Sweet Potato Ravioli with Garlic Maple Cream

Yay my husband is home! And tonight's dinner was sweet – literally. During my 3 day boredom of having no one to pester, I decided to start Saturday night's dinner. We're having company and they're vegetarian. So I found this wonderful recipe on epicurious.com that involved making sweet potato ravioli (made with wonton wrappers and not homemade pasta – i'm not that good!). I pre-made them last night and froze them but we thought we'd better test them out tonight before serving them to our guests. The verdict? They were great, and my husband made the most amazing sauce for them. He then topped it with peas and crushed and whole pumpkin seeds.

What you’ll need

Sweet potatoes 

Wonton wrappers

Brown sugar

Butter

1 egg beaten

Peas

Pumpkin seeds

Garlic

Cream

Maple Syrup

Salt

What to do

Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise then place them cut side down on a baking sheet with oil. Bake at 375 for 35 min. Let cool a bit then scoop out the potato into a bowl. Mix in some brown sugar and butter (2tbs of brown sugar and butter for 1.5 cups of potato). Mash it up. Spread out all the wonton wrappers and brush them with the egg. Scoop about half a tbs of the potato mixture onto the center of each wrapper and fold over and seal. Once complete, you can either freeze these or cook them in boiling water. Cook for approximately 3 minutes. 

For the sauce, mix together cream, garlic, butter and salt. Add a bit of maple syrup and cook on low until sauce thickens. Poor mixture over the ravioli and top with green pees, crushed and whole pumpkin seeds.

Total time, approximately 2 hours for the ravioli and 10 minutes for the sauce.

Sweet Potato, Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Pesto Lasagna

And here it is. Lonely dinner number 2. Actually, I enjoy eating alone quite a bit. It allows me to concentrate solely on the meal at hand and savour every bite. My dinner tonight was great, and brought in of course from The Red Apron. It was the perfect meal to keep the winter chills away after our first snowfall. I do miss my husband though, and his cooking! 

Duck Confit and Spiced Blueberry Compote with Butternut & Sage Risotto from the Red Apron

My husband is away on business this week. So my choices were: A. Starve or B. Grab a meal from The Red Apron. And Red Apron to the rescue it was! I planned ahead and picked up a couple of dishes last Friday. Each one has 2 servings so I'll be good for the next 4 days. Tonight I went with the Duck Confit. Serve this sumptuous meal on a candle-lit table with a glass of wine and you'll feel like you're dining at a fancy restaurant. The only thing missing was the conversation aspect. But my 12-year-old-hard-of-hearing dog did all he could to fill those shoes. Total cost for dinner this evening? $11 ($22 for the two servings), and took me 15 minutes to cook. Genius!

www.redapron.ca

Weekend at Zoya’s

If any of you are wondering how I ever survived before I met my husband, let me introduce you to Zoya. We met about 12 years ago in New Brunswick at the agency where we worked. When she decided to move to Ottawa, I quickly followed. She was my first roommate and we quickly established the she-cooks-I-clean motto. For 2 girls just trying to make ends meet, we ate very well, thanks to her. And for someone who likes to cook, time can only make you better, and she proved that this weekend with every meal she made. Our resort-like menu was exceptional to say the least. 

We arrived at her place in Tremblant Friday night to Pita Pizzas. These tasty and healthy whole wheat pitas were topped with regular tomato and sundried tomato paste, artichokes, onions, sundried tomatoes, red peppers, black olives, porcini mushrooms, hot hungarian salami, calabrese salami and feta. (Throw in the oven at 425 until crisp). With the pizza, she served tomatoes topped with bocchini cheese, watercress and balsamic cream. Yum!

For breakfast the next morning she served a homemade broccoli quiche. Then made sloppy-joes for lunch. (I hadn't had these since I was a kid, very fun!) And for dinner, we started with a soup duo – roasted cauliflower and sweet potato with peppers. For our main, and this is the topper, crab and cheese stuffed chicken with a spinach salad and roasted potato wedges. I've never had chicken so juicy and tender ever. The meal was amazing!

