Icehouse, Montreal {Photo: © Carrie MacPherson}
I know, I know, I’m late on this one. I was supposed to go to Nick Hodge’s new restaurant Icehouse a few weeks ago, but life got in the way. Well, I finally went this past weekend, and I have to say that I probably would have made it there sooner if I had known what I was missing out on! This more laid-back establishment was opened a few months ago by chef Nick Hodge, the proprietor of the well-liked Kitchenette restaurant in Montreal.
His Texas foundation radiates through in this serene, noisy, enchanting and tasty little eatery, where line ups are in many cases recording out the entryway.
My most memorable experience with the café is through the air conditioner/DC music that was booming so clearly I could hear it right down the calm road! Simply relax, the music was turned down later on, not to an extreme, however barely enough that I could hear myself talk! 🙂 I sat down on a seat along a rare example of wooden tables and requested a hard natively constructed lemonade and a sack of custom made grill chips to begin.
The eatery is little with a couple of tables and a bar counter with paper napkin containers above it, the sort of paper napkin disposers you find in open restrooms and the utilization of which you will just see once you begin eating… The “roadhouse” is brightened with a couple of dead creatures, a few one of a kind things and an extremely charming staff! The menu is composed on a writing board over the bar where that magnificent lemonade is made and where you request our food. Icehouse is the world renowned hub of solace food including seared chicken, ribs, tacos and burritos. You eat it with your hands, making it messy and spilling juices down to your elbow.
Because there is no way to eat this food without making a mess, my dining companion and I joked that it is not a good place for a first date. However, the mess is delicious and makes you lick your fingers repeatedly.
Mexican Icehouse in Montreal Picture: © Carrie MacPherson
Our request showed up on a dazzling red plastic plate: a lobster burrito, pulled pork tacos, and a pork burrito. The pulled pork tacos with cured watermelon skin, chicharrónes, flavored walnuts and new coriander were by a wide margin the best I’ve at any point tasted! The lobster burrito with colossal lumps of lobster, pico de gallo, corn, a magnificent hand crafted aïoli and tarragon was so succulent I struggled with eating it before it self-destructed under the heaviness of the filling. Goodness did I likewise specify that there are no utensils? Indeed, even the broiled chicken and the ribs show up at your table in a can… which is then speedily unloaded straightforwardly on earthy colored paper on the table for you to appreciate! Love it!
By that point I assume I had hit my second hard lemonade, which you can “spike” with one or the other whiskey or vodka and which is an outright unquestionable requirement at Icehouse since it will assist with the fiery food and furthermore on the grounds that it’s totally tasty! What better method for finishing this feast than with a cut of pan fried peach pie in the current style! Seems to be chicken, smells like chicken however has an aftertaste like flavorfully southern style peach pie!