Skip to content

Miss Prêt à Manger: A Unexpected Lunchtime Gem in Downtown Montreal

Soup_MissPretAManger

Downtown with a local, organic, farm-to-table philosophy and reasonable prices… I’m shocked that I only discovered this gem on Bleury street recently. How did I miss it? Who knows, but I’m glad I found it now.

The discovery happened back at the end of January when I was checking out the participants in Montreal’s first ever Poutine Week. Seriously. The last thing I expected to come across was a poutine made with shredded local organic lamb, homemade lamb gravy, and organic cheese curds. I think I just about fell off my chair. There was no way I missing this. So on one lunch hour, I grabbed my friend and off we went

Located on the edge of the financial district,  Miss Prêt à Manger really caters to the downtown lunch crowd. It’s open from Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, and closed on weekends. It’s tiny. The menu changes daily to weekly, and is posted both on the website and on the restaurant’s Facebook page. They also serve coffee, sweets and smoothies. The day we went, the place was hopping. We showed up around 12:15 and only managed to squeeze in without a reservation. Folks who showed up after us were offered a take-away or told to come back later.

The poutine came in two sizes. A small $5 appetizer version and a larger $10 meal size one. Naturally, we ordered both. I took the smaller one, followed by an organic salmon tartare with a mango salsa. My friend simply opted for a mushroom soup starter followed by the larger poutine.

Mine arrived quickly and it was fabulous! The lamb was perfect. It was rich and flavourful. The gravy was hot enough to just melt the curds without turning them to goo, and the sweet potato fries were a great addition. If all of them had been sweet potatoes, it would have been overkill. But mixed together with the Yukon Gold potatoes, it was perfect.

The salmon tartare and mango salsa was no disappointment either. The two complemented each other well with just the right amount of tang. And it was served with a very generous salad and oversized pita chips. So good!

smallpoutineMissPretMangerPoutineMissPretMangerSalmonMissPretManger

And here is where things went weird… They ran out of organic lamb. So instead of a pulled lamb poutine, my friend was served a pulled pork one instead (also organic). It was delicious, but a disappointment for him since he was really looking forward the lamb. (He’s a big lamb fan; not so much a pork fan.) We had watched them change the menu board from lamb to pork not long after we ordered, and figured since our order was in he’d get the lamb. Apparently our server did too. She was very apologetic about the substitution, and we were offered a desert on the house. (Carrot cake. Also delicious.)

I often think that a true test of a restaurant (or anything for that matter) is when the pressure is on. Here, Miss Prêt à Manger impressed me too. The place was busy; I mean really busy. And the staff exhibited true grace under pressure. Even as they were having to turn people away at the door, they were clearly doing their best to find solutions (like offering take-out or suggesting a time to come back). They were smiling, helpful and continued to be attentive to their customers. There was no sense of panic. And the front of house team felt like a team that worked well together. Very professional.

Overall, a fantastic experience. I can’t wait to go back again.

Miss Prêt à Manger
1104 Rue de Bleury Montreal, QC H2Z 1N4
(514) 861-6565

Open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00pm
$15-$25 for mains, taxes and tip extra

In addition to being a restaurant, Miss Prêt à Manger also does prepared meals for take-away.

Miss Pret a Manger on Urbanspoon

Posted in Canadian Regions, Montreal, Quebec, Various.

Tagged with , , , .

5 comments

By Amanda Strong – April 10, 2013

Going Local with Charlevoix Lamb

I love my friends and family. They know I will only eat sustainably-sourced or organic meat; and often go out of their way to find some when I’m invited to dinner or potlucks. Because it costs more, I usually offer to contribute toward the difference in price. Depending on their financial situation, some friends take me up on the offer, but many do not.

In addition to being incredibly thoughtful, my friends’ and family’s desire to feed me “Amanda-friendly” meat also means that I often get to discover new suppliers and products. Or at the very least, I get to discover new factoids about the food I am being served.

Take today’s e-mail from my Mum, as an example, in a conversation about Quebec lamb for an upcoming family dinner: “I usually get the Charlevoix lamb. Is that ok?” Good question.

