February 2003
William McDonough, Treehugger
"Cellulose paper is such a low-grade, prosaic use of something so beautiful and valuable as a tree. If you look at what a tree can do compared to human design...I mean, how many things do you know make oxygen, sequester carbon, fix nitrogen, water, provide habitat for hundreds of species, make microclimates, change colors with the seasons and self-replicate?"
"Why would you want to smash that and write on it?"
February 18, 2003 in Environment , Restorative Economics
Phò Bang New York, Olive and Gourmando
This weekend we checked out the Chinese New Years' events at Sun Yat-Sen Park on de la Gauchetiére. There was an all-too-brief Lion Dance costumed parade - but we made up for it by checking out some tiny shops filled with New Asian Kool - Sanrio licenced theme merchandise, groceries, and gadgets.
After, we went for some phò at Phò Bang New York, the Debeur-rated Vietnamese joint at the corner of Viger at the Main. We both got the standard size (which is almost enough for two people), I got beef, she got chicken. With just a touch of spice, it's welcome heat to clear away a stuffy head. I think - but I'm not sure - that the New York part of it comes from the fact that the beef seemed like brisket. Served with a side plate of refreshing basil, bean sprouts and two bright-red, deadly-looking little chilis (which we decided not to take a risk on), Phò Bang definitely offers value for money - especially judging by the line of eagerly waiting customers stretching out the door and onto the street.
We then walked over to Olive and Gourmando. The place was packed, and the decor an interesting mix of decoupage lamps, custom woodwork and neo-vintage chairs. It avoids the Montreal café-interior-design clichés of polychrome broken-tile tilework, velvet drapes on spirally wrought-iron rods, blue-velvet-covered scrollback chaises, bizarrely shaped wall protrusions, overdone wall sconces and gold leaf everywhere - a collective style I call "Kebec Baroque." Prime examples include the Cafe Republique on St-Laurent, and Toi, Moi et Café on Laurier - you know it when you see it.
O + G's design is all about wood - every other table is made of stripes of bonded 2 x 4s of what looks like teak, oak, birch and maple. Their custom shelving, cabinets and window tables are gently carved, Vienna Secessionist-by-way-of-Tokyo. All done by Ross Munro, whose work also includes the custom wood serving trays, plates and other items at Cube, in the St-Paul Hotel around the corner. (No web link, but his company is Treebone Design, located at 10 Ontario W. #308, 993-8733).
As a bakery-café, Olive and Gourmando's style seems in opposition to the traditionalist, 'we import our own flour direct-from-France' Banette bakery near our old place in NDG. Owner-chefs Eric Girard and Dyan Solomon have created an earthier style of brioches, loaves and brownies that are dense, but portion-controlled to avoid heaviness. Often pairing their creations with Valrhona chocolate, the richness of the baked goods contrasts with lighter Continental fare such as soups, paninis and salads. (Viewers of the Food Network's Opening Soon will recognize Girard and Solomon as key figures in helping launch Cube - their kitchen served as the testing ground for Claude Pelletier's dishes while the hotel was under construction.)
