Montreal: Refuge For Newly Converted Carnivores

Despite it only being May, and 2011 is still considered a baby, a lot has taken place thus far. It marks the year I graduated from the print & broadcast journalism program at Humber College, turned 23 and began eating animals again after a 10-year stint with tofu. What can I say? We had a beautiful relationship that lasted as long as it could. I’ll always treasure tofu in my heart and even keep a photograph tucked away in my drawer but I can no longer deny my love for cold cuts.

As a newfound carnivore, I am like a child learning how to swim. Swim in a sea of delicious, scrumptious salmon, that is. Mmm, smoked salmon with cranberry-mustard sauce. Ah, I must stay on track here.

This past weekend I had the privilege and the honour of being whisked away to Montreal to celebrate these milestones; graduating college, getting my green card to become a permanent member of Carnivoreville and oh, being born! Montreal, in my humble and hungry opinion, is the perfect city to explore exotic, rich foods. It’s as much of a European meat eater’s delight as it is a vegan’s. Our entire time in Montreal was spent indulging in life’s sweetest- and at times most sour - pleasures. We didn’t shop or roam in tourist-like fashion. We simply ate. I’ve managed to keep track of all the restaurants we explored and hopefully it will inspire you to one day do the same.


Chez Chose

(photo courtesy RestoMontreal.ca)

On the eve of my 23rd birthday, after having made no reservations at all, my beloved and I walked along Saint Denis St. for an hour trying to find a good restaurant that would seat us two. Our first choice was Au Pied De Cochon, but during our entire stay we could not get a reservation. I assume that’s how renowned that place truly is. We finally settled inside Chez Chose, located at 4621 St. Denis.

The menu looked promising. If my memory serves me well, we began with an appetizer consisting of sautéed shrimp with poached egg. Our main dishes were of duck and rabbit stew. For dessert, fresh cranberries atop pound cake with whipped goat cheese. And you can’t eat a decadent meal like that without ending it with an espresso.

The thing that attracted me the most about Chez Chose was the marvelous host. Our waiter, Richard, was extremely friendly and patient with our ill French. There’s not too many fine dining restaurants that have a warm, inviting, unpretentious aroma to them. Stumbling into Chez Chose was a fluke but it turned out to be one of my favourite experiences.


Divan Orange

(photo courtesy Ron Harrity)

We were under the impression that Divan Orange was the bar for young and hip, urbanites. After dinner, we took the ridiculously clean and fast subway to this bar located at 4234 St. Laurent Blvd. Think of it as Montreal’s answer to The Horseshoe Tavern or Supermarket. The bar was packed with hipsters in their mid-twenties, sipping beer and cranberry vodkas, waiting to check out music from the latest up-and-coming local band.

We ordered our usual drink (rye & ginger) and halfway through we just couldn’t take the lack of air conditioning and ventilation anymore. A real shame if you ask me, seeing as we would stayed to enjoy some francophone music had we not enjoyed wanting to breathe fresh air more.


Le Grand-Mère Poule


The next morning, we found ourselves back at Le Plateau, hunting for the best breakfast joint. Since the highly popular L’Avenue had 30 people waiting to be seated, we decided to cross the street and seat ourselves inside Le Grand-Mère Poule, on 1361 Mont-Royal Ave.

The décor of this establishment is reminiscent of a grandmother’s clunky cottage. There are egg baskets streamed from the ceiling and a plethora of chicken statues and other related knick-knacks displayed throughout. Since nothing sings “good morning!” better than a benedict, I ordered the roasted tomato and ham benedict with cream of pesto. This substitute from hollandaise sauce was a pleasant surprise, almost making me crave a second helping. At Le Grand-Mère Poule, all benedicts came with a variety of fruit, apple sauce and the quintessential breakfast item: hashbrowns.


Piq-A-Deli

(photo courtesy of Ifood.tv)

I got a recommendation from a close friend of mine to head on over to Macaroni Bar for some gnocci poutine (I had no idea such a thing existed before!). Unfortunately, the restaurant wasn’t open yet for the night and so we walked down St. Laurent until we found a deli with the shortest line. I know Shzwartz’s is the best deli in all of Quebec but I’d be damned if I can ever walk by without seeing a line-up the length of a football field.

Having no patience and a killer apatite, one or two blocks away lay the newly opened Piq-A-Deli on 3710 St. Laurent. The owner of the deli was sitting outside handing out smoothie samples to streeters. All for helping out small businesses, we went in and ordered smoked meat Panini’s and fresh raspberry smoothies. This is when I fell in love with smoked meat. It was so scrumptious and savoury, I can only imagine what the smoked meat at Schwartz’s must taste like.


Le Continental


Having learned our lesson to make reservations ahead of time, we called first thing in the morning to secure our spot at this busy fine dining restaurant, located on 4007 Saint Denis St. I can’t say I frequent such fancy bistros, so my time at Le Continental was savoured til the very last drop of Cabernet Sauvignon.

My dinner mate and I warmed up to a plate of salmon tartare under mashed avocado (almost guacamole) with a hint of lemon oil. This appetizer went really well with the fresh bread we were given. If I were back at home, I would have paired with tortilla chips. Being the steak virgin that I am, I managed to get a few bites from my generous date. The filet mignon I ordered for myself was better, but when in Montreal, never pass on the opportunity to munch on steak & frites. For dessert came the gooiest volcano chocolate cake ever, sans birthday candles. Two other people dining at the bistro were celebrating birthdays with friends, and I’m no thunder stealin’ woman.


Crêpe 2 Go


A lust for fine crêpes has been instilled in me since childhood. I have fond memories of waking up to my mother’s nutella crêpes in rural Romania. It’s a challenge for any restaurant to make crepes better than my mother’s. Crêpe 2 Go is a small, crammed establishment found on 2150 Bleury St. The colourful joint served breakfast crêpes (my boyfriend ordered ham and egg crepes with spinach) and dessert crêpes (I ordered the blueberry and banana crepes). These thin and unsweetened crêpes paled in comparison to my mother’s thick, savoury crêpes. Given the chance, I’d definitely go and find a different crêperie. I do like my tables with a little more leg room.


Café Art Java


After munching on crepes and cruising through the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, some R&R (reading and relaxing) was well needed at 836 Mont-Royal Ave. Café Art Java is your typical study-break café serving baked goods and warm, delicious drinks that coffee lovers crave. The server, who belittled me when I tried to place my order for a latte and a croissant in French, reminded me that the language needs to be taken seriously when in Quebec. I have much to improve on until my next visit. What needs no work is CAJ’s French onion soup, equipped with two pieces of fresh toasted bread. It’s the definition of mouth-watering.