> I'm going to be in Montreal (downtown hotel) later on > this week and I'm looking for recommendations on > places I won't find in the standard tourist literature. A restaurant which >specializes in French Canadian cuisine > would be much appreciated. Any advice? Oddly enough, there does not seem to be really a lot of "Quebecois" restaurants in Montreal (I welcome rebuttals from those who know better). My favorite, though, is Les Filles du Roy on Bonsecours St. in Old Montreal (Champs-de-Mars stop on the Metro). I always get the "Assiette Quebecoise" which is a combo plate of tourtiere (Quebec pork pie), Pig's knuckles (delicious, honest!), and meatballs with thick brown gravy and ragout. No room for dessert after that meal! It's a real treat. I particularly enjoy the tourtiere, since it's a family tradition "chez moi" to have this at Christmas dinner every year since I can remember! Hope this helps. Savourez la bonne cuisine! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opinions expressed are solely mine. The MITRE Corporation 202 Burlington Road, MS R355 Bedford, MA 01730
Montreal, Canada
Montreal
Tracy T. wrote: > > I'm going to be in Montreal (downtown hotel) later on > this week and I'm looking for recommendations on > places I won't find in the standard tourist literature. > I'm interested in lower-cost places (maybe Thai or one > of those cozy bring-your-own-wine spots in Old Montreal -- > I already know about Caveau Greque and that's NOT what I have in > mind) as well as innovative restaurants in the higher price > range. A restaurant which specializes in French Canadian cuisine > would be much appreciated. Any advice? G'Day Tracy, You have hit one of the world's culinary spots for dining out - Montreal. Being from Ottawa, you already know that. A resident Montrealer until 4 years ago, I will try to sift from my memory of delightful, original, favourites of mine. General: 1. French restaurents start on top of the price list (be forewarned) 2. Many spots are 'hidden'-out-of-the way spots that locals know about 3. Ethnic areas: French- all over; Greek- Park Avenue, (Brochetterie translates as BYO) mainly at Prince Arthur St Mall or St. Viateur St; Oriental/Asian - scattered, and at Chinatown around Clarke and Lagauchitiere St; Italian- Jean Talon, upper St Laurent St., all over; Indian- Scattered; Mexican- Old Mtl, Downtown, NDG area, West Island Seafood- All over; . . My special recommendations: French-MON VILLAGE in the far west close to Vaudreuil off the highway (Trans Canada?) as you come from Ottawa. Popular as the best for steak, roast, desserts, etc. Ski Chalet decor with nice bar. Cosy. Mod/Exp Greek-MARVIN'S near St Laurent and Metropolitean Expressway (can never remember the street!). Best for lamb dishes. Need to call ahead for special menu items for groups. Open late. Hunting cabin decor. Moderate. BYO. Out of the way for tourists. French-??????(always forget name @#$%!), at Place D'Youville' in Old Mtl, medium/expensive, stone wall, wine cellar decor, steak-salad-seafood. There is another one up north near Mont St. Saveur. Greek-KOSTAS on Bishop (I think?) between St. Catherine and Dorchester/Rene Levesque BLvd, near Crescent St nitespot area. Kosta is a personal friend of mine who delivers fresh greek/seafood with a delicate touch. Sauteed octopus is a must for first-timers. Hot pekilia platter can be a meal in itself. Expensive. Sunday Brunch-HOTEL BONAVENTURE, LA BOURGADE near the pool. Has everything!! Mod/Exp. Also, places near Crescent, Old Mtl, St Denis street, Westmount, etc have special Mozart/Hayden/classical/music brunches as well. Pizza- EMELIOS in the McGill Uni student apt area 2 blocks west of the University St entrance. Small, innexpensive, student hangout in the bottom floor of apt building. Home cooked pasta as well. YUM! Greek-LA PORT A GRECQUE in the West Island on Sources Rd, north of Trans Canada. Converted House, fireplace, cosy. Inexpensive. BYO Italian-ROMANOS in the quaint Pointe-Claire village just off the 2&20 highway by the lake between St Johns and St Charles Rd. Dark. Good selection of authentic italian. Inexpensive. Seafood-LA POISSIONAIRE on Stanley St/Maisonneuve corner. Interesting fishing decor, dim lit (romantic). Mod. French-RITZ CARLTON, THE GARDEN. Indulge yourself, dress