Free Coffee & All That Sharing Stuff

What strikes me now from when I first met Anthony Benda is his single-minded, maniacally unwavering focus on coffee, making it and sharing it with some nice folks. I met him in a non-fiction writing workshop in my fourth year at Concordia and while most of the rest of us were trying…

Wine and Dine MTL | Mai Thai

Going out to dinner can be awesome, it can be unremarkable, or in the worst of cases, it can ruin your evening. Many elements determine these things and each of these factors is of course contingent on a million others. So how do you know when a restaurant is good or bad, vs. when a particular experience at said restaurant is good or bad?

The latest Wine and Dine adventure took us to Outremont, to Mai Thai on Bernard (cross street Parc). We had the largest W&D turn out to date with twelve guests. Our large crew seemed to take the restaurant by surprise, despite the fact that we gave them a week’s notice. There was one server and one cook to take care of about twenty patrons that night…

Let’s all do some Charlie Sheen and talk about five news stories you may have overlooked

Okay, I give up. I’ll do it. I’ll drink the same Kool-Aid that the rest of the media seems to have swallowed and write about Charlie Sheen. I’ll pretend for a minute that the actor’s self-sparked saga is more important than anything else going on right now and drink. Actually, forget the over-used…

Canada: Cereal Killers or Maple Fascists? – Foxy Reports

Moving to Montreal was a life changing experience for the better. I have discovered so many things here that I might not have, had I stayed in NYC and I have fallen in love with them. The terraces, the fresh bread, biking, the cheese curds (!?!) are all things that, while they may have been available in NY, I never took advantage of…

Wine & Dine Montreal | Marché 27

Meat doesn’t get any fresher than at Marché 27, the understated Bar à Tartare on the corner of Prince Arthur and Clark, tucked behind the bustle and hype of St Laurent. Seven friends joined me last Monday for a meat fest, the best way to start the week. Before I gush about the food, I have to mention that the service that night was shockingly slow. I hesitate to write this because I’ve been there a few times and have never had a similar experience…

Not much of a classic at the heritage classic: Habs VS Calgary at the Pepsi Forum Sports Bar

There is nothing more Canadian than outdoor hockey. Most hockey players’ first hockey memory is on an outdoor rink. Skating around all day until cheeks turn red and the feeling in toes starts to fade is a Canadian tradition. The Heritage Classic had returned to Canada after much success in the United States with the New Year’s game, The Winter Classic. It was going to be a classic…

Told you so! Why no one wants to gloat about the global food crisis

Who doesn’t like a good gloat? A self-satisfying ‘told ya so!’ to the people who doubted you and a pat on the back from supporters when everyone else swore you were wrong. Sometimes smugness feels great! Well, I’ll tell you about a bunch of people who actually aren’t happy to brag about being right – the folks who have been warning us about the effects climate change will have on the global food supply…

There will be blood; the brawl in beantown: Habs VS Bruins at Taverne Chez Normand

If you’re new to Montreal Canadiens hockey, now is the right time to start watching. A good chunk of the season has past and each game until the last one will always be important. All points lead to a playoff spot and every single goal matters, quite exciting. A middle of the week game can be ordinary…except when the Habs are playing their longtime rival the Boston Bruins. To all fans, we all know it’s always a great battle. To anyone new, the one thing you should know: the Habs don’t like Boston and vice versa. I wanted to go to a hockey hotspot…

Philinos – Wine & Dine MTL goes Greek

For this week’s Wine and Dine we went on a Mediterranean escape to Philinos, a Greek joint on Parc unobtrusively located on the main road just north Mount Royal, wedged in a row of duplexes. But what is it they say about judging a book by its cover? Once inside, the decor seemed more bistro meets pub, with dimmed lighting…

Welcome to Wine and Dine Montreal: Great spots to grab a bite and have drinks with friends

I am a self-proclaimed foodie, but I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon: the experience of food is so much better when you are in good company. Perhaps this is why I’m more likely to make a nice meal if I’m cooking for someone else. Perhaps I’m just lazy. In any case, eating with good friends is at the top of my “favourite things” list.

Enter Wine and Dine Montreal.

We’ve reached the halfway point with a shootout point: Penguins and Habs at Cine Express

The Canadiens have now reached the halfway point of the season after a bumpy December (we must never speak of the road trip ever again). Not exactly what the Habs were hoping for. However this season has been nothing but surprises. Some good, some bad. Either way, the goal still stands: to make the playoffs. Even in January we’re thinking what may happen come April. But good news, the schedule isn’t as hectic as that road trip. The Habs did come home a little lighter: Max Lapierre got traded to the Ducks. We will see him again along with ex captain Saku Koivu when the Ducks play later this month.

Crescent is funny – The Comedy Lounge featuring “Devil” Dan Derkson @ Karina’s

There are two things I do rarely: attend comedy shows and go to crescent Street. The former is something I strive to fix while the latter is…um…not. Last Friday, I did both when the FTB team went to The Comedy Lounge at Karina’s. Karina’s, for those who don’t know, is the rather swanky-looking space on top of Sir Winston CheapThrills (credit Todd for that line) on, you guessed it, Crescent Street in downtown Montreal. While clearly high class-looking, the vibe in the place was, fortunately, down and dirty. From Bruno Ly’s observations on people giving up work because of someone famous in the family to Kevin “blowjob machine” Coughlin’s (let’s hope that nickname sticks) happy news report on all the female eye candy on the corner of Crescent and de Maisonneuve (hey, it’s not all bad) to stand-in host Kris Dulgar keeping it all together, these comedians made me feel at home, laughing amongst all this luxury.

There’s no Long Island Ice tea when the Habs Play Great: Islanders VS Canadiens Adventures at Nacho Libre

What an October it was, scary and surprising; The Canadiens put to rest the ghost of Halak and closed the month atop the league standings! With Carey Price playing amazing, (scary isn’t it?) the Habs have surprised many by banking quite a few points early in the season. (Eat this Price haters, especially the one who posted his hate on Facebook. I responded along with 21 others to “chill” on the hot goalie.) “Would you like it if I came into your workplace and start saying you suck?”

The Double Down: The Ups and Down

How many of you of out there care to double down on a bet that the new Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) sandwich will be back after the month long trial in Canada? For those of us unaware, KFC has started test marketing its American phenomenon the “Double Down” sandwich in Canada this week. With 540 Calories, 30 grams of fat and 1740 mg of sodium, the Double Down seems to be doubling up the anger of nutritionists and doctors everywhere…and for good reason. While the North American health food market steadily rises, the fast food chains are doing what they’ve always done best, putting money ahead of people’s health and in the US it’s working brilliantly.

Preseason Dilemmas: who’s in our Lineup, who’s in my lineup?

It’s only preseason everyone, chillax! Wait, is chillax even a word? Chillax is a lazy man’s way of saying calm down. Aw Carey Price, could you have picked a better word? I had time to go into the office this past Monday night. My office, being the Copacabana on St. Laurent. It was a quiet rainy night, the bar was full of a handful of regulars, watching the Montreal Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 6-2. It was the fourth night in a row that our Habs had play, a mixed squad of fresh faces and familiar ones, a different goalie each game.

How it gets in

It’s a bit of a fantasy. A stock broker gets laid off, realizes how unhappy he was, finds an unused tract of land, then resurrects a farm. I’d like to introduce you to Ramsey, owner of Ferme Carya in Senneville who had the courage to start over again as an organic urban farmer in 2005.