An endless banquet...of Montreal posts

Well, this marks the end of our guest-blogging stint here at Budget Travel Online (and simulcast on "...an endless banquet"). We thought we'd leave you with some more results from of our "...an endless banquet" Summer 2007 Questionnaire, which (as we're sure you've noticed) have been light, and maybe even a bit frivolous, but they're loaded with lots of useful tips for all of you who are contemplating coming to Montreal for a visit. fig. a: Ethne de Vienne, La Depense, Montreal, QC Ethne de Vienne Co-owner/world traveler La Depense, Olives et Epices 1. Place of birth: Port of Spain, Trinidad 2. Favorite place to unwind after a long day: My backyard with a Cosmo. 3. Favorite place in Montreal to people-watch: The jazz festival [le Festival International de Jazz de Montreal]. And right here [Jean-Talon Market]. This is pretty cool too, but the jazz festival is weirder, and weird is good. 4. Favorite little-known gem of a restaurant: Fu Kam Wah, Ville St-Laurent. 5. Favorite summer cocktail: Cosmopolitan. 6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Pistachio. 7. Favorite farmstand find: Cashew nuts in Trinidad. 8. Mountains or ocean? Mountains. 9. Planes, trains, or automobiles? Trains. 10. Peaches, pears, or plums? Plums. 11. Bonus question: Best recent trip: India and Sri Lanka. Inspired by Ethne's responses, Michelle got to work again. This time she whipped up her very first batch of pistachio ice cream (one of my all-time faves too) in Ethne's honor. She didn't exactly invent the recipe, but she based it on a recipe from a very reliable source: Fruit: A Connoisseur's Guide and Cookbook by the legendary Alan Davidson. She was sure Ethne would have approved, especially because this recipe calls for cardamom, a specialty at Olives et Epices. We recommend their ultra-fragrant Sri Lankan cardamom. The results were fantastic--one of the finest, most exotic pistachios I've ever encountered. Pistachio Ice Cream 10 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 1/2 cups milk 2 cups cream 2 high-quality cardamom pods, crushed 1 cup high-quality pistachios, crushed 1. Place the yolks in a medium bowl. 2. Bring the milk, cream, crushed cardamom and 1/2 cup of the sugar to a boil in a medium-size pot. 3. Add the rest of the sugar to the yolks and whisk till the egg yolks lighten in color, about 5 minutes. 4. Pour the boiling milk/cream mixture onto the yolks, making sure to mix constantly as you do. 5. Place the mixture back in the pot and heat over low heat, never allowing it to boil, until thickened to the point that it coats the back of the spoon. 6. Cool the mixture over an ice bath and strain. 7. Churn in an ice cream maker. 8. When fully churned, fold in the pistachios. 9. Transfer to a container and freeze until solid. 10. Serve and enjoy. fig. b: Camilla inspects the menu at Niu Kee Camilla Wynne-Ingr Musician/patissiere/writer-in-the-making Backroom Records and Pastries 1. Place of birth: Edmonton, AB. 2. Favorite place to unwind after a long day: Cafe Romolo [272 Bernard W., (514) 272-5035]. 3. Favorite place in Montreal to people-watch: Cafe Olimpico [124 St-Viateur W., (514) 495-0746]. 4. Favorite little-known gem of a restaurant: India Beau Village [752 Jarry W., (514) 272-5847]. 5. Favorite summer cocktail: Cucumber Swizzle. 6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Can I pick one I haven't tried yet? [Uh, sure.--eds.] Kentucky Rhubarb Pie. It's rhubarb with pieces of pie crust and bourbon. 7. Favorite farmstand find: Sour cherries. 8. Mountains or ocean? Mountains. 9. Planes, trains, or automobiles? Trains. 10. Peaches, pears, or plums? Peaches 11. Bonus question: When will Backroom Records and Pastries re-open [they're currently on hiatus]? August. Definitely August. fig. c: Mark Slutsky, Lil' Lake, ON Mark Slutsky Filmmaker/film critic/restaurant critic Automatic Vaudeville Studios / Montreal Mirror 1. Place of birth: Toronto, ON. 2. Favorite place to unwind after a long day: Club Social. 3. Favorite place in Montreal to people-watch: My balcony overlooking St-Viateur. 4. Favorite little-known gem of a restaurant: Ange and Ricky. 5. Favorite summer cocktail: Pimm's is my number-1 cup this year. 6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Roberto's [2221 Belanger, (514) 374-9844] lemon gelato. 7. Favorite farmstand find: Fresh corn. 8. Mountains or ocean? Ocean. That's where my old salty heart lies. 9. Planes, trains, or automobiles? Trains. 10. Peaches, pears, or plums? Peaches. fig. d: Michelle Marek, Tilghman Island, MD Michelle Marek Blogger/patissiere "...an endless banquet"/ Laloux 1. Place of birth: Toronto, ON. 2. Favorite place to unwind after a long day: BU 3. Favorite place in Montreal to people-watch: Parc Jeanne-Mance. 4. Favorite little-known gem of a restaurant: Mister Spicee. 5. Favorite summer cocktail: Pimm's Cup. 6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Milk gelato. 7. Favorite farmstand find: English peas. 8. Mountains or ocean? Mountains. 9. Planes, trains, or automobiles? Trains. 10. Peaches, pears, or plums? Plums. fig. e: Nick and Anthony's mountain holiday, spring 2007 Nick Robinson Proprietor/man-about-town Korova Bar 1. Place of birth: Montreal, QC. I'm half Quebecois, half Jewish. It doesn't get much more "Montreal" than that. I'm a Mordecai Richler novel become flesh. 2. Favorite place to unwind after a long day: My Fortress of Solitude: my shower. 