Le Méchant Mangeur

Kazu A beautiful thing in Montreal. Kazu serves izakaya type of food. Which in Japan is a popular type of place to eat and drink. I would just call it ‘genius’ food. Kazu is small, and you will end up waiting in a line to get it, but it’s worth it! As you walk in, you see parts of the menu scratched on scuffled papers across the walls. It really does play on on the izakaya vibe- you feel like you’re in a busy bar.

We went for lunch, so the menu was smaller, but it only made it easier to choose. As I stared onto the tables of others, I wanted one of every plate I saw. I end up ordering a few things, but my main dish was their chicken teriyaki burger. It was a gorgeous sight on my table. Kazu takes Japanese bar food a tad further and unsurprisingly adds a flavour of detail, especially in their presentation. You know that the meal you’re about to eat was prepared with pride. I took a bite, and fell in love.

If this place had a few TVs and was more of a secret, it would be heaven in Montreal for me. In the meantime, I’ll eat here before, in-between and after games. A must try! My burger was only 8 bucks. I wish Japan had ice hockey…

Kazu- 1862 Sainte-Catherine Street West

LE SMART BURGER Another burger, but this one is smart! Le Smart Burger is a downtown location made for Watch & Eat when the season starts up. They have two flat screens fixed on RDS and fresh home made burgers right off the grill.

It’s not the best burger in the city, or even the smartest. I was talking to Twitter before going and @mrlewburger compared it to Five Guys, while @Chris_Hanna said it was the best burger he ever had in a mall food court.

I hate it when the picture deceives the eater, and Le Smart Burger was not too bright in doing that. The burger looks incredible on paper, but not up to those standards in real life. I don’t judge a burger by it’s cover, so I devoured it with hope. It was a brie, caramelized onions, mushrooms and house sauce burger. A range of sides can be ordered with the burger. From fries to chilly, which is smart I guess.

In the end, the burger was a good snack. The beef is AAA Canadian, the patties are freshly ground, made daily and the restaurant itself was very comfortable. With 10 mins left to a 3-3 game vs. Boston on a Tuesday night after an evening class, Le Smart Burger might just fit the bill. The burger trio was about 10 bucks.

Le Smart Burger 896 Sherbrooke West

KONO PIZZA Re-inventing pizza [apparently]. Ever roll up your pizza and chow? I’ve been doing it for years. But guess what? You can get it pre-rolled! Kono Pizza is opening a location on St Catherine St. for August and I expect an inflated popularity for the first little while.

I had a Kono Pizza at Osheaga this weekend. It was decent enough to keep me satisfied for a few acts. They easily had the longest line up and were working really hard to serve everyone. I was impressed by their service.

It’s like you’re eating an ice cream cone, but it’s pizza instead. They only had two flavours at Osheaga, but you can get a range of flavours from their restaurant downtown, Montreal. I had a cheese and tomato Kono, it was simple and very cheesy. I thoroughly enjoyed eating it. Eating a Kono is clean and neat, you can walk and eat sans troubles. This is going to be a popular stop after watching the Habs at a bar or the Bell Centre.

http://konopizzacanada.com/ 1440 St Catherine St. O, Montreal, QC www.facebook.com/LMMblog

LOS PLANES Have you ever had a pupusa? I was at Los Planes for El Salvadorian. A small and attractive restaurant on Bélanger, Montreal. The place smelled like nothing I’ve smelled before, it was so inviting I actually salivated. The menu was completely in Spanish, but the service was great and our waiter took his time with us. They had one TV playing the sounds of vuvuzelas. And without a doubt, they play the hockey games.

As the saying goes, when in El Salvador, do as Salvadorians do. So we ordered pupusas, their specialty. Pupusas are thick corn tortilla pancake like things that are typically stuffed with cheese, meat and fried beans. They had many options. You add curtido, a fermented and spicy cabbage salad and add some chili sauce to top it off. To me, it was the perfect thing next to the burger to watch a game. I felt brave eating it and it was so inexpensive (2.50 each), I wanted to keep ordering them. The pupusas were so different and tasty, I knew I was going to be back for more.

They only have one TV, and it’s not pretty. But they do show the game and the food there is worth not having any HD. Try their specialty drinks too. Let me know how it goes.

A woman I love inspired me to look for something different in Montreal. I’ve been looking for places to Watch & Eat for about a year. Last season was all about the main big kitchens showing the game. This up coming season, I’m looking for smaller and more diverse places. I’m searching for the gem that plays Montreal Canadiens games and has excellent food. Send me your suggestions please. THANKS!

LOS PLANES, 531 Bélanger E. Montreal

Happy Canada Day! It’s a big day in the NHL today. I look forward to seeing what happens.

I like to think about it like this: - 17/26 Canadians on the Boston Roster - 2 former Canadiens + 1 Former Habs coach - Former Habs Recchi is 43 years old and played like a 23 year old - Tyler Seguin won a Cup in his Rookie season at 19 years old.

- The Habs get to beat the Bruins at least 5 times next season!

The latest Groupon deal is a good one. It’s for Le Crapaud, a really perfect place to Watch & Eat. Also right on time for the Stanley Cup game this Wednesday.

This guy knows! 2$ chǎo-miàn dude on St.Laurent, Montreal. #Habs #Food

TOP 10 MONTREAL RESTAURANTS FOR WATCHING THE HABS HOCKEY GAME
www.tourisme-montreal.org

Darche is doing the Jedi Cammy mind sessions on the bench!