Ofelia… A Mediterranean Feast

           Greek and Lebanese food never tasted so good!

                                                  by Nancy Snipper

 When Ofelia opened it doors on December 17^th 2011, the name, Naji Slim began making a big buzz both among food aficionados and those who knew him as a banker in the Outremont region of Montreal. Now, Naji is putting his phenomenal people skills, passion and commitment to pleasing the palette into full gourmet gear.
 

 

 

As Montreal’s latest trend-setting spot, Ofelia is a haven for savvy diners and foodie initiates alike.

Ofelia is where class, quality and comfort merge into a marvellous Mediterranean mix.

Ofelia’s appeal starts the moment you walk in. Take a look at the textured walls of terracotta tiles, soft patinas of pink brick, sweet niches, and understated rustic touches - all set off by strategically placed recessed lighting. The effect is warm serenity. It is beautiful and relaxed.  Yet it’s where calm meets excitement.

 

Excitement mounts the moment you look at the menu. Wow!
Ofelia offers delectable dishes prepared and seasoned in authentic Lebanese and Greek fashion. Healthy and 100% fresh, the highest quality of veggies, fish and meats are market-purchased every day. Naji doesn’t stint on anything. In fact, no dish leaves the kitchen without Naji himself giving each dish - impeccably prepared by his trio of chefs - a personal heads-up.

 

Appetizers are awesome. Six salads include lobster, tabbouleh, fattouche and an endive creation with figs.

 
In addition you can choose from 12 more appetizers that represent the two countries well: dolmades, salmon tartar and Mouhamara – to name a few. Kebe is another hit at Ofelia’s – a hot appetizer of beef and crushed wheat meatballs stuffed with ground meat and pine nuts. The marinated loukaniki were tender and sausage salty.
But wait, there are also mussels on the menu - seasoned in three exciting ways (yours to choose), and hot appetizers too. 

 
Upon Naji’s recommendation, my companion and I opted for the thinly sliced fried zucchini and eggplant chips. This hot opener featured a generous dip of homemade tzatziki. I have never tasted such creamy thick tzatziki. Its texture was perfect. The chips were crusty on the outside and tender soft inside – a charming surprise. The taste was addictive.

 

 
At this point, we faced a wonderful dilemma. What wine to choose?
What one must know about Ofelia is its selection of wines spans estates that spread across the world. Never have I seen such a staggering list of coveted wines. Take a look at the bar and multiply the various bottles you see by 100.
 

 

Not only that, Naji keeps a secret stash of highly coveted wines in a special cellar in the restaurant. A sommelier himself, he is only too happy to suggest the appropriate pairing of grape to dish.  We enjoyed the delicate white Atlantis Argyros Santorini wine for starters.
Although, this bounteous list boasts a litany of over 100 world-class brands, Naji makes sure that everyone can benefit from the dual experience of imbibing and eating – meaning that there is a bottle to match your taste without straining your wallet.

 
Looking for tenderness with taste? My friend and I aren’t seafood fans, but we decided to take the fish risk, as we had heard Ofelia’s seafood is exceptional. We  savoured Ofelia’s squid and octopus!  Demure little bites of succulent calamari delighted our tongues, and unlike many Greek restaurants, the octopus, scallions and squid were so tender and gentle – not chewy in texture.  I also tasted huge jumbo shrimp, grilled to perfection.

Naji also told me that Chilean bass, swordfish, red snapper and red strip bass are some of the grilled delights to be had.  Next time I come back, I want to try the Kataifi shrimp. It’s wrapped in angel hair dough and glazed with grape chutney.
All these seafood wonders come from Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Vietnam and Thailand.
Ofelia’s gifts go on endlessly.
One of my favourites was the lamb which ended the series of main dishes for my friend and me. Tender chops from New Zealand were discreetly seasoned. I was not disappointed.

I was so impressed that the lamb or any dish for that matter was not drowned out in exorbitant gravies and sauces. Naji trusts the exceptional inherent quality of each meat and fish he buys, and in traditional Mediterranean style lets it ‘speak’ for itself. Nothing in my meal was overdone or exaggerated. Presentation was stunning.

The desserts were unforgettable. We both indulged in Ofelia's guilty pleasures. Enjoy the Cretan honey, and if you ask Naji how his creamy Turkish delight is made (in the middle of photo below), be prepared to write it down. It’s divine!

 

Ofelia’s is Naji’s passion, and it becomes yours once you treat yourself to an evening there. After all, ‘Ofeliete’ in Greek means ‘deserving’.  And you are!

 

 

Ofelia's address is 1270 Bernard West, Montreal, QC, H2V 1V9.
For reservations, call (514) 277-4000. The website is: http://www.ofeliarestaurant.com/index.php/en/.