up, impress, unique experience. Best during a summer clear nite. Small pond, ducks, wall to wall waiters, but little elbow room. Can be very expensive. Watch the wine list.. Fast foods: IL ETAIT UNE FOIS - Biggest hamburgers you've ever seen! Bottom of McGill College street, past Place D'Youville, almost to the docks. Looks like a caboose and is next to train tracks. Old 40/50's trinkets and soda shop decor. LAFLEUR'S- Best hotdogs/fries (popular). All over. ORANGE JULIP- Cote ST Luc area along Decairie Blvd. Big Orange. ST CINNAMON- unresistable cinnamon buns, made before your eyes. 1000 flavours. All over. This is just the tip of the gastronomic fantasy! I have many more but need to look the details up at home. If you have special requests/areas let me know. I hope these places are still there....let me know. ______________________________________________________________ REGARDS, | BHP IT | INTERNET: the Duke.. | PO Box 216 | [email removed] | Hamilton, NSW | FAX: PHONE: | Australia 2303 | +(63) 49 40 2165 / ..40 2126 >> A Fool With A Tool Is Still A Fool ! <<
Joe F. wrote: |> Oddly enough, there does not seem to be really a lot of "Quebecois" |> restaurants in Montreal (I welcome rebuttals from those who know better). |> My favorite, though, is Les Filles du Roy on Bonsecours St. in Old Montreal I'm pretty sure Les Filles du Roy closed its doors this summer... sorry. Frank
There's a great little sandwich place on the Duluth, 1 or 2 blocks east of Parc. It's called Santropol. They have awesome sandwiches, most made with cream cheese and cottage cheese-they make for a very interesting eating experience. The sandwiches are around $6-7 (Can), but include a ton of fresh vegetables. They also have espresso drinks, milkshakes and a huge selection of herbal teas. And the best part is that they're nice to Anglophones... No reservations, but it can get pretty busy in the afternoons, so you may have to wait a bit. Good luck.
Someone wrote: > I will be in Montreal in ten days. Does anyone have any restaurant suggestions? Thanks > > > I had a great meal a few weeks ago at Restaurant des Gouverneurs at 458 Place Jacques Cartier in Old Montreal. We ate outdoors in one of the most picturesque parts of the city. There are many good restaurants on Place Jacques Cartier - you can take your pick. Article 23916 of rec.travel.usa-canada:
Someone wrote: > Please post favorite restaurants for the Montreal area. Will be there for > Spring Break. As I am a college student, cost is a factor. Looking > especially for ethnic restaurants. > -- Schwartz's Deli on St. Laurence for a smoked meat sandwich. Not to be missed. The locals drink black cherry soda with it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Langer Email address: [email removed] ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone wrote:
[ ... Well, I delete what clair wrote ...]
>Bon Temps!
It has been a decade or so since I was in YUL, so I won't mention the places then trendy.
If you happen to be by the Berri station, there used to be a classically Canadian restaurant called the "Pigeon Voyaguer". It is (was) cheap and good.
Nearby, there used to be a restaurant called, in English, "The Silver Musket." (En Franc,ais, it was "Le Tr...bant Argent".) A decade or so ago, the food was very good.
Nearby, the restaurant known as "Le Mazot", specializing in Swiss food, is probably still there.The name of the place is Milo's and it's quite good. Someone wrote: > There is a great Greek seafood restaurant in one of the residential areas > away somewhat from the downtown areas. Unfortunately, I can't remember the > name at the moment, but I'll continue to thing about it and will post it > to the news group when I remember. It was extraordinary. > > There are some great places in Old Montreal. > > Bon Temps! >
Maureen,
There are a ton of great places in Hilton Head. I can't think ofthe name of the place at Shelter Cove Marina, but it sits on the water and has nice seafood. If you're looking for some other interesting places, I'd recommend Rick's Place (near Palmetto Dunes on the main Island road) and Stripes (closer to Sea Pines). Another fun place is the Salty Dog (bar and grill right on the water).
Have a great trip and happy eating!
Carol
PS If you discover any new places, please let me know. I'll be back in May!
