Sending customer satisfaction (and safety) across the table...

The tittle pretty much sums it up, some restaurants have just completely lost all notions of customer satisfaction and social responsibility. I have never before in my life had such an awful experience as the one my friends and I encountered Thursday night in Montreal's Restaurant/club 'Cafeteria'.
The strangest thing about this evening, was that the two separate times we frequented this place yielded two completely opposing results. We first sat down to dinner and had quite a satisfactory meal; tasty, reasonably priced and attentive service. We also noticed that from 10 to 12pm there was going to be an open bar for the ladies. We were quite thrilled, thinking we had found just the spot to return to with a different group of friends later on in the evening.
However, upon our return, things took an unpleasant nose-dive for the worse. Before waltzing into our hot spot, I made sure that the open bar was indeed an open bar and after a little bout of confusion (which apparently should have alerted me to the fact that none of the workers knew what was going on), we were told that the open bar was going on and that we could enjoy its services at a table and that they included the wine list as well as the cocktail menu...Paradise! I should have headed the warning sirens going off distantly in the back of my mind.
But before I get all wrapped up in the woes of this doomed tale, allow me to introduce a character to the plot...this being the obnoxious and intoxicated individual who decided to pay us a couple of visits.
While we were enjoying our first cocktail, he interjected our conversation with some relationship revelations. These were quite entertaining and left us no more than a little abashed in our booth. During our second cocktail (and his one millionth), he returned with some more direct approaches, including attempts to kiss my friend as well as offers to buy us another drink. Instead of succeeding with the latter, he proceeded to knock my friends cocktail clear across the table where it shattered into ten different pieces. By this time the entire restuarant was all in a dither about this scene...meanwhile, the restaurant workers finally step in and bring the individual back to the bar (I say, smart move!) After we settled back in our booth, my other friend realises with pleasant surprise that her leg has been sliced by a stray fragment of glass.
This is when we should have just left, but because we were still under the pretense of getting more open bar service, we decided to stick it out for one more drink once my friend got all patched up. You can imagine the confusion when we told our waitress we were done and she said she would be right back with the check.
Suffice it to say that the open bar, was only at the bar (like I originally thought) and only on certain drinks. Both facts which had conveniently been withheld from our knowledge as we proceeded to order our cocktails. Even more unfortunate was the manner in which this miscommunication was handled by the so-called manager. After I had explained our distress in the whole evening, he said and I quote, 'It is not my responsibility'. Any manager who can say that and mean it, is without a doubt, among the dimmer creatures of this world. I could see I was fighting a loosing battle and settled with the pathetic twenty percent off they gave us.
In retrospect, I should have alerted the police of the public disturbance going on at the Cafeteria restaurant and at least that would have put the fire in the right place.
I now only feel sorry for those who have to work under such a slimy individual, at least we got to walk away from the place with nothing but life experience and a little cut...some of those waitresses looked a little trapped...
For future reference, avoid this spot: 3581 St-Laurent Blvd, Montreal Quebec.

A Taste of India

The Frugal Foodista goes abroad again! Now, before you get too excited, I didn't go to India, but rather, just across the border to Toronto. However, if any of you know what Toronto is like during the summer, you will be well accustomed to the diverse cultural events that go on all over the city.

I went to one such event this weekend, called Masala! Mehindi! Masti! which celebrates South Asian culture. Hosted at the Ex (exhibition center), South Asian culture was displayed in all its beauty and colour with food tents, live entertainment and bazaars, it made for a very vibrant and exotic display. In its tenth year, this event is designed towards celebrating the South Asian culture which is immenent in the city while extending a welcome to those who do not have much experience with it.

I am a huge fan of all South Asian cuisine, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, you name, I love it! So when my father held out the newspaper clipping which had the article advertising it, I jumped on the opportunity the very next day.

The event was a success! Each food stall beckoned you closer with its fragrant scents of tamarind and tumeric...its masala powders and chick pea curries. We all had different dishes, Palau rice, samosa, pakora and butter chicken. We gorged ourselves among the rich and textured flavours. The director of the event would have been proud, as he states, 'Street food is like a tasting table,' and taste we did!

Toronto is a great city, and its celebration of cultural diversity is without a doubt one of its highest acclaims.

