Brown Butter Financiers with Maple Cream

Springtime in Edmonton, with its 5-foot snow banks, brown slush and icy winds, makes me a little wistful for the springs I've had in other places. In England, March through June is a storybook season: a little gloomy at first, then optimistically budding, then verdant, blossoming, and lush. You kind of feel like having a picnic at all times. March in Montreal is icy and cold, sure, but it's also "sugaring off" season - or as I like to call it, MAPLE TIME - when dozens of little shacks set up all over the city, offering every kind of maple confection. The smell of warm maple syrup is in the air, and it's effing magical. 

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Sweet Potato & Kasha Pilaf

My all-time favourite place to eat in Montreal is definitely Le Commensal, a vegetarian/vegan buffet on Ste-Catherine and McGill College Ave. It's actually one of a chain of Commensals, but this location was my favourite - close to school and in the heart of the city, with a great view (especially at Christmastime, when the trees on McGill College Ave are lit up). Like Tibits, which I wrote about earlier, this buffet charges by weight (I love this idea: only paying for as much as you feel you want to eat). I went there with my roommate Jessica quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure every time we went we had the "I flippin' love this place" conversation all over again.


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Pain Beauté (Montreal French Toast)

Two things I know for sure: I like art, and I like breakfast. And a combination of the two is a recipe for an ultimate Sunday, in my opinion. That’s how I first experienced the Brioche Beauty at Eggspectation in Montreal – a menu item that lives up to its name.  Grilled cinnamon brioche with fruit, yogurt and honey, and then a big long wander through the Musée des Beaux-Arts with two lovely friends? Yes please. 

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