Restaurant Dinette Triple Crown!!

Another favourite of mine, Dinette Triple Crown, a southern bbq joint in the Mile End with amazing food. This gig with Provender is proving to be right up my alley. I get to visit the kitchens of all my local hot spots.

The restaurant is small but once you pull up a chair and check out all the pickled veggies laying in jars above your head, you know you have come to the right spot. There's a photo below of the menu that will leave you feeling bad about yourself once you order one of everything, because you simply can't choose. That's basically what happened to me on my first visit but I have since picked out a few favourites. I am in love with their Mac and Cheese, it is not your usual mac and cheese, it seems more saucy than stringy but it is truly epic. I also have a slight obsession with their pulled pork and fried chicken.

Colin, thanks again for allowing me into your kitchen and keep up the amazing work.

SLATS BBQ!!!

In this post, I would like to introduce you to the many members of my family and friends. We all know Irish families are big and so ours is no exception. Big families make for amazing bbq's, Parties, lots of laughs and stories to be told. Before the end of our vacation, mom arranged a bbq at the house and the family to come on by. The photo above is my immediate family but missing is our sister Claire, who is currently waltzing around South Korea. There is a space for here there next to Patrick, so we might photoshop her in someday. We were cutting and hauling wood in my grandmother Slattery's fields.

The Brother: Also known as Patrick, Pat or Paddy

Notting Hill Carnival

We headed to Notting Hill carnival during the August bank holiday weekend. I wasn't sure what to expect and if arriving at the tube station was any indication, I should have just turned around and gone home. Instead we waited in a constant flood of people to get a gasp of fresh air. Finally when we arrived at street level, I was glad I stuck it out as the crowds thinned and we walked through the beautiful neighbourhood of Notting Hill. Gorgeous houses lined the streets, cautiously boarded up, suggesting a messy outcome by days end.

We followed the crowds thinking we were all going to a particular area, but the party just starts the second you leave the tube and doesn't end for blocks. Every street is covered with stalls, some looking more make shift than others, just trying to make a few bob out of the weekend. Jerk chicken can be found at almost every stall, with some curries and lots of corn. I was surprised to see machete-wielding vendors cracking through coconuts as if it were normal, I mean how often do you see that. Red Stripe was one of the chosen drinks of the festival, inconsistently priced and available everywhere.

A parade of people marched through the main street which went on for hours and miles. People randomly joined in and walked with it. We strolled down several smaller side streets which looked to be more residential. That was the best random accident ever, here we saw front lawns turned market vendors selling water, punch, sky cocktails, jerk, offering toilets for 1 pound a head. It was actually amazing how the police turned a blind eye to the guy walking with a trolley selling his own house brews. I guess anything goes on carnival once its not violent.

Carnival was definitely an experience but not the same one I thought I was going to be having. I guess the amount of street fairs Montreal has, led me to believe there would be more on sale other than food and drink. I am not sure how I feel about carnival in the end. It was rowdy and crowded, disorganised and just a drink fest. I think the word carnival is misleading and should be replaced with block party and as a block party it was perfect!!!

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