 

 

The Fanciful Artist: Susan Shulman

 

Fishy, Fabulous, Fantastic!

© Benoit Desjardins

 by Nancy Snipper

 Susan Shulman’s art is outrageous, wonderfully whimsical and theatrical. Her paintings put you into a delightful state of mind or a trance created by a swirl of colours full of energy and dream-like images. There is also an unmistakable feeling of peace because Susan Shulman lets us in on a world that’s far more fun than the one we are stuck in. Is this mind-blowing artist blurring the lines between sanity and its far more interesting opposite?

She’s a modern-day sphinx.

Contrast, the incongruous and a world with no rules define her spectacular canvases that collectively are fishtopeias.

 Her women don’t sport fancy ‘Vogue’ hairdos.  Au contraire!   Fishnet hair adorns the females she paints.

 Fixated on fish, she creates larger-than-life ladies that are beautifully decked out in all kinds of them: fish – from head to toe. This motif means fish for everyone and everywhere, in the skies and floating with her family. It is literally a fish feast for the eye.

Shulman has also created a video of a fish swimming in an endless body of water. It represents her father swimming eternally in time. Another narrated video called Scales of Love features the artist at work. She is drawing fish and talking about her fascination with fish scales that she likens to iridescent gems of changing colours: (http//vimeo.com/45224958).
In her art book, titled In our Memories Forever, Shulman has created a history about her family and their immigration from Russia to Montreal. Grandparents are pictured in nine large paintings. An art treasure, this lovely handmade book offered a limited edition of 15. Only 5 remain, but it can be purchased on line; it’s published by Blurb.

Not surprisingly, this many faceted has an alter ego: the goddess Kali. An astounding gold leaf lettered hand-made linen case contains six stunning art pieces of her in various reincarnations as Kali. Shulman’s Kalis, include such names as: Sara Gypsy Goddess, Schekinah Goddess, Kali Goddess.  This remarkable work along with many Shulman creations are permanently housed in the State Library of Victoria, Australia and collections around the world.

Indeed, her artistic vision knows no boundaries. She has created billboards, spoken art works, videos, comics, mail art, poetry and books (ex Miniscapes). Her repertoire also includes male figures. Painted in her unique style, each piece reveals something new each time you look at on it.

                 Her daughter is her inspiration for so many of her female figures.

Billy Ray, a character she has developed, plays the blues. In fact, she always paints while playing music.

No doubt about it, Susan Shulman’s path has no ending. Like the six-armed Kali Goddess, Shulman has multiple projects that are being implemented all over the world.
“My art is a kaleidoscope of my soul exploding with passion and creativity.”

Eccentric and exhilarating, she inspires us all to let go and have fun.

You can view all her art work and the links to other significant projects she has created on her website: http://www.susanshulman.com/

Robert-Jan Lacombe Filmographie / Filmography

Née en 1986 à Mandima, République Du Congo; la quitté avec sa famille pour l'Europe trois mois avant la guerre civile a éclaté en 1996. A citoyennetés Française et Néerlandaise communes et vit en Suisse depuis 2006. Études à l'ECAL (département cinéma d’École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne, de 2008 à 2011 (reçoit son degré).

Born in 1986 in Mandima, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire); left with his family for Europe 3 months before civil war broke out in 1996. Has joint French and Dutch citizenships and has lived in Switzerland since 2006. Studied at the ECAL (École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne cinema department from 2008-2011 (receives degree).

Retrouvailles, 2010,

?

 

Au Revoir Mandima / Good Bye Mandima, 2010, 10m35s

Sur un toile-de-fond de photographies anciennes, un jeune homme raconte ses souvenirs d'enfance de grandir au Zaïre et le retour vers l'Europe de sa famille. L'empathie se développe pour les sensations perçues en raison de la rupture de relations amicales et à la perte de l'innocence.

Against a backdrop of old photographs, a young man recounts his childhood memories of growing up in Zaire and his family’s return to Europe. Empathy develops for the sensations felt due to ruptured friendships and the loss of innocence.

Retour a Mandima / Return to Mandima, 2011, 39m

Poursuivant sa quête personnelle de l'identité, Lacombe retourne à Mandima pour voir si le temps et la guerre ont affecté les liens d'amitié.

Continuing his personal quest for identity, Lacombe returns to Mandima to see whether time and war have affected the bonds of friendship.  