Our last morning there, she treated us to the most decadent pancakes. They were served with maple syrup, strawberries and bananas, and possibly the best whipped cream i've ever had, made with vanilla and brown sugar. I see a lot of biking in my future to make up for all the calories I consumed this weekend. Thanks Zoya! We had a great time!

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company

This is the best incentive a woman could have after a 120 km bike ride from Ottawa – the annual Beau's Oktoberfest party, which took place this past weekend. That and my handsome husband arriving with a warm car and sweater for me. For those of you who aren't familiar with Beau's, they're a father-and-son run brewing company in Vankleek Hill that use high quality, natural ingredients in their beer. Their popular Lug•Tread Lagered Ale displays interwoven malt and hop flavours, subtle fruit flavours and has a crisp lingering finish. (Ok I took that part of their web site. But it's true!)

We got to sample some of the new Nightmarzen beer, very yummy. And the perfect accompaniment – a wild boar sausage with sauerkraut. My husband had the lamb sausage and we brought home some Beau's Pork Sausages as well. The folks from the Piggy Market were barbecuing these delightful treats. And while we chowed down, we got to experience their local keg toss. All in all, a wonderful fall afternoon.

If you've never tried their beer, quite a few Ottawa pubs and restaurants serve it and the LCBO also carries it, you should give it a try. It's on my list of top 5 beers! We left the brewery with 4 growlers and polished them off the same night with friends.

www.beaus.ca

Wild Mushroom Pasta

If you're a mushroom fan this is a fabulous dish. The mild flavours in this recipe really allow you to savour each mushroom individually. Though mushrooms are thought to have little nutritional value, a lot of them are actually quite high in fibre and some vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and biotin. They're also pretty interesting to look at. You can use any wild mushroom in this recipe, below is what we used. Sorry, that would be my husband, not we. I just ate it, and loved it.

What you’ll need

Cooked whole grain spaghetti

Sliced cremini mushrooms

Sliced oyster mushrooms

Sliced wood blewit mushrooms (France)

Chopped green onion

Chives

2 cloves garlic

Butter

Lemon juice

Parsley

Lemon zest

Salt and pepper

What to do

Fry mushrooms in butter and garlic. Stir in the green onions, chives and lemon juice. Toss with the pasta, serve and garnish with parsley, lemon zest and salt and pepper.

Total time, approximately 40 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower and Curried Soup with Coriander Chutney

‘Tis the harvest soup season! Everywhere you look you'll find a soup recipe. The tough part is deciding which one to make. And as his usual awesome self, my husband has successfully chosen this wonderful recipe inspired by one of LCBO's Food and Drink magazine recipes. This kicked my squash soup recipe right out the door with it's intense and slightly spicy flavours. Coupled with the naan bread, this was a surprisingly filling meal.

What you’ll need

Roasted Cauliflower and Curried Soup:

1 head of cauliflower cut into florets

2 small onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 heaping tbs of grated ginger

4-5 cups of chicken broth

Olive oil

2 tbs curry paste (we used mild)

Salt

Lemon juice

Coriander Chutney:

Chopped coriander

Plain yogurt

Cumin

Ginger

Sugar 

Salt

What to do

Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil and salt and bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 425.

Chop 2 small onions. Feel free to use sunglasses for this as it can be quite painful. These are my husband's onion chopping glasses. Trust me, they work!

Grate the ginger, it adds so much more flavour than just chopping it. Having it frozen from the freezer also makes it easier to grate.

Put the onions and garlic in a soup pot with the olive oil and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and ginger and stir. Add the cauliflower florets and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft.

Blend the soup in a blender then return to pot. Add some lemon juice.

For the chutney, just stir all the above ingredients together. 

Serve in a soup bowl and top with the coriander chutney. Serve with naan bread.

Total time, approximately 1.5 hours.

