Le Fumoir Rubs - A Review

Le Fumoir has the perfect combination of sweet and heat. Their sauces are to die for and the meats are perfectly smoked.  If you are looking for super tender fall off the bone ribs then don't come to Le Fumoir. The way we Southerns like our meat is with a little BITE to it. Sure, the meat at Le Fumoir is tender but BBQ is about being messy and their ribs require you to bite into them to get that full satisfaction of eating a rib.

The meat is tender, sweet, juicy, and the sauce adds a bit of heat. If you are looking for extra heat try another one of their sauces that they bring to the tables.

What else is amazing about Le Fumoir? Oh let's see: Great prices, HUGE portions, GREAT flavor. It really is all you can ask for.

So far I've tried the following dishes:

Pulled Pork Sandwich:  I really wish I would have read the entire description because I'm not a fan of the slaw in my sandwich but I can't complain, it was great. And its a really nice way of making me NOT have to order slaw as a side.

Smoked Mac & Cheese:  To quote Haley from One Tree Hill "Mac and Cheese is the food of Gods". Well Haley, if you've ever had Fe Fumoir's Mac and Cheese I can definitely agree with you on that! Rich, creamy, just enough smoke flavor, gooey melted cheese...where exactly can you go wrong with this dish? I think I could actually eat this as an entire meal. 

Slaw: Have you ever had slaw with apples and poppy seeds? I hadn't until I went to Le Fumoir and I don't think I can ever go back to another slaw again. Do you think the owner would give me the recipe? 

Beef Ribs: Y'all can talk about pork baby back ribs all you want but those are a dime a dozen in Montreal. Rich SMOKED beef ribs with that smoke ring and pink center. OHMYGOD! Just enough pull to make me feel like I'm eating real ribs and that excellent flavorful dry rub. Do they deliver?

Beef Brisket: This is a Southern Staple. If you can get this meat right then you've made it. Le Fumoir, I'm happy to announce that you've made it. Officially the BEST brisket I've had outside of Texas! 

Fries/ Sweet Potato Fries: Excellent flavor. Excellent seasoning. So tasty. NOT Frozen fries. Believe me, I'd know!!

Beef Ribs: Holy smokes! These ribs are HUGE! Bigger than my head. I do not understand how anyone in their right mind can actually eat 3 of these! Tender, meaty, smokey, juicy, literally melts the second this touches your mouth. Everyone I've been with has tried this and fallen in love!

Pulled Pork Poutine: These Quebecers are all about their cheese curd and covering fries with gravy. At first I was hesitant, I was a little afraid...and then I fell in love. The pulled pork is just a miracle meat that makes everything amazing.

Smoked Veggies: Excellent side dish. Smoked veggies later mixed with balasamic vinegar and oil. My gosh, a party in my mouth. 

Chocolate Covered Bacon: I didn't think there was a way to incorporate meat into a dessert but RUBS managed to do it. Chocolate covered bacon covered with nuts and served with ice cream. Oh la la!

Reading this review you'll probably think I'm 500 pounds but in the sake of disclosure, I've been numerous times and have tried food off of my friends plates.

Want my personal suggestion: KEEP GOING BACK! The food is amazing and you slowly have to work your way down the menu!

Yummy Yummy in my Tummy!

So yesterday afternoon I was on Facebook and I saw a discussion on Networked Blogs about blogs that have to do with cooking and I kind of snorted to myself because that was my original intention for this blog. Hence, my second post on here being some chicken dish that Rachel Ray convinced me to try! I don't think mine turned out as good as hers but hey lets chalk it up to experience and guess what, I finally got a regular freaking wine opener so I don't struggle like an idiot!

Anyway, my sister in law called me last night to inform me that her and her husband are throwing a little impromptu party at their house today. She wants to know if George and I can whip something up for it. Its officially spring and they want to start their BBQ season. So since its Spring I figured I'd make a little speciality of mine to bring over to their house. It may sound weird but I swear its oh so good!

Watermelon Feta Salad

So how do you go about making this wonderful creation? Oh c'mon stop grimacing, I swear its tasty! The sweet and salty do a little jig on your tongue!

Cut a watermelon in half and use a melon baller to scoop out little balls of watermelon. If you don't have a melon baller you can just cut the watermelon into little square cubes. Put your melon balls or cubes into a large bowl. When you've balled the entire half of the watermelon drizzle the bowl with olive oil and vinegar and then crack some freshly ground black pepper over the top. Don't add any salt because your feta is already salty enough (if you didn't buy the cheap kind!)

Now take your feta and use a knife to chop it into small bits or if you are feeling daring just take it in your hands and crumble it all over the salad. Then take some mint and chop it into fine ribbons and drizzle that on top of the salad as well.

How you should use two wooden spoons in order to mix this well. (Again you can use your hands if you are feeling daring and have washed your hands!) After this is mixed put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes in order to fuse all the flavors.

Now get your serving platter ready.
1. You can put it on a serving platter covered in a bed of romaine lettuce leaves and then use a slotted spoon to put it on the platter and serve.

So how about some measurements?

1 watermelon about 20 pounds (you will only use half)
1/2 pound of feta (try to use Greek or Bulgarian as they are the best)
4 teaspoons vinegar
4 tablespoons of olive oil
5 sprigs of mint leaves (only use the leaves).
Pepper to taste

*right before putting it in the fridge you should taste it to make sure it has a savory flavor. It's not meant to be too sweet or too salty. It's a perfect balance!

How about some additional ideas?

Some places actually are lucky enough to get watermelons in more than one colour. If you have access to red and yellow meat watermelons then instead of getting one big 20 pound melon, get two smaller 10 pound melons and mix the colors. It looks beautiful when being served.

Instead of serving the watermelon feta salad on a bed of romaine lettuce you can make sure to clean the outside of the watermelon that you've balled and clean up the inside with a knive to make it a nice smooth surface inside and just pour everything from your mixing bowl into the empty watermelon half. I find this is a much better presentation but doesn't work well if your watermelon doesn't have a flat bottom.