No Grill, No Glory
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Ah Me, We Went to Ame 
There's Only One Road in Canada
05/20/06 07:26 AM
Travel
And this summer I'll be on it!
Oh Canada- I've never been to you. A few weekends ago Felix and I got into a conversation about the traveling we'd done and I did a run down of the countries I'd been to: Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Texas, England, Italy, Germany (if you count changing planes) and duh- the US. Our friendly neighbor to the north was not on that list! So this July I have a wedding I'd like to go to on the East Coast and I'm making a trip out of it. I'll be visiting Montreal with my dad for four nights and New York City alone for three. I pretty much know what to do in New York city- become fat and poor (with all the food I'll eat and the plays I'll see!). But in Montreal, I'm a little unsure- so if you, faithful reader, have a suggestion of what I definitely shouldn't miss in Montreal - whether it be a museum, restaurant or opium den- please leave a suggestion here! Or if you have a travel book or website you are fond of (I'm already scoping out Chowhounds- Montreal)- that would be helpful too!
Kristen! Montreal is one of my favorite cities to visit. I always end up staying at at a B&B called Angelica Blue - reasonably priced and centrally located (the B&Bs are so affordable in Montreal - and the breakfasts so tasty - I definitely recommend going that route).
Emily and I had many memorable meals in Montreal, but unfortunately the names of places elude me. One place you should check out, though, is a fast food chain called Frites Alors - heavenly fries served with all different kinds of sauces. We also really liked a martini lounge called the Jello-Bar, where they play live music on weekends. Gourmet dedicated its entire March 2006 issue to Montreal, and you should definitely check it out - it's filled with awesome recommendations that made me want to head back north myself.
And, to put you in the mood, buy the Arcade Fire (most notable band in the Montreal music scene) cd. It's really, really good.
Posted by: Luke | May 21, 2006 at 06:20 AM
This is why I always get frustrated living around Americans. One road in Canada? Excuse me, but its a gross injustice to exclude the other one up in the territories. Thats TWO roads. Yeesh.
Posted by: Brian J | May 21, 2006 at 10:01 PM
Oh, and its impropere to say 'Oh Canada'; its 'O Canada'. The 'O' is exclamatory.
Posted by: Brian J | May 21, 2006 at 10:03 PM
In Montreal there are hundreds of amazing restaurants, here are a few that I have tried:
Au pied du cochon (http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca) - here you can try traditional Quebec dishes with a twist like Poutine with Foie Gras, or other dishes like Venison Tartare, Bison ribs. For the meat lovers.
Sho Dan (http://www.sho-dan.com) - very good sushi.
Le Commensal http://www.frommers.com/destinations/montreal/D32972.html) - the biggest most amazing vegetarian buffet I have ever seen. Delicious.
Posted by: Songdawg | May 24, 2006 at 07:26 AM
Montreal is a wonderful city! There's usually tons going on in the summer. I've lived here for almost 5 years. I haven't tried too many fancy restaurants (most of my time here was as a starving student) but here are some suggestions...
1. Gourmet magazine did a Montreal issue this spring - check that out.
2. Smoked meat is a big deal here. Kind of like pastrami, but not. The most famous place is Schwartz, on St. Laurent Blvd. It's good, but there are usually lineups and most locals think The Main, which is just across the street, is just as good.
3. Montreal has some good french fries. I never really liked fries until I moved here. But they have a tendency here to make them into poutine. That means they cover them in cheese curds (or, less authentically, grated cheese) and "sauce" (basically a brown gravy, but pronouncable in French and English). Can be very tasty.
4. For fancier food, I've heard lots about La Coulombe, and Au Pied du Cochon (I think Anthony Bourdain wrote about this place recently), and L'Express.
5. I haven't found sushi to be the best here - but I'm from Vancouver, where it's cheap and available everywhere. You can get good sushi, but it's quite expensive. The best I've had is Mikado, on St. Denis. I haven't been impressed with the Chinese food in this city, but I liked the dim sum at Maison Kam Fung, in Chinatown.
6. Montreal bagels are my favourite. They're thinner and chewier than NY-style, I think. Try Fairmount Bagels (open 24 hours) or St. Viateur (www.stviateurbagel.com)
7. I'm not sure when you're visiting, but chances are there will be a festival going on. Jazz festival, comedy festival, fringe festival, fireworks...
8. There are a couple of markets that are fun to wander around: Atwater (southwest of downtown) and Jean Talon (north of downtown, near Little Italy)
9. The Old Port is pretty. Cobblestone streets, old buildings, horse carriages, etc.
10. "Mount" Royal (more of a big hill than a mountain) is nice for strolling; views of the city, big old cemetery.
11. If you're into shopping, Ste. Catherine Street is busy and commercial; St. Laurent Blvd and Mont Royal Ave. are more eclectic and funky; St. Denis is more upscale.
That's all I can think of for now. Sorry, no opium den recommendations :) Hope you have a great trip! Let me know if you have questions or need more details on anything.
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