 I awoke one morning after a night on the town with a desperate craving for a fast, filling, delicious breakfast to indulge my palate and soothe my aching stomach. Fortunately, the decision of where to go was easy: Dusty's, on the corner of du Parc and Mont Royal...
Read the rest of: "Breakfast at Dusty's"» 
I've met quite a few people in Montreal, and all of them surprised me with the same statement: "I've never been to La Grande Bibliothèque".
Worse, that would happen immediately after I'd answer the most common question, which is: "What have you liked the most in Montreal so far?"
La Grande Bibliothèque is definitely one of the top things on my list
and when I mention it many people seem surprised...
Read the rest of: "La Grande Bibliothèque: Not Only For Geeks"» 
You've seen it if you go to the movies. It's the backdrop for most of Chicago and parts of Cinderella Man. Walking the cobblestoned laneways of Toronto's Historic Distillery District is like a journey back in time.
Established in 1832, the Gooderham and Worts distillery grew to become the largest in the British Empire. Known as the most well-preserved collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture in North America, the Distillery District covers 13 acres and is made up of over 40 buildings...
One of the biggest complaints about the neighbourhood was the dearth of good restaurants. Balzac's coffeehouse offered sandwiches and crepes, but the other two restaurants onsite, run by the same management company that runs the entire complex, were overpriced and more than a little pretentious...
Read the rest of: "Mill Street Brew Pub"» 
The plaster dust from recent renovations has finally settled at Holt Renfrew, arguably the finest department store in Montreal. The store is shinier than ever, and designer clothing and fine perfumes await your every glance. However, if like me your idea of a good time doesn't usually include shopping, then you are in luck - Holt Renfrew is also home to unarguably some of the best in-store dining in the city. In fact, the basement Cafe Holt is a destination in itself, and not just for weary shoppers as I imagined.
Cafe Holt's modern decor is accompanied by a thoroughly modern gourmet menu, which is in turn centered around a very traditional bread....
Read the rest of: "Café Holt"»
I once read a statistic that indicated Torontonians watch more films per capita than the residents of any other city in the world. It's not that we go to first run movies more than most people do, it's that we go to a lot more film festivals.
When someone says the words "Toronto" and "film festival", the natural assumption would be that they're referring to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the world's most well-respected gatherings of movie folk. While the TIFF is definitely Toronto's biggest and best known, attracting films, celebrities and celebrity-watchers from around the world, it's actually only one of dozens of film festivals that take place in this city throughout the year...
Read the rest of: "Toronto Film Fests and the End of the "Nabes""» 
Le Convivial's chef Emmanuel Nozati did his magic again last night
with his delicious five-course meal and a carefully selected list of matching wines.
We already knew of his braveness with local ingredients from a visit to the Auberge Hatley where he used to cook (it is with great sorrow that I announce that right after our visit the hotel burned to the ground. The terrible accident had nothing to do with us, I swear!). Anyway, it was good to feel that the fate of your Thanksgiving dinner is in competent hands...
Read the rest of: "Le Convivial"»  Traditionally considered to be a classic "outing with the kids," apple picking is fun for really big kids, too (I happen to fall into the second category). The perfect place is only a half hour drive from Montreal, right next to Oka Park (for those of you who are familiar with its pristine beaches).
Saint Joseph-du-Lac is a town completely devoted to planting, growing, cultivating, juicing, and baking apples. In short, everything to do with apples except picking them - that you have to do yourself...
Read the rest of: "Saint Joseph-du-Lac: The Big Apple (of Quebec) "»  L'Entrecôte St. Jean is an establishment that has been there approximately forever, in part because of its prime location in downtown Montreal (the corner of Peel St. and Maisonneuve) and in part because its formula just works. Mix one part indecision, two parts repetition, a dash of hospitality, a slab of steak, a sprinkling of chocolate and a glass of red wine. That simple formula could be a critic's worst nightmare, but that's only because they would be going there with the wrong attitude...
Read the rest of: "Comfort Food for Carnivores: L'Entrecôte St. Jean"»  We only discovered this place a couple of months ago and already we've been there three or four times.
My personal opinion, as somebody who has lived in Italy for 5 years,
is that Vago tries to be faithful to the original taste of Italian cuisine...
Read the rest of: "Vago in Westmount"»  Whether you live in Montreal or visiting, La Chronique is a dinner
option worth considering...
Read the rest of: "La Cena at La Chronique"»
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