Welcome to our list of favorite dining destinations in New York's Hudson Valley and Adirondack regions. We visit restaurants, wineries, barbecues, and a smattering of off the beaten path culinary destinations like maple sugar shacks and fromageries. My friends and I have been dining out together weekly for over twenty years. The locations we write about are our favorite destinations. We are not claiming they are the best, just our favorites. The posts are not "reviews" in the classic sense. - we offer only our picks, not pans. We will leave the criticism to others. We are a happy blog. We much prefer a good bistro to "haute cuisine", especially if they also have a nice bar. We prefer a crock of cassoulet and a bottle of Beaujolais to just about anything else. If you enjoy simple home style rustic cooking with a decent (but not too expensive) bottle of wine, then pull up a chair and join us.



This Month's "Well Said!"

"Remember that a very good sardine is always preferable to a not that good lobster."

Ferran Andria

Monday, January 17, 2011

A Winter Weekend In Montreal

I am constantly amazed by the number of New Yorkers that have not been to Canada. On more than one occasion I have spent a week driving around in Quebec salmon fishing without seeing a single New York license plate. People will spend hours driving to New York City (in horrendous traffic) for a weekend, but never think of driving a few hours north to Montreal. Trust me, you should do this. Montreal is a wonderful city full of exciting theater and jazz clubs, glorious hotels and intimate B&B's, art galleries, fabulous restaurants and bars, an entire underground city, connected by Metro (subway), chock full of every conceivable type of shopping. Montreal has its own versions of Little Italy, Chinatown, and a Latin Quarter, and as you might expect - some of the best French bistros this side of Paris. There is something about Montreal – perhaps it's the language – that makes a stay there feel like a real vacation. Don't let the language scare you. Most everyone here speaks English, especially in restaurants, hotels and shops. The standard greeting is Bonjour–Hello, until they hear your response and proceed accordingly in French or English.

We do know people who drive up for Montreal's Summer Jazz or Comedy Festivals. We go out of our way to make a trip in the dead of winter, usually for a long weekend. That leaves time for a few dinners out, a night at a jazz club, some daytime shopping with a leisurely bistro lunch, and hopefully finding one new favorite bartender. If I'm lucky I will also find a new favorite hat at Henri Henri in Ste. Catherine's shopping district. (Here's a guaranteed $5 trivia winner. In the 1950's and 60's Henri Henri sent a hat to any hockey player scoring three goals at the Montreal Forum. It became known as a “hat trick.”)

Bistro Dining Room in Vieux Montreal
The most beautiful part of the city is Vieux (Old) Montreal, with eighteenth century cobblestone streets and plazas and parks and buildings all named for what seems like every saint in Christendom. We make our home base there at the Hotel le St. James, which is housed in what was an old bank. It could be my favorite hotel. It is walking distance to the historic port with its many outdoor festivals, and Catherine Street shopping, but you can get just about anywhere in Montreal for a $10 cab ride. There are plenty of choices in lodging from Marriott's to small B&B's, depending on your taste and your budget. My only suggestion is that you make sure your hotel has secure off street parking if you bring a car that you expect to drive back home. Like many large cities, Montreal has a well deserved reputation for cars going missing.

A few of our favorite destinations follow. Keep in mind that we prefer bistros to “haute cuisine”.

Casa Galicia 2087 Rue St. Denis in the Latin Quarter. (Phn) 514 843 6698. www.casagaliciamontreal.com Nice tapas menu featuring foods of Spain, especially seafood. Cozy bar with great wine list on St. Denis's “restaurant row”.

Troika 2171 Rue Crescent (Phn) 514-849-9333  www.restauranttroika.com 
A romantic Russian hideaway complete with an enormous selection of vodkas, blinis, borscht, caviar, and if you're lucky - a balalaika trio for entertainment. The restaurant is a few blocks from the Museum of Fine Arts.    

For steak, Queue de Cheval.   1221 Blvd. Rene Levesque.  (Phn) 514 390 0090. www.queuedecheval.com   The official House of Beef.  Big, "expense account" steak / lobster palace.  Smith & Wollensky's on steroids, in French.  I love it.  Mary hates it.  Go figure. Must be a guy thing.

Montreal also has a great old neighborhood steakhouse named Moishe's, 3961 St. Laurent. (Phn) 514 845 3509.  Serving great steaks since 1938. www.moishes.ca

For a casual lunch, Montreal's most famous deli - Schwartz's.  3895 St. Laurent (look for the line out the door) Phn: 514 842 4813.  www.schwartzsdeli.com 
Order smoked meat (a pastrami variation) on rye with a blackberry soda.  Order anything else (or ask for a menu) and you are marked a tourist. Order pastrami and celery soda and you are marked a New York City tourist.  

Poutine with foie gras at Pied de Cochon
Au Pied de Cochon, 536 Rue Duluth Est.  (Phn) 514 281 1114.  www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca Montreal's official House of Pork. A classic bistro specializing in foie gras, made famous by numerous mentions by Tony Bourdain.   Reservations a must. Best seats are at the bar, where you get to watch the kitchen.  House specialty is a pigs foot (pied au cochon), roasted and stuffed with foie gras, served with a side of Lipitor I think. Another great dish is a twist on a Quebec classic – poutines - french fries served with cheese curds and brown gravy. Here they add a slab of foie gras (just in case you are trying to get your cholesterol levels up a little higher.)

Le Petite Bistro 1550 Rue Fullum (Phn) 514 524 4442.  www.lepetitebistro.qc.ca 
A true “off the tourist map” neighborhood french bistro.  Not fancy, but the real deal.  No tourists, (and possibly no English speaking wait staff.) but worth the cab drive and the trouble.  A confit of duck and bottle of Beaujolais are easy to order in any language.  Highly recommended.

Also highly recommended is another local favorite called 
Chez Leveque. 1030 Laurie.  (Phn) 514 279 7355. www.chezleveque.ca  
In a shopping district (for when you are done with lunch.) Nothing fancy but fabulous food. Some of the best steak tartare I have ever had anywhere.    

Restaurant Laloux, 250 Ave. de Pins Est.  (Phn) 514 287 9127.  www.laloux.com. 
Really nice bistro with great food but on everyone's radar so a very popular and busy destination.  Some say the best in Montreal. I won't argue. 

 L'Original 479 Rue St. Alexis (Phn) 514 303 0479 www.loriginal.com 
A relatively new (2008) bistro in Old Montreal. Nice wine list and classic dishes with a modern twist in a casual basement setting.

After Hours:

L'Ile Noire. 342 Rue Ontario.  (Phn) 514 982 0866  www.Ilenoire.com
Nice "single malt scotch" bar in the Latin Quarter.

Maison du Jazz.   2060 Alymer  (Phn) 514 842 8656.   www.houseofjazz.ca 
Really great jazz club.  Two sets most nights.  Reserve a table, or just show up and hang out at the bar.  It was the old Charlie Bittle's Ribs (Charlie was the stand up bass player)  and still serves BBQ ribs and chicken.  (The place is famous for the music.)
L'Assommoir Absinthe

L'Assommoir Notre-Dame, 211 Notre-Dame W.,  (phn) 514 272 0777
Also in Vieux Montreal. Pre-dinner cocktails, or tapas and small plates for dinner or better yet - serious late night party - complete with (three) proper absinthe services at the bar. Ask for my new favorite bartender, Simon. The man knows how to make a martini.


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