Somebody on the site mentioned that Le Grand Comptoir
is one of the few restaurants in Montreal with friendly,
non-pretentious “single person” table service and I would
agree with them. What I mean by that is that going there by yourself doesn't necessarily present you with the typical dining-alone nuisances, like having to sit at the counter and thus forgo being able to relax in a chair, or being subjected to attitude from the host(ess) and the server. (After all, you're taking up a whole table and you'll only leave one person's tip!)
Like I said, Le Grand Comptoir
is a fortunate exception to those experiences.
You can go there alone at almost any time of day
(except the lunch hour: too busy) and find more
than a handful of individual tables to choose from...
Read the rest of: "Alone at Le Grand Comptoir"» 
How many more blockbusters would you be willing to drop 13 bucks for? Personally, I'm done with it.
However, I love cinema and will be the first one to admit that renting movies is not the same as going to a movie theater. A movie theater gives you the atmosphere, the sound and the focus. In the coziness of your seat, you are "inside" the story unveiling on the screen. For good movies
(and I mean guaranteed good movies), you have to go to one of Montreal's répertoire (or repertory) cinemas, the best of which is Cinema du Parc.
I assumed Cinema du Parc had closed its doors a while ago, which I thought was unfortunate because it had left fewer available alternatives to watch good cinema. However, it recently reopened with a vengeance...
Read the rest of: "Cinéma du Parc"» 
“MMMMMM!” was the exclamation of pleasure from a life-long New Yorker
when first sampling Montreal bagels. This was high praise indeed. This Long-Islander went on to concede that these bagels even rivaled New York's otherwise unrivaled bagels. Montrealers have known for some time that
their bagels were world class. In fact, beyond smoked meat and poutine,
perhaps no food characterizes Montreal more than its bagels. Like their
smoked meat brethren, Montreal bagels are originally a contribution of
the city's sizeable Jewish community. And just as debate might wage
between smoked meat at Shwartz's or The Main, a similar competition
exists between Montreal's top bagel bakeries, Fairmount and St Viateur...
Read the rest of: "Fairmount versus St-Viateur"»  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"» 
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"»
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"»  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"»
Montreal  |
