GONE WILD:
Foraged mushrooms at les Jardins Sauvages

What if it’s not the individual parts you want to explore, but instead you’re itching to take the whole package out on the highway? In other words, you want to know about the rich diversity of chefs working in this city? La Tablée des Chefs (699 Adoncour, Longueuil, (450) 748-1638, tableedeschefs.org) is an organization that reaches out to the community with their culinary charms. They run cooking camps for kids and cooking classes for adults, helping folks of all ages to test and hone their ability to transform Jean Talon market buys into delicious meals. If you’d rather someone else do the driving, you’re in luck. Montreal’s chauffeur is professional line cook and food industry enthusiast Gita Seaton, who has organized Cookies Unite, (lmqgoesfood.blogspot.com, geatzy@gmail.com), a monthly event that pairs an up and coming cook with those of us hungry to learn. For $30, you sit down at the charming Dépanneur le Pick Up (7032 Waverly, (514) 271-8011, depanneurlepickup.com) and wait to see what’s going to come out of the tiny little kitchen in back.

Can’t decide? If your tastebuds want more of a trip, extend the journey into new and exciting flavours by making the Lenoir Lacroix Degustarium (7085 St-Laurent #100, (514) 904-0162, lenoirlacroix.ca/degustarium.html, lacroix@sympatico.ca) a destination. What looks like a café is actually a unique location for tasting teas, wines, coffees, cheeses, chocolates, you name it—it’s all there. Plans are in the works for a slow food spectacular on Wednesday, June 16. But you can always just drop an e-mail to Christian Lacroix, tell him what you’re hankering to try, make an appointment and drag some friends along.