MON AMI GABI 

Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard, (702) 944-4224 Mon - Thurs and Sun 7:00 -11:00, Sat 7:00 - 12:00 

Went to Mon Ami Gabi a couple of times during our stay in Vegas - not just for the ambiance (pure Paris) but also their excellent breakfast.

It is a beautiful space inside - but even more alluring on the great patio on the strip.

We began with a nice cold Mimosa.

 We both ordered the same breakfast, bacon and scrambled eggs.

The bacon pieces were large and on the thick side with a sweetness like brown sugar, they were delicious.  The three scrambled eggs were buttery and had a hint of thyme and were heavenly.  The bread was crisp and light yet thick.  The hashed potatoes were crispy and were a great complement.
Definitely worth a visit if you come to Vegas!



http://www.monamigabi.com/home/?loc=vegas

LE PAPILLON ON FRONT 
69 Front Street, St. Lawrence Market/Old Town (416) 367-0303 Closed Monday, Mon. to Thurs. 11:30 to 10:30 pm, Fri. 11:30 to 11:00 pm, Sat. 11:00 to 11:00 pm,  Sun. 11:00 to 10:00 pm

After trying several times to make a reservation on Saturday evening (we usually call too late) we finally were successful.
It is a beautiful space with exposed brick, aged woods and floor and blends into the St Lawrence Market area well.  

We found the wine menu and food menu very easy to follow.

Basically there are several nice appetizers, crepes and mains.  Also, there are a couple of specials on a board at the entry.
We decided to start with a Bordeaux that the waiter recommended.  It was an outstanding 2010 vintage red Bordeaux and not very expensive.

For appetizers my son Mark (http://www.markallen.ca/) chose the Crevettes, shrimp sauteed in a tarragon garlic butter broth.  They were large and perfectly cooked and the sauce was divine.  We later soaked up some of the broth with bread (that arrived late).  

My wife and I chose the Escargots smothered in garlic parsley butter.  The escargot seemed smaller than I remembered them from a previous location they occupied.  Nevertheless, they were delicious.

My wife and I also ordered a shrimp appetizer to share and they were great.
For our mains Mark ordered the pork tenderloin from the menu with a forestiere (bacon and mushroom) sauce with potatoes and vegetables. He really enjoyed it.

My wife and I chose from one of the specials it was a pan fried ocean perch with vegetables.  It was delicious. The fish was tender and sweet and perfectly cooked.  The rice was a good match for this fish.

We really enjoyed our meals here and will definitely return to try some other choices on this extensive menu.  The only criticism we had was the appetizers were not served hot enough and we received our bread after the appetizers.  Hopefully next time we will leave enough room to try their desserts.




http://www.papillononfront.com

EAST THIRTY-SIX 

36 Wellington St. E. St. Lawrence Market/Old Town, Toronto, (647) 350-3636 Open for Dinner and Late 7 days a week

Located in the St. Lawrence Market area of Toronto, East Thirty-Six is the third restaurant change in the same building. Previously it was the Lucien, then changed to Olde Town Bistro and Oyster Bar.  Although now it has a new name, it seems to have a similar menu as the previous Oyster Bar.  It appears to follow a similar philosophy - do only a few items and do them well.  The menu is rather limited and encourages sharing.

We decided to begin with a nice red Cotes du Rhone and it did not disappoint, it was smooth and delicious.

We decided to get started with some bread and olives.  They charge $3 for some crusty pieces of bread and butter, which seemed a little chintzy for a restaurant like this. (We ate a couple of pieces before this pic was taken)  

The olive selection was delicious for $4 and had some unusual types of olives, including a small one that tasted lemony.

We then ordered an appetizer each and shared them. Mark (http://www.markallen.ca/) ordered the Cailletes (made of various pig organs and marinated in red wine) sitting on a small piece of toast.  They were very tender and melted in your mouth.

My wife ordered the e36 salad with castelfranco, kale, endive, ricotta salata aioli, focaccia, it was very good, but it was the only salad available.

I chose the cauliflower with capers, preserved lemon, brown butter, hazelnuts and parsley.  We all agreed they were different and flavourful.

We decided to each try a different main.  Mark had the duck

confit and he loved it.

My wife had the halibut with artichoke, white wine, lemon and fennel.  The halibut was perfectly cooked and the sauce, which seemed more like a soup, was filled with a variety of flavours too hard to identify.

For my main I selected the braised beef shortribs with brussel sprouts and pureed potato in red wine sauce.  It was delicious the meat was tender and the bone was removed, however it could have been hotter, it arrived on the lukewarm side.  It was very filling.

We shared a dessert of a very dense chocolate cake that was drizzled with caramel and covered with nuts.

We enjoyed our choices here, however, there are not enough choices available for us to come back.  The service was efficient and the flavours of our food were great but the menu is very limited.

http://eastthirtysix.com/

RECIPES

FRENCH ONION SOUP ( A Fooody tested recipe)

This recipe is based on the French method and is easy and very tasty. (serves 4)

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons of butter
2  tablespoons of white flour
4-5 onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings
41/2 cups of beef stock (beef Bovril works well - mix as directed on the bottle)
2 cloves of garlic - peeled and smashed [optional] - use to rub on the bread slices
8 slices of a crusty baguette loaf bread - cut to 2.5 cm thickness
200 g of Gruyere cheese grated or sliced into 1 cm thick strips  [mozzarella cheese can be substituted]

Instructions:
1.   Slice the onions into thin rings while the butter is melting in a deep frying pan on medium heat.
2.   Place the onions into the hot pan and stir into the butter and cook them in the hot butter - once the onions begin to cook lower the heat to a simmer and cover to let the onions cook in their own juices.

3. Cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes and prepare the beef stock in a medium pot.

4.  After the onions have simmered, remove from the heat and stir in the flour to mix with the onions.

5.  Place back on the heat and slowly add the beef broth while stirring the onions to mix well.  When all of the broth has been added, bring the mixture to a gentle boil while mixing, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

6.   Prepare the oven proof onion soup bowls by placing some of the cheese in the bottom of the bowl.  Slice the baguette into 2.5 cm slices.

7.   Carefully add the broth onion mixture from the pan to fill all 4 bowls evenly to a depth 2 - 3 cm below the top of the bowls and float 2 slices of bread on top.

8.   Place the cheese on top of the floating bread evenly and put the bowls under a broiler in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes.

9.   Voila!!  French onion soup!!

10.  This is the most important step - begin the whole process by opening a bottle of wine and sipping on it while you cook.

(Recipe adapted from The Complete Cookbook. Pub. by Colour Library Books. ed: David Gibbon.  Surrey England: 1985)