Wall Philosopher du Jour

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Autumn in the Plateau, 2009

Au Marché

It's late summer, which means the Jean-Talon Market is overflowing with tomatoes (even though this was not a stellar summer for the tomato). It's when baskets and baskets of plum tomatoes make their annual appearance and get carted away by the nearby residents of Little Italy.

While plum tomatoes can be used as is, another option is to slow roast them until they become like sun-dried tomatoes. Slow roasting tomatoes couldn't be easier: Cut them in half, line them cut side up on a baking pan, drizzle on some olive oil, some chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and let them cook at a low temperature--say, 200F--for 6 to 8 hours. Perfect for pasta, bruschetta, or as an ingredient in a Mediterranean relish alongside grilled fish.

Photo du Jour

Blue Stick Garden, 2006, created by Claude Cormier

The garden was part of the International Flora Montréal 2006 exhibition in the Old Port along the Lachine Canal.

Au Jardin Botanique ~ Mid-Summer 2009

A Mid-summer stroll through the outdoor gardens of the Jardin Botanique. Take a picnic lunch to the ponds, then spend the afternoon seeing what's in bloom. For rates and information, visit the Jardin Botanique website.

Menu du Jour ~ Tataki Sushi

Tora-Tora (tuna, spicy sauce, asparagus, masago, tempura) rolls, salmon and tuna spring rolls.

There are lots of generic (i.e. not very good) sushi joints around Montréal but Tataki isn't one of them, fortunately. It's a tiny place in the Plateau, short on atmosphere (there are a few tables that are perfectly adequate for lunch, but it's not a space that encourages relaxed lingering) but long on freshness and handmade attention to detail. The friendly couple behind the counter makes it to order while keeping the prices reasonable.

Tataki Sushi
61 avenue Duluth Est
(514)842-5580

Wall Philosopher du Jour

Menu du Jour ~ The Sparrow

We had lunch at The Sparrow just before they closed, temporarily, for a vacation and maternity break. The Sparrow, only open for breakfast and lunch and cash-only at the moment, is on the Mile End stretch of The Main (St-Laurent), a stretch that can be cruel to restaurants since it doesn't get the kind of foot traffic the lower Main receives. But the Sparrow--when it's open--has been drawing crowds for its refined and inventive British pub fare. The decor is sparely pub-by with a hipster vibe and cool bird-patterned wallpaper. We shared two appetizers--stuffed zucchini flowers; skate, chicory (endive to me), and anchovy--a side of frites mayonnaise, and two desserts--baked peaches and ricotta; chocolate cake with clotted cream. Rather fancier and richer than our usual lunch, but worth the caloric splurge.

A.J. Kinik's review of The Sparrow from earlier this year.

The Sparrow
5322 boulevard Saint-Laurent
(514)690-3964

Photo du Jour

Farine Five Roses, 2005

A short history of Farine Five Roses sign, discussions of its significance in the Montréal skyline, and the struggle to preserve it amid corporate shake-ups can be found here and here.

As of today, the sign--usually with a few gaps in its neon--still greets visitors to Montréal who arrive via the Champlain Bridge.

A Ruelle of One's Own?

Before I became a part-time resident of Montréal in 2003, I had no knowledge of Montréal's network of alleyways, or, to use the more elegant-sounding French word, ruelles. Alleyways are not unique to Montréal, but Montréal's between-street streets are almost like a parallel city, one more akin to a village than an urban center.

I first began exploring the ruelles of my neighborhood, The Plateau, then expanded my wanderings to other neighborhoods, including Mile End, which has several of my favorite ruelles. (I'll feature various ruelles in future posts.) What I like about the ruelles is that they offer a glimpse into the everyday private lives of Montréalers; in other words, you can be something of a Peeping Tom, without getting arrested. Peek over and through the eclectic collection of walls and fences to find backyard gardens, some well-tended, lush with flowers and greenery, others overgrown and neglected, filled with discarded objects, others paved over and used for precious parking. In the early evenings, a particularly pleasant time to wander ruelles in summertime, you hear the clatter of silverware, the popping of wine corks and clinking of glasses, the burble of water features.

Children play in ruelles, safe--mostly--from traffic. People bicycle through them to avoid the urban rush. Dogs and cats love them. (As do skunks, as we discovered this summer when one visited our dining patio.) While the neighborhood streets of Montréal tend to be fairly unified--aside from those places where urban "renewal" projects left their unfortunate mark--the ruelles consistently surprise with their mad architectural hodgepodge. Some are tidy--a few beautified ones have been designated "Ruelles Vertes"--others decidedly grungier, requiring watchful stepping, particularly in springtime. You'll come across abandoned mattresses and sofas, obsolete computers and TVs, appliances and curious artworks. And hanging everywhere from porches and balconies: laundry, laundry, and more laundry, each clothesline a unique banner.

Then there's the graffiti. While there's no shortage of graffiti in all parts of Montréal, the ruelles tend to attract graffiti philosophers, statements and questions that can amuse or mystify, make you shake your head in recognition or puzzlement. (Wall Philosopher du Jour will be a regular feature of this blog.)

Though I've wandered some of my favorite ruelles countless times, each time I rediscover favorite miscellany and discover something new or changed, and that's without taking the seasons into consideration. A summer ruelle is entirely different from a winter ruelle. An autumn ruelle hints--with a last splash of brilliant color--at the shorter, quieter days ahead. A springtime ruelle offers--once the winter puddles dry up and the dog poop and debris are cleared away--promise of the long (and this year, wet) summer days to come.

Beyond riffing on the Virginia Woolf title, I chose "A Ruelle of One's Own" because the ruelles represent to me the sense of surprise and discovery that I find in Montréal as a whole. Though the ruelles of Montréal are not private, as you wander them you may feel as if you are being let in on something private. It's an interesting--and, for me, inspiring--sensation in a busy city; the sense of being part of a community yet also the sense that you can claim, for a few moments anyway, a small piece of it for your own. Montréal may not be the most beautiful or grand city in the world, but that's one of its charms. It doesn't wear all of its riches on its sleeve; you have to work a little to find them.