January 2023. Mild temperatures. That makes winter romantic, I think. The snowfalls are much better taken on the moral side if you don’t chatter your teeth. And then I stress a lot less when I see my teenagers going out in shoes or without a coat. A couple of nice sunny afternoons that allowed us to walk under a sun that blinded us didn’t make it worse in the end.
The dream
As February rolled around, I suddenly felt the urge to take my winter antidepressant. The anticipation of my favorite meal lives happily in me. I salivate at the thought of sticking my spoon into the famous giant French toast at Leméac restaurant. Its height, its main attraction, overwhelms my senses as they prepare to try this locally made brioche bread with maple caramel and dulce de leche. A combination of moist and hot with a scoop of ice cream flowing from all sides. It is the emblematic Montreal dessert, three inches high, that we place in front of us. I can’t believe my eyes every time.
Nice mistake
Photo courtesy of Alexandra Diaz
The brioche bread that comes out of the oven with Émile Saine.
The charming 77-year-old owner, Émile Saine, is still present in his bistro every day. It was he who grabbed the ball on the rebound twenty years ago when his new pastry chef made a huge mistake, it must be said! The latter cut their homemade French toast three times too big. American tourists passing through, unknowingly serving as guinea pigs, were the first to roll on the ground because they loved this delicacy. “We’ll leave it as it is! then decided Mr. Saine.
A reference
Sure brunch perfection, but fortunately this dessert can be found on the restaurant’s extensive menu at any time of the day and, more importantly, all year round. There are also 18 starters and just as many main courses that never change. A loyal clientele like a dog that sets the mood in a very simple, bright, classic decor on a marble mosaic floor broken piece by piece by the founder and his contractor.
My lifelong favourite
You can even prepare this mythical dessert at home thanks to the Leméac recipe book available on site. The ritual of being served this beautiful pork dessert has become, as they say, an essential happiness of my winters.
Photo courtesy of Alexandra Diaz
Say hello to Max for me when you go. It is the boss’s son who greets the customers every day and takes over from then on. It is the hallmark of the establishment to be welcomed like at home and to order a dish that does not change.
And you, your comfort foodit is something ?
It’s what I need in the coldest weather. A classic that comforts like a baby blanket. We all have a little pick-me-up up our sleeve to face the winter. Onion Soup Gratin, Braised, Neighborhood Tonkinoise, Baileys Coffee, Fudge.