Interview with a Chef Born and Bred in Montreal
Matthew Schnarch from Café Pavé: Off the beaten track
Citeeze had a chat with Matthew Schnarch, owner of Café Pavé in Old Montreal. He shared with us his impressions on local food trends, his best spots to eat out in Montreal and his childhood food memories "on the bliss of ignorance".
Where are your favourite places to eat out in Montreal and why?
As someone who knows good food (or at least believes he does) my food preferences fall into two distinct categories. Cheap and not cheap. Once I began working in food I could no longer palate the $20 meal that pretends to be a $40 meal using $2 ingredients. I never eat at generic fast dinner restaurants like Casa Grecque or Houston's or Madison's (worst meal of my life). At least with cheap food there is usually flavour, you know what you are getting and you are paying a fair price. For cheap eats in Montreal I like Wok Cafe for salt and pepper shrimp. I'm always in for a hot St-Viateur bagel. Decarie hot dog is great for a greasy fix. Breakfast at Beauty's and lunch with my friend Dana at La Bistrote makes my day.
The other part about being knowledgeable and picky with food is when I spend money on dinner I hate it to be bad. That's why I often eat at restaurants where I know the chef or know someone who does. My favourite way to eat at a fine restaurant is to ask the chef ahead of time to make me whatever he/she thinks is best. I eat this way at La Griglia D'Oro in Lasalle (a hidden super fair priced gem with parking), at DNA and Tony et Chantal's Bistro a vino (in St-Adele). Tony taught me how to cook. For steak (If not the cow I buy once or twice a year on my BBQ) I like Moishes. I really don't like all the places in Montreal that are cool these days. A lot of them opened with former staff of well-known restaurants. I find these restaurants always serve good food that is slightly overpriced but ultimately lack attention to detail and desperately lack the wow factor.
Who is your clientele in the Old Montreal neighbourhood where you are established as a restaurant owner and chef of Café Pavé?
My restaurant is a purely local joint because after all I'm in a business district and only open at lunch. My clients are above average income earners working mostly in law, tech and media.
What are the current food tendencies in Montreal and/or Canada, according to you?
I'm not currently working on the edge of food trends but relating back to number one I can spot places that aren't pushing the boundaries. For example I went to Le Filet the other day and it was a packed house. Oh look, tuna tartar with sesame seeds - Wow, way to break the mold. When I was working high end five years ago we gave up the tuna-sesame thing. We next did tuna with yellow beets and maple cream, and that was five years ago!
I think we will continue to trend towards local, sustainable and simplified. I think molecular gastronomy can still find a way into a good menu but only in selective parts that add to the whole. I love cooking sous vide and I think any good chef should use this awesome technique on a few dishes.
I think wine might cool as a trend and beer and other drinks may start to find themselves being paired. I think someone will do a community table and if done right everyone will try to copy it and serve family style. I think at some point people will have to realize that food is not cheap anymore and that not all meals can be $5 foot longs.
What are your most precious food memories from childhood?
Childhood food memories are everything as far as food is concerned. Given smell is so closely tied to memory I think food and memories are inextricably linked together. I remember making ice cream in the ice cream machine, the smell of a roast coming out of the oven, making jiffy pop, our first microwave destroying 90% of what we put in it. Mostly I remember eating lots of proteins with starch, lots of meat and potatoes. Before Heston Blumenthal made steak over 24 hours in the oven my mom was making roast beef over night too. Back then if your mom made you steak and potatoes she loved you, today it means she is trying to kill you. We didn't think about the suffering of the animal or factory farms. I worry today for my kid and how he will perceive food. Nothing is just what it is anymore. It's not just a piece of meat, it's a moral, political and social statement. I'm glad for the planet that this is true but certainly my great childhood memories of food are based in large part on the bliss of ignorance. Still today all my recipes are based on these memories. My sandwiches are very protein dependent and even my veggie options are always plentiful and hearty. I still think of good meals being based in the concept of filling you up.
Montreal is an international city influenced and looking towards Europe. What do you think European chefs brought to Montreal's restaurants?
I think European chefs bring Montreal chefs a closer tie to the farm and the land. It is common in Europe for chefs to go shopping at the market on a regular basis. In Montreal people talk about this but it is more rare than you would think. The challenge here is that convenience and cost are a major factor and I'm not sure customers are ready to pay for a difference most of them can't notice.
Montreal is also influenced by Europe more than the United States when it comes to portion size. I think good restaurants here still have reasonable portions whereas in the U.S portions are absolutely out of control even at some fine establishments.
Subject researched by Citeeze
Matthew Schnarch, Kim St-Pierre & Helene Upperton
Matthew Schnarch
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