3. Favorite place in Montreal to people-watch: Cafe Italia. I live in the neighborhood now and I love watching all the wannabe goombahs. I hope that doesn't get me clipped. 4. Favorite little-known gem of a restaurant: Milani [227 Rue Bernard W., (514) 278-7240]. 5. Favorite summer cocktail: I didn't realized this until just this year, but La Malbaie at Pop! [250 Avenue des Pins, (514) 287-9127]. I'm serious. 6. Favorite ice cream flavor: I don't eat much ice cream [??--eds.], but if I had to choose [You do.--eds.] I'd go with one of those crunchy flavors. I like those crunchy ice creams, like Hazelnut Crunch [??--eds.]. 7. Favorite farmstand find: Recently I've been into Quebec lamb. Organic lamb. And I've also found out that there's some pretty killer asparagus in this province. 8. Mountains or ocean? Mountains. 9. Planes, trains, or automobiles? I drive a Mercedes now [It's true.--eds.], so automobiles. 10. Peaches, pears, or plums? Peaches. Does anybody answer "pears"? [Yes.--eds.] A.J. Kinik Blogger/writer-in-the-making/instructor/PhD candidate "...an endless banquet" 1. Place of birth: Stanford, CA. 2. Favorite place to unwind after a long day: Korova Bar [3908 St-Laurent] or La Sala Rosa. 3. Favorite place in Montreal to people-watch: ZooBizarre. 4. Favorite little-known gem of a restaurant: Mister Spicee. 5. Favorite summer cocktail: Gin & Tonic, although Michelle's A High Wind in Jamaica at Pop! [250 Avenue des Pins, (514) 287-9127] is pretty nice too. 6. Favorite ice cream flavor: Berthillon's Plombiere or, more realistically, a good rum-raisin. 7. Favorite farmstand find: Ripe beefsteak tomatoes for BLTs. 8. Mountains or ocean? Ocean. I'm pretty fond of the Atlantic in particular, but I've yet to meet an ocean or sea I didn't like (with the notable exception of the Salton Sea on a 115 degrees Fahrenheit day back in 2001). 9. Planes, trains, or automobiles? Automobiles, although "Putney," our 1989 VW Jetta, is giving us grey hairs at the moment. But I do love a good road trip. Trains are pretty great, though, too. Especially in Europe. 10. Peaches, pears, or plums? Peaches. There are few things that come close to matching a real summer peach at the peak of perfection [check out our account of our trip to Andy's Orchard in Morgan Hill, CA for proof]. Plus, Nina Simone's "Four Women" just wouldn't have been the same if Woman number-4 had been named either "Pears" or "Plums." Thanks for reading, Anthony and Michelle

Who doesn't love the Italy of postcards? Perhaps you dream of a raven-haired girl wearing sunglasses and riding a Vespa down a narrow stone street. Or maybe you think of a flock of sheep racing across a road that was engineered 2,000-years ago. Possibly, you dream of the Vatican's majestic shrines. And if this picturesque Italy is the Italy you're planning to visit soon, you can submit any trip-planning questions you may have right now by clicking here. Our Rome-based expert on Italy, Christopher Winner, will provide answers at BudgetTravel.com at Noon Eastern next Tuesday. But don't take the postcard pictures of Italy at face value. Or else you might be surprised when you get a glimpse of the real Italy. Case in point, #1: The fashion designer Valentino is celebrating his fashion house's 45th anniversary with an unusual exhibit. Next to a large white marble altar erected in 9 B.C., known as the Ara Pacis, Valentino has staged about 200 female mannequins. They're arranged in prayerful poses, wearing his designer clothes in red and black. To understand how, well, un-American this event is, consider what it would be like if the Ford Motor Company showcased some of its vintage automobiles inside the Lincoln Memorial. But in Italy, this mixing of the state's most precious cultural treasures and a modern marketing campaign is roundly applauded. Even the president of Italy and the mayor of Rome visited the exhibit. Whatever you think of the event, the Ara Pacis--with or without the Valentino exhibit--is one of Rome's coolest new attractions, as Budget Travel reported in this story. [If you want to learn more about the Valentino exhibit, read the AP story at the International Herald-Tribune website.] This month, there's another--and less flattering--example of how Italy can feel foreign to American sensibilities. For more than 60 days now, there has been no garbage pick-up in the southern province of Naples and in the southern region of Campania. The reason is a worker's strike. Strikes, of course, are one of Italy's national pastimes. Huge piles of trash lie uncollected. Some desperate residents are setting trash piles on fire, occasionally creating toxic clouds. Americans are being advised by authorities to avoid these areas this summer. Don't worry too much, though. Trash is being collected properly where U.S. tourists usually visit in the North. Still, the images of trash piled up in the street reminds us of an Italy we often forget about, an Italy beyond the Tuscan sun. Consider Tuscany, the ultimate image of Italy in most American's minds. The journalist Beppe Severgnini writes: Tuscany is an ancient, literary setting. It risks being perceived as a sort of Nativity scene, with statuettes of picturesque little Tuscans, busy doing this and that, and visitors, like the three kings, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Especially gold, but cash and all major credit cards are also welcome.

