Eating out feels so good

I took some time Sunday afternoon for a walk downtown, all the way from Westmount to the East End. I could have easily jumped on the metro, but seeing as how I recently promised myself I’d do my best to get back in shape, I figured it would be a good opportunity to move. That, and the fact I was meeting a few friends at one of my favourite resto-cafés for a late lunch, and I didn’t want to feel guilty about indulging too much.

After an all-dressed lentil burger, a mixed salad with mandarin dressing, a side of corn chips and guacamole, the happy hour drink special (two for the price of one), and adding the tax and tip, my bank account was about $17 slimmer. Not too bad, considering the quality and heartiness of the meal (no giant piece of chocolate cake this time – I was too full), but for $17, I probably could have made the same meal myself, at least four times over. This got me wondering what exactly drives us to get out of the house and pay a lot of money to eat somewhere, usually surrounded by other people.

Going out for a meal definitely has some sort of special connotation, more often than not. Restaurants are places for first dates, get-togethers with friends and family, celebrations, and maybe even treating yourself. People whip out their credit cards to pay for expensive meals and marked-up bottles of wine, even though the same food and drink would have cost considerably less if, instead of going to the restaurant, they would have stopped off at the grocery store and SAQ before heading to their kitchens at home.

Now, I’m sure for many people, going out for a meal prepared by a professional chef is about eating food they couldn’t possibly get to taste, smell, and look the same at home. For others, it’s about not having to clean up dirty dishes. I know my friends and I decided to cross into the east side of Montreal, because the café in question has a great ambience, a friendly staff, and good food to boot.

All I know is going out to eat will always be one of life’s big pleasures for me. I don’t do it often -- seeing as how I do have to pay rent and put gas in my car -- but it’s always very satisfying to find a new favourite place or a tasty meal to treat myself with, and recommend to others.

But, seeing as how my going-out-to-eat budget has reached its limit until next payday, I was very happy to figure out how to (almost) recreate one of my favourite restaurant sandwiches – a Cajun-style grilled chicken burger -- last week. For one sandwich, you’ll need to grill a small chicken breast coated in Cajun blackening spice on the barbecue. My improvised version of the spice mix includes five parts chilli spice, one part garlic salt, one part oregano, one part thyme, and one part black pepper.

You’ll also need half an avocado, mashed, mayonnaise, a ciabatta bun (you can find them in most grocery stores and bakeries), red onion, and lettuce. Slice the ciabatta bun in half, and lightly spread it with mayo, then the mashed avocado. Place the grilled chicken breast on the bun, top it with the onion and lettuce, and it’s ready to eat. Hopefully it’ll be a recipe you can enjoy until your next restaurant visit.