Todd and Chuck blog about their trips to Montreal
Jun 24th, 2009 by Todd Mundt
The video is amazingly cool, the concept is forward-thinking and super-trendy, perhaps a bit too trendy even for the most over-touristed sections of Old Montreal. But here it is, MüvBox, now at the Quai des Éclusiers (McGill and de la Commune).
And, based on the word of Montreal Foodie, which we’ve come to trust over the years, it might be worth a free look around, but perhaps not for lunch.
May 7th, 2009 by Todd Mundt
More chef musical chairs:
Mari-Claude Lortie of La Presse blogs that Éric Gonzalez will be the new chef at Laloux, replacing Marc André Jetté, who has departed for Newtown with Patrice Demers, as we’ve already noted.
We’re familiar with Gonzalez from his time at Cube until late 2006 (we ate there the final night); he went to XO at the Hotel St James after that.
In the meantime, over at Newtown, Lortie reports that there’s no decision yet on changing the name of the restaurant, but it will be closed for about a week for some redecorating. It re-opens on May 26th with Jetté and Demers at the helm.
Apr 30th, 2009 by Todd Mundt
Patrice Demers and Marc-André Jetté put Laloux on the map of great Montreal restaurants, and now comes news of their imminent departure.
Demers and Jetté will move to the kitchen at Newtown on May 17th. We don’t know a lot about Newtown, but its reputation (if you read the Chowhound boards) seems to stand on its current bar/club/dining atmosphere, more so than the food.
Whatever the case, it looks like we can wipe the slate clean because there are likely to be some cosmetic changes to the restaurant, perhaps a name change, and most important, Demers and Jetté will overhaul the menu.
This brings upheaval to Laloux, which has a long history in the neighborhood. The restaurant languished for many years before the arrival of the duo in 2007. Demers and Jetté are young, but have a list of accomplishments that belies their age, and we look forward to what they plan for Newtown.
Actually, it’s worth mentioning a few other shifts because they impact another restaurant we’ve blogged about here.
Le Local is losing Alexandre Gosselin and Éric Dupuis. Gosselin is moving to the new Bar et Bouef, soon to open in Old Montreal. Dupuis is going to Leméac. Charles-Antoine Pariseau of Leméac? He’s going to Le Local.
Got that? Bottom line, everything we’ve said about Le Local and Laloux is no longer applicable.
One final note about Laloux: a restaurant is an experience that includes more than just the chefs and the meals. It’s the ambience, the waitstaff, the sommelier, too, and all were exceptional at Laloux. We’re also looking forward to what happens there.
Jan 11th, 2009 by Todd Mundt
A nice piece on Cafe Myriade in the Montreal Gazette, which bills the cafe as the spread of good coffee to the downtown area, as well as the home of the best price for 49th Parallel beans.
Jan 9th, 2009 by Todd Mundt
Without a doubt, one of the highlights of our time in Montreal this holiday was the series of three visits to Cafe Myriade. It’s new, but it’s clearly established itself as one of the best cafes in the city, and to judge from the foaming at the mouth on Chowhound, I’m not the only one with this opinion.
I’m not all that great at talking about coffee using the special words that true coffee lovers use; I could certainly afford to study the beverage more closely. But I’ve had a lot of coffee, a lot of good coffee, too, and even if my appreciation of coffee outweighs my knowledge of varietals and brewing methods, I can say that the coffee we had at Myriade was the best coffee I’ve had anywhere, thus far. It beats Ritual, Intelligentsia and Blue Bottle - all of which are excellent.
But, coffee aside, the best thing about Myriade is the guy who is most often behind the machine. Anthony Benda is one of the most effortlessly customer-focused people I’ve met. Your visit to his cafe is about you, not about him, and in my opinion, that’s the chief reason why your choice of coffee, or brew method, or size of cup, isn’t an opportunity for you to be lectured in proper coffee etiquette at Myriade. If you want education, you have plenty of opportunities, with scheduled and, sometimes, impromptu tastings, if he’s not too busy.