Sweet Basil

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I had a hard time rating this restaurant. I wanted to give it 2.5 stars but I told myself I would keep my blog simple and not do the half star thing. So having to choose between 2 and 3 stars, it definitely deserved 3. This place is outside of my bubble but is close to work, so i've only been for lunch. The food is quite tasty, and I must say, the portions are the perfect size. I have a hard time stopping myself when there's something good in front of me. And when in the presence of thai food, I always leave with a belly ache – usually from eating too much pad thai. I almost ordered the pad thai for lunch this time, which is what I always get when I go to this restaurant or any other restaurant with pad thai on the menu! But I decided to be different this time and ordered the lunch combo. Please note that I have never not ordered pad thai in a thai restaurant before! I've eaten other things, but always had the pad thai to accompany it. Ok, enough about the pad thai. So the combination plate at $13.50 had stir fried green vegetables, sauteed pork, a light curry with chicken, potato and coconut milk, 2 spring rolls and some rice. A bit pricy for lunch, but very good, and not greasy at all. The service is also good. They have 2 other restaurants in Ottawa under different names, Anna and Som Tum. I enjoyed my lunch but had a bit of food envy on the person sitting next to me with the pad thai. That's what i'll get next time.

www.thaitaste.ca

Turkey and Cremini Mushroom Meatloaf

Well this is it, the last of the Thanksgiving turkey. I must say, we stretched it as far as it would go this week. And I didn't even mention the turkey stock my husband made that's sitting in the fridge. How did he create this wonderful concoction? Read-on... The secret to all the flavour in this meatloaf is the pork. A lot of recipes don't call for it but my husband has a tendency to add it in various dishes. The results? One of the best meals you'll ever eat. Quick note, the photo above is raw and was taken before we cooked it.

What you’ll need
Lots of leftover turkey
Lots of cremini mushrooms
Parsley
Onion
2 eggs
Bread crumbs
Pork
Ketchup
Salt
Pepper

What to do

Separately blend the turkey, mushrooms, parsley, garlic and onion. Mix them together in a bowl and add eggs, pork, bread crumbs, ketchup, salt and pepper. Cook at 425 for 2 hours.

Total time, approximately 2.5 hours, mostly spent in the oven.

The Manx

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The Manx is a cozy, below ground level pub that is great for catching up with an old friend. If you decide to go however, give yourself some extra time, it's often quite difficult to get a seat. But it's worth the wait for the great food and service you'll experience. I've been many times for drinks or breakfast – probably one of the best breakfasts in Ottawa – but last night we went for dinner. Their epicurean fare is a refreshing change to your traditional pub fare. I always find it quite difficult to decide what to order when i've got a great menu in front of me. Luckily I wasn't starving, so I went with a light option of soup and crab cakes from the appetizers. The soup was a mushroom and red lentil soup that warmed the soul. The crab cakes, just short of a meal in itself, were served on warm curried carrots with sour beet relish and lemon-dill yoghurt. With that I had a Mill Street Coffee Porter, they have a great selection of beers on tap. They also have a large scotch selection for the scotch connoisseur. Prices are very reasonable, apps range from $6 to $12, sandwiches $12 and mains $13 to $15. Definitely a regular spot to go.

The Manx

Ravioli in a Squash Cream Sauce

If you're wondering what to do with your Thanksgiving dinner leftovers, and are like me – had a turkey salad sandwich for lunch today and hot turkey sandwiches last night and have been eating squash and potatoes every few hours in between because you don't want to waste anything – then this recipe is for you! My husband cooked up some ravioli we had in the freezer and mixed some leftover squash, cream, garlic, salt and pepper together for the most delicious sauce i've ever had on pasta. I couldn't get the exact measurements because he didn't know, but the picture should give you a good idea of what it looks like at least.

Frittata

This morning my husband made us a delicious frittata. Not that I needed any more food after last night's meal. Although I had no problems finishing it off. He served it with our friend's grandmother's homemade bread. YUMM.

What you’ll need

Olive oil

Mashed potatoes (leftover from turkey dinner!)

6 large lightly scrambled eggs

Sliced tomato

Chopped onion

Garlic

Tabasco

If you have cheese, add it in, we didn't have any

What to do

Put some olive oil in a cast iron pan. Fill the base with mashed potatoes. Mix in some garlic and onion then flatten out the potatoes. Brown them until very crispy on the bottom. Dump in the eggs, add a little tabasco, some more garlic and the tomatoes. Throw it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

Total time, approximately 35 minutes.