Soon Americans will have an easy way to sample those supercheap vacations than Western Europeans always seem to be enjoying. Up until now, Americans haven't been able to easily take advantage of the no frills airlines, such as Easyjet and Ryanair, that enable Western Europeans to hopscotch their region cheaply and on short notice. The key problem is that none of the major transatlantic routes from the U.S. have stopped at the airport hubs that offer quick onward connections aboard these discount airlines. But that's about to change. As we recently reported, on October 29, American Airlines adds daily flights between London's Stansted airport and New York's JFK. This development means that you'll be able to fly to the central hub of British-based discount flights from anywhere in the U.S. that American Airlines flies. Even better, Easyjet will make it easy for you with its new vacation packages. You can combine one of its supercheap flights--(think $30 plus $160 in taxes round-trip between London and Rome)--on a no-frills plane with a discounted stay at over 10,000 hotels across Europe. EasyJet has a hub in England, but it will roll out the packages in Germany, France, Holland, Italy, and Spain during the next month. You can book the packages at its Easyjet Holidays website. Yep, as Budget Travel reported in another blog post, it's becoming a low-fare world. But here comes the bait-and-switch. Just as Americans are about to get easy access to Europe's discount fares, a new report suggests that the discounted fares aren't such great deals. A survey reported in London's Guardian found that, when flights offered by no-frills and full-cost airlines were compared in terms of excess baggage fees, allocated seating and a meal, full-service carriers were about a third cheaper. You see, Europe's low-cost airlines--even more so than America's low-cost airlines--charge fees for all aspects of a trip, such as passengers wanting to sit together, in-flight meals and extra baggage. For example, the survey found that "the average minimum cost of an Easyjet flight to Malaga in the next week is $231, but British Airways' average is $250." Go a couple of pounds over your bag weight-limit at check-in, and you'd be better off flying with British Airways because it includes many of the extras in the price of its ticket that Easyjet charges fees for." A tip...Be sure to find out the weight limits on luggage that your airline charges. More than any other fee, this one could surprise budget-conscious Americans traveling on Europe's low-fare carriers. Weight limits as low as 30 pounds per bag sometimes apply. You can find weight-limits listed on the websites of the low-cost airlines. And you can find the websites of the low-cost carriers by visiting WhichBudget.

Should you buy trip protection insurance for your next vacation? No doubt you've heard many conflicting answers to that question over the years. To quote from this Los Angeles Times story, "Don't buy travel insurance, says Consumer Reports. Do buy travel insurance, say consumer advocates Clark Howard and Ed Perkins. Don't buy travel insurance, says the Consumer Federation of America." So what are you supposed to do? Here's Budget Travel's take: If all you have reserved are flights and hotels, insurance generally isn't worth it: You can rebook a flight and only suffer a $100-per-ticket (or so) fee, and hotels rarely have strict cancellation policies. But if you're headed on a cruise or a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, such as a safari, insurance looks better and better, because tour operators and cruise lines (which are less likely to get any last-minute bookings) tend to penalize those people who cancel. You should also consider buying travel insurance when you think the odds are decent that you won't be able to take the trip for one reason or another. Just make sure you understand up front exactly what is and isn't covered, which situations allow you to cancel, and what the cancellation time frame is. Two new sightseeing cruises of New York City focus on Manhattan's architecture and history. The history cruise, formulated by a group of New York historians, covers four centuries of Manhattan history. The architecture cruise, created with the help of the American Institute of Architects, includes talks on the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the New York Life Insurance Building, and a few buildings in Brooklyn, too. Each cruise lasts 90-minutes, is run by NY Waterway Tours, and departs from Pier 78 on West 38th Street and 12th Avenue. Each one also includes the standard photo opportunities of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and so on. Cruises have a limited schedule. Tickets are $23 for adults, $13 for kids, $19 for seniors $19. Details at nywaterway.com. (Earlier: The duck truck takes Manhattan.) Here's a story from Britain's Independent on how to be a travel explorer, visiting someplace few other people have ever visited. A new travel blog is born. The Chicago Tribune, which has one of the finest Sunday travel sections in the country, has given birth to a baby blog. Welcome, Taking Off. (And if you live in the Chicagoland area in particular, be sure to sign up for the blog's newsfeed, which is an easier way to read the blog.