Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Euro-Soccer and Euro-Food



Photos by Adriano Ciampoli
Fig.1. Inferno, on the corner of Dante and St-Dominic, is serving Sunday Lunch whenever Italy plays. I was there during the first match against Spain (we tied). Food was spectacular as always. Cafe San Simeon next door is serving sausage panini, and coffee of course.

There's no shortage of things to do in Montreal during the summer.  Festivals and sidewalk sales abound, and there's streetfood everywhere. (the only time The City of Montreal, or, as us second gen-Italians like to refer to them, The Ville, allows streetfood in the city is during festivals or closed-street sidewalk sales.)
Another type of street party is going down this week in Little Italy and it's all centered around the Eurocup.  Whether you're an Italian supporter or not, I strongly suggest you come down to Little Italy and take in the match between Italy and England this Sunday, June 24. (The game is on Saint Jean Baptiste Day, if you come with an Italian flag, you might want to bring a fleur de lis just to be safe.)


Photos by Adriano Ciampoli
Fig.2. Note the TV on the bar. You should also know that you're allowed to yell at the television.

I took the first game Italy played (against Spain) at Inferno, they set up a wide screen television on the bar and everyone in the restaurant watched the game while eating and drinking beer. The pasta with eggplant and fresh basil tasted good enough to distract me from the game, if only for a minute. Also a serious distraction was Eatalian Girl's Hamburger, which was tender, meaty, and oh so juicy.
Next door at Cafe San Simeon, the chairs are all lined in a row in front of the television and Tony, Piero and the rest of the gang are making sausage panini on the bbq. If you're not into soccer, you should come anyways just to have a sausage and eggplant sangwich. Eat it outside and it turns into streetfood.
Forza Italia!


Restaurante Inferno:  6850 Rue Saint Dominique  Montreal, QC H2S 1J7
(514) 274-0666
Cafe San Simeon: 39 Rue Dante