Montreal - O'Chalet; Tres Gay

I wanted to sample the nightlife in Montreal, so we made a reservation at O'Chalet, a quaint family-run place at the edge of "le Village," the uber-gay area of town. This was to be followed by a cocktail and sight seeing at one of the local watering holes.

We enjoyed O'Chalet's simple finely tuned approach to French Canadian fare. We started with two appetizers - Tempura Shrimp with a finely chopped sprinkling of pineapple (not sure how this is Canadian) and a veal ravioli in a rich butter/egg sauce. The shrimp were delightful but the ravioli sauce was a bit rich and and the meat texture too rustic for my taste.

For my "plat", I enjoyed a duck confit with roast potatoes and a lightly dressed salad. I'm not used to seeing a duck confit served on the bone (chefs in high-end US restaurants tend to shred the meat and serve it in an over-engineered manner), but the flavors were simple and satisfying. Given that I only understood about 20% of the French menu, I think we fared well.

As we dined, we found the surrounding tables were filled with gay male dining parties which seemed odd among the rather drab surroundings. Clearly regardless of decor, solid good food appeals to all.

After dinner we walked Rue St. Catherine searching for a good place to cozy up for a drink, but nothing seemed quite right. It was only 10pm and Montrealers are notoriously late-night people so many of the promising locations looked too empty to bother.

We made our way back to the east side of downtown (Centre Ville est) to catch a little of the Montreal Jazz Festival. We saw one poor singer (Robin McKelle) fighting to keep her dress from blowing up and revealing her high notes in the mid-summer breeze. Moving on to a stage uphill, we encountered a massive crowd dancing almost club-style in front of a stage where a DJ, guitarist, 2 horn players and a woman with a traditional African percussion instrument (which looked to be a gourd wrapped in beaded netting) were whipping the crowd into a frenzy. As we stood enjoying the beats of Moses Mayes, I noted that this was a very appropriate end to a night in a city jostled between languages and cultures in such a 21st century manner.

Montreal - Senegalese Super Shrimp at Ferreira

The last time we went to Montreal, we counted on our wandering instincts to find some of the great food we kept hearing about. We weren't very successful. Turns out that to eat well in Montreal, you need to do your homework and make reservations well in advance for the choice dinner spots. La Ferreira was no exception.

After some email volleying a couple of weeks before our arrival, we snagged a prime 8pm slot at one of the hottest chow spots in the city. La Ferreira focuses on Portuguese-inspired fusion cuisine with an emphasis on unique preparations for seafood.

The scene screamed "hot spot" with several tables of power dining in-filled with couples dressed for ultra-luxe action. The center of the scene is an open kitchen where you can see the white-clad staff churning out the fresh cuisine.

I opened my meal with a spicy gazpacho topped with a mixture of chilled poached Mexican seafood & avocado. Although the portion was overly generous, the flavors were fresh, bright and well-balanced such that the freshness of the tomatoes and herbs took center stage.

The appetizer course was the highlight of the evening - grilled giant shrimp from Senegal. Each shrimp was about 10 inches long and had been halved lengthwise and grilled to perfection. they were served with an amazing combination of sweet/spicy sauces at the base of the dish. If the sizes of the shrimp was not eye-popping enough, the intense and near-orgasmic flavors were enough to throw us over the edge.

My entree of black pepper crusted seared tuna over wasabi mashed potatoes would have seemed pedestrian (though good) had they not taken the extra step of broiling thin slices of foie gras on top of the tuna to add a rich buttery dimension to the dish. While I could have quarreled over the selected tuna cut (it was very chewy in places) the preparation was exquisite. I am not an expert on Portuguese cuisine, but I would have to agree with the critics that La Ferreira is a must-visit point on any culinary tour of Montreal.

Put that nutmeg in yo margarita

I love margaritas. On the rocks with no salt. I am enjoying this one at Innuendo in Saint Paul. With Patron Silver, it is a very good drink. With a little whole nutmeg, it is fabulous! I had to suffer through several Cher songs and a losing game of pool to experience it but the bar is cool so I will be back.

Montreal - No Butter, No Coffee at Tim Horton's

Tim Hortons, originally uploaded by johncarney.

While we adored the accommodations at the Hotel Godin, we had no interest in the $25 / person room service options for breakfast. J, the BF and I were trying to keep up with our work-outs while vacationing and nothing sucks more than trying to exercise on an empty stomach, so skipping breakfast was not an option.

There was an ESSO station across the street with a Tim Horton's inside. Tim Horton's is Canada's answer to Dunkin' Donuts and features all manner of fat/carb/sugar combinations to fuel the Canadian populace.

Both mornings we were in the city, we stepped across the street, through the line of fueling vehicles to get J the BF his bagel. Both times, the conversation ran thus (after some formalities to establish that we did not speak French):

Us: "One plain bagel with cream cheese and a cheese croissant"
Tim Horton's: "Plain bagel - okay! Butter?"
Us: " No, with cream cheese"
Tim Horton's: "With cream cheese - butter?"
Us: "No butter"
Tim Horton's: "No Butter!!??"
Us: "No butter"
Tim Horton's: "Coffee?"
Us: "No coffee - just the plain bagel with cream cheese and the cheese croissant"
Tim Horton's: "No Coffee?!?"
Us: "No Coffee!"

Apparently, it is unfathomable to enter a Tim Horton's and leave with no butter or coffee. Aside from all the French being spoken around us, I was jarred to realize that this really was a different country. Who puts butter AND cream cheese on a bagel? Those wacky Canadians do, I guess.

Montreal - Cafeteria: One Plush Lunch

Cafeteria :: Plateau, originally uploaded by markj.

A city with a strong cafe culture like Montreal requires an ample supply of establishments that morph throughout the day from coffee house to lunch spot to happy hour to dinner to after hour bar. Last year, we delighted in Java U as a stellar example. For this trip, Cafeteria seemed to have been designed to fit the bill and was a new experience for us.

After our first thwarted attempt to get lunch at Schwartz's Deli, we defaulted to Cafeteria. The name is slightly ironic as there are no lunch ladies or melamine dishes to be found in this joint. The decor is plush red velvet seating, dark luxurious wood tables and a melange of textures in every wall, floor, and lighting treatment. The entire facade of the restaurant opened out into the street beaconing us in with a hip rhythm-driven vibe that almost seemed out of place at 12:45pm on a Wednesday afternoon.

Inside were a couple of young dudes surfing on laptops while sipping on draft beer, a few groups of young people noshing on burgers & sandwiches and the too-cute bartender casually providing drinks to the servers who nonchalantly kept the show rolling.

I opted for one of the 3 selections of Moules et Frites (mussels & fries). This version was cooked in an arrabiata tomato sauce that was mildly spicy. In Minneapolis, I noted that a lot of high-end bars/lounges offer mussels or fries, but this was the first encounter I had with them paired as an entree. The mussels were delightfully fresh and the sauce was flavorful enough to invite my bread and fries to play. At $12CAD, it was an excellent value and an appropriate lunch to welcome me to Quebec before setting my credit card on fire at more extravagant venues.