Here is what I found out:

  • Charlevoix Lamb is a protected name (similar to “appellation d’origine controllée”)
  • The lambs are small and lean (about 40 kg live or 25 kg slaughtered)
  • Herds are limited to 500 and may include Arcott-canadien, Polypay, Dorset and Hampshire breeds
  • Lamb labelled as Charlevoix lamb:
    • must be born, bred and raised in the Charlevoix region
    • must be fed by their mother for at least 50 days
    • can only be fed  fodder, oats or barley native to (and milled in) the region
    • can not be fed corn
    • can not be castrated
  • Vitamins and minerals can be added to the feed
  • Use of antibiotics and other medications is regulated
  • Once slaughtered, the lamb must be hung for at least 7 days

According to an article in MacLean’s, Charlevoix lamb was actually the first food in North America to get a protected designation. (Some ice cider producers in Quebec are currently trying to get one too.) In 2010, there were only 6 lamb producers that met the certification requirements.

So, to answer Mum’s question, I said,  ”that works for me!” Why?  They seem to be naturally-raised in barns or pasture depending on the season, fed a local and natural diet, and treated humanely. One of the important things for me is that the lambs are fed by their mother’s milk, which these are. Yes, antibiotics are permitted, but they  are not added to the feed like in industrial agricultural operations. I can live with that.

Look for Charlevoix lamb at your local butcher.

Image Credit: Saphireblue, Creative Commons License
 

Posted in Articles, Canadian Regions, Products, Quebec, Various.

Tagged with , .

1 comment

By Amanda Strong – March 27, 2013

Soba Noodles: Fast, Versatile and Tasty

I love, LOVE, soba noodles. They are quick to cook up for a last minute meal, are really versatile, and not to mention filling and nutritious.

Soba noodles are traditional Japanese noodles made using buckwheat flour. They are slightly thicker than a spaghetti noodle, and considerably heartier. One reason is the buckwheat flour, which is hearty and nutty. Buckwheat is a slow-releasing carbohydrate with a low glycemic index. It is also a decent source of protein, iron and manganese.

My favourite brand of soba noodles is Sobaya, a local company based out of Cowansville in the Eastern Townships. In addition to traditional soba noodles, they have soba made with kamut or spelt. (My favourite is the spelt and buckwheat soba), as well as other kinds of Japaense noodles like the thicker udon noodle and the thinner somen noodle. Many of their noodles are organic and made from stone-milled flour.

Some of my favourite ways to cook up the noodles are to simply toss them with a peanut or tahini dressing in the winter, or fresh pesto in the summer; cooked up with vegetables in broth for a warming bowl of noodle soup; or served beneath a stir fry.

Feeling inspired? Here are some recipe ideas. All of them take under 20 minutes to prepare:

Notes: Use these recipes as a guide to create your own concoctions using in-season ingredients. I almost never use a recipe when cooking soba (well, except this time when I made hiyashi soba). If you try the miso-glazed salmon recipe, look for sustainably harvested or farmed scallops. A few grocery store chains carry MSC-certified scallops. You can also ask your local fishmonger.

Posted in Products, Recipes.

Tagged with , , , .

1 comment

By Amanda Strong – March 26, 2013

Farming Water Facts for World Water Day

Water_drop_001

Today is the United Nations World Water Day so I thought I’d post some quick facts about how much water is used to produce some of the foods we enjoy, and agriculture. What I found was this great infographic that pretty much says it all!

Here are some of the data that really stood out for me from this infographic as well as some other sources. As well, here is a neat calculator to calculate your water footprint.

  • Only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh water
  • 70% of fresh water is used for agriculture
  • Only 1% of freshwater is used for irrigation in the U.K. (must be all the rain?)
  • About 21,000 litres of water are needed to produce 1 kg of coffee (wow!)
  • 24,000 litres of water are needed to prduce 1 kg of chocolate
  • 11,397 litres of water are needed to produce 1 L of biodiesel from soy
  • 120 litres of water are needed to produce 1 glass of wine
  • 15-35% of global  irrigation withdrawals are thought to be unsustainable
    (including irrigation in California)
  • California withdraws 15,000-34,000 gallons of groundwater every day for agriculture (compared to 0-200 gallons for New England states)

Infographic by Seametrics, a manufacturer of water flow meter technology that measures and conserves water.