--
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Carol Sadler
[email removed]
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From [email removed] Wed Sep 25 10:31 EDT 1996
To:
Subject: Re: Learnin "Q"
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John's description of traveling around visiting BBQ joints got me to thinking. If you were hungry for BBQ and came up on two places side by side. Let's say one had a big gas-fired contraption but with lots of smoke coming out of it and the other had a grizzled old guy loading hot embers into a pit with a shovel. Which one would you pick to eat at? Now I own a gas smoker and I wouldn't think twice. However, even though your gut instinct would be to go for the place cooking the traditional way does this guarantee you would get the better meal there? Not necessarily.
What if there was only one BBQ joint, and they cooked with gas? Would you turn it down? Just because it was cooked with gas would you get a bad meal? Not necessarily.
In Smokestack Lightning they visit a lot of places and find a lot of variation in the quality of the BBQ. Some is not so good, some is OK, and some is orgasmic.
They write about Smoky Joe's in Spartanburg, SC. Since in SC BBQ is considered meat cooked in a pot with some sauce, they call ahead and ask them if by "barbecue" they mean meat smoked over wood or charcoal or merely baked or broiled in an electric or gas oven. They call Smokey Joe's and he answers "Sir, I don't know any other way to cook barbecue" so they get directions.
This place isn't on one of the big streets like the Beacon and the Spartanburg location of Maurice's Piggy Park. A tourist won't happen upon it. But the food is good. The sauce is tomatoey-sweet and a nice accompaniment to the tender St. Louis-cut ribs and the sizzling hush puppies.
He had been a district sales manager with General Motors, a job he had promised himself he wouldn't keep for more than ten years. He'd been there nine years, eleven months, and fifteen days when he was fired. He opened up Smokey Joe's Bar-B-Q ("Delightfully Different") because of how bad he found the barbecue in his adopted state. "I will eventually become a Spartanburg tradition. People will forget that I'm from out of town. My feeling is, once these people taste REAL BARBECUE, this is going to be my town."
In the end we find he has tricked us. There is no conventional pit, only an electric cooker with a strip of pecan wood, the electricity for heat, the wood for flavor. Somehow he has made it work.
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Now this shows that not knowing in advance that the meat was cooked in an electric cooker their minds were open and they found the food good, and by this time they had eaten a lot of BBQ. Plus, the owner refers to this as REAL BARBECUE.
In another excerpt from the book, they talk about McCabe's Bar-B-Q in Manning, SC. They talk with the owner.
"Time, wood, temperature, and seasoning," he tells us as if this were itself the recipe. The conversation ends on a chilling note. "I think you're seeing the last of the Mohicans," he says. "We're doing it the hard way and there are probably more easy ways to do it. In the long haul I think you're eventually going to see everybody going to gas or electric. If I'm around by then, we might even be forced to do that here."
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I, for one, find that very sad.
Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA
[email removed]
Garry's Home Cookin' Website
http://members.aol.com/garhow/cooking.htm
Eat first, ask questions later!
From [email removed] Tue Oct 8 23:42 EDT 1996
To:
Subject: BBQ in South Carolina
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Went to see my son and his new wife this weekend. They took us to eat at a place called Sims in Duncan SC. Sim's is a small BBQ place with maybe 10 or so tables. Each table had not one but four different BBQ sauces. One labeled "hot" a typical red sauce with a good solid tongue tanner but not to hot for most folks. The second was labeled "mild", and it was a good smooth tasting red sauce not to sweet and not to bold. The third sauce was another red sauce with no label but this sauce had an obvious oil base to it. The red translucent fluid filled the very top of the bottle requiring it to be shaken not stirred. This sauce was about as sweet of a sauce as I ever tasted and to my taste a little to sweet. The third sauce was what I had come for, a mustard base yellow sauce sweet, tangy and with a good bit of a vinegar bit. We had placed our order at the counter with the lady who if I was to guess was the owner-cooks wife. Nice people all the way around. I looked around at the people at the other table, curious as to they were, and maybe catch a glimpse of what kinda of people live in South Carolina. You can't help but see just a little rebel gray, if you let yourself drift just a little. I was glad to see the ladies coming with the "Q", a good time to move on to why were here. Sometimes I wonder if anybody is watching as I inspect the presentation of the Q and its side dishes. It must look like a moment reverence waiting for that perfect moment to arrive. That moment when the deed is done. What's this I thought, no outside, was it just my plate. I look around at the other plates, no signs of outside meat. HHHHMMMMMM I will have to ponder on this later. I figured by now if I don't go a head and take a bite the lady at the counter might think I am some sort of BBQ SPY. First the sauce. I had previously squirted out a nodule of each sauce for the finger test. As with all finger tasting test, its no time to labor on any thought about were that fingers been. At this time you must rest assured that any possible finger indiscretions have been promptly and adequately delt with, depending on good old soap and water. Some of you boy's out there might want to consider taking several steps beyond good old soap and water(depending on the indiscretion). As you well know with a selection of sauces making the right choice is not a matter to be taken lightly. After tasting each sauce separately I was down to two, the "HOT" and the "MUSTARD" base. The obvious had alluded me. Anyone with good since would just dip each individual bit in a different sauce each and every bit. The game was on, the first bite with the mustard sauce left me with even more complex issues. The Pork had a sweet smoky taste. Question would this rather subtle sweet smoky taste be there with the other sauces. Asked and answered, it was and it was good. That smoke taste was very smooth and sweet no bitterness, no absolute give away taste or smell. Nothing exotic but just plain good. We left Duncan and drove back to Greenville. I told my son turn around I have to find out what type of wood or woods Mr. Sims is using. NOW I KNOW DO YOU?
