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Uncle Cooker-Chef

I need to do a little bit of blog backtracking…

We took a trip to Montreal a few weeks ago. The boys and I drove up on a Friday, then Pierre flew in to join us the following Thursday. I get a lot of “Wow! You are so brave” when I tell others that I do the nine-hour drive on my own with Benjamin and Nicholas. Brave isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Insane might be closer, but honestly I don’t mind the drive at all. The boys are really, very good in the car. We’ve been doing the drive since they were babies (aren’t they still babies?). They have toys and book and games, and a movie once we get across the border (I hold out on the movie until close to the end of the trip…it’s like the proverbial carrot for good behavior). And driving that distance kind of makes me feel like more of a grown-up. Is that strange? I guess that I prove something to myself each time I go.

During this visit, we planned a day-trip into downtown Montreal to visit Deville DinerBar, the restaurant where my brother Kevin is Head Chef. Shameless plug here: Go to Deville. I’ve told you this before. It is fun and trendy. The service is great. The staff is friendly and accommodating. And the food is so, so tasty. I inhaled my General Tao’s salad, stopping only to steal fries from Pierre’s plate. I'm pretty sure that there are programs to help with addictions to Deville’s fries. And don’t even get me started on the homemade donuts.

The boys have dubbed Kevin their “Uncle Cooker-Chef”. Apparently, the nickname has caught on with some of Kevin’s staff. And Uncle Cooker-Chef did not disappoint his two little apprentices during our visit. They feasted on the best baked mac & cheese any of us has ever tasted (I’m going to hold Kevin down, and let his nephews tickle him until he gives me every last ingredient in the recipe), and then were treated to sinfully-delicious homemade donuts with caramel and chocolate dipping sauce (okay, I’ve started). I wanted to eat about a gallon of the chocolate sauce with a spoon. It was THAT good. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for my hips), Benjamin and Nicholas beat me to it.

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Do they look full yet?

After Uncle Cooker-Chef managed to fill them up, Benjamin and Nicholas were made honorary staff members with their very own Deville DinerBar patches (held to their shirts with duct-tape, of course), and given a tour of the kitchen, where the boys wanted to be put to work.

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And what visit with Uncle Cooker-Chef would be complete without a little goofing around? Here they are being tough. Do they have you convinced?

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Best of all? Nicholas thought that Uncle Cooker-Chef looked like a pirate with his bandana. That is high-praise in Nicholas-land!

So, if you find yourself in downtown Montreal, on Stanley above Ste. Catherine Street, treat yourself to Deville DinerBar. And for the love of all things sweet, order the donuts. Oh, and say hello to Uncle Cooker-Chef. He’ll know who sent you.

xo Naomi

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