Turkey Dinner

My husband does a fabulous job at making Thanksgiving dinner. His turkey is always very moist and flavourful. I could never pull off the entire dinner the way he does, i'd probably get anxious and give up. He on the other hand, makes it look so easy. My favorite part of the dinner has always been the stuffing. I mix it with potatoes, squash and gravy. We also had green beans, cranberry sauce and homemade bread that our friend's grandmother made. A comforting meal at it's best!

For dessert, friends of ours brought a homemade pumpkin pie and so did my mother-in-law – so we had a bake-off. Both were equally delicious – Eric's had a homemade crust that melted in your mouth and my mother-in-law's version had orange and lemon zest in it, which gave it a unique and wonderful kick. I'm so full right now it hurts.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Melted Blue Cheese

This was my contribution to turkey dinner today. I've made squash soup before but I think this recipe is the best one. It had so much flavour, and the blue cheese is a really nice touch. I got it off epicurious.com. As you'll see from the recipe below, there's a lot of butter and salt. I used half the amount and it was still great.

What you’ll need
6 pounds butternut squash, split lengthwise and seeded
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
4 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 apples (Braeburn, Fuji, or Gala), peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
3 cups apple cider
1 gallon vegetable stock
1/2 pound blue cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons green (hulled) pumpkin seeds

What to do
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place squash cut side down on rimmed one-inch-deep sheet pan. Add 2 cups water and roast until squash is very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, drain off any remaining water, and let cool.

Meanwhile, in heavy, 12-quart pot over moderate heat, melt butter. Add onions, garlic, celery, 3 tablespoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and sauté until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add apples and sauté until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add apple cider and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by half.


When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and add to soup. Add stock and remaining tablespoon salt, raise heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until all vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

In double boiler over medium heat, heat cheese and heavy cream, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

In dry, heavy, 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet over moderate heat, toast pumpkin seeds, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Working in batches, purée soup in blender until very smooth, then return to pot. Set over moderate heat and return to simmer.

To serve, ladle hot soup into bowls, drizzle with blue cheese mixture, and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately.

Total time, approximately 2.5 hours.

The Prescott

$

I'm not a big pizza fan, and thank god because Ottawa isn't exactly the best place to live if you really like pizza. The extent of my pizza-eating is House of Georgie's Gravy Pizza at 3 in the morning after a night of socializing a little too much. I grew up out east, where the pizza is much better – Pizza Delight was my staple. But if I had to pick a spot in Ottawa, the Prescott would be the only one I recommend. The Dewie to be exact. This square pizza has pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, olives, bacon and onions. And the best part? It doesn't have a 2 inch-thick layer of greasy cheese on it. The crust is flawless, not too thick and not too thin and is soft but crispy. It's really quite perfect! Another one of their specialties is their Meatball Sandwich with cheese and sauce on top. Don't dress up, this place is very casual. They've been around since 1934 and started off as a corner store where they served their own sausages and prepared meat. They had seating for 25 and were one of two original licensed drinking establishments in Ottawa (the Lafayette in the market was the other). It was called the Preston Hotel until 1941 when they changed the name to the Prescott. To this day they still have great Italian food to eat in or take out and at very reasonable prices.

www.theprescott.com

Seared Wild Trout with New Potatoes and Dijon Broth

Ok, this one is a definite keeper! The broth in this dish is absolutely amazing. My husband got the recipe from epicurious.com. He's subscribed to an RSS feed of theirs called Epicurious & NutritionData's Healthy Dinner Tonight. He made a few modifications, switched the salmon for trout and used about half the amount of ingredients it called for since there's only two of us. Here's our version, as best I could tell.

What you’ll need

New red potatoes, unpeeled

Olive oil

2 Wild trout filets

1 cup dry white wine

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

3/4 cups chicken broth

1 tbs tarragon

1 tbs dijon

Spinach

What to do

Boil potatoes, about 12 minutes. Drain; cool. Cut potatoes in half.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Season trout with salt and pepper. Place trout in skillet, flat side up. Cook until brown, about 4 minutes. Turn trout over and cook 2 minutes. Carefully arrange trout, flat side down, and scatter potatoes around.

