A few weeks ago, my friend made reservations to this new restaurant in downtown Montreal called Onoir (1631 RUE SAINTE-CATHERINE OUEST (514) 937-9727). I was a little skeptical about going there because I'm clumsy enough eating with the lights on. Can you imagine eating in pitch darkness? Onoir only has two service hours per night. We went for the 5:30pm one. At our arrival, we have to store pretty much everything in a locker. The menu is pretty small, no soup...bummer. After picking our dishes, we are introduced to our waitress, Giselda. She is visually impaired. Gripping each other's shoulders, we are led to our table. Our very big table. I was sitting accross from my friend and we had to really reach to be able to touch each other's fingertips. I think it's safe to say it's probably not the best place to take a date. lol Instead of a basket of bread, we get our own. Buttering the bun wasn't easy. I kept jabbing myself with the butter knife or just sticking my finger in the butter. Since we can't see, our other senses are supposed to be enhanced. I noticed my bread was burnt. I wasn't too pleased with that. Do people talk louder when they can't see? Because everyone seemed to be yelling at each other. And it seemed like everyone in the entire restaurant had their birthday that night. My balsamic vinegar portebello mushroom apetizer arrived and it smelled really good. I tried eating it with my fork but all I got was lettuce. I finally decided to use my fingers to eat. It was delicious. Apparently, I was the only one at our table to close my eyes during the majority of the dinner. I figured, there's nothing to see...might as well keep the contact lenses moist. I had no idea what I was going to have as a main course, because I took the "surprise dish", which was recommended. It ended up being filet mignon with pepper sauce, asparagus, carrots, and mashed potatoes. Everything was bite sized and scrumptious. However, I wasn't too happy about sticking asparagus up my nose or poking it on my cheek every 2 minutes. The carrots were difficult to eat with a fork because they were balled. Needless to say, I had to use my hands. Since I couldn't see how much was on my plate, it seemed like it was the never ending plate. Going to the washroom was a bit embarassing because we had to call out our waitress...GISELDA!!! restrooms are dimly lit. It's also unsettling knowing someone escorted you to the restroom and is waiting for you to finish so they can bring you back.

All in all, it was a good experience. I'm not sure if I would go back, I found it difficult to have actual conversations in the dark. However, i'd recommend everyone to go at least once.

posted at 2006/11/29 8:32 AM by Joey   1 comments

Lately I've been making and eating a lot of burgers, and my secret ingredient of late has been cornmeal. It adds the crunch and keeps it even when reheated. Anyway, that said, 'becca and I had a late night snack at Copoli (burger joint in front of Vendome metro). Mmm. Definitely one of the better burgers in Montreal. Universal on Cherrier and that little burger on the corner of St.Laurent and Rachel are probably my favourites though :) (Too bad I'm not in the area anymore.)

posted at 2006/11/20 10:17 AM by feistydaichi   2 comments

link: the real wasabi

those of who know me knows my stomach has been giving me a run for my money for the past 2+ weeks... really a shame since my love for food runs so deep.

i've been having crazy cravings, like kernels' double butter popcorn (butter and butterscotch, the perfect salty-sweet light popcorn addiction flavor),
the garlic roasted dungeness crab from Crustasean's in SF

as well as Alexander's awesome expensive steak

posted at 2006/11/07 4:20 PM by Amy   0 comments

'December 2006'