Food in Montreal

There was plenty of good eating in Montreal.* We went to a bunch a places, among them:

DNA -
355 Rue Maguerite D'Youville
They make all their own meats and stress using local foods and animals (known as Terroir in french, or localvore). They also give a tour of the kitchen. We ate ciassculo (house made salami), petoncles (scallops), parpardelle with four different hand harvested mushrooms, canard (duck), I also ate pork tartare -which was fantasic. When they figured out we are foodies, they gave us free charcuterie samples and mignardises (wee little deserts).

Warning: the address is tricky because there are two streets around the same area (Old Montreal) so mapquest it and don't assume the cab knows about this. Ours did not and we missed a fireworks display we planned to watch from our table.

L'Express
3927 St-Denis
Went here for lunch and loved it. I think this was our second favorite place, but neck and neck with DNA, which I would put at third place. Very authentic French Parisian-style Cafe. Billy had three huge bones full of marrow presented beautifully. We shared a delicious duck confit salad and I had Potage Oseille (sorrel and potato soup) -also delicious.

Ferreira
1446 Rue Peel
This restaurant was recommended and was more than fine, but not a favorite. Portuguese.

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Rue Duluth
Our favorite. This place almost killed us. See the next entry for a more detailed explanation of this adventure. This was actually the cheapest dinner we had in Montreal, with far more food per plate to boot.

La Montee De Lait
1424 Bishop
This restaurant was better than Ferreira but not a favorite, though I could see how light eaters may favor it. The food was tasty and one could choose to order either "3, 4 or 7 choix" (choice)from the menu, which was small. The portions were petite, fancy style. We were not as moved as we were at our favorites, where the personalities of each chef really shone through the menu. We were not unhappy with it, but had much to compare. Here is a favorable review.

Schwartz's
3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
A new favorite deli, and we love delis. The Smoked Meat sandwich is a must have:


We dropped into a Chinatown noodle joint to check it out. The noodles were good (not as good as New York Noodle Town) but the atmosphere was fun. The kitchen was behind these huge windows and the cooks would perform and make faces at the children eating in the dining area. Some shots:



*we liked the blog of a Montreal couple, Endless Banquet, for food and culture tips. We used it quite a bit to get around.

Montreal

We spent the time between Christmas and New Years in Montreal. We had never been before, and the weather was actually warmer than usual for that time of year so we were able to walk around a bunch without dying of frostbite. The weather was gray, however, but that added to the mood of Old Montreal, where we stayed. People were wiping out left and right on the ice, which made me grateful for having acquired ice legs growing up in Maine.
We stayed here, The Hotel Gault, the entire time. We had the incredible luck to be upgraded to what equaled a small NYC apartment on the top level. Very nice, especially at the winter rate.
The view, below, was of the St. Lawrence river (hence the big boat) and of Habitat 67 which was built for the 67 Worl'd Fair.

Another view of Habitat 67, from Wikipedia

I kind of liked the fog:

On the waterfront, above. Pretty park at dusk, below.

Some things that reminded me of New Orleans: The ships seen from the streets and the horse drawn carriages everywhere in the old section.

Pussyfooter Blush Ball

I am finally putting up a few pictures of the the Pfooters dancing at the Blush Ball. We raised a bunch of money for a great cause and debuted our costumes. I think we look like candy.

I am second in line. I have to remind myself not to sing along or chant
the moves to myself as the mouth movement makes for funny pictures!

Look for us in the Muses parade! February 18th.


We have a big tail:
And Ruthie caught one of the tail feathers in her mouth.