Combine wine, shallots, and vinegar in saucepan. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 7 minutes. Add chicken broth, tarragon, and dijon. Bring just to boil. Pour hot broth over trout and potatoes. Bake until trout and potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

About 5 minutes before fish is done cooking, heat olive oil in heavy large pan. Add half of spinach to pan and stir until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add remaining spinach and toss just until wilted.

Divide spinach among 2 bowls. Top each with 1 trout fillet. Divide potatoes and broth among bowls; garnish with tarragon sprigs or green onion and serve.

Total time, approximately 1 hour.

Egg Salad Sandwich

The only reason I am posting this is because this isn't your regular egg salad sandwich. My husband adds way more to it than I ever would. And the result is the best tasting egg sandwich ever. In addition to mayo, celery and eggs, my husband adds a little bit of dijon, celery salt, tarragon and paprika. This one is served on pumpernickel – which is my new favourite bread. A little tip with the eggs, chop them in half while they're still in the shell, then spoon out the egg. It's much less frustrating than trying to peel them.

Wild Boar Burgers and Carrot Soup

Tonight we dipped into some of the meat I purchased at La Boucanerie Chelsea. Wild boar and caper burgers to be exact. My husband cooked them on the barbecue and they were mouthwatering there was so much flavour in those burgers. He topped them with red onion, beets, alfalfa sprouts, dijon and mayonnaise. But even with all those toppings you could clearly taste the meat. He served this with PC blue menu carrot soup and some cucumbers from our garden. Delish!

Pad Thai

This is one of my specialties. And yes, believe it or not, I do have some meals I make on somewhat of a regular basis. Unlike my husband tho, I do need a recipe and I do follow it to a T. Unfortunately this evening I was missing a few ingredients, which I believe led to a less than perfect finish for this dish. I've never substituted before and it's always turned out fantastic. This turned out ok. Below is the actual recipe without substitutions.

What you’ll need

1lb medium shrimp 

3 large eggs lightly beaten

2 tbs minced garlic

1/3 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1 1/2 tbs sugar

3 tbs water

6 oz flat rice stick noodles, softened in hot water and drained

3 tbs minced scallion greens

3/4 cups bean sprouts

1/4 cup finely chopped dry roasted peanuts

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 1/2 tbs coarsely chopped cilantro

2 limes

What to do

Heat 1 tbs oil in wok. Cook shrimp 1 1/2 minutes and remove. 

Mix fish sauce, ketchup, sugar and water. 

Heat 3 tbs oil then add eggs and cook until scrambled. Add garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add sauce and noodles and toss for 3-4 minutes. 

Add shrimp, bean sprouts, lime juice, crush red peppers, scallion greens and peanuts.

Serve and garnish with cilantro.

Total time, approximately 1 hour. 

Apple Crisp

I've had a craving for apple crisp since my trip to Lake Placid in August when The Hungry Trout restaurant had run out. So you can imagine the excitement when I walked in to the smell of baked apples and cinnamon at my mother-in-law's house this weekend. She makes an amazing apple crisp – my mouth is watering right now just thinking of it. And thinking of the small piece I left behind on the stove when we left today. I guess i'll just have to stare at this photo and drool to myself. It was very yummy.

Moroccan Slow-Cooked Lamb

My husband always cooks an amazing meal when we visit with my mother-in-law and this weekend was no different. Ok, I know, he cooks amazing meals every night, but on the weekend there's a bit more time to put into his dishes. This recipe is one that he got from the epicurious.com site. He and I both go there for meal ideas. Some of us more often than others. The original recipe for this dish calls for couscous, but he used basmati rice instead. I've never been a huge fan of apricots, and my husband doesn't like fruit with meat, but after eating this dish, we've got a new love of apricots.

