La Bastide w/ Al

A mere thirteen months after the actual event, I've finally gotten around to posting photos from my 2024 annual dinner with Al. Though we normally look to reserve somewhere in New York City, this time Al suggested La Bastide, a modern fine dining restaurant in Salem, a few towns over from him in Katonah. La Bastide had just one its first Michelin star, so it was great timing for us. 

Dinner was absolutely fabulous and I was both surprised and delighted to find a restaurant of this caliber outside the city. 

La Bastide
721 Titicus Rd, North Salem, NY

Two happy guys!

We purposefully arrived early so we could sit at the bar and enjoy a couple drinks, which were very good. 

A view of the well-stocked wine room. I don't want to call it a "cellar", as it was actually visible through glass panels from our seats in the main dining room. 

They proudly had their Michelin star on display for all to see in the dining room. They deserved it!

The main dining room is below ground level from where you walk in, but the restaurant itself is built into the side of a hill, so there's still plenty of openness from the back doors which open out to a lovely patio (or so I'm told - it was too dark to see anything). 

Another pair of drinks were enjoyed as we took in the ambiance and perused the menu. 

The tableware and cutlery were especially nice. 

The menu! We opted for the full tasting menu as always, though an abbreviated version could also be ordered. Rather than go for the pre-set wine pairing, Al selected a couple bottles for us. 

L'Apéro

Seasonal Selection of Canapés

Unfortunately, since I'm writing this post more than a year after the actual dinner, I don't remember all the details. However, I do recall these snacks being outstanding. I know the middle bit was shaved truffle on brioche, and the last I believe had a crab filling with passion fruit sauce on top. 

Amuse - Bouille

Bouillabaisse Quintessence

Wild Spot Prawn

Sudachi, Sunchokes

Bread & Butter Service

Champignons

Wild Mushrooms, Brown Butter Sabayon, Laminated Brioche

Charcoal Grilled Black Sea Bass

Caviar Osciètre Prestige, Cauliflower, Sake & Razor Clams Marinière

Millbrook Venison

Choux Farci, Huckleberry Sauce Grand Veneur

Fromage

Selection of French & Local Artisan Cheeses

Pre-Dessert

Lemon, Lavender, Paolina Limoncello

Honeycrisp Apple

Poached Apple, Hard Cider Sorbet, Apple Surette

Andoa Noire Grands Cru Chocolate

Fresh Hudson Valley Goat Cheese, Domaine de Trevallon Olive Oil

Petit Fours

Montreal 2024 - Day 4: Epicerie Sue, The Cold Room, Damas

On our final full day of the trip, Leah and I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon meandering around the city. We stopped at Sue, a popular local Asian convenience store and sandwich shop, followed by one last evening of drinks and dinner out. 


Épicerie (aka Sandwicherie) Sue is a wonderful Montreal staple with fantastic lunch options and cool imported Asian products. We enjoyed our meal and snagged a few fun items from the shelves to bring back home with us. 

Sandwicherie Sue
951 Ave Duluth East, Montreal, QC

After lunch, we walked by a local pâtisserie and decided to indulge in some dessert. 

Our pre-dinner cocktail stop was at The Coldroom, a speakeasy-style bar on the east side of the city near the water. We had had a fantastic experience here on a previous trip, but sadly this visit fell flat. The drinks were still very good, but the bartender wasn't really very interested in speaking with us (he spent the whole time chatting with another couple, who we think were friends of his). So we kinda just sat there by ourselves in a mostly empty bar with our admittedly still pretty good drink. 

The Coldroom
Rue Saint-Vincent, Montreal, QC

For our final dinner, Leah and I wanted to try something different, and had read great things about Damas, a high-end Syrian restaurant. We ordered the tasting menu and were blown away by the flavors - all the food was delightful. That said, the young sommelier was very over-eager - while endearing, he did wear out his welcome by the end of the meal. A minor nitpick though, especially after receiving the cold shoulder at the bar beforehand!

I don't have the detailed menu of what we ate, but I've written everything in as best we could remember. 

Damas
1209 Ave Van Horne, Montreal, QC

Marinated Stuffed Olives

Raw Beef w/ Quail Egg

Fattouch Salad

Kibbeh Nayyeh
Lamb Tartare, Bulgur, Onion, Aleppo Pepper, Walnuts, Mint, Olive Oil

Borek
Akkawi Cheese, Herbs, Tomato-Quince Jam

Kunafa Shrimp

Labneh, Oak Honey, Zaatar, Pistachio

Sea Bass

Some complimentary shots with turmeric for us and some of the staff, courtesy of the bartender! 

Meatballs

Aleppo-Sour Cherry Sauce, Spices, Pine Nuts, Saj Bread

Chicken

Lamb Chops

Fried Kibbeh

Lamb, Pistachio, Onions, Spices, Eggplant Purée, Yogurt, Tahini, Lemon, Pomegranate

Assorted Baklava