Montreal is in the midst of a coffee renaissance. Cafe Myriade is the youngest offspring, but I think it’s the new leader.
Jan 2nd, 2009 by Todd Mundt
I’m going to write a number of posts over the next few weeks about our 2008 trip to Montreal. I think it’s worth taking some time to consider the changes that are taking place in the Old City, the new restaurants that are springing up, as well as the existing ones we discovered and enjoyed this year, and our coffee experiences at Cafe Myriade, among other things.
First, a few notes about the trip, in general. We were there 8 days this year, longer than any previous trip. And I think we found this trip to more enjoyable than ever, precisely because we stayed longer. There is a sweet spot to a vacation and Chuck and I have come to think that 8 days is just about perfect for Montreal: it’s enough to absorb some of the life and the vibe of the city, and when we reach the half way point of the trip, we don’t dread the coming end of the trip. After all, there’s still another four days to go. Of course, we always regret leaving the city, but we do have to leave some time, you know.
And thanks to the recent devaluation of the Loonie, in relation to the US Dollar, our lodging expenses were nearly the same as last year, despite the two additional nights. While I’m mentioning it, our transportation expenses were also much lower this year, too. Overall, it was a much more affordable trip, thanks to the convergence of the weak economy, falling gas prices, the resulting lower airfares, and the falling Canadian dollar.
So, while plans can always change, we’ve booked eight days for next year, too: December 18-26. We liked arriving on Friday and leaving on Saturday enough that we’re going to do it again, even though it means we’re leaving on Boxing Day. I won’t go into all the tiny reasons for this, except for one: there’s a decent chance Olive et Gourmando will close for its month-long holiday on Saturday 12/19/2009; a Friday arrival ensures at least one trip to OeG before they go on hiatus. If you’ve been to OeG even once, I think you can understand why this has factored in our planning at all.
One other general note: last year, we went back and forth on the idea of having friends join us. Would they be bored with our general laziness there or would we find that having friends along was a drag on our fun? Well, I can only speak to the second question and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Four friends joined us last year, leading to great memories and legendary meals. Two of those friends returned in 2008 and we picked up right where we left off.
Well, more to come in the next few weeks. The purpose of this blog is to bring to life the joy of vacationing in Montreal and perhaps provide some advice you’ll find helpful in planning your own trip. We hope to fulfill both in the coming weeks.
Dec 24th, 2008 by Todd Mundt
As in past years, the number of posts about this trip - before and after - will greatly outnumber the posts during, but I want to drop at least one quick note to mention: first, all the snow we’re enjoying this year; second, what does seem to be a reduction in the number of tourists this year; and third, the sheer brilliance of Cafe Myriade, all of which will get more in-depth treatment soon.
Joyeuses Fetes!
Dec 18th, 2008 by Todd Mundt
Look at that line of blue crap in Missouri and southern Illinois: that might throw a wrench into our travel plans tomorrow.
The SDF to IND to DTW to YUL trek might just bog down in DTW, where as of this writing, we expect 6-10 inches of snow to fall in a 12 hour time window from 4am-4pm Friday. This piece of weather appeared seemingly out of nowhere on Wednesday afternoon.
One can respond a few ways, ranging from curling up in a ball and crying, to a laissez faire approach, to a proactive rebooking strategy.
I’m a relatively new convert to the more zen “vacation starts when you leave and whatever happens, happens” worldview. Despite that, I’d still like to know that we can get to Montreal on Friday, without being delayed for a few hours or until Saturday.
Detroit has a good reputation these days for pushing the traffic through, and keeping the runways in good shape, even in heavy snow. If our flight to or from DTW isn’t canceled preemptively or because of wind/snow, we’ll probably make it with a moderate delay. If it’s canceled preemptively, or the storm forecast worsens, I have an ace in the hole - an extremely cheap direct flight to Montreal from another nearby airport unaffected by weather. I might use that escape hatch tonight. Chuck is even less tolerant of delays than I am.
Our friends Bob and Michael are scheduled to arrive late Friday night via Chicago, which will endure this storm tomorrow, too.
