Oh, how I keep telling myself that not every dish is a winner. Point of fact: this one. Perhaps freshly shelled chestnuts would have made a difference, perhaps not.

Seriously, I was so disappointed in this one.

The LSC and I were back in Montreal this past weekend. There was a comic convention which really was the saddest little con you ever did see. Somehow it was sadder that Lou Ferrigno was there. Still, I got to meet a couple more of my husband’s friends. As a prize for being a good sport, the LSC took me to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which we both loved. I must profess I only wanted to see because of Bill Hader, but the bonus of Neil Patrick Harris and Bruce Campbell made it worth more than the price of admission.

In my continuing quest for decent Mexican food up here in the Great White North, we ate at Manana Saturday night. Every time we’ve stayed on the Plateau, we’ve walked by and I’ve been quite intrigued. Doing diligent research at our hotel—Anne Ma Soeur Anne, equally a rocking place but more on that later—the LSC pulled up a taqueria that sounded very promising but after heading towards where it was supposed to be, we discovered that it was no more. As visions of chorizo tacos spiraled away to nothing, we agreed to Manana as a second choice. (It was my first, actually, but never mind.) Manana is admittedly a bit cliche with its bright prints, extremely loud salsa music and Frida Kahlo pictures on the walls (which I loved, so there) but it was warm and cozy. After a long day of seeing the sad nerds with their sad costumes, it was time for booze. And oddly, I wasn’t the one to suggest it!

Ah, fresh strawberry margaritas. My only gripe? They were frozen. Still, they were laden with tequila and sometimes that keeps the bad things at bay.

The spouse had the table d’hote (which essentially means he ordered the fixed price meal) and his starter was this interesting eggplant gratin. I am not entirely sure what this has to do with Mexican cuisine but from what I tasted of it, it was all right. A bit unusual but all right. Actually now that I think about this dish more, the more I am confused by it. Anyone care to shed any potential light on this?

I had the “quesadillas del queso”; that’s an oxymoron, morons (not you, whomever wrote the menu).

And the LSC had some sort of chicken dish whose name we have both forgotten. He liked it well enough but said, “This was okay but I think you could make better Mexican food.” Was that a challenge?

Post-dinner was pints at a favorite microbrasserie, L’amere Boire, a nice stroll to our room and a night’s sleep on the comfiest hotel mattress I have ever encountered. They give you fresh croissants in the morning (the hotel, not the mattress)! Also, our hotel was next to a jazz bar so I got lulled to sleep by “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” a favorite song, so: bonus!

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Chestnuts

1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 cup shelled chestnuts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used canned and peeled chestnuts)

salt to taste

1 pound shredded cabbage

1 clove garlic, sliced, plus 1 tbl. minced garlic

about 12 large shrimp, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tbl. minced or grated fresh ginger

2 tbl. soy sauce

1/4 cup chopped scallion

2 tsp. dark sesame oil

Heat a third of the peanut oil in a large skillet. Add chestnuts to pan, along with a pinch of salt, and cook over high heat until they begin to brown and slightly crisp. Remove and set aside.

Add another third of the oil, followed by the cabbage and the slice garlic; cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the cabbage begins to brown. Add about 1/4 cup water and continue cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes, until cabbage has softened.  Remove and set aside.

Add remaining oil to pan, then add shrimp, minced garlic, ginger and a little more salt; cook until shrimp is just pink.

Return chestnuts and cabbage to pan, along with a couple more tablespoons of water and the soy sauce. Cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Add scallions, drizzle with sesame oil and serve.