Montreal Dispatches (Page 3)

Recently, a visiting Parisian made me laugh. Stretched on the grass next to the esplanade of the Old Port, she suddenly noticed Habitat 67’s retro-futuristic assemblage across the Lachine Canal.

“Et ça” - she said, peering confusedly at the distant building - “Ce sont des logements sociaux?” (“And that... that’s a housing project?”). I laughed because although nothing could be further from the truth (the internationally acclaimed building houses well-to-do Montrealers - one could even say, the city’s elite), many people somehow make a similar mistake. They are put off by the building’s stern look, uninviting color and absurd shape, and so they wrongly assume something of the sort can only be used to house the underclass. I am here to clear up the confusion and defend the merits of Habitat 67... More»

I remember the first time I walked by the Nota Bene store on Avenue du Parc, in November, 2004. A series of colorful German-made notebooks with aluminum edges were shown in the display window and I immediately thought “I am going to spend a lot of money here”. And sure enough, over the following three years, I did...

Nota Bene sells an amazing array of imported designer stationery items – mostly of European and Japanese origin. If you’re the type who prefers to think with a pen or a pencil in their hands, chances are you’re going to love this store... More»

Like every good European, I am fond of food and like it to be as fresh as possible. I’ve always looked for the best ingredients to make my cooking exceptional for my wife, friends and family, as that’s whom I usually cook for. Getting my groceries fresh from the market or straight from the farmer has always been my goal, because everything tastes better from the people who take care of their produce and work hard to bring the raw ingredients to our fridges.

In Montreal, I was overjoyed to find that there’s more than one farmer’s market open seven days a week. One of my favorites (and not only for its nice building, which I really like) is the Atwater Market, situated right by the Lachine Canal path, which makes it the perfect stop after a walk or a bike ride... More»

“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... More»

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.... More»