From [email removed] Tue Dec 24 10:16 EST 1996
To: [email removed]
Subject: Re: hot 'lanta q
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Sconyers was elected Mayor of Augusta this past go-round. Is it possible to be a politician and make good BBQ? I doubt it. If you want Goooood BBQ try Dukes in Orangeburg SC across from the Pepsi plant on Whitman st.
I wish for all of ya'll Peace, Joy, Good Health and Prosperity this
Christmas and in the years to come.
Brof in SC
[email removed]In article , Robin Brecker
Someone wrote:
>Suggestions?
Price range? L'Express has served us well a couple of times over a period of years. It's a bistrot, reminded me somewhat of places I no longer see in Paris. although I suppose its really its own unique sort of place. Hearty French bistrot food and very good wine selctions at prices I couldn't match in NYC. Last time I was there was last summer.In article , Robin Brecker
Someone wrote:
> Suggestions?
There are zillions of great restaurants in Montreal of EVERY style - but the classic experience that cannot be duplicated elsewhere is the local deli-item known as "smoked meat". It is similar to corned beef, but VASTLY, VASTLY, VASTLY superior. It is widely available in many styles, but the unquestioned best is from "Schwartz's" - Also known as "Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen", or "Charcuterie Hebraique de Montreal", which is on St. Lawrence Blvd. (Boul. St. Laurent), in the more-or-less downtown region. Don't worry about finding it - EVERY native can tell you where it is, and it's easy to get to.
The place is cramped, with communal tables, and filled with locals and tourists from every ethnic stripe, speaking French and English in total harmony. Waiters are decrepit, not-quite-rude, and highly skilled. The food's cheap. Wait in line, sit down, order, eat and get out. Go with the flow. Don't innovate.
Order this:
Smoked Meat, Medium (This refers to fat content. Don't bother going if you want it lean - it's too dry, and you'll instantly be known as a tourist). Get in in prefab sandwich form (real rye bread ONLY - magnificent), or as a platter (small or large), which comes with bread for assembling your own.
French fries.
Dill Pickle.
Soft drink (black cherry soda, or coke for the uninitiated).
Also good: the steaks, liver steaks, hot dogs, karnatzels (sort of a legitimate Slim-Jim), various sides, smoked poultry. But save those for another trip, or at least eat the smoked meat first.
If you have room for dessert afterwards, try the banana cake across the street at "The Main", a competitive deli which is not bad - but can't compete with Schwartz's for the smoked meat.
It's good to go in the mid-afternoon when the crowds are smaller, and you can walk off the meal in the neighborhood, or closely (on Boulevard St. Denis, for example).
Needless to say, I am a displaced Montrealer. Writing this brings tears to my eyes and makes me ravenous - I NEVER fail to make a pilgrimage to Schwartz's on each trip home to visit the family.
Oh well. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
(I sure hope you're not a vegetarian!)
Cheers!
Howardl'express is very good on St denis street
A great restaurant in Montreal, very reasonably priced by U.S. standards, is the Bleumarin. It is located at 1437-A rue Crescent. The telephone is 514.847.1123.