A weekend of gastronomic suicide in Montreal

Well, not entirely suicide, because I'm still here. Maybe severe gastronomic self-harm? All I know is that I didn't feel too good on the drive back to Toronto the Monday after. Not surprising; in the span of 24 hours, we ate at Joe Beef, Première Moisson at the Marché Jean-Talon, La Banquise, Juliette et Chocolat, and Au Pied de Cochon. I should probably be dead.or at least suffering from heart failure.

We drove to Montreal from Toronto on Saturday morning, got to Montreal around lunchtime and had St-Hubert for lunch. It's a Quebec institution.

Quarter-chicken with mashed potatoes (dark meat), hot chicken sandwich with fries

Saturday night at Joe Beef:

The sign in the window on rue Notre-Dame, the foie gras Ruben double down (smoked meat and sauerkraut sandwiched between two slabs of foie gras coated in crushed potato chips, deep-fried and covered in melted cheese), a giant Bison head in the bathroom

Joe Beef was first and unfortunately I was a little disappointed in it. The food was good, but it was so hipster it hurt.menus on chalkboards you couldn't read (seriously, someone with nicer handwriting needs to write those), tiny tables, the gigantic bison head in the bathroom (seriously, it's freaky to pee next to it), long wait times, and pretty high prices. But the food was good. We were so hungry once our mains came (steak and fries) that we didn't bother to photograph them. It was also close to midnight (much later than I usually stay up, much less have dinner), so we were tired.

Sunday morning at Marché Jean-Talon:

24-lb turkey for $86.47, aubergines, fresh cranberries, romanesco (cross between a broccoli and cauliflower), colourful cauliflower, baskets of blackberries, blue Concord grapes, white chocolate ghosts at Premiere Moisson, baguettes at Premiere Moisson

It made me so happy to be there, surrounded by beautiful fresh produce and gorgeous bread. We had chocolatines (pain au chocolat) for breakfast. I could have eaten 5 of them.

Lunchtime on St-Denis:

Le Dan Dan poutine (fries, gravy, cheese curds with bacon, onions, and pepperoni, sounds disgusting but it was delicious) at La Banquise, Viennese hot chocolate at juliette et chocolat, fleur de sel caramel petit pot at juliette et chocolat

Fries, cheese, chocolate.it's so French it hurts.

Sunday dinner at Au Pied de Cochon:

A spoon the size of my palm, well-worn APDC dinnerware, the best bread I've ever had, duck carpaccio (with mushrooms, parmesan, and a raw egg on top), bison steak tartare, the pied de cochon (pig's foot with cabbage and cheesy mashed potatoes), canard en conserve (duck in a can), the back of the can, the duck in the can being poured onto my plate

SO GOOD. Can't describe. I really thought I was going to die though.

So yeah, that was my weekend in Montreal. In between these meals we walked A LOT, I think we logged about 12km (7.5 miles) on Sunday alone. It helped, but not enough, I had to go straight into a "detox" when I got home. Worth it though!

Falling hard

I was resisting, but I think I’m coming around to fall now. Maybe it’s because of the cool crisp weather, or the leaves changing into pretty colours, or the hearty comfort food I want to cook and eat (like cottage pie or mac and cheese).

Soïa & Kyo trench coat (2008 or 2009) | Club Monaco scarf | lululemon leggings | Puma ballet flats

Or maybe it’s because of my favourite coat and scarf and a giant pumpkin at Marché Jean-Talon this past weekend.

It was an epic weekend, gastronomically speaking. More on that to come later this week.

Not falling yet

Time does weird things to me sometimes: days go by fast, and then slow, and then fast and slow at the same time. I remember watching the clock at work a lot in the past month, but at the same time I can’t remember September at all. Almost like I literally blinked and it was gone.

So since I missed September completely, I haven’t clued in to the fact that it’s October, fall has been officially here for two weeks, and I should put summer behind me.

Anthro Drape & Twist Top (Postmark) | Matsu necklace | J.Crew No.2 Pencil Skirt in Retro Jade | Miss Sixty Tracy shoes

The weather has been lovely lately, so I can get away with bare legs for a little longer. But I suspect that once I get back from my trip to Montreal this weekend, I’ll be back in tights until spring.

A little gripe about the J.Crew No.2 Pencil Skirt. This and the Berry Pink one are the first I’ve owned. I tried it on in store, then ordered it online in the same size but Petite for the length. The Petite is tighter than the regular size, which is fine in the Retro Jade, but the Berry Pink is noticeably narrower despite being the same size (I checked the labels three or four times). Very annoying because the pink doesn’t really fit right now, but I’m keeping it because it was on sale. Actually, the jade probably won’t fit either after my gluttonous weekend, but I can use them as motivation to get back on track.

Live to eat

This morning my carpool friend asked me what I’m passionate about. She mentioned a colleague whose passion is knitting. She said hers is hair removal (we laughed and said she should be an aesthetician instead of an HR manager), and asked me what mine is. I said, “fashion, books, music, food.” Mostly clothes and food though.

I don’t get people who don’t enjoy food and just eat because they have to. I live to eat. Which is why I’ll probably never be a size 0, and that’s just fine with me. (Well, actually, I’d love to be skinnier, but food wins every time.)

