Got it, got it, got it, need it, got it...
I hate to seem like a tourist but sometimes I can't help it.
Things started off smoothly. I'm driving along the streets of Petit Italie heading towards the barista competition when I spot it: Quincaillerie Dante. You know it, I know it. We all saw it on Tony Bourdain's No Reservations and I had to stop.
We're not just talking about cooking utensils and supplies folks, we're also talking about guns and weapons.
Those who know me know I enjoy food. But those who really know me know I can appreciate guns. From the skilled artisanal beauty of a handcrafted Beretta over/under to the rhythmic rat-a-tat-tat of an AK-47, I like them all. At about ten years old, I remember learning how to fire a 1911 .45 ACP "Magnum P.I." handgun and an M-16 "Armalite" by my uncle while visiting the Philippines. That staccato burst of full automatic fire was enough to inspire a young boy to become a modern day barista.
Okay, maybe I stretched the truth a little about weapons leading to barista.
As I wandered the aisle of coffee making equipment, I couldn't help but relive a Bourdain moment noting what I already have and what I lusted after. Sure that Bialetti would be nice, but that Le Creuset extra large dutch oven would be even better. Oh, and how about that sexy Laguiole knife slash corkscrew? Even that butter bell would be cool. Or the Kyocera ceramic knives. I could go ballistic in here and it wouldn't be difficult.
Instead, I practice my resolve and hold back from unleashing credit card fury. Though I do see the house cookbook for thirty bucks and decide to get one - even though it's in French.
It's a book featuring Dante's Stefano Faita, who happens to be in the shop at the moment wrestling with issues about his dog. I don't understand what's going on but he's occupied with those matters and I decide against asking him to sign my book. I think that maybe he'll offer but he doesn't and I leave.
I really can't read French but the pictures look good and the recipes don't seem too hard to decipher. In a moment, I'm back on the road once again heading for the convention center.
Quincaillerie Dante
6851 Rue Saint Dominique
Montreal, QC H2S 3B3
514-271-2057
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