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L'Express When I planned my Montreal portion of my Canadian trip, I had my eyes out for L'Expresss, a quaint, yet ever popular French Bistro located in an area known as Plateau Mont-Royal. However, the lack of meals did me and my travel companions in and I figured I had to skip this popular Montreal eatery. Our original plan was to dine at this Spanish tapas restaurant recommended by our Lonely Planet Travel Guide called Pinxto, but once we were told the earliest reservation we could snag was at 9:30PM, we put our names on the board and went looking for a "snack." Since most of the popular restaurant were located in the Plateau Mont-Royal area, I quickly suggested L'Express, hoping we could somehow snag a 3 top on a busy Saturday evening. With a little luck, our Maître d' told us we had an hour before the next party would arrive and the table was our's if we wanted it. Jackpot! Bread Basket The obligatory bread basket. It wasn't anything special, but

Petrossian's Black Truffle Mac 'N Cheese Here lies the question, "can one have too much of a good thing?" In my opinion, while it's good to take things in moderation, at Petrossian, the rules are meant to be broken. As profiled on my trips 1 , 2 , and 3 , Petrossian has become one of, if not, my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. On this particular dinner, with the help of the ever so awesome BlackBoardEats , with everything at 30% off, we went with the so called "tasting menu." *Please note, the tasting menu is not normally offered, but I just ask Chef Ben Bailly to just send out whatever he likes and we'll eat it.* Delirium Tremens Hibiscus Champagne While some in our party went with the Delirium Tremens , a delightful Belgian Brew, I went with the ever refreshing hibiscum champagne. Very nice! Blinis - Caviar, Trout & Salmon Roe How can you come to Petrossian and not get an order of their famous Blinis with creme fraiche, topped with caviar,

Providence It looks like this will be a my 2nd post in a 4 part Providence series, and while the iron is hot, I'll go over what diners might expect in their 2010 Anniversary 5 course tasting menu for $65. As I mentioned my previous post , Providence is headed by Chef and Owner Michael Cimarusti who specializes in preparing elegant, yet delicious seafood dishes. While I wasn't "wowed" by my visit last year for their full tasting, I was excited to try Providence again with Diana of DianaTakesaBite . Aviation While going over the menu, I started off with a gin based cocktail called The Aviation. The drink has a nice bite, yet still refreshing. It went pretty well with the upcoming tasting menu. Trio of Amuse Bouche Cured Trout - Trout Roe, Wasabi Marshmallow, Japanese Crackers "Gin & Tonic" "Margarita" The trio were all refreshing and delicious, though my favorite has to be the cured trout with trout roe and a wasabi marshmallow. It was simple, y

Providence Providence, a place I've dined a few times in 2009, and this dining experience was about a year ago during their 4th anniversary dinner special. Call me a slacker, or having a huge blogging backlog, but here it is! This will be my Providence marathon 1 of 4, which will also include my upcoming dinner there this weekend. Just a quick Providence background, after Chef Michael Cimarusti left Water Grill to open his own restaurant, the aforementioned Providence, it has quickly garnered numerous awards, including 2 Michelin stars in 2009. Chef Cimarusti specializes in seafood and we definitely experienced that passion in our meal. Gin Gin Mule Prior to ordering and in place of a wine pairing, I went with a version of Gin Gin Mule made at Providence. Refreshing and delicious, just what I needed! Bread Service There are two types of bread offered at Providence: A simple warm roll, and an olive focaccia. Even though I'm not a fan of olives, the subtle taste of the olives in