Just some of the things I’ve eaten over the past few weeks:

beef cheek banh mi from Banh Mi Boys, English toffee with Costa Rican milk chocolate and almonds from SoMA chocolatemaker, Vietnamese bún (vermicelli with grilled chicken and nước chấm, Vietnamese dipping sauce), crispy spring rolls (i.e. crack), Skor gelato from Hollywood Gelato, crispy chicken tacos.

Date night with Will on Saturday was at Barque Smokehouse in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood, which was good but a little disappointing, I was expecting more for the price. It was also painfully, painfully hipster.

the cutlery comes with a brush, bucket of popcorn that I demolished while waiting for our mains (service was a little too slow), pulled duck tacos, a giant pile of meat (brisket, chicken thighs, and beef ribs).

A foodie friend and I stood in line on Monday after work to eat at momofuku noodle bar, which opened last week in Toronto’s Shangri-La Hotel. The lines were long last week (was there an Apple store in there or something?), but pretty easy to get into on a Monday at 5 p.m. I still prefer ssäm bar in New York, but I can now say I’ve eaten David Chang’s pork buns in two different countries.

pork buns, Momofuku ramen

The food adventures don’t end here though, Will and my foodie friend and I are going to Montreal over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with the sole purpose of eating at Au Pied de Cochon (where chef Martin Picard tried to kill Anthony Bourdain) and Joe Beef (home of the foie gras double down). I’m a little afraid that we might die before we make it home.

Ode to bare legs

It was seriously effing cold today. Cold enough that I was wishing for a pair of gloves (gloves!) on my way home from early dinner at momofuku (more on that later). I know fall is officially here, but how about a little more warmth before blasting us with the cold? I need more transition time.

1, 2, 3, 4

I’ve been wearing some new things lately, but I’ve been lax about taking pictures and posting them. So here are some outfit photos I took over the summer and never got around posting. I’ll try to get back into the swing of taking photos on a more regular basis. Until then, even though I haven’t entirely given up on tightslessness yet, let’s call this an ode to bare legs.

I don’t even have a title for this post.

It’s been a crazy week. I work in for a major Canadian wireless provider, and iPhone 5 launch = chaos. So this is all I have this week, just a handful of fashion-y snaps I’ve collected on my freakishly out-of-date iPhone 3GS, and not even a decent title for it.

Also, I’m currently obsessed with PicFrame and making collages out of everything. But if anyone makes fun of me, I’ll just say it could be real scrapbooking instead, what’s worse?

I almost bought this Anthro vase last December, Anthro pencil box with an OWN network-esque inspirational quote, my last pedicure of the season, a table full of colourful Hanky Panky thongs, argyle and miniskirts at Club Monaco, dubious jeans at Club Monaco.

Since I work for said wireless provider, I’m not allowed to upgrade to the 5 until the initial launch is over, which means January next year. So until then I’ll have the ongoing battle in my head about if I actually need to upgrade to iPhone 5 (which really, I don’t) or if I should just hang on to my 3GS until it dies. The horrors of using outdated technology, what a first-world problem.

I wear what I love

"1-zip favouring familiar silhouettes. Left whips and chains behind, I'm boycotting trends, it's my new look this season." - Tori Amos, "Girl Disappearing"

I am definitely not a trendy person. Frankly, chasing after trends every season is exhausting and confusing to me. It’s inevitable that some trends end up in my closet because I shop every season, but I don’t scour the fashion magazines to find out what’s “in” for the season and go searching for that, nor do I shun things because they’re too trendy. I wear what I love, period.

knockoff J.Crew turquoise bubble necklace from Etsy | Jacob sleeveless top | Artizia stretchy knit miniskirt

I’ve always liked the J.Crew bubble necklace, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend $150 on acrylic beads. But $15 on Etsy I can do! I know that’s it’s super-popular right now and everyone with a blog seems to have one, but like I just said, I wear what I love (if I can afford it—it’s not like I can afford a pair of Louboutins right now). Also, I haven’t seen anyone wearing one around Toronto (admittedly, my world in Toronto is pretty small), so it’s not super-popular in my everyday life. I’m the trend-setter! Ha.

(My one gripe: it’s effing noisy. I was jingling my way around my office today. Also, oops, that’s another thing I’ve bought this month.)

These rambling musings on trendiness reminds me of a sort-of friend (we’ve known each other for years but we’re not close) who gets herself riled up ever year about trends. She reads magazines and then immediately declares that she can’t wear any of the trends (without trying any of them). But her sense of fashion is also a little skewed, she thinks Mexx and Banana Republic are the epitome of trendiness, which makes me laugh, and she thinks I’m very trendy, when I’m really not. Stylish/fashionable: yes, I think so, I hope so; trendy: not very often.

Faceless

Still working on getting my eczema outbreak to clear, but I can’t use it as an excuse to work at home this week. It’s not THAT bad. Just to tactless Asian dental hygienists. Brave face to the world!

But not in this photo. I’ve cropped my head out.

Anthro Reflecting Pool Dress (Moulinette Soeurs) | Anthro Anadyomene cardigan (Rosie Neira) | Hilary Druxman necklace | Cole Haan sandals

It’s the second week of September but as far as I’m concerned, it’s still summer. I could start transitioning, but I’m being stubborn and sticking to summer for as long as I can.