With less than 40 days remaining before this year’s trip to Montreal for the holidays, the dinner plans are starting to fall into place.
First, a reset: Each year, we spend the Christmas holiday in Montreal, with a trip of 6-8 days. We’ve done this since 2004. We do it because it’s relaxing, a nice time to reconnect with friends who join us, and it’s become, over time, its own holiday tradition.
We like to eat good food, and so a big part of our planning for the trip is actually planning where we’ll eat. Each year, we choose a mix of favorite restaurants, as well as a few new ones to try.
This year, with 8 nights to fill and perhaps a 9th, here’s the plan:
- Friday 12/18: Toqué
- Saturday 12/19: Newtown
- Sunday 12/20: Laloux
- Monday 12/21: Trois Petit Bouchons
- Tuesday 12/22: DNA
- Wednesday 12/23: Au Pied de Cochon
- Thursday 12/24: Bonaparte
- Friday 12/25: TBD
There are long-time favorites like Toqué and Au Pied de Cochon; restaurants we tried last year and enjoyed, like DNA and Laloux; new restaurants on the list, like Trois Petit Bouchons and Newtown; and the Christmas Eve tradition, Bonaparte. In the case of Newtown, we’re following the chefs, Marc-André Jetté and Patrice Demers, from Laloux to their new venue.
I’ve written about this before, but one of the factors Chuck considers when he’s working on the plans is the style and type of restaurants on the list. He likes a mix of “signature experiences” and homier fare. Naturally, he wants all of it to be good. Now, he’s figuring out whether we’re too heavy on a certain style of bistro cooking – expressed differently at each restaurant, but still similar in style and concept. If that’s the case, I expect we’ll see a replacement of the dinner for Monday night – jumping into one of the ethnic traditions, perhaps.
More to come.