Montreal Mon Amour

It didn’t look good, I knew it. I just opened wide to indulge in a juicy chunk of ripe peach from a generous sample plate, when I heard a click of my husband’s camera. Oh well, I had to. Just a few hours remained till our flight home from Montreal after a short three-day visit. It was my last chance for the engage-all-senses moment I seek on every getaway. That trigger moment, which brings back memories years after a trip – a moment of pure enjoyment and appreciation for a newly discovered place that only travel can grant. You know, Salvador Dali’s wife, Gala, cooked the couple’s pet rabbit into a stew when they were moving from Spain to France and weren’t allowed to take the animal along. When I first learned this fun tidbit of art history I was appalled, but not surprised. There are times when love is best expressed by devouring something. In my case, it was a yellow peach at Marche Jean-Talon. What brought me to the market was my insatiable curiosity about French cuisine and its intricate ways. In two evenings we had two dinners prepared by French chefs – at S Le Restaurant (Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel) and at Beaver Hall (Europea group). I asked Bernard L’Hote (executive chef) and Michael Cologgi at S Le Restaurant where did they get their ingredients, and they named the market. So, there I was, at the source of sorcery, so to speak. The counters were bursting with color, and the assortment of goodies went from fresh produce to canned foie gras and cognac infused rillettes in tiny glass jars. I knew that was a good start, but our scrumptious dinners from the previous nights had been so much more than that.




We stayed at Le Saint-Sulpice, the all-suites boutique hotel, located in the most charming part of Old Montreal, flanked by the Old Port on one side, and Rue Notre-Dame with the 1829 namesake basilica on the other. “Saint-Sulpice is really special – charming, cozy, and beautiful,” said Diane Roch who works for the hotel, and we couldn’t agree more. Our suite was furnished like a modern dwelling where people live, not just stay, with a comfortable workstation, large screen TV, an inviting sitting area, and a compact kitchenette. From our balcony, we looked over a dining garden with flowers and a babbling fountain, and in a minute were off to dinner at the hotel restaurant thankful for the opportunity to “eat in” after a long journey. In the 1800s building, both the hotel and the restaurant carry on the charm of the past epoch, while conducting their business in a thoroughly modern manner – efficient and accommodating.




Our outstanding tasting menu started with a tomato gazpacho with snow crab puree, decorated with pea sprouts, elegantly served in a martini glass. Then tuna tartar (“we get fresh tuna every 24 hours,” said Laurent, our friendly waiter) was followed by a tender-flesh arctic char in carrot butter, succulent scallops in saffron sauce, decadent duck breast enhanced with fresh cilantro and radishes, and a veal chop delicately fried in clarified butter. A chocolate, praline, and macaroon dessert had a little peacock pattern, and a chocolate dipped strawberry on a side to better suit its name – Palais Royal. Wonderful Arrogant Frog wines accompanied our meal, and energized us enough for a midnight walk around the old town.


Clean, safe, and civilized, Montreal is great for that old-fashioned joie de vivre of just walking hand in hand and breathing in its fragrant night air. We wandered across Place d’Armes, looked at the statue of Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the founder of Montreal, and at the majestic Gothic Revival Notre-Dame. Then we walked past a temple-like building which appeared to be the Bank of Montreal, founded in 1817 – the oldest banking institution in the nation, that has its own museum, and explored several narrow cobblestone streets around, glancing into gallery windows, abundant in this artistic part of town.

The next morning visit to a brand new spa, just steps from our hotel, was a revelation of sorts. First, we were reminded that SPA stands for Sanitas Per Aquam, which means health through water. Then, we learned that Scandinave Les Bains is the only spa in Montreal offering a relaxation method of the ancient Scandinavian baths with repeated cycles of contrasting temperatures water treatment. Designed by a reputable firm Saucier + Perrotte Architects, the facility is a site to behold, with marble and limestone floors, wooden ceilings, a pool and a waterfall wall. Combination bath/massage packages are appropriately named “Swedish,” “Icelandic,” “Baltic,” and “Viking,” and are offered along with Finnish sauna, hydro-jet bath, and eucalyptus steam bath.

For a quick lunch we stopped at Olive + Gourmando, following a suggestion from one of the knowledgeable locals. A super popular gourmet sandwich and pastry spot was crowded, but lively and friendly, with high communal tables and bar chairs, chatty young waitresses, and a hip pastry chef, Amy McKinnon, just leaving work after her 5 am morning shift.





Next on our tightly packed schedule was a tour of the city with a guide extraordinaire Ann Toth from Montreal City Tour Guides. We learned that those grand old buildings were made of gray limestone quarried right here in Montreal. One can still see perfectly preserved 400 million year-old fossils on city walls… That Victoria Station Art Nouveau Metropoliten sign was a gift from Paris, and that Raymond Mason used stratified polyester resin and polyurethane paint for his most photographed 1985 sculpture, Illuminated Crowd, in front of the downtown BNP Tower. Our guide told us that the majority of population in Montreal (the second largest French-speaking city in the world) knows more than two languages – besides French and English people often use at home their native tongue. She speaks her native Hungarian, and also Spanish. Openness, diversity, and cultural exchange are prominent features of the contemporary metropolis, which is over 360 years old. We made a trip to the largest park in Montreal – Mont-Royal, and looked at the gorgeous city from the top.

