Boston – Puritan & Co

For my last dinner we met up with K’s college roommate, her husband and his brother/SIL. K stayed two extra days with her roommate. The new extension of the green line in North Cambridge made it a very easy trip. The food was very good but secondary to catching up since it had been a few years since we saw her roommate in Seattle and longer since our last trip to Boston in 2013 for the other couple. That being said the octopus was to die for, tender with a nice tempura style batter. The fritto misto had a different batter I think which was surprising and also light and tasty.

waygu tri-tip carpaccio – horseradish cream, potato, au jus dressing

burrata – maple-glazed squash, salsa verde, pepita pistou, focaccia

tuna tartare – capers, lemon, jalapeño, gin, fry bread

vegetable fritto misto – lemon aioli, pecorino, rosemary

crispy octopus – tempura, green curry, bonito

berkshire pork belly – celery root, chili crisp, black pepper pecan, mint

grilled dry aged pork chop – caulilini, capers, lemon, sage, baby turnip

Boston – B&G Oysters

Had originally booked a sister restaurant to B&G that does tasting menus but we had our fill and went for some New England seafood. The raw oysters were very different from the ones in the PNW and really enjoyed them. The breading on the fried oysters were also a bit different, very light but not quite as light as tempura batter. Nothing beats fresh lobster roll and the fries were very good too.

6 different East Coast oysters

New England Clam Chowder – cream, smoky bacon, spicy crouton

Fried Oysters – tarter sauce

B&G Lobster Roll – traditional cold with mayonnaisefries, coleslaw, pickles

Boston – Squealing Pig

After walking around the MFA for a few hours wanted something close and easy. Sadly the tap lines weren’t working so canned bear it was. The tacos and pizza were good, they have a wood fired oven and it made for a really nice pizza crust.

Baja Fish Tacos

Pepperoni Pizza

Boston – Museum of Fine Arts

The MFA has a lot of great exhibits and aside from the Met feels like the biggest museum in the US (it’s #5).

Frank Bowling exhibit

Elaborate coffin

Pointillism – favorite type of painting

Stradivarius

River rock as art

Boston – Toro

After so much rich, heavy food our first night in Boston went a bit lighter with tapas and paella. It was so dark the pics aren’t very good. It was also way too loud, was more like a club than a neighborhood restaurant. The paella was very good although the rice was a bit too burnt, not even crispy brown just blackened. Other dishes were average.

Pan con Tomate – toasted bread, tomato, garlic

Empanada – chorizo, potato, cilantro alioli

Ostras – roasted island creek oysters, jamón iberico stuffing, herbs, drawn butter

Jamón Iberico

Asado de Huesos – roasted bone marrow, oxtail marmalade, citrus salad

Paella Valenciana – shrimp, mussels, clams, chorizo, chicken

Montreal – Walking and Food Tour

We booked a private tour of a top Montreal guide company combining their market food tour and tours of the old town where we staying and commissioned murals between the two points.

Molson Bank – Make enough beer, get your own bank

Pretty cool area, enclosed the alley between buildings and the black, beige, black bricks denote where the Montreal city wall used to be. Also a segment of the Berlin wall

Area of many commissioned murals

They were all fantastic – wish had been able to buy some to bring home

Montreal – Joe Beef

Another night, another plate of duck but at least K was spared and the kitschy foie gras double down we had back in 2013 is long gone from the menu. Had never had gingerbread with foie gras before and it worked although I think regular brioche is better. Scallops were tender. The peppercorn sauce on the duck was great, it’s also good to contrast the thick slices of breast here to the thin slices at Mastard on how you experience a dish. It felt heartier with thick slices and a strong sauce compared to the more delicate Mastard version. The cake was awesome but we were so full didn’t quite finish it all.

Canadian East Coast oysters – so different from the PNW ones we’re used to

Rabbit Terrine

Foie Gras Terrine – gingerbread, jam

Green Beans – almonds, capers

Scallops – cream sauce

Duck – breast & Sausage, potatoes, peppercorn sauce

Gateau Marjolaine – K’s friend makes something similar Dobos Torta

Montreal – Mastard

A lot of restaurants in Montreal are closed on Monday and I somewhat randomly picked this place even though it was almost 30 minutes from our apt. It turned out to be the best meal we had in Canada and was on the list of places to eat given to us by the company we did a walking and eating tour with. It started with brined scallops that were nothing like I’ve had before, they were chewy and soft at the same time with a firm texture. The trout was incredible, very tender fish and the sauce was out of control, I really wanted a bigger piece. I ate my and some of K’s portion of duck, the breast tasted liked it had been aged like a steak as very concentrated flavor. Brown butter cake was a good way to end the meal.

Scallops – cauliflower, brown butter

Wild Mushrooms – beans, hollandaise

Trout – uni, beurre blanc, roe, lovage

Duck – breast & sausage, eggplant, miso

Fried eggplant with miso emulsion

Crab apple brown butter cake

Montreal – Snowdon Deli

Can’t go to Montreal without smoked meat, since we still had the rental car went to Snowdon rather than Schwartz’s. Sharing two dishes was more than enough. The smoked meat was so good, nicely seasoned and very tender. The roast beef was also very flavorful. Best of all there was no long line like at Schwartz’s.

Roast Beef

Smoked meat platter

Tremblant, QC – QG Resto Pub

Sunday evening was much quieter as I assume all the Montrealers went home to get ready for the work week. Nice hearty food after a long day outside.

Escargots – Québec garlic blossom cream sauce, served with puff pastry

Grilled garlic Frog Legs

Beet Tartare, Green Apple and Parmesan

Québec wild Mushroom Deer Sausages – poutine