At School... Cristina

Check out how badass Cristina Mei-Farina's jacket is! It's a true vintage steal from the 80's. Rock on!

L'avenue

Months ago, a friend at work suggested I tried L'Avenue for brunch one day. She warned me I would have to wait in line, and that the place had incredible pancakes and french toast. That's totally my kind of breakfast.

So this cold October morning, at last, we went to see what all the fuss was about. The four of us arrived at 11:10 and got a table only an hour later. (Had we been 2, it would have taken half the time). Seated in a booth, with clubbing music blasting in the background, you quickly get it: the place is hip.

Then a forever later, our waiter came to bring us the menu, which was hipster and confusing to say the least. We order and wait...

At that point, we're a) frozen, b) starving, c) wondering why we didn't go to Chez Cora. Around 1 o'clock, our breakfast arrives.

Monsieur had a Bon Ben Moi Je Prends Toutte!, which in translation means something like: Well I'm Taking It All. The meal does justice to it's name. It absolutely has all the manly breakfast food you can think of: eggs, french toast, ham, bacon, sausage, creton, potatoes, beans, fruit, toast, everything! I had the chocolate, banana and walnut American pancakes, all five of them, a portion impossible to finish! Anna and Lucia took the Delicieux Fruité, which was almost a I'm Taking It All. Our food tasted amazing. Considerably better than your usual Tutti Frutti or Chez Cora. The portions were huge. I took a bite of Lucia's french toast and almost died. The garlic potatoes, the scrambled eggs, everything had so much flavour to it.

We left extremely full, but I'm still deciding if it was worth the wait...

 strawberry mango smoothie

 Bon Ben Moi Je Prends Toutte!

 my heavenly American pancakes with chocolate, walnuts and bananas, in warm maple sirup

 real chocolate, not Nutella

 my friend's Delicieux Fruité

trop belle!

Buffet Bravo

I love this tie! The guy wearing it actually plays the instrument

birthday girl with beautiful Katia

everybody dancing

Kids, my Russian roots aside, don't drink endless vodka shots on an empty stomach. Because then you have nothing to write about the food you barely ate at Buffet Bravo.


Here are some things that I somehow remember: Buffet Bravo is so typically Russian I found it hilarious the moment I walked in. (You bump into people you haven't seen in years. If you're Russian that is, beware!) We had a great selection of Russian entrées at our table, and they had a buffet with main meals, salads and dessert in the back. On week-ends they have live music (very very Russian live music) with (wait for it!) female dancers that came out of the Rio Carnival. I don't see the Russian connection here but it sure makes it a party! Add the bring your own wine vodka, and I can really see why it's full considering it's far-away-from-where-Russian Montrealers-live-location.


And next time I'm going there to actually have a taste of their food with all the non-Russian people I've been promising a Russian experience for years. Now I'm excited! I doubt we won't have fuuunnnn...

3 Amigos Wednesdays

3 Amigos is one Montreal hot spot. Add the Wednesdays Fajita night feature to the formula and well, you've got perhaps the most crowded restaurant in town. I can't call it gourmet cuisine, but I can assure you, at 3 Amigos, every meal is a fiesta.

I love the spicy salsa they serve you with home made tostitos before your meal. That when I order fajitas on Wednesdays, they come in three minutes flat. That drinks are so huge you'll regret not sharing them. And on those rare occasions when I go there not on Wednesdays, I love taking tostadas.

Another reason their fajitas are a must: they are served on a painter's palette-like platter. The sour cream, salsa, bean paste and guacamole served in little cups. You instantly feel in charge of your own mexican concoction. Like a mini-chef. The food, the price, the ambiance- I love it. And that's the reason I, like thousands of other Montrealers, keep coming back for more.

At School... Laura's shoes

Aren't they fabulous? Should I buy them as well?