For more information on this and other festivals, check out the following link:http://http//www.masalamehndimasti.com/2010/

The Gallows - ironically, full of life!

Last night I fulfilled my sentence with The Gallows. As ominous as that may sound, the experience was well worth the wait and subsequent meetings are sure to be in the near future.

This new bar restaurant opened its doors about two months ago and from what I have been told and what I myself experienced last night, it is a pretty hot spot. The fact that the place was buzzing with people and noise from 6 oclock onwards on a Wednesday night is a tribute to success in itself.

The Gallows took up shop where the old Sage used to be and I must say, they have done a great job refurbishing and giving the place a completely different style and feel. The interior is a cross between urban abstraction and old barnyard. It has a bar section in the front which does wonders for drawing in the crowds and a sit down restaurant in the back. Wooden panels cover any walls which are not brownstone and little lights are placed under certain boards, creating a neat shadow effect. Other lamps are hung from the ceiling and slightly mimic the style found in interrogation rooms. The effect is undeniable, you feel as though you are dining within the confines of a darkly historic building...heavy with ghoulish scars. The bathroom takes the cake however with its House on the Prairie dress hooked up on the wall by the sink with a crow perched right by it. Very eerie...

As far as food goes, I went with a pretty strict mission in mind (to tackle their cheeseburger) and I found it very hard not to get distracted by all the other delicious sounding menu items. There was a particular magnetic force behind their traditional poutine: hand cut fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds as well as their farmer's plate, which was a beautiful assortment of cheese, spreads and pickled vegetables. Luckily, I was able to resist these many temptations and I stayed true to my path...the cheeseburger was all I had built it up to in my mind...and more!
Perhaps part of this was because I had been cheeseburger deprived throughout my stint to Europe, but whatever the reason, nothing can deny the perfect juicy medium rare burger topped with a slice of american cheese (cheddar would have been better but for the additional 1.50 charge...), sautéed onions and homemade pickles all hugged nicely, but not overpowered, by a modest white bun. The size was perfect, it was a hefty burger, but one I managed to finish off without too much discomfort and the portion of fries was just right.

My friends tried a few other menu items, the arugula salad with grilled peaches and pecans was up as well as their infamous scotch egg. (soft boiled egg wrapped in sausage and deep fried...ooer). All dishes got a stamp of satisfaction from relatively tough judges.

To finish the experience off, we had their very own bananas foster brulé which was a monstrosity of layers including peanut butter, chocolate ganache, caramelized bananas and torched fluff to finish it off.

All in all, it was a great meal and dining experience, the staff were very nice and attentive and the usual opening kinks were nowhere to be found. The only thing I found a bit disheartening was the level of noise. It was not the music that was loud, but rather the accoustics of the place which made it seem that the room was fit to burst with noise. I don't enjoy yelling across the table at my friends and I am sure the waiters don't relish the fact that they have to belt out the dessert menu multiple times before everyone at the table hears it.

Apart from that, the restaurant is a go and one I will be returning to promptly.

Paris, Je t'aime.

The title of this segment sums up the past few days in Paris. Simple pleasures, good food, beautiful history....a fabulous vacation.

For our final night, we will have a last taste of french cuisine and then head down to La Seine with our bottle of red and a pinch of nostalgia.

I would love to stay in Paris longer, I feel I have a certain affinity towards to the place. I believe I could someday live here and take up the Parisien lifestyle without too much difficulty. However, although my leaving is tinged with a sadness, it has been such a long time that I have been living out of a suitcase and my apartment in Boston resonates a very warm welcome.

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to epxerience the City of Lights and Love, if you get the chance, seize it!

The amazing sights and all the other great things I have touched on far outweigh any pompous parisiens should you encounter any...we were lucky, this was reduced to a minimum I think because the language is not a barrier for me.

Looking ahead, I do have a few cravings I need to satisfy upon arrival in the States. The first....you guessed it, a good American cheeseburger. To honour this, I will head straight to the Gallows on Washington street to try out their cheeseburger. I also have a new mid-summer resolution to push myself to try out new places and different things more often. Thank goodness I have some motivation, otherwise leaving this land of beauty and inspiration would be much, much harder!