To admire it from another angle, next morning we took a St. Lawrence River cruise with Croisieres AML on a sunlit deck of Cavalier Maxim. Then, to take advantage of Montreal’s many annual festivals (more than weeks in a year), we got a couple of tix to Just For Laughs Festival, and thoroughly enjoyed Reverie, Simply Unspeakable – a pantomime-based performance directed by Dexter Bullard with an incredibly talented cast.


Then there was still time for a Beaver Hall dinner, where Chef Executif Jerome Ferrer pulled his magic tricks with crispy duck confit wrapped in philo dough, pineapple and strawberry chutney atop heavenly seared foie gras, and some unparalleled tartar served Parisian-bistro style. A glass of Domaine Berenas Collines d’Oc 2005 from Southern France was probably just love potion, because after that I fell deeply, madly, truly in love with the city of Montreal. That’s how I ended up trying to eat up a piece of it at the Jean-Talon market hours before our departure. That was the moment not to be forgotten – the trigger moment to keep for years, or – until my next trip to Montreal. Photography by Yuri Krasov.

La Belle Nouvelle-France – Quebec

When a comely passport control officer at Jean-Lesage International airport greeted us with Bonjour, my flight fatigue just melted away. Everything sounds so much better in French, and the population of ancient Quebec is 95% francophone! I felt like looking at illuminated city sites and listening to the Summer Festival music. The night was young… in San Francisco, but it approached the wee hours on the Atlantic coast of Canada. We had to delay sightseeing and nightlife until tomorrow. Hotel Manoir Victoria in the northern part of Vieux-Quebec became our home away from home. Neat and clean, with period furnishing and unmistakable French charm, it occupies a late 1800s building, steps from the main drag, Rue Saint-Jean.
A good night sleep, induced by a faint smell of fresh linens and goose down pillows, and a hearty American breakfast at La Table du Manoir set us up for a day of exploration and wonder.



We started exploring Quebec with Steeve Gaudreault from Cicerone – a walking tours company. A 400-year-old walled city has it all – a chateau, an old port, a grid of cobble stone streets lined with ancient buildings under copper roofs, a bustling art scene, and a farmers market overflowing with greens, reds, and… maple syrup.



We sat down to lunch at Le Café de la Terrasse of Le Chateau Frontenac (now Fairmont Hotel), overlooking the river and a pedestrian boardwalk, Terrasse Dufferin. The chateau was founded in 1893, and named after the governor of Nouvelle-France, count de Frontenac, famous for saying that his country would never surrender to the Brits from the colonies (now the United States). In 1943 and 1944 Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill attended historic conferences here. Today, guided tours of the chateau are led by the costumed guides to recreate the atmosphere of the 19th century grand hotel, and the hotel kitchen serves innovative French cuisine at its best. Chef Jean Soulard published a book on 400 years of eating habits of lucky Quebecois.




Our guide, dressed as Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec, took us around to show them all. A bust of Louis XIV at Place-Royal was installed in 1686 as a reminder of Sun King’s efforts to populate French-American territory with his adventurous and obedient subordinates. 775 female orphans, known as “king’s daughters” (le filles du roi) arrived here by boat in 1663 to marry local farmers (a.k.a. soldiers – as needed). Through bloody battles, new settlement hardships, and the perseverance of French pioneers, the city developed into a jewel of North America. The Image Mill, a grandiose open-air show, recaps Quebec’s four-century history in four-season and four-roadway (sea, land, rail, air) format. Created by Robert Lepage and Ex Machina, the film is projected on the largest screen in the world, placed on the water-facing walls of port buildings.

A scrumptious dinner at Auberge Louis-Hebert featured imaginative dishes by Chef Herve Toussaint, like sautéed snails and mushrooms in puff pastry with a creamy anise reduction, and a salad with maple syrup dressing. Split-level dining rooms, skylights, ivies, and mirrored walls created a festive ambience, and Mr. Antoine-Xenopoulos, owner-manager of the restaurant was at hand to greet his guests and make sure everything was to their liking. No wonder Quebec restaurants stay in business for 25-30 years, and at least 17 good ones can be found within a walking distance in the old town area.
For a younger crowd, the city offers an array of late night bars and dancing venues, plus the largest seasonal attraction – Summer Festival was in full bloom during our visit. We caught a glimpse of musical performances on several stages. All in all, more than 300 shows in 11 days were presented at the Canada’s biggest outdoor event.
On our way to the hotel, we looked at the latest architectural adornment – Tourny Fountain, a gift to the city for its 400th anniversary. The 1857 fountain, designed by Mathurin Moreau, was acquired and delivered from Bordeaux by La Maison Simons (local department store) owner.

