The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

I finally saw the final episode of "Mad Men". I am really sad this show is over. For now, it is definitely my all-time favorite TV show, and I hardly can imagine another show taking its place. A lot of people have complained about "Mad Men" over the years and have constantly compared the episodes they were watching to earlier ones, but I have always enjoyed the show. Some seasons were funnier than others, and that was way okay by me. It is probably the smartest show I have ever watched, and the one that rings true the most.

Paranoid Android

Last weekend I had dinner with F and my family at Kitchenette. I started off my meal with a drink made with gin, cucumber, coriander and a homemade spicy sauce. The drink was very refreshing, and the spiciness added a nice touch. I then had oysters which were delicious, but the restaurant didn't have much to do with that. For my main course, I had a "reimagined" salad niçoise. I thought the salad would be really deconstructed, but the changes were more on the subtle side: a small tuna steak instead of tuna flakes, poached eggs instead of hard-boiled ones, and fingerling potatoes instead of simple potatoes. There was a twist in the dressing also, as there was avocado in it. The salad was very good. The dessert was great too: I had a cake made with coffee ice cream.

As for the rest of the menu, I would say that it shows a certain sense of diversity. There are a few dishes influenced by Mexican and Asian cuisine. I tasted some of the food that my family chose and everything was good. For instance, my brother had a burger. You would think that having a burger in a restaurant cannot really be a special experience, but this one had foie gras in it. My mom had a pizza which was a bit weird because it had Boursin on it, which is a pretty cheap cheese, but it also had truffles on it. I tasted my dad's steak, which I normally wouldn't do because to me, steak is a pretty standard dish, but again, there was a twist: the sauce was made with bacon.

Unfortunately, even though the space is nice and the food is great, there weren't many people in the restaurant when we went there on a Saturday night. However, it is possible that it is more of a lunch restaurant, as it is right next to the state television tower. I personally would go back there anytime, for lunch or for dinner, as I found no great flaws in the restaurant. Our waiter, though, was a bit weird.

The Twist

While I was in Montreal for Mother's Day, F and I also had dinner with a friend of ours at Evoo. We only had cocktails and a main course, though. I had a cocktail made with strawberries and basil, which was delicious. As for food, I had scallops with mussels, fava beans, grilled tomato purée, crispy shallots and kale. My dish was good, but it was nothing earth-shattering. The bill, however, was more surprising. The bill for F and I came up to about 100$ before the tip, and we only had a cocktail and a main course each! There is a nice atmosphere in the restaurant, but it certainly isn't worth spending that much.

I Know I Know I Know

I read All My Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews' latest book. I had previously read one of her other books, A Complicated Kindness. I don't remember A Complicated Kindness very precisely, but I remember that I had enjoyed my read. I also enjoyed All My Puny Sorrows. "Enjoyed" perhaps isn't the proper word. All My Puny Sorrows is the kind of book that makes you incredibly sad all along your read. There are some funny moments that lighten up the book, though. I found the way it was written to be interesting, especially for the dialogs.

What Goes On

After our Mother's Day dinner, we all watched The Bicycle Thief. Weirdly enough, it felt as if we were watching a thriller. We all knew exactly what would happen, we just didn't know exactly when the events were going to happen. When they did, we felt miserable all the same. Some of the characters' actions felt so pointless. The story of the movie is so simple, and that must be why it stays with you so much. Fortunately, the little boy had some pretty funny moments which made the film a little bit less grim.

Take Me Out

For Mother's Day, we all had dinner at Graziella. My father asked the waiter to put us in a quieter section, and indeed, it wasn't as noisy as most of the more recent Montreal restaurants. The space was also beautiful, with Riopelle paintings on the walls.

For my appetizer, I chose to have foie gras yet again. There wasn't anything particular about my dish, except for the Marsala Jelly that came with it. It tasted very strongly of wine, but it was original enough.

The waiter had recommended us to share some pasta dishes for our second course. I shared a risotto with my brother. There were shrimps and peas in it, and the sauce was made with lobster bisque. It was very good, very al dente, but a little bit salty.

My main course was a milk-fed veal chop served with chanterelles, vegetables, and a purée that was delicious, but which I couldn't identify. The veal chop was huge and the chanterelles were very nice.

All in all, I found Graziella to be a very elegant restaurant, which I would surely return to.

Can I Kick It?

I saw Avengers: Age of Ultron. In Quebec City, it is almost impossible to see a movie in the theater in English, so I saw it it French. I also saw Avengers in theaters in French, and I didn't like it much then. When I saw it again on DVD in English, though, I appreciated it more. Perhaps the same thing will happen for Avengers: Age of Ultron. It was okay, but it made me less emotional than most superhero movies do. I found Thor to be the funniest in this movie. The amount of comedy in Avengers: Age of Ultron was more satisfactory than in the first movie of the series. Avengers was a bit too Disneyesque. I liked the Maximoff twins a lot, and Captain America is still my favorite.

Awake

My office organized a party at Houston. Everybody kept saying how they loved the place, but I personally prefer Charbon Steakhouse. We had a special menu prepared for us. I first had salmon tartare, which was good but unremarkable. I then had wild boar. The meat was excellent, but the portion was too big. I don't remember the dessert much because at that moment it was time for the party to be over. I certainly wouldn't go back there for a date, but it is agreeable enough a setting for an office party.

Étienne D'août

Last month, F and I celebrated our five years together at a restaurant called Légende. I started off with a gin, elderberry and ginger cocktail. It tasted strongly of ginger, but it was still pretty good. We then had one of the prettiest cured meats platter I have ever seen. Every product on the platter was delicious. Next I had a foie gras dish with apple. A classic combination, but it worked. We finished off with a cheese platter. It was okay, but the main thing I remember from that course is the fire cider that we ordered with it. I had never noticed that dessert wine on any other menu before, but now, I will surely be on the lookout for it. As for the Légende restaurant in general, I would definitely go back there for their cured meats platter. It would be a great way to start off any evening. I am glad I got to enjoy this restaurant for the first time on a special occasion.