 

A Cadeira do Pai / Father’s Chair / La Chaise de Papa by / par Luciano Moura

 

{reviewed by Nancy Snipper}
Theo and his wife Branca are arguing terribly. Theo still loves his wife and does not accept the divorce she wants. Their 15-year-old son Pedro enters the house to hear the rage. The only bright thing in this cauldron of anger is the arrival of a new chair – a present for Pedro from his grandfather – Theo’s father – but Theo proceeds to smash it. His fury escalates when he sees his wife does not agree with sending their son away against his will to New Zealand to continue his studies. Pedro disappears one day, and Theo sets out to find him. He discovers Pedro has rented a black horse. The search takes Theo on his own journey across two states in Brazil. During this journey, he rides a motorcycle, steals a phone, attends a beach party where he helps a mother give birth, and gets into a fight with a farmer. He travels in his car, on foot, even ends up in a field and on a stationary boat – all because he is tracking his son down to bring him home. We watch the slow unraveling of a man who madly loves his son. In searching Pedro’s bedroom, she discovers her son draws horses, and has been illustrating letters sent to him by his grandfather. Pedro is a great artist. He in fact is staying at his grandfather’s house. Theo finds him and reconciles in an instant with Pedro along with his own father whom he hasn’t seen in years. The film starts out in a compelling manner, but Theo’s search lags into boredom for us. We want him to find his son, not because we care, but because we want the film to finish.

6th Brazilian Film Festival of Montreal (BFFM) / 6e Festival du Film Brésilien de Montréal (FFBM)

 

From November 30^th till December 6^th, the warmth of the Brazilian sun will heat up Montreal despite the beginnings of the bitterly cold winter season. Come and feel the heat as Cinema du Parc is host to the Brazilian Film festival. 12 fiction and 2 documentaries will be screened showcasing Brazil’s cultural diversity and dynamism.

Du 30 Novembre au 6 Décembre, la chaleur du soleil Brésilien va chauffer Montréal  malgré le début de la saison glacial d'hiver. Venez à la chaleur car le Cinéma du Parc accueille le Festival du Film Brésilien. 12 long-métrages de fictions et 2 documentaires seront projetés mettant en valeur la diversité et le dynamisme culturel du Brésil.

Chronicle of Films seen / Chronique de Films vus:

Below find a run-down of all the films seen at this year’s festival. As time permits a more elaborate critique (features only) will appear under the label “Film Box-Office.” They will be identified with the BFFM 2012 logo. Updates will appear on a frequent basis (hopefully once a day) so please visit frequently.
Un aperçu de tous les films vus au festival de cette année. Si le temps le permet une critique plus élabore (long-métrages seulement) apparaîtra sous l’étiquette «Film Box-office.» Ils seront identifiés avec le logo du FFBM 2012. Les mises à jour apparaîtra fréquent (j’espère une fois par jour), donc veuillez visiter fréquemment.

(Last updated /Dernière mis-a-jour: November 22 Novembre 2012)

Films are listed in ascending order – the most recently seen on the top
Films sont énumérés par ordre – le plus récemment vu sur le haut de la page)
All films are from Brazil unless noted / Tous les films sont du Brésil à moins d'indication

After / Âpres:

During / au cours du:

Before / Avant: 

A Cadeira do Pai / Father’s Chair / La Chaise de Papa, 2012, 93m, Luciano Moura

A family drama about a father who realises the value of his relationship with his son. Theo lives in an upscale Brazilian suburb. He has chosen his career over his family. He makes decisions unilaterally including sending his 15-year-old son Pedro on a school exchange program to New Zealand. Pedro refuses and he is supported by his mother. He pulls out a chair given to him by his grandfather. Theo breaks it. A short while later, Pedro leaves, lying to his mother. When both parents realise the Pedro has gone missing, Theo sets off to try and find him.

Un drame familial, un père qui se rend compte de la valeur de sa relation avec son fils. Theo vit dans une banlieue Brésilienne haut de gamme. Il a choisi sa carrière devant sa famille. Il prend des décisions unilatéralement, y compris envoyer son fils de 15 ans, Pedro sur un programme d'échange scolaire en Nouvelle-Zélande. Pedro refuse et il est soutenu par sa mère. Il sort une chaise donnée à lui par son grand-père. Theo la casse. A peu de temps plus tard, Pedro part et ment à sa mère. Lorsque les deux parents réalisent le Pedro a disparu, Theo se met en route pour tenter de lui trouver. {CLICK HERE for Nancy Snipper's review / CLIQUER ICI pour le critique de Nancy Snipper}

Trópico de Saudade, France 2011, 71m, Marcelo Fortaleza Flores

When French anthropologist and ethnologist Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009) visited the Nambikwara peoples of the Matto Grosso region of Brazil, lasting changes in how the world was viewed were achieved. This educational anthropological study revisits the first visit from the point of view of Lévi-Strauss.

Lorsque l'ethnologue et anthropologue Français, Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908-2009), a visité les peuples Nambikwara de la région Matto Grosso au Brésil, des changements durables dans la façon dont le monde a été perçu ont été atteints. Cette étude anthropologique éducative revisite la première visite du point de vue de Levi-Strauss.