A wide and deep Saint-Laurent River, and wild flower-studded emerald hills of Cote de Beaupre frame the jewel of Quebec and add to its sparkle. Our next day trip was to the Chute-Montmorency and Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort area. The majestic Montmorency waterfall, cascading from 272 feet, can be seen (and felt) from the bridge right over it, or from a zigzagging staircase, or from a cable car, belvederes, and trails. Better yet, from every possible observation point, and from every angle.




Mont-Sainte-Anne has 66 downhill skiing trails and a vertical drop of over 2000 feet. In summer, it offers world championship opportunities for mountain bikers, and gondola rides with spectacular views from the top for the rest of us. A word of advice – don’t get on a gondola with a mountain biker, especially if you are dressed in summer whites. A visit to a canine village gave us a chance to see an amazing pack of 65 sled dogs off-season, shedding their winter furs and barking away in-between their walking and feeding times. Les Secrets Nordiques, a snow-touring center, owned and managed by Bruno Saucier, offers different dogsled rides for single tourists, families, and groups.
Zip lining over the Canyon Sainte Anne is not for everyone, but crossing a swinging suspension bridge, walking the trails in fairy tale-like forest, and admiring 1.2 billion year-old granite rocks and raging waterfalls is a fascinating experience for all.

On the way back, we stopped at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Church, built in Art Deco style, rather rare in religious architecture, and learned about thousands of pilgrims who visit the site every year in memory and hopes of past and future miracles.



That night, we dined at a casual Le Café du Clocher Penche. Its small dining room, modern and tasteful design, and open kitchen with friendly staff made me think of a neighborhood restaurant at its best – unpretentious and inviting, yet elegant. I won’t soon forget its homemade curd goat cheese, adorned with sun dried tomatoes, olives, and French bread toasts, or a dish of roasted pork – each slice wrapped in crispy skin – with grilled portabella, cauliflower puree, and asparagus.
The newest show in town – Les Chemins Invisibles (The Invisible Paths) by Cirque du Soleil is a June-September event, free and open to the public. Created exclusively for Quebec, it starts in three different points on the city streets, and moves toward the Place Desjardins under a highway overpass, where it dazzles the gathering crowds with an unparalleled enchanting multiple-stage performance. The show will go on for five consecutive years.



On the last day of our short visit, we walked down Rue Petit-Champlain, stopping at souvenir shops, and Rue Saint-Louis, “the post card street.” Watched an impromptu circus performance in front of the first Canadian-born cardinal Taschereau monument on a little shady square, and glanced at imposing Seminaire. Relaxed in a secluded Parc du Cavalier-du-Moulin, and entered the tourist vein again along Rue Saint-Jean. We took a closer look at the UNESCO monument symbolizing a jewel, and photographed the most photographed hotel in the world – the incomparable Chateau Frontenac (yet again).


Our last night dinner was at the exciting Aviatic Restaurant, first opened 20 years ago, and located inside the city train station. Called Gare du Palais, the station looks nothing short of a palace, and is a historic building and a charming hub for trains as well as for upscale eateries. Aviatic follows the aviation theme with plane models and airplane episodes from the old flicks projected on small screens in the dining room, but the food is far and high removed from anything airborne. The restaurant concept is “sharing” or what we call family-style, and in a couple of delightful hours we tasted so many wonderful creations by the award-winning chef-owner Jean-Francois Houde, that it would be a daunting task to name them all. Asian fusion dishes like tuna tataki, marinated in orange juice, mirin sake, ginger, and rice vinegar among other ingredients, or miso glazed sea bass with plum wine butter sauce were creative, innovative, and overall amazingly good.
On the night we dined, Mr. Mayor of Quebec, Rejis Labeaume, elected just over a year ago, happened to be present at the restaurant. He stopped by, and answering a question, said, “I like being a mayor of a French city in North America.” Mr. Labeaume briefly shared his plans for making Quebec the best and most exciting city in Canada, and to keep up the good quality of life here. If you ask me, he is pretty close to reaching his goal.



“In 1608, while sailing up the St. Lawrence, I discovered a place of exceptional beauty,” wrote Samuel de Champlain in his day. “There I founded the town of Quebec.” In a smorgasbord of tourist destinations Quebec is a picnic basket. Beautiful, clean and safe, the old Quebec has gifts for every season, one more delicious than the other. For more information, visit www.bonjourquebec.com, www.quebecregion.com, www.fairmont.com, www.infofestival.com, www.manoir-victoria.com, www.louishebert.com, www.sepaq.com/chitemontmorency, www.mont-sainte-anne.com, www.clocherpenche.ca, canyon@canyonsa.qc.ca, cduplanin@exmachina.qc.ca, www.aviatic-club.com. Photography by Yuri Krasov.