What you’ll need

1 tbs ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp fennel seeds

0.5 tsp cayenne pepper

0.5 tsp ground blk pepper

2.5 pounds trimmed boned lamb shoulder, cut into 1.5 to 2 inch pieces

4 tbs olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tbs tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth

1 15.5 oz can of chickpeas, drained

1 cup of dried apricots

2 large plum tomatoes, chopped

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tbs minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tsp grated lemon peel

Cooked basmati rice

What to do

Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat.

Heat 2 tbs oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally and adding 2 more tablespoons oil to skillet between batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to another large bowl after each batch.

Add onion and tomato paste to drippings in skillet. Reduce heat to medium; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth, garbanzo beans, apricots, tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and lemon peel and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Return lamb to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lamb is just tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Line a plate with basmati rice, then add the lamb and sauce. 

Total time, approximately 1 hour 45 minutes.

Marché Jean-Talon – Montreal

My husband and I were visiting my mother-in-law this weekend. As usual when we go to Montreal, we stopped in at the market to pick up food for dinner. Only this time we went to the Jean-Talon market instead of the Atwater one. Unlike the Atwater market, this one is all outdoors and much larger. I was a bit chilly at first, but the sight and smell of all the fruits and vegetables and flowers warm you instantly. There are many specialty stalls and shops, Italian, Asian and regional foods are on display. I'm always so excited when i'm surrounded by such good food. My mouth was watering watching people walk by with fresh, warm corn on the cob, in the distance the smell of sausage frying and to my right, fresh homemade crepes. Oh where to begin!? And really, where do you begin? This place is huge. Luckily we had a list of what we needed. And we were able to get everything from the lamb to the fennel seeds and everything in between. We even finished off our shopping with some meat on a stick (they have a variety of game for $1 each), and a chocolate cupcake that melted in your mouth. Definitely a fun place to go on a Saturday afternoon. Just make sure to be in the head space for crowds and give yourself extra time to find parking.

Marché Jean-Talon

Chicken Sausage and Ravioli

Tonight my husband made an exceptional ravioli dish with a homemade rosé sauce. The chicken, tomato and basil sausage was from La Boucanerie Chelsea – one of my absolute favourite places to buy meat, chicken and smoked fish. Although I must say, I'm not really used to a chicken texture for sausage. The whole dish came together beautifully, I just wish I could eat more and not feel it!

What you’ll need

2 cooked and sliced chicken, tomato and basil sausages (or other sausage)

Cheese and spinach ravioli (or other ravioli)

Chopped tomatoes

Olive oil

Garlic

Basil

Sage

Cream

What to do

Sauté the garlic in olive oil. Throw in the tomatoes and basil and fry until soft.

Add the cream then whisk.

Fold the rosé sauce, ravioli and sausage together and throw in a handful of sage. Garnish with tomato slices and sage.

Total time, approximately 45 minutes.

Le Déjeuner Cosmopolitain – Laval

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My sister-in-law to be told my brother and I we should have breakfast here this morning. She said people drive to Laval from downtown Montreal to have breakfast at this place all the time. It's a breakfast and lunch only spot with a massive selection of crepes and the largest selection of benedict i've ever seen. They also have a ton of omelets and bagels and oatmeal and stuff. It took me forever to decide what I was going to have. I'd been craving crepes for a while, so I went with the Grandmas Thin Country Crepe with spinach, ham and swiss cheese and homemade potatoes. It was delicious! I especially loved the potatoes. They were kind of mashed and fried and had tons of flavour. For the crepe, you could have it as is, or have it made with spelt or buckwheat instead for $1.95 more. I chose the buckwheat. The spinach was cooked right into the crepe and then the ham and cheese were layered on the inside. I also had a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. The portions were more than enough, I didn't even finish mine. The food is very fresh and healthy, not greasy like a lot of large breakfast restaurants. I've also read that they strive to meet your satisfaction by not adding any preservatives, trans-fat or chemicals in anything they serve. They use only omega 3 eggs. My brother had a portobello benedict which also looked amazing. The restaurant itself is huge – I'm sure on a Saturday when they're packed the wait wouldn't be very long. The service was great and the prices were very reasonable, ranging from $6 to $14 for a breakfast dish. I'm sure I'll go again the next time i'm in Laval.

Le Déjeuner Cosmopolitain