The Week in Yum - Montreal and April Cooking Classes


Caffe Un Po di Piu
We spirited off for weekend getaway to Montreal to celebrate my birthday. It was pretty last minute and since the weather was going to be terrible whether we went or stayed home in Toronto, we decided we would rather be in a nice hotel in Montreal. Because of the constant rain, we didn't do our usual amount of walking and exploring but we did manage to eat some great food and drink some great cocktails.


Snowdon Deli - worth the drive to Côte-des-neiges
Even though I lived in Montreal for five years in my early twenties, I had never been to Snowdon Deli. I was a downtown girl who didn't drive so my life was pretty much bound by Mount Royal and Old Montreal and a trip to Atwater Market felt like a road trip. This time, we hopped in the car and took the trek to Côte-des-neiges to try out this deli that so many people rave about. 
The raving is justified, we all agreed the poutine was one of our favourites to date, the smoked meat was perfectly spiced, tender with just the right amount of fat and our server was a delight.
I used to go to Shwartz's back when there weren't line ups of tourists every day although I kind of preferred The Main on the other side of the street but this is my new favourite Montreal deli.

Caffe Un Po di Piu
make reservations or go at off times - we showed up around 5pm during a slight lull and got a table

A warm, inviting spot in a sea of tourist establishments, Caffe Po di Piu overlooks the port with a small but mighty menu of small plates. Favourites were the beets with pistachios, celery and Bellavitano cheese and oranges with black olive, fennel, spicy oil and honey, but everything was terrific. We only got a table (for 1.5 hrs as it was reserved) because we showed up minutes after they opened but we made the most of that 1.5 hrs with tantalizing choices from a menu of Italian liqueurs, aperitifs and wine, bar snacks, small plates and a couple of more hearty items.



This is the newest venture from the folks behind the hugely popular Olive + Gourmand and Foxy so you can be assured that everything here is spot on. The space is gorgeous and the bar (my usual preference unless I am with a big group) was calling me with it's siren song. They are opened Monday to Friday from 11am to 11pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 11pm and on Sunday they offer brunch until 3pm.





The rest of the weekend was visiting regular haunts like Jean Talon Market, Olive + Gourmand and The Dominion House so we could introduce The Kid to there Pimm's Cup.
Jean Talon Market - mushrooms, spices, iced cider


Our regular little Italy cafe was packed with soccer fans so we went next door to Bar Sportivo to watch the start of F1 over espresso and found ourselves in this time capsule, throwing back great coffee and watching the race with the locals.


birthday jeans WITH POMPOMS from my friend Yvonne, the designer for Lisette, maker of Oprah's favourite pants. I get it. Oh, and I want pompoms on all of my pants from here on in.



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Olive + Gourmando - on the weekend you can wait for a table or grab a life changing croissant and a cafe au lait to go



Cooking Classes for April
There are a few spots left for my April 19 cooking class, That's a Wrap! Wonton Hacks at The Depanneur. We will use wonton wrappers to make a stuffed pasta, as a crust for little quiches, to make sweet/savoury crisps, a deep fried, crispy dumpling as well as more classic dumpling

Tickets for April 19
Tickets for June 21


Very few spots left for my ever popular Depanneur series Sous Weed- Cooking with Cannabis 101
I will demonstrate how you can turn your newly legal cannabis into a product that you can use to infuse oil, cream and butter so that you can cook with it. Whether you need it for medicinal purposes or recreational purposes, this gives you control over what you are consuming

Tickets for April 24
Tickets for April 26

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