 Interview with Lesley Chesterman, restaurant critic with the Montreal Gazette, is here
 Gourmet Magazine's list of top Montreal restos as according to Robert Sietsema is here (updated 10/15)
Update #3 Tuesday 10/24/00
Feedback dept: Barry received an email recently about his Le Latini review from a reader now living elsewhere in Canada. Here is the gist of it, reprinted with permission:
"While surfing the Net I came upon your review of Le Latini. I had mixed feelings about this review when I read it. It hurt me to see such a hard review of Le Latini but at the same time I knew it is a true review. I worked at Le Latini for 17 years as executive chef and I still have it in my heart.
"I left Le Latini because one time I was told basically that "there is one star here, and that is not you." So I said "Great, you do it!" and left. However, I see they are still using my recipes (rapini and clams, for example).
"A good friend of mine, a fellow chef, of (a major Montreal restaurant), told me one time that Le Latini used to be something, but now all it is is an old lady with lots of cosmetic surgery.
"One thing I learned in my years of work is that in the kitchen you need a leader to set the examples, and to execute. Those guys work very hard in the kitchen and I think you should not be blaming them. I have a lot of respect for your article—it speaks the truth. It is very rare that someone writes a review so true to the fact. I will be following your work in the future, for I am no longer living in Montreal, and I tell you, I miss the restaurant scene in Montreal! I return to Montreal 4 to 5 times a year. I like to keep up with what is going on in Montreal. So please keep up the good work and the honesty of the restaurant business so you keep the restaurateurs on their toes."
All I can say to that is "Wow!" More emails like that one, folks.
On the updates front: There are a bunch of new articles in Barry's "Off the Back Burner" section, and also a couple of new FlavourGuy pieces. Barry wants to emphasize that all of his pieces have not necessarily previously been published in the Gazette. (Some of the "Back Burner" pieces come from his book "Tea With Mr. George," a delightful volume of anecdotes and essays for which I can only find this address to order. You may of course email him yourself to ask where it might be available.)
Churlish gripes dept: It's come to my attention that certain folks question the veracity of the "vegetables" in the illustration of Barry on the FlavourGuy page. I'll have you know that they're spices, and each one of them has a name. If you want me to send you a legend of the illustration with the name of each spice included, send a stamped, self-addressed email to iratedesigner@montrealfood.com.
Update #2 Thursday 10/12/00
Whaddya know, a breathing space, and time to get the Flavourguy page up. Flavourguy (with a "u", as Barry was sure to remind me) is a column that Barry's been running on and off for the Montreal Gazette for, let's see now—hmm, as far back as I can remember! Anyway, there are 70 some-odd of them and there will be more to come.
There's been a little excitement recently in Montreal as the biker saga continues. The Hells Angels are mired in a struggle with the Rockers and the police, but they've recently had some well-publicised sitdowns at local restos . . . I thought their choice of venues was very interesting, though no one will be accusing them of having gourmet tastes: the Bleu Marin, on Crescent St., and then the Hells leader Maurice Boucher was apprehended leaving a Nickels. Maybe we should take up a collection and buy them some apostrophes. Maybe we can organise some sort of Biker Food Tour. Maybe Céline Dion could be the tour guide—she owns Nickels (a reader points out that this is no longer so. I guess with the baby on the way and all, she's too busy to cook. Hubby Réné at least owns Firegrill, though!) Don't know who owns the Bleu Marin. Barry, ya wanna review it? I'll spring for the bulletproof vest.
Also in this update, Barry takes a nosh at Nantha's Cuisine and, at long last, the venerable Schwartz's Smoked Meat/Deli.
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