 Other sources:
http://www.waterfootprint.org and http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/productgallery
Total Water use in the United States, 2005

Image: Wikimedia Commons: originally posted to Flickr by jmsuarez at http://flickr.com/photos/47918845@N00/2631718740

Posted in Articles, Various.

Tagged with , , .

1 comment

By Amanda Strong – March 22, 2013

San Francisco: My Fav 5 Places to Eat

BioSFO

Let me tell you about San Francisco. It’s one of my favourite North American cities. There are many reasons to love San Francisco, but one is easily its food. Not only is it tasty and diverse, it probably has the “greenest” food scene in North America, if not globally. That’s not surprising since by some accounts it was the epicenter of the sustainable food movement.

I was there last week. It was my fourth visit. It’s a city I never tire of visiting, and one where I discover more and more gems every visit.each time.

Here are five of my favourite places to eat when I visit San Francisco:

Bio
75 O’Farrel St (Financial District)
Tucked away in the Financial District, you could easily miss this place. I’d be a pity if you did. Everything is organic, most of it is gluten-free, and all of it’s delicious. Breakfast, sandwiches (awesome, amazing sandwiches), salads, soups, juices, coffee, chocolate (OMG, the chocolate), and deserts. Pictured above.

Tataki Sushi and Saki Bar
2815 California St (Pacific Heights)
Only sustainable seafood passes the doors of this tiny, bustling sushi restaurant in Pacific Heights.  Open since 2008, Tataki was North America’s first sustainable sushi restaurant, and it’s still on the leading edge of the movement. They have a standard menu but the selection of fish varies according to availability  Expect to see some non-traditional sushi on the menu, and others completely absent. For a visual treat order their fire extinguisher. Tataki has two other locations, each with its own style.

A sushi classic: Shrimp tempura roll. Most restaurant shrimp is not sustainable-sourced, so I was really excited to try this!

A sushi classic: Shrimp tempura roll. Most restaurant shrimp is not sustainable-sourced, so I was really excited to try this!

Cha-Ya
762 Valencia Street (Mission District near between 18th & 19th street)
I stumbled across this place on my wanderings along Valencia Street, an off-beat street with curious and trendy shops just west of Mission (and quite the contrast too!). Going beyond noodles and sushi, it ventures into some great Buddhist vegetarian fare with fresh California ingredients at  a reasonable price.

Gracias Madre
2211 Mission (Mission District near 18th Street)
Organic, Mexican, local, and vegan. My travel companion and I didn’t even realise we were in a vegan restaurant until our second or third pass down the menu. That’s when we noticed that there was no meat on it. Everything just sounded so delicious; and it was! Many of the ingredients come from the restaurants own farm. Be prepared to take home a doggie bag. Portions are generous!

Farmer Brown’s Little Skillet
360 Ritch Street @ Townsend (SoMa, between 3rd & 4th street)
There is no stumbling into this place. It’s tucked away on a side street along the edge of the SoMa (South of Market) district. But if you’re a fan of southern fried chicken and other simple “soul food”, it’s well worth hunting out. Make sure it’s a sunny day though. The food is served out of a window on the side of a brick building and there is no seating. I grabbed a spot on the steps of the building opposite to chow down on my fried chicken, fries and ham-hock greens. Everything is local, organic and reasonably-priced. (Open for lunch only.)

An article on sustainable food in San Francisco would not be complete without a mention of the Ferry Building Marketplace at the end of Market Street. The Ferry Building is in fact where the ferries come in and depart from to for cities like Oakland and Sausalito. It’s also the hub of local and sustainable food in the city. If local food is your thing, then this place is a must visit. The indoor marketplace is full of shops and restaurants offering  local and sustainable fare, including pasture-raised meats, sustainable seafood, regional wines and cheeses, vegan donuts, gluten-free baked goods, organic ice cream…. You get the idea.  Three days a week they have an outdoor farmers’ market with fresh produce and food stalls.  Lunchtime line-ups for the street food start at 11:30 and wind out and around the sidewalks by noon. Don’t let them deter you though. Your taste buds will thank you!

Do you have a favourit restaurant in San Francisco? What about a favourite city for sustainable food? Share them!

Posted in Travel, Various.

Tagged with , , , , , .

No comments

By Amanda Strong – March 1, 2013