We’ve been quite lucky along the way. In 2004, we were delayed around 6-7 hours in Toronto, while the airport tried to dig itself out of smaller snowstorm. That was rather chaotic, but we made it. And up until now, our trips have been uneventful, on time, even.
Well, here goes… we’ll talk to you on the other side!
Dec 13th, 2008 by Todd Mundt
A week from today, we’ll be in Montreal, most likely extra jittery from our first visit to Cafe Myriade, and excited about our first full day there in almost a year. After all the planning and prep, we’re ready to get there. The biggest unknown in our planning scenario is weather.
We’re not the only ones. The majority of email we get from readers about Montreal has to do with winter weather. How cold does it get? Is it windy? What should we bring for a December or January trip?
These questions are the hardest to answer, and the best example is the current weather forecast for Montreal:
And here’s the norm: 28°F during the day and 14°F at night.
You can look at this forecast and get tied up in knots while trying to pack. (We’ve been there.) The weather during your trip could be quite normal. Or your trip could be the outlier: our first holiday there in 2004 was extremely cold and windy; last year, we arrived days after a huge snowstorm (even for Montreal), and all the snow melted in warm weather; we had a couple days with the temperature near 40°F.
Environment Canada generally publishes forecasts for four days out, unlike the National Weather Service and private forecasters in the US, which often give you a week-long snapshot. If your trip is brief, you might be able to pack with some certainty (as far as you can trust the forecast), but if you’re planning a longer trip (8 days for us this time) you need to follow some rules of thumb. Here are ours.
That’s our list. What did we miss? If you travel to Montreal (or some other cold place) in the winter, what do you take with you?
Dec 2nd, 2008 by Todd Mundt
Less than three weeks from arrival in Montreal, here are the restaurant reservations:
I noted earlier this year that we couldn’t resist dining at APDC twice on this trip, but we reserve the right to restrain our foies gras desires, should reason prevail.
We’re happy with this list because, with the exception of APDC, every restaurant is a new experience for us. December 25th is a big uncertainty. On Christmas night, very little is open except for hotel restaurants. For the past four years, we’ve had Christmas night dinner at Otto in the W Hotel. That’s a perfectly acceptable choice for this year, too, but we’re keeping our options open - perhaps the restaurant at Le Germain or the St. James or the St Paul. Or there’s Niu Kee, which is usually open on Christmas night.
Nov 28th, 2008 by Todd Mundt
Three weeks from today, we’ll be in Montreal. We’re both getting pretty excited about this. (I get excited in August, Chuck reserves his eagerness for the 21 days before we embark.)
This weekend, he’ll be calling restaurants to line up reservations, while I choose a handful of things we might do while we’re there.
We’ve been to Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal before, but there’s an exhibition on rock and roll that could be fun. There’s also a Warhol exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts that looks good. As far as historic tours go, we’ve had Chateau Ramezay on the list for a couple of years, but at the top of my personal list is the Margeuerite Bourgeoys Museum at Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secoures Chapel. There have been some amazing archeological finds underneath the church and you can walk amongst them. After touring Pointe-à-Callière Museum last year, which has excellent walking tour of some of the oldest ruins of Montreal in the basement, I’m excited to see what’s beneath the chapel.
We’re firmly of the opinion that one planned activity (besides dinner) is plenty, so a couple museum visits over 8 days seems a good balance.
We eliminated shopping from last year’s trip - the first time we’d done that. But I think we’ll spend a couple hours scouting for bargains here and there, and doing so is even easier now that many stores and chains roll out “Boxing Week” rather than “Boxing Day” sales.
We’re coffee people, all four of us on this year’s trip, so there will be at least a couple stops at Cafe Myriade to sample what locals have been raving about in the weeks since it opened. Cafe Veritas is near the auberge where we stay, so we’ll go there, as well.
Three weeks out, that’s the extent of our planning. Our transportation to Montreal is the cheapest it’s been in at least 3 years; the Loonie will possibly give us our best value in 3 years; and the weather - well who the heck knows? Regardless, as the Thanksgiving holiday becomes history, we have Montreal on our minds.